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Editorial
Bachir Moukarzel Priyashi Negi
Editorial
Chief Visualiser
Sheetal Mann Design
Harjeet Singh Research & Operations
Prateek Kashyap Sarthak Jain Writers
Gourav Bhat Saman Waheed Ruchi Kapoor Technology
Sachin Arora Rishabh Jain Nitesh Mittal Abhishek Tyagi Business Development
Rajesh Basu Amit Ghosh Sales
Krishna Srinivas Amit Gupta Marketing
Sriram Ramanujam Abhishek Thapliya Shivika Garg Surbhi Jha Public Relations
Shreyaa Jana Staff Photographers
Susana Gomez Zubia Malik Urshita Saini Finance
Neelu Singh Consultant
Apratim Saha Mansa Inc.
If you haven’t joined the aerial/drone photography revolution, you’re behind the times, my friend! And while aerial photography might no longer be the newest fad in photography, the human desire to want to see things from the bird’s eye-view has always been a constant and is always a refreshing treat to the visually receptive part of the brain. Drones are often celebrated for their ability to capture a new vantage point of the world, revealing the beauty of our planet from high above. But they are only the latest development in a long history of aerial photography. For hundreds of years, airborne cameras have made awe-inspiring images of our planet, revealed in the devastating scale of natural disasters, and tipped the scales in combat. And in some surprising ways, the history of aerial photography dovetails with the last century of human history more broadly. This issue of Chiiz presents the world from a whole new perspective in its Aerial Photography Special to show the audience, viewpoints and perspectives that enhance the story and draw viewers in. Speaking of stories, we have a brilliant travel photographer, Ashish Sulkh, narrating his tales through photography. Photographers like Yevhen Samuchenko, Franco Cappellari and Brandon Cole are some of the photographers whose work in aerial photography is unparallelled. They are the aerial photographers who break new ground while remaining properly grounded in the essentials of the art. While talking of art, one cannot miss the work of Jaime Sànchez in the ‘Pop-Art Style Photography’. F. Dilek Uyar is breaking glass-ceilings by breaking stereotypes and precedence in her country to be one of the few photographers capturing the trials and tribulations of cancer patients. Luv Israni speaks to us about fashion and editorial photography while Errikos Andreou’s work shows us what embodiment of art looks like in a photograph. We also proudly present the best of chiiz.com in our Chiiz Gallery. If you’re ready to take the leap, consider this issue of Chiiz an ideal place to take flight!
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Mukesh Kumar Cover Photo
Bachir Moukarzel Regards, Bachir Moukarzel
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Floating DJI Phantom Pro 24mm F/4 1/400 ISO100
Ido Meirovich is a self-confessed amateur photographer who lives in Israel and specializes in landscapes, nature, sailing and marine photography. He is also a skipper and divemaster whose hobbies span around the Mediterranean sea and the Israeli coastline. He has discovered the amazing world of drone photography in the recent years. The freedom it brings when shooting sea and marine photography combined with his experience in the sea allows him to shoot amazing and new angles with unique perspectives.
Tight Formation DJI Phantom Pro 24mm F/4 1/240 ISO100
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Capsized DJI Mavic Pro 26mm F/2.2 1/500 ISO100
Around the Rocks DJI Mavic Pro 24mm F/4 1/400 ISO100
Close Encounters DJI Mavic Pro 26mm F/2.2 1/640 ISO100
Write on Water DJI Phantom Pro 24mm F/4 1/1000 ISO100
Ahead of Foam DJI Mavic Pro 26mm F/2.2 1/1600 ISO100
Based in Dubai, Bachir Moukarzel is an aerial photographer. He was born and raised in Lebanon and moved to Dubai at a young age where he studied and is currently working. His love for photography started when he began using an action camera but grew with his discovery of drone technology. Bachir started capturing images which could not be photographed without the use of a drone. When he came to Dubai in 2002, there was nothing but sand. Over a period of time, it has been urbanized. His photos represent mostly the symbolic progress of the city. His work has been recognized internationally and has been the recipient of some awards in France and Sienna.
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Nomads Mavic 2 Pro 9mmm F/4.0 1/120 ISO100
Burj Al Arab Phantom 4 Pro 9mm F/8 1/640 ISO100
Whale Sharks Phantom 4 Pro 9mm F/3.2 1/50 ISO100
Dubai Marina Mavic 2 Pro 9mm F/5 1/320 ISO100
Chaos We take careBeautiful of your Vehicle 9mmF/5.6 F/4 1/45 1/80 ISO400 ISO100 Canon Phantom 1Ds Mark4IIPro 28mm
Messy Love Canon 6D 135mm F/3.2 1/200 ISO160
Karan Sidhu’s photography career had accidental beginnings. His passion for capturing moments drew him away from his job in the corporate world. When he first began photographing weddings, creating and preserving the essential moments for others fueled him like nothing else ever did. In only a few years, he’s left a significant mark in the wedding photography industry. Along with countless testimonials from couples and their families who swear by Karan’s work, he also has a lot of prestigious accolades to his name. For Karan, his biggest success indicator is the love and appreciation he receives from his clients.
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Happy Souls Canon 5D Mark III 47mm F/4 1/200 ISO1000
The moment of Truth Canon 5D Mark III 59mm F/4 1/200 ISO500
Shenanigans Canon 5D Mark IV 16mm F/11 1/200 ISO100
The Royal Affair Canon 5D Mark III 50mm F/5 1/200 ISO800
Meera & Muzaffar Ali Canon 5D Mark III 24mm F/5 1/200 ISO1000
Stellar Photo Recovery 9.0: Recovering Memories Product Review
Key Features World’s only Software that Recovers as well as Repairs Photos and Videos
Create Image of Selected Media
Supports Recovery from All Major Camera Makes and Models
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Enhanced User Interface and Customizable Options
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20 TOOLS
Arun Kumar Arun Kumar is a professional Photoshop and Photography mentor. he has been working relentlessly towards providing a platform to photo enthusiasts to learn and enhance their skill levels. More than 5000 students trained and coached by him are now full-time professionals and fulfilling their aspirations.
