Hardcover - All in a Flash: News Photography in India - Release Date October, 2026

Book Specification

• Binding: Hardcover
• Publication Date: October 2026
• ISBN: 9789347762000
• Format: 267 × 220 mm
• Pages: 296
• Paper: Art Paper (matt)
• Illustrations: All colour; 141 photographs
• Category: Photography / Journalism

Book Details

All in a Flash: News Photography in India is a sharp and richly illustrated survey of news photography in India, exploring how photographs have shaped the nation's visual memory and our understanding of history.

Binoo K. John examines the power of the still image through roughly 150 years of photography in the sub-continent. The book explores how news photography has documented India's tragedies, triumphs, political moments and social upheavals, while asking important questions about how we understand and appreciate photographs in an increasingly image-saturated world.

From Sunil Janah's powerful photographs of the aftermath of Partition and Raghu Rai's haunting images of the Bhopal Gas Tragedy to photographs documenting the immense loss of the Coronavirus pandemic, the book traces some of the most significant moments captured through the camera. It also revisits the Taj Mahal—from John Murray's early negatives of the monument to Princess Diana's iconic visit—and recalls the first use of evidence photography in the Amherst Street murder case in Calcutta in 1868.

Often reflective yet documentary in tone, John highlights the photographers who have stood on the front line of history, frequently at considerable personal risk, making visible what words alone cannot. Featuring 141 photographs, All in a Flash offers readers a compelling visual history of the development of news photography in India.

Key Features

• A comprehensive visual history of the development of news photography in India.
• Examines approximately 150 years of photography in the Indian sub-continent.
• Features 141 photographs reproduced in colour.
• Covers landmark moments including Partition, the Bhopal Gas Tragedy, the Coronavirus pandemic and major political events.
• Explores the historical and social impact of photojournalism in India.
• Includes the history of early evidence photography, including its use in the Amherst Street murder case in Calcutta in 1868.
• Revisits iconic photographs and important moments involving the Taj Mahal, politics and public life.
• A strong introduction to Indian photojournalism for readers, students and photography enthusiasts.
• The rare and iconic photographs make the book particularly appealing to collectors.
• Includes photographs by noted photographers and archives, documenting moments that have become part of India's visual memory.

About The Author

Binoo K. John is a senior journalist and author based in Delhi. He has worked as an editor with several prominent English publications, including Sunday, The Telegraph, The Indian Express, India Today and Mail Today. His recent journalism has appeared in The Federal and The Wire.

He is the author of the novel The Last Song of Savio De Souza (2011) and four works of non-fiction: Entry from Backside Only: Hazaar Fundas of Indian English (2007), Under a Cloud: Life in Cherrapunji, the Wettest Place on Earth (2013), The Curry Coast: Travels in Malabar 500 Years after Vasco Da Gama (2016), and Top Game: Winning, Losing and a New Understanding of Sport (2021).