And the wait is over, Vivek Oberoi it is!!

The long wait finally came to an end for me when I shot the very humble actor, Vivek Oberoi at Filmcity in Mumbai on October 17, 2014. We shot for my client, Shera banyaan. To work with a star like him is such a blessing and a teaching at the same time. So genuine, approachable and down to earth, Vivek in his free time when not in a shot actually chatted all the people up at the set. By the end of the shoot he had gathered news of most of the staff present on the set, their families and everything else about them. An extremely patient celebrity for who a 12 hour long shoot was surely taxing but who choose not to let that be a hindrance to some quality work. 

Since it was outdoors, beside a lake that we shot, there was no studio. I had put up a tent that I converted into a little studio. Mr. Oberoi was extremely appreciative of that gesture since we were aware that it is one of the hottest days Mumbai would be seeing. One more eminent face of the industry I tick off from the list of famous one's I want to shoot.

Although that is not all...... Just when we were packing up, he also left me and my team excited for another coming up next project that he said he wishes for me to shoot him for. So watch out for some more tales of me with Vivek Oberoi soon.... On this note, signing off looking forward to doing another stint with the Saathiya heartthrob..

THE CHARISMA OF KARISHMA

There is a special kind of charisma that surrounds Karishma Kapoor. We have all gotten to see that in the bollywood movies. She is that someone who represents dignity and a myriad of style statement. She has been a model of action for many. Karishma just knows when to get all the nuances right and everytime when she is in the limelight she can grab others attention to their delight. How much ever highly we speak about her may seem less.

On the day of the shoot I went in the morning and carried the previous catalog we worked on for Hitansh itself and showed it to her personal hair and makeup team. They loved it. When Karishma came on set I showed her the same and she too liked it a lot. In fact, she even took that catalog from me and now I am left without a copy for myself.

Anyway, so since we had done a good job and received great response for our work, this time the challenge was to do something that supersedes the previously created mark. We started brainstorming 10 days prior to the shoot. The client, Mr. Manoj was after me to come up with something nice and was getting worried cause we were at a 2 day countdown without a clue of the final set for the shoot. Now the problem was that Karishma was the same, Luv Israni was the same, Hitansh was the same. The only thing that could have been played with was the décor.

So here came Megha, my sister with the idea of using a grandeur filled set of a European white wedding. We had real white flowers and it all looked extremely pretty. Since Megha has her wedding photography and cinematography company, with her help, instead of a set designer we had on board one of the top wedding decor companies to make our set. Lolo usually does only a 7-8 hour shoot but we shot for almost 10 hours this time. It’s a compliment and a source of encouragement when a star loves your work so much that they put behind the biggest factor in their life i.e. time.

It's amazing to capture sexiness and elegance of a star and I am glad that I got to do both. We experimented with some lengths while the shoot and different angles with Karishma in focus and that was made easy because she understands and gives importance to flexibility. There were a lot of happy moments and times when we exchanged a lot of smiles. I have had the pleasure to work with this pretty lady for two catalog shoots now. Each time it was a very delightful experience of its kind.  Signing off on this happy note; until next time that we shoot together again.

Sari's on my mind

The month of July, August and the start of September have been very fulfilling. I have been so flooded with garment shoots that most of which have been sari brands. My mind is saturated with Sari clad ladies –all related ideas come to mind and I try to be as creative as I can with them. Over the past few years doing uncountable portfolios and running campaigns for various garment brands have helped me gain solid confidence and that is going to stay as my forte. 

In the past my perspective used to be that a Model would help me take and make a good click. Now, it's twisted to a format of basically looking at garments. Over the past 2 months I have been breathing more of garments, more of sarees. I've been looking at sari's also in such a manner that I wake up in the morning and think that if I look at any girl in a sari on the road, the thought of her would give me some new ideas that would be essential to put it to work. I am just trying to be innovative and seeking better ways with a very dynamic approach to what I love to do.