Photography is a data-intensive line of work. While the creative process of capturing the photo is fun and quite elementary for a professional, handling and storing all that data can be very demanding. Almost every photographer has suffered the loss of important work due to reasons like accidental deletion of files, storage media corruption, formatting, etc. This is where Stellar Photo Recovery software comes into the picture. High-powered, fast and rich file recovery features paired with an exceptionally lucid and intuitive interface, Stellar should be your go-to software for photo recovery. The interface is simple and easy-to-use, which takes it a notch higher than other complicated software in the market. Stellar can recover data from all types of storage devices such as hard drives, memory cards, SD cards, CF cards, pen drives, etc. Further, the software supports the recovery of photos and videos taken with a vast variety of devices including DSLRs, drones, action cameras, digital cameras, CCTV cameras, etc. One of the amazing features of Stellar is that this recovery software recovers the deleted files with the original names and date-time stamp, which makes it easy and convenient to identify the files you want from a lot of unnecessary photos. This helps you to look for photographs easily in the list of recoverable files. Another defining feature of the software is its ability to recover not only png and jpeg images but also RAW images. The premium version, priced at INR 4,999 has the option to recover
and repair corrupted photos and videos among many other interesting features. Stellar Photo Recovery Premium’s recovery capabilities are excellent and can provide relief to a lot of people, as they see all their files recovered effortlessly. The software is definitely a lifesaver for those of us who are prone to accidentally deleting their invaluable work. In case of corrupted files, Stellar Photo Recovery software also has the option to repair images and videos and give you the best possible results. Another one of the many reasons why Stellar Photo Recovery stands out from the rest is because of its high recovery rate, which is higher than the other data recovery platforms. Stellar Photo Recovery can also perform a file-signature based deep scan which maximizes recovery of the lost files. Further, an ongoing recovery process can be paused and reinstated by way of saving the scan information that can be loaded into the software anytime later to resume the recovery process, as and when you desire. Most common cases where the software can recover your data: • • •
Accidental deletion of photos or videos from storage media Photo loss due to formatting of drives Data loss due to the corruption of SD cards
Stellar Photo Recovery Premium is priced at INR 4999 and is available for a free trial which lets you scan the storage media and preview the recoverable data. Once you’ve ascertained effectiveness and utility of the software, you can easily save the recovered files by activating the software with a license key. Verdict Stellar Photo Recovery Premium does its job of recovering photos perfectly. With its simple and intuitive interface, you wouldn’t find yourself stuck anywhere during the recovery process. For beginners and non-technical users, Stellar Photo Recovery is the obvious first choice among data recovery software. A beautifully designed, efficient interface makes the program a pleasure to use. The software works seamlessly on both Windows and macOS devices.
White-throated Dippers Courtship Canon 1DX 800mm F/5.6 1/400 ISO2000
Knut Erik Alnæs is a 19-year-old nature and wildlife photographer and Canon Nordic Ambassador from Oslo, Norway. He currently studies law at the University of Oslo. Specializing in action-images of birds and wildlife, Knut Erik Alnæs loves to work with his Canon 400mm f/2.8 II lens to create clean backgrounds while acquiring fast shutter speeds when the light fades. Eurasian Sparrowhawk Take-off! Canon 1DX 400mm F/2.8 1/2500 ISO2500
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Oystercatcher Searching for Breakfast Canon 1DX 400mm F/2.8 1/1000 ISO500
Great Grey Owl Flight Canon 1DX Mark II 400mm F/2.8 1/2000 ISO4000
Black Grouse Lek Canon 1DX 400mm F/2.8 1/1250 ISO1600
Siberian Landing MangoJay Sticky Rice Canon Canon 1DX 400mm F/2.8 F/22 1/2500 77D 50mm 0.8ISO2000 ISO200
Great Grey Owl Shaking Off Canon 1DX Mark II 400mm F/2.8 1/2000 ISO2500
Malabar Whistling Thrush Nikon D5500 500mm F/5.6 1/200 ISO640
Shrikrishna Magdum is a 32-year-old photographer from Achara, India. He loves bird photography, something which started as a hobby in 2016 and with time, it became his passion. Till now, he has clicked more than 280 bird species and he now arranges birding tours in Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra.
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Orange Minivet Male Nikon D5500 500mm F/5.6 1/500 ISO1000
Western Reef Heron Nikon D5500 370mm F/5.6 1/1000 ISO640
Purple Rumped Sunbird Male Nikon D5500 500mm F/5.6 1/1000 ISO400
Bronze Winged Jacana Nikon D5500 500mm F/9 1/500 ISO400
Crested Treeswift Male Nikon D5500 500mm F/5.6 1/2500 ISO800
Malabar Trogon Female Nikon D5500 500mm F/5.6 1/400 ISO3200
Hippo Convention Canon 6D 100mm F/8 1/250 ISO100
Sascha Fonseca has always been fascinated with animals. A German native who is currently working in Dubai, he lives with his wife Catherine who shares his passion for wildlife. It was on a trip to Africa in 2014 when he first used a DSLR camera. He realized that if he had the right equipment and the right skills, photography would allow him to take wild animals home with him and to share their beauty with others. Over time he has developed a particular interest in camera traps and remote photography. It allows him to step into the private world of wildlife and witness their behaviors from a special close-up perspective. He enjoys uncovering the personalities of the wild animals he photographs. Perhaps the reason why he is drawn to big cats is because of their expressive eyes. The proximity to India from Dubai has given him the opportunity to focus on Indian wildlife. This is where he spends most of his free time. You can see more of his work on saschafonseca.com.
A Rare Albino Howler Monkey Canon 1DX2 420mm F/4 1/400 ISO400
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Indian Paradise Flycatcher - Female Eye to Eye with the Ghost of the Mountain Nikon5D D750 420mm F/5.6 Canon Mark II 24mm F/81/2500 1/250 ISO1250 ISO3200
Purple Sunbird Porcupine Nikon D750 500mmNocturnal F/8 1/500 ISO800 Canon 5D Mark II 40mm F/10 1/250 ISO3600
Baloo the Bear Canon 5D Mark II 40mm F/10 1/250 ISO3600
Happy Sifaka Canon 5D Mark II 180mm F/4.5 1/160 ISO320
The Flying Dutchman Canon 1DX2 312mm F/5.6 1/640 ISO320
Ashish Sulkh is a travel photographer from New Delhi, India with over six years of experience in custom and specialized photography. Ashish has exhibited his work at various platforms like ITB Berlin- The World Travel Trade Show and World Travel Mart –London amongst others. He has done projects with Assam Rifles, Ministry of Health, UP Tourism, WWF-India, etc. Currently shooting with Leica Systems, Ashish is working on Incredible India campaign with Ministry of Tourism. He considers that a camera is the last thing you require for photography and believes that photography needs to be less perfect and more human in approach.
32 FEATURE
Capturing Memories Ashish Sulkh
Rising Jodhpur DJI Phantom 4 Pro 8.8mm F/4 1/120 ISO100
Colonial Paradise DJI Phantom 4 Pro 8.8mm F/8 1/200 ISO100
Tell us about your projects with Incredible India and how has that shaped you, if at all, as a traveler and photographer? I have been working with ‘Incredible India’ since 2017. It’s been a beautiful journey. Mostly the projects include one state at a time, staying with the locals, knowing the place and shooting the roots and essence of different cultures and lands. So far I have covered 20 states. For me traveling is a myth buster. The more I travel, the more I realize how less I knew and how culture changes every mile. It has helped me a lot in evolving as a human being and with time, I have started observing emotions that I wish to freeze through pictures. So along the way, I capture them With the hope to live those more. How do you go about choosing the locations for travel photography? Also, tell us the three best places to photograph in India. For me, travel photography is about telling the story of the place and something that makes you visit the place again and again. I don’t choose places specifically, it’s just about exploring the less explored paths. Even If I am choosing some very common spot, I try to shoot the way that a picture makes you visit the place again with a different perspective in your heart. India is a vast country with a versatile and vibrant culture that changes every mile. To go down specifically to three is a tough spot. But still, if I try to, then it would be Lakshadweep Islands (because
of the coral reef, walks through the islands and beautiful lagoons), Mizoram (beautiful northeastern state), and tribes of Nagaland (they are so vibrant and lively). What do you love photographing while on your travels and why? I don’t exactly look for opportunities to photograph, I live moments and the ones I feel like taking along, I capture them through my camera. As I mentioned, a photograph is an emotion I wish to live again. What is your opinion makes a good travel photograph? A photograph which gives enough information about the place, about its beauty, culture, emotions and more importantly make you feel like traveling to the place. In today’s day and age of social media where every other person claims to be a travel blogger and photographer, how do you make yourself stand out where business in photography is concerned? I feel the camera is the last thing you need to be a traveler and a photographer. I myself started photographing in advertisements first. Its all about delivering the good content and the rest falls in. Even today, the basics and rules are the same. So you keep doing great content and it reaches out to the right places and right people at the right time.
