Scent of Broqpa
Scent of Broqpa began with a distant village.
I first learned about Broqpa, a small village in Nepal at the end of the Silk Road, through a documentary. I was deeply moved by the way flowers are woven into daily life there. In Broqpa, flowers symbolize love, gratitude, and devotion. Women grow them in their gardens and wear them in their hair every day—not as decoration, but as an expression of joy and faith.
This philosophy became the foundation of my work.
In my portraits, flowers are never ornamental. They act as emotional extensions of the subject—symbols of resilience, tenderness, memory, and quiet strength. Flowers bloom briefly and fade, yet within their fragility, they hold profound meaning. Through photography, I try to preserve that fleeting moment and transform it into something lasting.
The series began in 2016 with floral portraits of my twin daughters. What started as an intimate exploration of childhood gradually expanded into collaborative projects with seniors, single mothers, multicultural families, artists, and diverse communities. Each portrait begins with a conversation. I work closely with my subjects, allowing their stories and personalities to shape the image.
I combine fresh and dried flowers, staged environments, and painterly lighting. The resulting images exist somewhere between photography and painting. Flowers may protect, conceal, elevate, or merge with the body—suggesting that identity itself is layered and constantly in bloom.
Through Scent of Broqpa, I hope to share a simple belief: even in fragility there is beauty, and even in transience there is presence. Each portrait is an offering—a moment of flowering.