This was never the case in my life, I mean I would only look at a model and get confined to all technical aspects only, but now I think of creative ways to do a photo shoot with her, make a portfolio etc. And when I would look at a girl, then I would look at her expressions and think of how to accentuate her smile, her eyes, her face, her hair. Now-a-days, I look at a model as that special object to be shot by the camera, as that someone who can be an important source of giving grace to all my respective work. But what’s even more important to me is How Sari’s can bring all the extra elegance and grace that she actually needs. There is a focus shift over here. My interest has been diverted towards stylish sarees and authentic garments that come in different combinations and patterns. Shoots with models wearing Sari’s have taken a peak in my career. So the diversion now from looking at how the girl was – as in the earlier case, has now moved to the product. Today i look at everything as a potential product even when i do a model make-over. I believe models need the recognition that they should get, whether its a model, who has to be absorbed for a TV serial/Ad shoot so to say. If it’s a sari - i look at it in that way, if it’s a shirt - i look at it in the perspective of suiting and shirting's. I try to work with a lot of creativity whilst giving my undivided attention to things- sometimes its a model portfolio, sometimes it’s a saree, sometimes its a model in shirt, so i am very much tuned to a lot of versatility. The way I see it, we have too many 'photographers' and not enough 'Innovative thinkers'. I even did a shoot for the brand Ramesh shirting's. There are a lot of great opportunities in the photography industry as a career, the different styles in garments and sarees gives me a lot of opportunity that I can use it to my benefit. Looking at sarees has broadened my horizons. And these two months have made my usual tendencies go in for a 180 degree flip. Today, selling the product in the best way possible through my photography has become my prime focus.

It's so funny when I think of how the brain gets atuned to few things if repeatedly trained. Maybe that is what conditioning is all about. A few nights ago I was in a club for a party, and there was this woman dancing in a sari, immediately that raced into my thoughts and seeing what I did I had an idea that sparked in my mind - I can actually have a girl in a club dancing in a sari as a concept. My latest apprehension has been about using the setting of a Ganpati idol for my next shoot that immediately caught my attention during Ganpati darshan. All my friends think that I am gone crazy and these thoughts may not seem right to them but this is the only thing that is real- that's how my mind is working. My Profession is my Passion. This is what I love to do. I have become so pre-occupied and inquisitive with such thoughts around saris and so much aware of the presence of this garment called sari in my life and environment that it is almost like an alarm, it rings a bell in my system. So if you have some fun concepts that you could share with me, I'd be happy to hear them, and who knows I may just really love your idea and use it too. Until then I will go back to spending my days and nights draped and cuddled in sari's instead of bedsheets.

When a day is Preity Sunny for a shoot..

So this one is about the shoot for Santoor me and my team did with the very cute and bubbly Preity Zinta and the very macho and strong Sunny Deol. It was a lively 3 day shoot at Whistling Woods.

A print shoot of a very different level. I wondered initially how it would be meeting them and then clicking them. Specially, when they are contrasting personality types on screen.

But Preity bowled me over by her dedication and gracious presence.

For a celebrity to actually extract time from a TVC shoot and come for a print ad shoot is indeed a big deal. I'd like to use this platform to thank her for being so sweet and adjusting.

A few instances that I recall from this amazing experience is that after the First day of shoot I got my staff to get a blow up of one of her shots that I took showing her dimple off to the best I have ever seen closely.

She loved it.. And I loved that..... To be appreciated for your work is something one’s ears are always yearning to hear. And when you get to hear it straight from the very pretty Preity, it is like cloud number 9 that you are on.

One of the most direct questions I've ever been asked has also been from Miss Zinta. Looking at my most recent hairdo, she asked, “Why the choti behind Luv, is it some sadhu trait?” To which I had no option but to reveal some truth that “Aagey baal thode kum hain, toh isiliye socha ki peeche thoda zyaaada baal uga lu.”

On the whole of very fun-filled 3 day shoot, It was a fab experience not only with Preity and Sunny but also Shakti Kapoor, Avtar Gill, Pappu Kanghi, Puneet Issar, Yash Tonk, Bobby Darling, Delnaaz Irani and her followers.

 I’m already counting down the days till my next opportunity to work with Preity and Sunny again. Until then, the wait is on.....

A Camera gives birth to a Photographer

There are so many beautiful things in life that make you get out of the bed in the morning. You take a walk in the garden or a park and you can find so many things that can catch the interest. As a child I was always inquisitive about things and the happenings around me. With such great curiosity and passion that connected with this child in me - Photography found a place in my heart at a very young age, since then I have been wrapping my camera in a cloth just like a baby when it is not in use.  And use it like the strongest weapon when I put it to use. With every picture that I click I try to make it a masterpiece. Its important that every picture that is clicked tells a fascinating story. It became a way of expression and a way of life to me.