Prateek Kashyap prateek@chiiz.com Prateek Kashyap is a travel photographer and he takes his inspiration from the mighty Himalayas, where his passion for photography took a more serious turn. With an eye for photography and a fixation with photographic compositions, Prateek is always on the lookout for innovative frames.
Floating Keibul Lamjao DJI Phantom 4 Pro 8.8mm F/9 1/100 ISO100
Love Unveils Itself in Kashmir Leica Q-6 16mm F/8 1/125 ISO800
App of the Month Pixomatic Category: Photography Rating:4.4/5 Platform: Android/iOS Cost: Free (in-app purchases) One of the most used and praised apps on the App Store is now also available on android phones. The Pixomatic app comes in a paid and a free variant and both of them are great although the free variant has inapp purchases. At the landing page, the app allows you to select images from your phone. The interface of the app is relatively simple and intuitive unlike most apps available, which are relatively complicated to use and confusing. After selecting the image, the app takes you to the editing page and again the editor is pretty straightforward. It takes a while for new users to realize that all the options for editing are in the bottom bar and by swiping the bar on the left, more options can be seen. One will notice that it has some really cool and unique features. The app allows you to merge images and change the background of the image once you outline the part that you want to keep. It allows the user to write text over the image and adjust the image. After selecting every option, the app goes into sub-options where you can • select more precise options to make changes in the picture. For social media enthusiasts, sharing becomes easier as all one needs to do is press the share button • on the top right. Pretty simple right? Salient features • One of the most important features of Pixomatic is how seamless it is to work on it with Photoshop-like options and editing. You can add layers on your photographs, and move the photographs within the image boundary. Each layer is editable. • Pixomatic provides you with an array of tools to help you erase backgrounds easily. The cut tool separates the subject or object from its background, which allows you to choose a background image of your choice. • You can select a photo from your gallery or from the integrated stock photo libraries. You can search Pixabay in Stock to select the image you want and add it as a layer to your session. • Selfie enthusiasts will love the Pixomatic portrait enhancement tools. A wide range of tools allows you to give a quick boost to your images. Whether you want to hide blemishes or add glow to a portrait, Pixomatic will help you upgrade your photography game. • Pixomatic’s amazing filters and effects are guaranteed to deliver the wow effect. Choose from 50+ filters including Monochrome, B&W, Grey, Duo, Polarize and a variety of Retro filters that add a magical touch to your photos. 36 TOOLS
• •
The Adjust function includes 17 different tools that allow you to adjust the brightness, hue, saturation, and many more. You can add perspective to any image, which is simply amazing. Within the perspective option, you can rotate your photograph, alter its perspective, flip it, and resize it. Double exposure option is also available along with merge and blend option. One can pull any image and stretch it from selected angles by simply swiping a finger on that area towards the side of stretching.
As wonderful as this app is, it comes with its own set of drawbacks. Once you have selected a sub-option of a feature, the back button from there leads you directly outside the feature, instead of one step back. It has difficulty in applying face features in case of side profile and for the subjects that are far-off in the images. The hair option doesn’t always work. A lot of basic features that are available free of cost in other apps requires inapp purchases. The latest update has added great new features like distort, heal tool, line and spot removal tool and magic brush which redeem the app of its drawbacks. The quality of the edited photo remains intact after saving. Pixomatic takes the most-used features of desktop editing and publishing and puts it into one very well thought out app ideal for your phone or tablet. Ruchi Kapoor ruchi@chiiz.com Ruchi Kapoor is an enthusiast and an observer. She makes a note to write down about everything she finds interesting and funny. She practices as an Architect and believes that she can take best photographs of the built environment; which she calls ‘man made art’.
Magic Tree DJI Mavic Air 4.5mm F/2.8 1/230 ISO100
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Shadow Catcher DJI Mavic Air 4.5mm F/2.8 1/1150 ISO100
Yevhen Samuchenko (creative nickname Q-lieb-in) is a travel photographer from Ukraine. He has judged and has been a finalist and prize-winner of many international photo contests. His work has been published in magazines, books and online versions of publications and media of repute. An Artist of International Federation of Photographic Art (AFIAP), Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers (UAPF) member and a Group Photography Association (GPA) member, you can follow more of Yevhen’s work on Instagram @qliebin and on his website Q-L-N.com Round Dance of Shadows DJI Mavic Air 4.5mm F/2.8 1/750 ISO100
Abstract Farming Sony ILCE-7 35mm F/6.3 1/400 ISO400
Anders Anderson is a 46-year-old Swedish freelance photographer who got into drone work in 2013. He decided to go serious right away, dug deep into his wallet and got a HAB Paparazzo. At the same time, Sony presented the A7, which proved to be a perfect match. Pretty soon, he fell in love with abstract motifs, most of them only visible from the air. When he tried his hand at the vast tulip fields of Holland, he thought he really struck gold. His images from there went viral which triggered him to find even more beautiful sceneries to photograph. Today, it is far harder to find subjects that haven’t already been photographed by someone else, as drones these days are cheap and abundant. The thrill of finding your own version of things is still there though, and Anders Anderson plans on continuing flying as long as he is able to pull the trigger!
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Dutch Paint Board Sony ILCE-7 35mm F/4.5 1/800 ISO400
Terraforming Sony ILCE-7 35mm F/4.5 1/250 ISO400
Pineapple Harvest DJI 550RAW 15mm F/6.3 1/30 ISO100
Windpower Sony ILCE-7 35mm F/3.5 1/200 ISO800
Fingerprints DJI Phantom 4 Pro (composite of 100 shots)
Movie Review Between the Lines Duration: 1hr 41 mins IMDb Ratings: 6.9/10 Released: 1977 Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Joan Micklin Silver’s ‘Between The Lines’ is about the intersecting lives of a group of colleagues at the Boston ‘The Back Bay Mainline’ an alt-weekly which is already packed with drama from the very start of the movie. Set against the backdrop of the Boston city, this film skillfully captures the essence of youthful zest in the lives of the characters. It shows their struggle to maintain a stable life even in the face of an event which may completely turn their lives around. The film portrays the working and responsibilities of the press and how the characters’ lives are woven around their jobs, much like a huge colorful tapestry. The film features Jeff Goldblum in one of his earliest roles, as the paper’s slightly eccentric music critic, who is almost always seen donning his red jacket. The film also stars John Heard, Lindsay Crouse, Jill Eikenberry, Bruno Kirby, and Gwen Welles in their own early Roles. One of the most notable features of the script is the portrayal of the somewhat complicated yet interesting chemistry between the newspaper’s young and ambitious chief photographer Abbie, played by Lindsay Crouse and the charming, one-time star reporter Harry Heard through theiron-and-off relationship. Harry is interested in investing in a more stable relationship with Abbie but Abbie is not ready for that yet. Perhaps one of the most iconic moments of the film is when Abbie and Harry go to interview a stripper ( Marilu Henner in her screen debut) and end up arguing on who has the ability to set up a better rapport. Harry seems to have a dry, formal and a rather incentive style of interaction with the interviewee in comparison to Abbie’s vibrant and warm way of interaction which makes her an easier candidate to talk with. Here we are able to see the vast contrast between the personas and the way of interaction of both the characters, which is probably another reason for the lack of stability in their relationship. The new rising star back then, Jeff Goldblum, who takes on the role of Max, has a bit unconventional and slightly strange mannerisms. Nevertheless, he carries the role effortlessly with his undeniable appeal. Bruno Kirby plays the role of a young newbie journalist looking for transforming into mainstream journalism. In the movie, one can clearly see the slightly shy yet ambitious nature of his character.
