The Award Award Showcase The Gallery Publications Gears University Expeditions Career About Us Dev-Lab Learning & AI Future Curriculum Curiosity & Consciousness Sign In Submit Your Work →
Contributing Writer Sensory Memory & Embodied Experience

Priya Kapoor

Priya Kapoor has contributed to Light & Composition since 2010. Her Reflections approach photography through the body rather than the mind — opening with something tasted, smelled, or touched before arriving at the image itself. Priya writes about memory as it lives in the hands and the throat, not the intellect. Her pieces have a physical texture that readers describe as something closer to sensation than to reading.

1,125 Published Reflections

Reflections by Priya Kapoor

Showing 12 of 1,125 essays
The Weight of Yesterday Photo of the Day
January 1, 2019

The Weight of Yesterday

The smell of cold metal always brings me back to my father’s workbench. It is a sharp, clean scent—like iron filings mixed with the faint, oily tang of machine grease. I remember the way the tools felt against my palm: heavy, solid, and demanding a certain respect for their history. There is a specific kind […]
Visual Archive Read Essay →
The Dust of Departure Photo of the Day
December 15, 2018

The Dust of Departure

The taste of dry earth always returns when I think of moving. It is a grit between the teeth, a fine, chalky powder that settles on the tongue whenever the air shifts. I remember the feeling of a heavy bag strap digging into my shoulder—the way the fabric bit into the skin, leaving a red, […]
Visual Archive Read Essay →
The Rhythm of Dust Photo of the Day
November 23, 2018

The Rhythm of Dust

The smell of dry earth after a long heatwave is a specific kind of hunger. It is the scent of iron and parched stone, rising up to meet your skin when the wind shifts. I remember the grit of it between my toes as a child, the way the ground felt like warm, coarse velvet […]
Visual Archive Read Essay →
The Humidity of White Petals Photo of the Day
November 19, 2018

The Humidity of White Petals

The air in the garden after a heavy rain feels thick, like a damp wool blanket pressed against the skin. It is a heavy, sweet smell—the scent of wet earth and decaying leaves, mixed with the sharp, clean sting of ozone. When I walk through the tall grass, the moisture clings to my ankles, a […]
Visual Archive Read Essay →
The Salt on the Skin Photo of the Day
November 17, 2018

The Salt on the Skin

The sharp, metallic tang of a tomato vine still clings to my fingertips, a green and humid scent that pulls me back to the heat of August. I remember the way the sun felt—not as a sight, but as a heavy, golden weight pressing against the back of my neck. There is a specific texture […]
Visual Archive Read Essay →
The Weight of Stilled Seconds Photo of the Day
November 9, 2018

The Weight of Stilled Seconds

The smell of rain on hot pavement always brings me back to the feeling of iron railings under my palms—that specific, gritty cold that bites into the skin before the sun warms it. There is a rhythm to the city that has nothing to do with the ticking of hands on a face. It is […]
Visual Archive Read Essay →
The Weight of Wet Wool Photo of the Day
November 3, 2018

The Weight of Wet Wool

The smell of rain on hot earth is a heavy, metallic perfume that clings to the back of the throat. I remember the feeling of damp cotton against my skin, the way a school uniform turns into a second, shivering layer when the clouds finally break. There is a specific friction in walking through mud—the […]
Visual Archive Read Essay →
The Resonance of Dust Photo of the Day
November 3, 2018

The Resonance of Dust

The air inside an old room has a specific weight, a thickness that clings to the back of the throat like fine, dry flour. It smells of damp stone and the slow, steady decay of incense that has long since surrendered its smoke to the rafters. When I close my eyes, I can feel the […]
Visual Archive Read Essay →
The Salt of Summer Photo of the Day
October 31, 2018

The Salt of Summer

The memory of summer is not a date on a calendar; it is the sharp, metallic tang of a tomato split open under a thumbnail. It is the way the juice runs down the wrist, sticky and warm, leaving a ghost of sweetness that lingers long after the meal is done. I remember the rough, […]
Visual Archive Read Essay →
The Architecture of Silence Photo of the Day
October 25, 2018

The Architecture of Silence

The smell of damp concrete always brings me back to the train platforms of my childhood. It is a sharp, mineral scent, like rain hitting stone that has been baking in the sun for hours. I remember the feeling of the iron railing under my palms—rough, cold, and vibrating with the distant, rhythmic hum of […]
Visual Archive Read Essay →
The Salt on the Skin Photo of the Day
October 20, 2018

The Salt on the Skin

There is a specific dampness that clings to the air before the world fully wakes, a heavy, velvet humidity that tastes faintly of brine and wet wood. It is the smell of low tide, of mud stirred by the slow, rhythmic pulse of the sea against rotting pilings. When I close my eyes, I can […]
Visual Archive Read Essay →
The Grit of Bare Feet Photo of the Day
October 19, 2018

The Grit of Bare Feet

The smell of sun-baked earth always brings me back to the taste of dust on my tongue. It is a dry, metallic flavor, the kind that settles in the back of the throat after a long afternoon of running until your lungs burn. I remember the feeling of gravel biting into the soles of my […]
Visual Archive Read Essay →
Light & Composition University

Aspire to Write for Light & Composition?

Master the discipline of literary essayism, photographic criticism, and evocative narrative. Explore our accredited diplomas, masterclasses, and craft workshops.

Diploma in Creative Writing and Copywriting Professional Diploma
1-Year Comprehensive Curriculum $275.00

Diploma in Creative Writing and Copywriting

From the first story you dare to set down in your own voice to the single persuasive line that makes readers take notice. Master narrative non-fiction, storytelling, and high-impact editorial writing.

View Curriculum & Enroll →
Becoming a Writer Foundational Masterclass
Self-Paced / Core Curriculum $8.00

Becoming a Writer

For writing stories that move readers — that shape their feelings, raise their expectations, and show the world through your unique artistic lens.

View Curriculum & Enroll →
Basic Creative Writing Certificate Course
8-Week Intensive $75.00

Basic Creative Writing

Develop an instinct for rhythm, descriptive precision, and evocative prose. Learn the fundamentals of transforming visual observations into compelling essays.

View Curriculum & Enroll →
Advanced Creative Writing: Character, Setting, and Story Advanced Workshop
8-Week Masterclass $75.00

Advanced Creative Writing: Character, Setting, and Story

Deepen your narrative architecture. Master character interiority, sensory setting descriptions, and the literary craft of non-fiction and short essays.

View Curriculum & Enroll →
The Art of the Opening: Writing the Lede Craft Masterclass
Focused Masterclass $75.00

The Art of the Opening: Writing the Lede

The art of the opening sentence and decisive paragraph. Learn how to arrest attention and command the reader’s gaze from the very first line.

View Curriculum & Enroll →
A Photographer’s Guide to Writing Visual & Prose Synergy
Publication & Guide $5.00

A Photographer’s Guide to Writing

A guide for photographers who want to articulate the philosophy behind their images, write artist statements, and craft features for global publications.

View Curriculum & Enroll →
Explore All Diplomas & Degrees →