It all started when my Dad gave me a Camera as a gift. That was at an age when I was learning to fly. While I was a novice, I had my first encounter with the Camera. I didn’t know how to use it. On the first Day of holding the Camera in my hand, I confused myself with the technical aspects of inserting the card and other features of the camera, didn’t see it function the way I thought it would. In fact, I even thought that it was a faulty camera, having some serious technological defect in it. But what was really an eye-opener to me was knowing that I was at fault for not placing the card in the right manner. Man makes mistakes and mistakes make us perfect…we learn from our experiences in life, I learned by this incident that the card inside the Camera was incorrectly placed. This became a prophetic experience that aroused my interest in Photography. Making a big difference in my life. It triggered the essence of becoming a photographer. Today I have shot over N number of celebrities and can use all the latest technology. This journey has been fabulous and the experience so far has been reviving and the relationship with the Camera has also grown stronger with time.

Creativity comes from within and every successful photographer begins with being an amateur at first. Aping the influence of other photographers don’t really bring out this natural art in you.  You will meet people from time to time who may want to put you down - you just have to THANK them for that push. They might tell you that you are on your own and won’t make a difference with a camera. You might also think that there are million other people who can capture the same things – Just Grab the Camera and use it as a weapon of choice –then you Go Pro like One shot-one kill. Have a passion that can burn like battery acid, Let your work speak for itself. If you can bring the scene close to the eyes of the people and touch hearts your job is pretty much done.

I realized that Its often the small things in life that go on to make the big things. This became like a prophetic line to me. So I leave you all with that message and let me just re-iterate,

For those aspiring to make a living from photography, it's a sad fact that the boring shots and the little mistakes that one makes as they move to the process are going to make you money.

The Makeover

Nine years back photography for me started off with child portfolios. Slowly moving on to model portfolios both male and female. During the course of this journey from then to now, my relationship with my profession has matured.

Although model portfolio's haven't evolved as much. The set procedure still remains. A model comes from a small city with a dream to become an actor or actress. So we photographers offer a typical 5-6 looks package. Of which one would be say a glamour look, another would be a bubbly one, a third an office look and so on. So now I have made a few amends in work I do. 

I have my assistant photographers who handle these generic portfolios. Personally, I for myself have new concept. I do Model Makeovers.... Wherein I meet the model, understand their basic personality and over a month with my grooming team work out a transformation plan and by the end of the month I execute a difference. 

A difference totally unrelatable. A world of a difference I'd say. This fresh wave is working well for me and I am hoping to be able to make it the new trend of Fashion Photography.

Zoya and Sakhi.. What a combo...

Here comes another story straight from the lens of my camera and the heart of my body.

On the 12^th of last month I shot with the Pond’s Femina Miss India International 2013, the talented star of movie ‘The Xpose’, Zoya Afroz,

This time around she is going to be on the cover of the magazine Sakhi. This was the third shoot with her I have done. I must say with Zoya, each time it just gets better than the previous. The first time we shot was three years back. And then again recently about six months back. She is just such a hot personality that to portray her any different becomes a challenge. I love capturing this radiant damsel in a traditional avatar. Her mother in fact insists that all her daughters pictures in Indian attire clicked by me are the best she has ever looked in Indian. Thank you aunty, it is her hidden inner beauty that touchwood I manage to bring out through my pictures.

On a personal note, I think we get along really well, Zoya and me. We are more friends than just two people working together. All the shoots with her have been more of fun than work. In an environment of this sort it becomes easier to work and the inflow of creativity is so much free which eventually the outcome is amazing and satisfying always.

For this shoot, for the cover of Sakhi magazine, I've tried to give her a red carpet look. I have used a maroon backdrop to add to the grandeur. A cover is the first impression one has of the magazine and is the only bit that a buyer will look at and get convinced or not to buy it. Hence to be able to appeal to that view, I’ve added steps to pull in the audience into the whole feel of being at the Oscar or Cannes. So this is something that I perceive Zoya, ki jab woh Oscar main jayegi, toh she'll be dressed something like this. For me this is her superstar look that she will I’m sure adorn soon at International award functions.

Yet another waow experience. So Zoya, see you soon for the fourth adventure??