As the movie progresses towards its central point, we see rumors of the newspaper agency being on the verge of an industrial takeover which would result in higher pay for the staff but also more drastic changes. This results in a slight drama in the plot of the movie. Another point of slight unrest in the script comes from the efforts of a selfinvolved writer to get a book contract and the jealousy and envy his success sparks. However, coming to a concluding analogy of the characters, we can say that they all have extremely complicated and dramatic relationships with each other. This 1977 short film, ‘Between The Lines’ portrays the acting style of many stars in their early career, before they hit the stardom. It is a hangover comedy with good cinematography and fluid acting by the characters. This film won two out of three awards it was nominated for in the 27th Berlin International Film Festival. The success of the film had also led to a short-lived TV sitcom also titled ‘Between the lines’. However, on a concluding note, I’d like to mention that watching this movie now strikes a slight nostalgic chord in the heart of the viewer, due to the steady disappearance of the alt newspapers, hence making the movie memorable. Gourav Bhat gourav@chiiz.com
42 CLASSIC
Gourav is a freelance journalist and loves exploring new places and cultures. He also likes photography and wants to be a travel photographer. He also has a business acumen and likes to discuss politics and business whenever he gets time.
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Flowers Texture Nikon D850 120mm F/5.6 1/1000 ISO200
Franco Cappellari is an Italian freelance photographer. He works with Nikon Italy and collaborates with a lot of international magazines. He is an award-winning aerial photographer whose most important activities are with Italian and international tourist offices like Argentina, China, Cyprus, Israel, Kenya, Malaysia, Norway, Quebec, Spain and South Africa, for which he has created photographic documentation subsequently used for tourism promotion.
Salt Flats Hasselblad L1D-20c 28mm F/7.1 1/640 ISO100
Kaleidoscope of Colors Hasselblad L1D-20c 28mm F/7.1 1/500 ISO100
Over a Million Flamingos Nikon D3S 70mm F/11 1/320 ISO400
River Twist Nikon D810 78mm F/5 1/1250 ISO200
Milk River Nikon D810 112mm F/4.5 1/320 ISO200
Blue Lakes Nikon D810 65mm F/4 1/3200 ISO450
Hills Nikon D4 120mm F/6.3 1/640 ISO100
Old is Gold Boston, as the Eagle and the Wild Goose See It
The photograph in consideration is the world’s oldest existing aerial photograph. So, before delving into the specifics of the picture, let us first understand what aerial photography is all about. Aerial photography is also known as airborne imagery and is essentially the photograph of a particular entity taken from the sky on an aerial object. It has been in practice since the 19th century and various flying objects have been put to use for this purpose. This photograph is the oldest existing aerial photograph for sure, but it is certainly not the first. If the reports by the Professional Aerial Photographers Association are to be believed, the title of ‘Father of Aerial Photography’ goes to the French balloonist and photographer, Gaspard-Félix Tournachon, popularly known by his pseudonym Nadar. He had captured Paris from a hot air balloon in 1858. However, his work does not survive for us to see, thereby imparting the title to this photograph of Boston. The creation of this photograph is not accredited to one, but two great minds – James Wallace Black and Samuel Archer King. Black was an American photographer who did not believe in restricting himself to the traditional methods of photography. He constantly challenged himself to achieve new heights by using distinct techniques. On the other hand, King was among the trailblazers in the ballooning industry. He had a mind of his own that almost always thought of some amazing innovations. It is needless to say that when such great minds came together, something brilliant was bound to happen. It was October 13, 1860 and Black was about 2000 feet above the ground level in the sky. He was supported in this venture of his by King. The hot air balloon named ‘The Queen of the Air’ on which Black was, belonged to King. He had eight plates of glass negatives with him and he used all of them to get his perfect shot, but only one was good enough for print. That is how history created itself. Oliver Wendell Holmes, a poet and a medicine professor at Harvard University saw this picture and was completely awed by its sheer brilliance. It was he who gave it the title- ‘Boston, as the Eagle and the Wild Goose See it’, suggesting therefore that nothing
was impossible for man. He said, “Boston, as the eagle and wild goose see it, is a very different object from the same place as the citizen looks up at its eaves and chimneys… Windows, chimneys, and skylights attract the eye in the central parts of the view… Towards the circumference it grows darker, becoming clouded and confused, and at one end a black expanse of waves, less water is whitened by the nebulous outline of flitting sails.” He knew that both these men had risen against gravity and created a masterpiece without a canvas or a brush. He also knew that this was just the first successful step. There was a lot to come and a lot to be done in this field of photography. There are two reasons, as to why this picture holds so much importance. The first is that it is the world’s first existing aerial photograph and gave rise to what we know today as Google Earth. The other very important reason is that it acts as an evidence of the appearance of the city before the Great Boston Fire of 1872, which led to the destruction of mostly everything that is seen in the photograph. This picture is a representation of life itself. Light in some parts, fading to complete darkness in the others – a perfect amalgamation of happiness and sorrows. Moreover, it teaches us to hope and dream about all positive things. Saman Waheed saman@chiiz.com
48 CLASSIC
Saman Waheed, like all writers, loves writing about each and everything under the sun. An indoor person , she loves to sit back and just travel to another world, lost in her thoughts. She loves the company of books as they take her to places she has never been. She loves to cook and makes good desserts.
Saumitra Das Showmo is a Dhaka-based food photographer who specializes in artistically-lit food photography for use in advertisements, packaging, recipe cookbooks and publications. Using his unique and imaginative lighting techniques, Showmo emphasizes and de-emphasizes the tone, texture, shape and volume in particular areas of the image until the photograph communicates exactly what he wants it to convey. He’s also the founder of ‘Fat Man Film’, a Dhaka-based creative food marketing agency.
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Tea Canon 5D Mark III 100mm F/7.1 1/125 ISO100
Spaghetti Sony ILCE 7M3 100mm F/6.3 1/100 ISO50
Steamed Momos Sony ILCE 7M3 100mm F/6.3 1/100 ISO50
Hariyali Kebab Sony ILCE 7M3 35mm F/5.6 1/100 ISO50
Vegetable Sony ILCE 7M3 35mm F/14 1/100 ISO50
Pop-Art Style Photography Jaime Sรกnchez
LEGO-Mixer Sony ILCE-7 85mm F/9 1/125 ISO50
Jaime Sรกnchez, born in Mรกlaga, is a visual artist and photographer with a pop-art style. He creates colorful editorial campaigns for international brands like Nissan, Happy Socks, Affinity Photo. Skinnydip London, Lazy Oaf, Yorokobu, Emilio Cavallini, etc. His work has found a place in publications around the world. In September 2017, he was working in New York for the creative and design agency, Argento S.C. During 2018, he was selected by the Culture Area of Mรกlaga to exhibit at the Art&Breakfast fair where his photographs and a bathtub full of spaghetti impacted visitors. Currently, his artwork is being sold at Galerie Sakura.
