One of my passions other than photography is Interiors. For me neatly done up interiors helps a lot with having a clear mind. It also acts as a catalyst to trigger creative thoughts. However, considering the quality of life in major cities and having lived pretty much all over India, thanks to my Army background and finally ending up living in places like Mumbai and Bangalore, the quality of life if anything is going south, mainly due to more people moving into bigger cities for work. Besides, the problem with big houses and cars is that they are literally like quick sand, the bigger and better, the more you get sucked in and tied up at one place. Take the case of Bangalore, its almost next to impossible trying to get from one end of the city to the other during peak time or any time so to speak. If you are living on rent close to decent places, you are slightly better off, but for most of us who have come here as part of their work, buying something would mean literally looking at spaces at one end of the city. Now, I have always been fascinated by Hotel rooms. They are small, very well kept, everything is easily accessible, quick to clean and easy to maintain. You don't need ten people to manage the space each drawing away valuable energy and time of yours that could have been spent on things that matter. Infact over the years, I have been very inspired by the minimalist lifestyle(go check out The Minimalist on Netflix if you haven't already) and for one, decided to get a space that is very small, based on my current needs and should be very functional. I did not want to tie myself down with large EMI's for decades and high dependency on a job just to pay off the EMI which is also something that kills your spirit! haha. So here is the small one bedreoom, studio apartment of mine, that is still work in progress! I have tried to make it as functional and minimal as possible, without clutter or anything that I don't use. I don't look at this as my "Sapno ka ghar". It is what it is for now. We will see what the future holds. Sharing some of the photographs from this place.

I had shot Nidhi and Arghya when they were expecting their first child sometime back and got the opportunity to shoot them again while they were expecting their second child. This time around we decided to shoot at their lovely home. It's a lot more fun when you have already met someone and this time around was no different especially, with their daughter being around who ironically when asked to stand in front of the camera mentioned - "This is so funny!!". Here are some of the photographs from the session.

Back from a long vacation which included some delicious home food, including the chocolate rum balls that you see and running, since I was preparing for the TCS Bangalore Open 10k. I did it in about 60 mins nonstop. I also want to apologize for any inconvenience caused due to my site going down for three weeks. The hosting company I was with earlier was a one man show and turns out, he passed away due to a massive heart attack. I had to get back and move my site to a new hosting provider. All is back to normal now and I am looking forward to the shoots I have this month!

Cheers!

Back from a long vacation which included some delicious home food, including the chocolate rum balls that you see and running, since I was preparing for the TCS Bangalore Open 10k. I did it in about 60 mins nonstop. I also want to apologize for any inconvenience caused due to my site going down for three weeks. The hosting company I was with earlier was a one man show and turns out, he passed away due to a massive heart attack. I had to get back and move my site to a new hosting provider. All is back to normal now and I am looking forward to the shoots I have this month!

Cheers!

One of the most common questions I get asked is about the duration of the session and of course if we can do the session both indoors and outdoors all in one day. So I thought of addressing it over here. What I have come to notice over a period of time, is that the first 30-45 minutes are generally the most crucial in any photo shoot and all the more if it involves kids. They are generally a lot curious, maybe a little shy and to a certain extent even a little reserved, depending on the environment, just trying to gather what's going on around them and the person in front holding the camera etc. During this time, they are also in a relaxed state of mind because they have not yet gathered and processed all the information around them, especially if it's a new location. Now in a photo shoot, however candid you might want it to be, there is always a little direction involved, it might be as simple as getting the baby or subject to turn around if they are facing a completely different direction. This necessarily might not mean that you are forcing them to smile or look at the camera, but, at least to get them in the frame which is a little aesthetically appealing to the eyes. However, after around 45 mins to an hour, once we tend to process everything around us, Kids generally and even adults, tend to get a little tired, hungry, restless and then in some cases all hell breaks loose - at least for the parents! Okay, I was kidding :), but the point I was trying to make is that once the energy levels begin to go down, the quality of the photographs begin to take a hit. Like I have mentioned in my previous posts, how you feel inside is critical in getting great photographs. You could be wearing a million dollar dress, but if you are feeling depressed or low inside, your eyes will reveal that in a jiffy. It's very difficult to hide your internal state of mind. The body generally gives out the story long before a word is spoken :) Anyway, without going too deep, what I was saying is that the quality of the photographs is a lot more important than the quantity. I have many couples who get in touch, asking if we can have a shoot at home, then in a studio setting and then outdoors all in the same day. The thing is we can shoot all day long if we want to but, even kids get tired and begin to shut down, quite literally in some cases when they notice someone with a camera constantly taking photographs over an extended period of time. One, because that is not a regular phenomenon and two, because they are also humans and although they might not be able to express themselves, it doesn't necessarily mean that they don't feel awkward or consious or shy with the constant attention.

