Help them get started
Your support makes a difference
After more than 20 years as a photographer and educator, I'm publishing my first photobook support through workshops and book sales.
Join us in bringing Dhaba to print through;
For more than two decades, photographer Ian Atkinson has travelled the world documenting the lives, cultures, and stories that often go unnoticed. An internationally award-winning photographer whose work has been exhibited in leading galleries and published in numerous books, Ian has built a reputation for creating powerful visual narratives that celebrate everyday life with honesty, dignity, and humanity.
His latest project turns its focus to one of India's most enduring and colourful institutions: the dhaba. Found along highways, in villages, and on the edges of bustling cities, dhabas are far more than roadside eateries. They are places of refuge, community, conversation, and culture meeting points where travellers, truck drivers, families, and local workers share food, stories, and moments of connection.
Through a striking collection of photographs made over years of travel across India, Ian's new book captures the character and atmosphere of these remarkable spaces and the people who bring them to life. From weathered interiors and hand-painted signs to intimate portraits and scenes of daily activity, the work offers a unique visual record of a disappearing yet deeply significant part of India's social landscape.
This crowdfunding campaign will help bring the book to life. Your support will fund the final stages of production, high-quality printing, design, and distribution, ensuring these images can be shared with a wider audience in the form they deserve.
By backing this project, you are not only helping to publish a beautiful photography book you are helping preserve a rich cultural story and supporting independent documentary photography at a time when such work has never been more important.
To thank supporters for helping bring Dhaba to life, Ian has created a range of exclusive rewards available only through this crowdfunding campaign. These special offers provide an opportunity not only to own a copy of the book, but also to acquire original pieces of Ian's work and enjoy unique experiences connected to the project.
Rewards include signed copies of Dhaba, limited-edition fine art prints selected from the book, collectors' editions, and a range of photography workshops. Supporters may also have the opportunity to attend talks, private viewings, portfolio reviews, workshops, or join Ian for photography walks and discussions about his approach to documentary storytelling all supported by Linhof and Studio (www.linhofstudio.com) and Reddotcamera (www.reddotcameras.co.uk)
Each reward tier has been carefully designed to offer something special while directly supporting the production and publication of the book. Whether you are a lover of photography, a collector, a traveller, or someone with a connection to India and its rich culture, there is a way to become part of this journey.
Every pledge helps transform years of photographic work into a lasting publication and ensures that the stories, people, and spirit of the dhaba can be shared with audiences around the world.
Kindly supported by Linhof and Studio & Reddot Camera (Leica)
Funding method
Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 8th October 2026 at 2:07pm