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How did you decide to pursue a career in photography? It all started in 2011 when on a trip, I bought my first and modest Canon 350D reflex camera. From that moment, I discovered that photography was made for me. What amazed me most at that time was street photography, but over the years I discovered still life photography with the pop art style that I have always liked. How would you describe your style of photography and how does it set you apart from the others? My style is mostly colorful and minimalistic. Pop became my world when I visited a LEGO exhibition in New York in 2014. The road to pop art has been varied. As I said, I started doing all kinds of photography- portraits, landscapes, street and even edited some black and white photographs (something unthinkable now). I think
LEGO-Toothpaste Sony ILCE-7 35mm F/8 1/100 ISO50
What are the challenges you face in a regular editorial photography gig and how do you tackle them? The most difficult process is to think about the concept. I like to simplify things a lot. I do not have any ritual or mania when thinking about ideas for photographs. I just look at portfolios in Behance and try to find inspiration. Sometimes, I have moments of creative emptiness and go for days without sketching any idea, which is certainly frustrating. But sometimes, the ideas appear What kind of projects do you prefer to work on? like serendipity. Once I have the idea, everything is much I like working on personal photography projects because I easier. Then it’s just about getting the objects I need and have all the freedom I want but it is also exciting to work for shooting in the studio. big international brands. that the passage through all or almost all photographic styles naturally led me to what I do now. I’m inspired by everyday objects and by that which we can easily have. I think the difference between other artists’ and my work is that I love that things happen in a random and sometimes meaningless way, so my artworks goes on that path of nonsense. The only thing that I intend with my photos is to have fun and to amuse other people better.
Rishabh Jain rishabh@chiiz.com A techie by profession and a foodie at heart, Rishabh loves finding bugs, not only in the backyard but also in the server. An ardent football fan Rishabh is a sports fanatic and is ready to help anyone with anything he can.
LEGO-Kit Kat Sony ILCE-7 85mm F/11 1/125 ISO50
LEGO-Razor Sony ILCE-7 35mm F/11 1/160 ISO50
LEGO-Controller Sony ILCE-7 35mm F/13 1/125 ISO50
LEGO-Lipstick Sony ILCE-7 35mm F/14 1/125 ISO50
Breaking Glass Ceilings F. Dilek Uyar
Catching Fish in a Dreamscape Nikon D810 24mm F/5 1/100 ISO320
F. Dilek Uyar is a lawyer and has been taking pictures for 10 years now. She has won numerous accolades from prestigious organizations for her photographs. For the last two years, she has been working on a project that will raise awareness in the community about cancer patients’ economic and psychological difficulties. Being a woman is hard in Turkey, being a woman photographer is harder. Despite all the obstacles, she takes photographs in her country and tries to show that if a woman wants, she can do whatever she wants without sacrificing her principles and bowing down to anyone, whatever the circumstances.
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Woman in Com Akdag Nikon D810 24mm F/6.3 1/60 ISO320
Tea Harvest Nikon D810 20mm F/6.3 1/60 ISO320
Who am I? Nikon D810 34mm F/4 1/15 ISO500
Catching Fish in WareHouse Nikon D810 52mm F/6.3 1/800 ISO200
Silent Scream Nikon D810 40mm F/16 1/160 ISO100
You are a lawyer as well as a skilled photographer. How do you strike such a perfect balance between these two diverse fields? You’re right, photography and law are completely different fields. For me, photography makes me breathe after the boring and depressing atmosphere of the courts. Most of the time, people miss the real taste of life and only focus on earning more money. One day, I realized that my days are numbered and I have nothing to leave for the world to remember me by. Then, I started to take photos to attain my peace of mind and discover myself in the process. You are working with cancer patients for your current project. Tell us more about this project. According to the current reports of WHO, one out of six people have lost their lives due to cancer and of those losses, 70% have been from low or middle income countries. In my country, too, one out of 5 people lose their lives due to cancer. As cancer is the most widespread illness in every society, I have decided to promote consciousness in the society by raising awareness in this respect. Another important motivation in choosing this topic as a field of interest was my being first in my country to be concentrating on it. Desiring something is the crucial step in achieving it. However, my intention was not enough to overcome the difficulties in this project. I had to defeat bureaucracy first. After a 6-month period, I was able to obtain necessary permissions to photograph chemotherapy
Living with Cancer Nikon D810 20mm F/2.8 1/50 ISO400
inpatients and outpatients at Oncology Service of Ankara Numune Hospital. However solving bureaucratic problems was not enough as I had to face social and cultural hardships. Living in an Islamic country imposes various difficulties. While art is an ignored and neglected practice in such a society, photography is more so. One of the difficulties in the attempts of photographing patients with cancer is their unwillingness to be photographed. In cases where patients voluntarily participate, their relatives oppose it. During the two-year period, I had only two patients volunteering to get photographed, one of which unfortunately passed away.
Wild Horses Nikon D810 70mm F/13 1/250 ISO200
Another impediment against such a project is my psyche: no matter how often I express my readiness for such a project, it is not so easy to stand against the misery of other people. I have also witnessed the situation living in a society whose level of awareness is comparatively low. As an example to the latter I faced an intense instance of defamation and insult in social media on sharing the picture of last living moments of Zeynep. It was literally an attempted lynch campaign conducted by both photographers and non- photographers against me. This reflex, in my opinion, was due to agonizing nature of facing the truth. For those people of the lynch campaign, witnessing such a privacy is a taboo and too intimate. Though I have decided not to share any pictures in the social media till the end of the project, I am still on my job of capturing the people and am determined to help people facing the bitter facts. What was the most challenging aspect of this project so far? Despite the warnings of psychologists to not to be in close relationship with the patients, I built a very strong bond with one of the patients, Zeynep. She was like a sister to me and we had many dreams about the projects. We were to complete the project with her and make our voices heard. But we lost her suddenly and I cannot define how I felt after that. It was definitely the biggest difficulty of that project.
I see that you play a lot with light and shadows along with other creative compositional techniques. Can you fill us in on these techniques that you use in your photography? “Photography is to paint with light.” This motto guides my learning about photography since the beginning, so I love playing with light and shadows. For me, the light and shadow is the life itself, like yin-yang. I try to use this very much in my photos. I like interior spaces for low key works and try to capture the light around. About the composition, I work on two things: I make long conversations with the people who I’ll photograph to get to know them and then try to achieve the invisibility of sincerity which gives me expressions of natural snapshots. Sometimes, I try to create my own ideal world and my imagination around these places. What is your advice to amateur photographers?