So it's important to plan your shoot in a way, where you speak with your photographer in advance and plan on how you want to get this done. I would invite you to consider choosing any 'one' location for the shoot. Try looking at the shoot as a session instead of an event. More is not necessarily better. Instead, try focusing on the clothes, colors, state of mind, accessories, time of the day etc. You always have the option of doing another shoot in another location of your choice later.

Last but not the least, have fun during the shoot :)

Shooting a two month old Baby is generally not an easy task since at that age they generally don't have any fixed daily cycle as such. Not only that, it also happened to be the anniversary of her parents! The interesting thing about this shoot was the fact that Akshay and his wife decided to spend the day at the Taj West End in Bangalore and to plan the shoot the same day. Now as I have mentioned in my previous posts, shoots are always tiring and its always easy to postpone it, but they not only decided to go ahead with the shoot but also were a complete sport even though it was their special day. Always love people who take the effort to plan the shoot. Just makes the whole process that much more exciting and fun. Here are some of the photographs from that day.

Early morning family photographs in Bangalore can be a lot of fun. A lot of work yes, but considering the fact that the photographs turned out really well, it is always worth it! Here are few from the shoot.

2014 has been a very intersting and fun year for me. Excited about what 2015 has in store. Here is wishing all of you a very Happy New Year!!

Got to love the early morning Sunlight + Mist + Lens flare in Bangalore during the winters. No crappy photoshop stunts. As real as it can get! Had shot her last year when she and her family had come down to India. A year later and she was all the more fun to shoot with. One of my favourite shots from this year!

Some casual photographs from my stay at the Marriott, Pune recently. They really know how to treat their guests. Highly recommended!

Wedding photography is booming in India. Photographers charge anywhere from a few thousands to a couple of lakhs. Add to it amateurs, part-time professionals and anyone and anybody who has a camera is more or less likely to have a wedding photography facebook page now. I also get quite a few emails and calls on a regular basis to do weddings which I decline for now. Don't get me wrong. When I look at it, for me wedding is a special day for a couple. It in a way is the day where you decide to tie the knot with the one you love (at least for now :)) and with social media being an integral part of our life what better way to do that than by photographs! It's that much easier to let the world know. People infact spend a fortune now a days! Not to mention the barrat, people dancing on the road, loud music, food etc. It in a way is an 'announcement to the world' about your special day.

The louder the better.

Photographing your kids on the other hand is something that is a lot more 'personal'. It's not about the loud music, or what your friends or families think, or how cute your little one looks like, or how much money you spent etc. Your life changes when your child comes into this world. Schedules go haywire, you no longer have a social life, your sleep patterns are interrupted and even after a stressful day at work you still need to tend to the little one. Many women I have come across have given up their jobs even after completing their education from fancy institutes with fancy titles to be with their kids. After all, he or she is quite literally an extension of you. But even then the happiness that you get is something indescribable, something that your latest iphone or car or any 'thing' out there does not give you. To top it all that happiness is a lot more 'lingering' than anything else. You are not already looking for the next thing to get which will trigger happy feelings. Also, kids are at their rawest form - in the moment, present. Unlike adults like us that are socially conditioned over the years to behave, react and think in a certain way. Not to mention, they are also constantly changing physically, emotionally and mentally. And this happens quite rapidly. One of the reasons why I love shooting kids is precisely this. There is no loud music, no loud relatives or friends dancing and shouting in the background. It's purely the little one in his element, being present, not worrying about what others are thinking, not being dictated by social conditioning - just being himself.

The other day, I had gone home for a short vacation to visit my mother and wanted some photographs to take back home for a new bookshelf I had got. I remember asking my mother if I can have a look at the family albums which she had 'locked' in her cupboard :) While she was okay with me taking photographs of my dad (who is no longer around) and her, there was no way she was willing to give me any of the photographs which involved my brother or me. The only way I could get them were by taking a 'copy'. While her wedding album still lay packed, she was more than happy to tell stories the moment she saw those old photographs involving us and I could quite literally see the expression on her face change. When I think about it, with Dad gone and we moving out to pursue our carriers, these photographs are all that she has.

So while you do decide to spend a fortune on your wedding, I would also encourage you to spend, if not money, at least an equal amount of time to plan a good session for your little one. In the long run, it might just about be an investment that would trigger those happy memories, just like that old perfume or that old song back from the days.

