A ‘fashion’ able vision
“Iinitially started my career as a software programmer, but soon got bored and started learning animation & visual effects. My creative journey started soon after my marriage with my wife Gunjan (a makeup expert) when I formed Veseca International, a one-stop creative agency that had photography as an integral part of its service portfolio. I often got into arguments with several photographers during shoots for our client(s). It was then that I started thinking about pursuing photography as a career option seriously. I purchased my first SLR camera – a Canon 400D – and after studying innumerable books, and a lot of practice & experimentation, I was ready to click. I started experimenting with lights and other photography equipment in my office and converted it into a full-fledged studio. My father and my wife were always supportive and encouraged me to shift my career from IT to Photography. Since I started photography because of my bad experience with some fashion photographers, Fashion Photography was an obvious career choice. My wife being a makeup expert, I had frequent interactions with stylists, choreographers, fashion journalists, fashion designers, etc., and this led me to pursue Fashion Photography seriously. A journalist friend trusted my abilities and got me my first professional shoot for a fashion magazine. Since then, I have never looked back, and converted each hurdle into a stepping stone towards success. There is no doubt that fashion photography is a lucrative business, but like other ventures, it requires a lot of effort, dedication, passion, hard work, and capital. Fashion photography is not as simple as it looks, and requires a lot of coordination between models, stylists, make-up artists, hair stylists, etc. Any photographer who has had some sort of experience in studio photography may feel that shooting models in a controlled environment is very easy, but that is absolutely not true. To become a good fashion photographer, your fashion sense has to evolve continuously, and one must always stay updated with the latest fashion trends and happenings in the fashion world. Fashion photography is not a “solo” job; you must have a good team to get the best results. In my view, as far as fashion photography is concerned, “You are as good as your team.” I love what I do, and enjoy every moment of my photography sessions. There is absolutely nothing which I regret, though occasionally, the constant pressure of deadlines makes me feel restricted in terms of creativity. I cannot shoot as I want freely, anywhere or anytime – it requires days of planning to organize a proper fashion shoot. I advise aspiring photographers to not jump into fashion photography thinking that it’s all profitable and glamorous. It is true that you can achieve all this in this field, but this is just one side of it; often, the other side, encapsulating hard work, passion and coordination, is neglected. Before taking up fashion photography professionally, I believe one should start following some good fashion photographers and subscribe to some good fashion magazines to become oriented with the fashion industry. Keep practising with different lights and cameras. Keep yourself ready for any opportunity for a fashion shoot; as the industry moves at a rapid pace and competition is getting tougher, you might not get a second chance. Practise constantly so that you do not buckle under the pressure of a fashion shoot at the last minute. Also, prepare your portfolio with at least 50-60 different shots showing the variety of work you can do and the different skills you have.”