My simple advice is for photographers to read photographs, see good shots and practice. I also believe that if the photographers don’t improve their own intellect, they can not go further. The best way to be better in one branch of art is to feed yourself with similar arts. In this sense, I feed myself with literature and cinema. I think the amateur photographers should do the same. Priyashi Negi priyashi@chiiz.com Trekking in the top of the hills through tiny little paths and between pines is nothing short of paradise for Priyashi. Books and poetry are herrefuge. She is a foodie at heart and seems to be blessed with a sweet tooth (sweet-teeth rather) and a love for all things cheese (pun-intended).
Chase Guttman is an award-winning travel photographer, drone videographer, author, UAV expert, and social media influencer. He’s the three-time recipient and the first American to win the Young Travel Photographer of the Year, a prestigious international competition judged by museum curators and magazine editors. He was named the World’s Top Travel Photographer by Condé Nast Traveler, a Rising Star by Instagram and won the Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Storytelling and Exploration—a lifetime achievement and honor.
Cranberry Bogs DJI Mavic Pro 26mm F/2.2 1/1250 ISO100
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Icy Canoe Race DJI Mavic Pro 2 28mm F/5.6 1/640 ISO100
Cliffside Italian Village DJI Phantom 3 26mm F/2.2 1/460 ISO100
Train Through Farmlands DJI Mavic Pro 26mm F/2.2 1/640 ISO100
Beethoven in Grass DJI Inspire 1 Pro 30mm F/2.5 1/50 ISO100
Niagara’s Maid of the Mist DJI Inspire 1 Pro 30mm F/2.2 1/6400 ISO100
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Hunter Nikon D3400 75mm F/22 1/200 ISO200
Ranjit Mahara is a photographer from Birbhum, India. A macro photography enthusiast, he loves insects, his favorite subject being the jumping spider. He started photography with his cell phone and later upgraded to a DSLR. Ranjit has been into photography for three years now and is always learning about new techniques on macro photography.
New Born Nikon D3400 70mm F/22 1/200 ISO100
Ant with Pupa Nikon D3400 82mm F/25 1/200 ISO200
Jumping Spider Nikon D3400 70mm F/22 1/200 ISO200
The Beauty of a Flower Nikon D3400 80mm F/25 1/200 ISO100
Weevil with Owlfly Eggs Nikon D3400 72mm F/25 1/200 ISO100
Making Love Nikon D3400 90mm F/25 1/200 ISO200
Trophy Hunter Nikon D3400 82mm F/25 1/160 ISO200
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Longhorn Cowfish at Lembeh Nikon D810 60mm F/14 1/200 ISO200
Reef Manta Nikon D810 17mm F/5 1/160 ISO400
Passionate about the splendor of the world of silence from her adolescence, Sylvie Ayer has been exploring the oceans of our planet for a few years now. She obtained her PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor license in 2011, but it was only in 2013 that she started to take underwater pictures. Her goal is to not only capture magical memories and express her emotions but also to allow others to discover the rich biodiversity of our oceans in the hope that they become aware of the urgency to protect them. She has been awarded ‘Underwater Photographer of the Year’ in 2018 among other accolades. When she is not underwater, Sylvie Ayer teaches drums and percussions in a music academy in Switzerland. You can see more of her work on her website sylvieayer.com
Clown Anemonefish Nikon D810 35mm F/13 1/160 ISO400
Bull Shark Smiles In Mozambique Nikon D810 35mm F/13 1/250 ISO800
Oceanic Black Manta in Socorro Island Nikon D810 17mm F/9 1/124 ISO400
Aye-Aye Canon 5D Mark IV 100mm F/4 1/200 ISO3200
Decorated Dartfish in the Philippines Nikon D810 60mm F/16 1/160 ISO200
King Vulture Clown Anemonefish and GlassFish Canon 5DNikon Mark D810 IV 400mm ISO640 17mmF/5.6 F/161/1250 1/125 ISO250
Ever since his childhood, Srinivasa Krishnan had a fascination towards creative visual art forms and the art of storytelling through the visual medium. At a later age, this led him to pursue the art of photography that he uses to document the world that he sees, with a healthy mix of creativity and emotion. He specializes in motorsport, concert and travel photography but truly, photography of any kind excites him. You can follow more of his work on Instagram @ srinivasakrishnan 70 TRIGGER
Valentino Rossi, MotoGP 2018 Nikon D4S 500mm F/4 1/3200 ISO320
Lewis Hamilton, Formula 1 2016 Nikon D750 200mm F/2.8 1/250 ISO450
Norizman Ismail, Asia Road Racing Championship 2016 Nikon D750 180mm F/16 1/160 ISO200
Vroom 2016 Drag Racing Nikon D750 360mm F/18 1/160 ISO320
Caterham Asia Championship 2018 Nikon D750 170mm F/5.6 1/250 ISO 100
Solar Eclipse in Elqui Valley, Chile
First Contact Canon 5D Mark III 600mm F/9 1/200 ISO200
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Partial Phase Canon 5D Mark III 600mm F/10 1/250 ISO1000
2017 acrobatic paragliding world champion Víctor ‘Bicho’ Carrera performed an incredible routine in his native Chile during the total solar eclipse at Condoriaco at Elqui Valley on July 2, 2019. Carrera, 23, began flying with his father when he was 11 months old and performed his first solo flight aged 11 on his way to building an already impressive career. Carrera’s next mission was to fly with his illuminated wing at the moment of the total solar eclipse. Guided by the instruments that indicate wind speed, distance and altitude at 4pm on Tuesday July 2, Carrera took off from Condoriaco once the partial phase of the eclipse had begun and got to the highest peak to start a routine that included a “wing over” or pendulum effect in the air and a “sat” that looks like an aerial spiral. He performed for 40 minutes until the moon was in position and day was suddenly transformed into the night-illuminated only by the solar ring and Carrera’s wing.
The Flight Canon 5D Mark III 374mm F/5.6 1/80 ISO3200
The Wait Canon 5D Mark III 35mm F/1.8 1/125 ISO1250
Icarus and the Sun Canon 5D Mark III 600mm F/6.3 1/60 ISO2500
Diamond-ring Phase Canon 5D Mark III 600mm F/6.3 1/100 ISO2500
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Jit Chattopadhyay Kolkata, India
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Enlightened Goddess Canon 80D 24mm F/8 1/80 ISO200
Arindam Das Kolkata, India
Suvajit Mukherjee Kolkata, India
Face Painting Nikon D5300 35mm F/3.5 1/400 ISO400
Joyful Mood Canon 700D 18mm F/9 1/500 ISO400
Pritom Baroi Barrackpore, India
Celebrate the Moment Canon 80D 35mm F/6.3 1/125 ISO250
Jevgenij Scolokov Riga, Latvia
Dangerous wife Canon 5D 24mm F/6.3 1/2500 ISO250
Abhishekh Chatterjee Kolkata, India
Avismita Bhattacharyya Kolkata, India
Marcus Cederberg Ă–rebro, Sweden
Jump For The Catch Nikon D7500 32mm F/5.6 1/1000 ISO500
Lost Soul Nikon Z6 24mm F/9 1/500 ISO1250
Usain Boat DJI Mavic 2 Pro
Dibakar Roy Kolkata, India
Fly to Catch Canon 1200D 55mm F/4 1/1600 ISO320
Soumyadeep Kundu Kolkata, India
Raider Canon 700D 14mm F/2.8 1/100 ISO800
Sonika Agarwal Mumbai, India
Mumbai Nikon D5300 18mm F/6.3 1/800 ISO100
Ahana Ghosh Kolkata, India
The Lady With Smoke Nikon D5200 55mm F/5.6 1/125 ISO125
Gautam Narang Delhi, India
Golden Jackal Canon 600D 270mm F/5.6 1/320 ISO100
S R Hossain Birbhum, India
Last Try Nikon D5300 300mm F/7.1 1/80 ISO100
Ishant Jain Muzaffarnagar, India
Lakshman Jhula Oppo A37F 2.93mm F/2.2 1/700 ISO100
Harjeet Singh Ghaziabad, India
Couple Goals Canon 80D 24mm F/6.3 1/2000 ISO400
Shafiul Islam Shaikot Rangpur, Bangladesh
Prateek Kashyap Delhi, India
Sunset Emotions Canon 60D 200mm F/5.6 1/320 ISO320
Ayan Biswas Halisahar, India
Sony Rajput Bhopal, India
Run With Your Heart Canon 1200D 18mm F/5.6 1/2500 ISO200
Shivam Garg Gurgaon, India
A Soulful Evening Canon 200D 24mm F/8 1/250 ISO400
Yogesh Rana New Delhi, India
Udayan Sankar Pal Chennai, India
Paddy Drying Nikon D7100 35mm F/16 1/320 ISO200
City in Colors Canon 70D 16mm F/8 1/125 ISO100
Strange Vendor Fujifilm XT20 18mm F/14 1/220 ISO2000
Horse Tales Canon 7D Mark II 18mm F/3.5 1/500 ISO2500
Harvest DJI Spark 4mm F/2.6 1/640 ISO100
Hamid Jamshidian Esfahan, Iran
Chinmoy Biswas Kolkata, India
Gouranga Ghosh Pandua, India
MD Enayetullah Mondal Kolkata, India
Mother in Canvas Nikon D7200 22mm F/6.3 1/40 ISO2000
Lineated Barbet Canon 70D 250mm F/5.6 1/200 ISO800
Shuvo Sarker Dhaka, Bangladesh
Through the Green Nikon D3100 24mm F/4 1/100 ISO400
Anindya Phani Kolkata, India
Net Work Canon 1000D 18mm F/6.3 1/800 ISO400
Cutter Redmi 4 4.5mm F/2 1/150 ISO100
Surit Datta Kolkata, India
Chariot Festival GoPro Hero 5 Black 3mm F/2.8 1/1100 ISO100
Prady Das Bangalore, India
The Lone Butterfly POCO F1 4mm F/1.9 1/189 ISO100
Shruti Sharma Indore, India
Block Printing Canon 1300D 55mm F/5.6 1/80 ISO1600
Amdad Hossain Chittagong, Bangladesh
Fine Arts Canon 70D 42mm F/16 1/250 ISO200
Subhadip Malakar Mumbai, India
Glass World Canon 1300D 43mm F/5.6 1/160 ISO100
Aniket Pal Kolkata, India
Sujoy Debnath Kolkata, India
Black & White Television Canon 1300D 55mm F/5.6 1/125 ISO320
Tanay Sahoo Kolkata, India
Md. Sharif Uddin Dhaka, Bangladesh
Happiness Canon 5D Mark II 50mm F/8 1/60 ISO100
Fear Nikon D7100 82mm F/7.1 1/400 ISO500
Living by River Canon 70D 25mm F/8 1/200 ISO125
Debalina Bhatta Kolkata, India
Breakfast Time Nikon D3300 18mm F/4.5 1/60 ISO200
Bobby Samuels Lancaster, England
Grind Nikon D3200 22mm F/10 1/200 ISO100
The Joy of Creating Luv Israni
Blues Canon 5D Mark II 24mm F/2.8 1/125 ISO100
Luv Israni is a renowned name in the photography and film- making community in India. He started Israni Photography and Signature Filmz around seven years ago with his sister. Expanding the horizons of creativity every day, he tries to outdo his own work and create a new milestone for himself.
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Dalliance Canon 5D Mark III 85mm F/14 1/125 ISO100
Longing Canon 5DS R 85mm F/1.2 1/125 ISO320
Beauty Essentials Canon 1DX Mark II 35mm F/5.6 1/125 ISO500
Pearl of her Eye Canon 5D Mark II 110mm F/5.6 1/125 ISO100
How has your journey been so far? I picked up my first camera, a Canon 20D, around 15 years ago, and since then, I have never looked back. Everything that I know, I have learned on the go, upgrading and buying new cameras, and experimenting with them. On the first day, I didn’t even know how to use the camera. I had bought the 20D from my vendor, and was at the airport, trying to click a photo of a flight that had taken off, using the telelens. After a while, I found that I simply could not figure it out! In fact, soon enough, I realized that I had physically damaged the camera on the very first day itself. I was never really formally trained in photography, you see. I faltered several times, made mistakes, but I learned from each of them, and kept at it, practicing and experimenting with the camera. Over the years, I got better and my skill set enhanced. Looking back, it’s been quite an exciting journey, one which is still teaching me new things every day.
I planned the entire concept from end to end and delivered a presentation to my client before the shoot. However, what I ended up doing was far beyond what was expected, or even necessary. This is why I have clients from time to time actually telling me not to do certain things, simply because the project doesn’t really require so much effort.
Are there any challenges you face when working with advertising clients who have contrasting creative ideas? During the course of my career, I have worked on a wide range of unique campaigns, with various ad agencies, and I can honestly say that I look forward to each new challenge that they bring. I have often found myself trying to overdo things, as I am someone who has always aimed for perfection. It pushes me forward, towards doing what I do. My mantra, for the longest time, has been, to “do better than I did yesterday”, and because of that, I’ve been able to grow constantly. Thus, the challenges I have encountered have had more to do with me overwhelming myself, than anything else. Because of my need for perfection, there have been times that I have taken on too many things and tried to do much more than what is even necessary. In fact, at times, some of my clients feel that I am over-delivering. On a very recent project that I have been working on,
What are you working on right now? After a long stint in photography, I have recently moved into directing, as well. I am currently working on a number of music videos with T-Series, and the project will continue for the next few weeks or so. It has not only helped me find a chance to diversify my skill sets, but also explore a variety of new avenues and work on interesting and exciting projects. Today, I am not just a photographer, but a producer and a filmmaker as well and it has been a completely different and incredible journey. In fact, it has almost been like a kind of upgradation of my photography skill, along with my visualization and conceptualization, which is something that I have thoroughly enjoyed.
Regardless, it’s been quite a great journey. I’ve never really had problems with people regarding creative influences because creativity is an incredibly fluid thing. Each and every individual has a different style, perspective and way of looking at things; and I’m not somebody who likes to be rigid with creative ideas. Working with so many different people in my team, if a client happens to have a different idea, we are more than happy to adopt it because I believe that everybody has something to teach us. So, I look forward to learning from everyone around me.
Are there any clients you would like to work with in the future? I have never really had any kind of a of clients that I want to work with, although I am fascinated with
Blooming Canon 1DX Mark II 102mm F/11 1/160 ISO100
the work of several individuals. However, since I wholeheartedly enjoy photography and filmmaking, I constantly look forward to working on new and exciting projects and discovering the diverse range of requirements that clients from a variety of domains have. The new experience that it offers always makes me eager to keep working with new people. So, I don’t currently have any favorites that I have thought of working with. How would you describe your photographic approach? If I could encapsulate it in a way, I would say that I am a people’s person. I have always believed in molding my craft, in accordance with each and every individual that I shoot. During my career, I have shot a lot of Bollywood and TV celebrities, and I always try to understand the nuances of the person, taking a fresh and objective approach to each individual. Hence, I try to figure out what I can do differently, for them – something that defines the person they are, and the many unique aspects of their personality. The basis of my approach is that I like to mold myself along with the people I shoot, pertaining to each tiny difference and uniqueness they bring. How did you get your interest in fashion photography and advertising? I believe photography has always been in my blood – my parents have been in the entertainment industry for as long as two and a half decades, which has seeped into me as well. My mom used to run a model coordination agency and as a result, it has always been a part of my life – be it models, actors, or photography. When my mom first started her business, my house and her offices were one and the same. I grew up as a child seeing models at my house frequently, even waking up to find so many unique faces all around me. I believe
Hit Me Up Canon 5D Mark III 90mm F/13 1/125 ISO100
that is how I first got inspired to venture into this industry. Similarly, my dad was also working in the media world, running a magazine of his own, 15 years back. At that time, the biggest challenge he faced was finding a good photographer, since most good photographers would charge a high fee. So, I imagine, he must have thought, “Instead of hiring a photographer, why not just make my son a photographer?” He encouraged me to pursue photography and looking back, I would say that that’s probably how I got around to buying my first camera, and eventually forayed into photography. What is the most special aspect of advertising photography for you? I think the most special aspect of advertising photography is getting a brand new brief from a client, one that brings with it new and exciting challenges. Not every project that I work on is accompanied by challenging requirements. I have had many clients who have only wanted the basic things, and so, it is always a wonderful feeling to work on a project that is particularly unique. I believe it just varies from campaign to campaign. There are many campaigns which do not need much effort or special though, aside from just some simple shots, which require basic lighting, contrast, and shadow. However, at times, some of these projects also require a number of very small and intricate detailings, which take quite a substantial amount of time to master. The experience that they bring, makes it more than worth it. So, with regard to advertising photography, it is the very process of creating a wow moment through a picture, something that is aesthetic and pleasing to the eyes, that I love and enjoy the most. Sarthak Jain sarthak@chiiz.com Sarthak Jain is a filmmaker and a photographer from Kota, India. He has worked on various documentaries on sports and is currently working with Chiiz. He has an avid interest in music. Sarthak has also worked with NGOs to work for the cause of women education in India; it is his way of giving back to the society through photography.
Makeup Artist of the Month Supriya Mishra
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Supriya Mishra is a banker and associate professor turned makeup and hair artist. Even after holding a master’s degree and having a successful corporate life, she often felt a void. She constantly felt out of place. Her fondness for fashion and creativity urged her to let go of her successful career and find solace in what she actually loves to do. Makeup and hair-styling give her a wide horizon to take her creative mind to whatever extent she wants to. This is not just her passion, it’s her religion.
Model of the Month
Anurima Chakraborty Anurima Chakraborty is a Delhi-based model, who is currently pursuing her graduation. Born and brought up in the small city of Agartala, India, she has always aspired to be a model since she was five. Her family wanted her to complete her studies and settle with a job in her hometown itself. But she was adamant about her ambition. She moved to Delhi and began working within her first six months in the new city. She has campaigned for several designers and make-up artists and has recently appeared in international magazines. She aspires to set new trends in the industry of fashion and modeling and explore it internationally with all that it takes.
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Height: 5 ft 8 in Bust: 31 in Waist: 26 in Hips: 34 in Eye color: brown
Bare Reveries Errikos Andreou
Errikos Andreou is a fashion and portrait photographer and videographer. A documentarian of beauty, Errikos does photography in a bid to seek beauty. He loves beauty because it captivates even intelligence and it is what people remember the longest. He also likes stories and loves putting the two together and create images that tell tales. Mostly because he needs to escape reality through them. Having worked with renowned designers, labels and celebrities, Errikos has a distinct style of photography that narrates otherworldly tales. 95 FEATURE
The Body of Chris Canon 5D Mark IV 85mm F/1.2 1/160 ISO640
Dieux du Stade Canon 5DS R 85mm F/1.2 1/8000 ISO100
Narcissus Canon 5D Mark IV 26mm F/18 1/160 ISO500
Archana and Eugeniya Canon 5D Mark IV 24mm F/5 1/250 ISO250
Basia Canon 5D Mark III 59mm F/20 1/160 ISO100
Lily in Greece Canon 5D Mark III 85mm F/1.8 1/2000 ISO100
Tell us about your journey as a photographer so far? I studied fashion in college and before photography, I worked as a designer, stylist and I also did makeup at some point. I started fashion photography because I could use all the skills I had learned before and I could create an alternative universe for me to be lost into. I worked for a year in Greece and then I moved to Paris for 4 years and after that I came to India where I am currently based. Your photography style does have a cinematic feel to it. What kind of films, if any, inspire your work? New Wave French cinema was a huge inspiration because of its simplicity. I also love Terrence Malik’s films for the simple poetic imagery and David Fincher’s films for how hauntingly dark they are. Being one of the sought after photographers, can you let us in on your creative process? The result of a fashion shoot depends very much on the collaboration amongst the people involved because fashion is team based. Good communication and common aesthetic are extremely important with the people you work with. Then the results are always good. For me, a choice of a good location and good models is always important. Once that is done, there is no more
preparation. I like to get inspired by where I am and what I see in front of me. I don’t like to direct too much and I prefer to shoot effortlessly and with simplicity. One of the reasons I like to shoot nudes is this simplicity. There is no one present except you and the model and the synergy you create. A fashion photographer like yourself knows the importance of model-photographer dynamic. Can you tell us how you communicate your ideas to your models for that perfect picture? I rarely communicate ideas. I communicate my personality and my ethos. I am trying to create a safe and fun environment for the models I work with. I treat them with a lot of respect and view them as muses. All of them. They are the ones who are contributing half the image and I prefer to let them act rather than direct them. I want their personality along with their beauty. Any word of advice for photographers who want to follow in on your footsteps? Keep yourself inspired! Keep looking for thing you love to photograph and keep yourself busy. For me, it is the only process.
Sriram Ramanujam sriram@chiiz.com A dreamer by choice, Sriram heads the Chiiz Events and Photo tours team and embodies the company’s vision. After gaining on various experience on various industries including IT, Media, Analytics, Banking and Travel, he may have finally come to terms with his obsession with all things photography.
Vanity Canon 5DS R 60mm F/6.3 1/100 ISO100
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426, Tower B, DLF building, Jasola, Mathura Road, New Delhi - 110025 439, Ground floor 3rd Cross, 6th Main, Wilson Garden, Bangalore - 560027 2 & 3, Midas Tower, Sahar Plaza, Chakala, Andheri East, Mumbai - 400059 2nd Floor, Fortune Monarch Mall, Jubilee Hills, Road 36, Hyderabad - 500039
Tel: (+91) 11-47239400 Tel: (+91) 80-40918396 Tel: (+91) 22-40100276 Tel: (+91) 9866591995