:)

I seem to have lost all the enthusiasm to burst any kind of crackers this year. I remember, Diwali for me back in school and college used to be only about the loudest and scariest of crackers with friends. But the amount of noise and air pollution, not to mention the impact on our pets, is just too much to bear now. Maybe it's age :) Although, I did light up some sparklers, I am hoping to have a completely cracker free Diwali from now on

However, this does not mean that the ocassion itself isn't something to celebrate. Always a great day to be with family and friends, indulging in those mouth watering sweets, all the lights and having a great time.

Here is wishing all of a you a very happy Diwali!

Some photographs from the session I did with Lavanya and Sandeep. As you can see, the colors and what you wear are a very important part of a photoshoot and should be planned well in advance. It could literally make or break a session in terms of how the photographs turn out.

Sometimes keeping things simple is all that is required. :)

Some photographs from the session I did with Lavanya and Sandeep. As you can see, the colors and what you wear are a very important part of a photoshoot and should be planned well in advance. It could literally make or break a session in terms of how the photographs turn out.

Sometimes keeping things simple is all that is required. :)

Suba got in touch to get a photo session done of her's. Now I had done a shoot with her last year for her Pilates studio and so it was fun to get to meet someone you have already shot with before. You are just a lot more relaxed and open to trying out new things. Her requirement were very clear. Since we shot indoors last time around, she wanted to do something outdoors and also no fancy makeup or clothes. Had a lot of fun doing this session. Here are some of the photographs.

So I got an email yesterday from someone where the subject read something like - "Looking for Candid and Natural photos" . Now this is not the first email I have got but it did get me thinking. The person wanted the session to be done outdoors since it was more "Natural" and they wanted the session to not be posed because as per them it's not "Candid" :)

I have always felt that the whole Natural and Candid photography question is not even the right question to ask. Let me explain. Getting your photographs done indoors in a proper studio or outdoors, say in a park or at your home are just different flavors to add to your collection of memories. It has nothing, and I repeat nothing to do with how natural or candid the photos are going to turn out to be. You could be in the best of locations but if you are not feeling great inside, the body is going to mirror that and the camera is going to pick that up immediately. For me how the subject feels on the day of the shoot is of utmost importance. The moment you have someone who is in a calm yet happy state of mind with that spark in their eyes, I know the shoot is going to be awesome, be it indoors, outdoors or a crappy location - does not matter. Coming to the Candid part - Try going to any social gathering where you don't know many people and focus your attention on someone who might not even be looking at you and maybe does not even know you. I am pretty sure, however sly you are after sometime you will notice him or her catching your attention or gaze. Now imagine a person with a huge camera on their face pointing the camera towards you, your mind is immediately going to make you conscious. It's almost impossible to ignore the photographer who is watching your every move. I instead approach a shoot in a slightly different way, I do direct my subjects on what to do but, I also focus a lot on how relaxed they are. When we are in our zone, and in a happy state of mind, we feel great, and with a little bit of direction one can translate that energy into great photographs. Not only that you also get to capture the persons real personality.

So irrespective of whether you choose an outdoor location or an indoor setting - each having its own set of advantages and disadvantages. Here are some tips

- Try not to tie up other engagements on the day of a shoot. E.g. a doctor's appointment or a get together etc

- Try to eat healthy on the day of the shoot, but do eat something - because it just requires a lot of energy and the right food would make you feel energetic rather than lethargic. Try staying away from heavy foods like sugars, white bread, and meat, dairy which sap out your energy.

- Plan a day or so earlier on what needs to be done on the day of the shoot at home, so that you don't tire yourself up wrapping things up before leaving for the shoot.

- Wear clothes that you are comfortable in.

- Don't freak out if you are not feeling great on the day of the shoot due to any external parameters, e.g. if you have a skin outbreak, or you have gained weight etc. That is part of life. Try breaking the negative thought cycle by listening to music or maybe meditating, breathing deeply or whatever is your poison that gets you in a relaxed state of mind.

- More importantly, Idea is to be fresh and in a happy, relaxed and calm state of mind. This could possibly we the single most important thing.

You will see that then whether you shoot outdoor's, or indoors or any other location would not even matter - How you feel inside would define how "Candid" or "Natural" the photographs will turn out.

Here is to an awesome Monday!

That time of the year, when you are back from a long vacation, get to eat a lot of mangoes, enjoy the weather and are all excited for the year ahead!

Had an amazing session with Anindita, Pradeep and their little one. We did initially discuss if we should do this shoot outdoors or in an indoor studio'ish setting and decided on the later. The photographs turned out great. One of the advantages of shooting indoors is that you have fewer distractions, since there are fewer people around, one is a little less consious and then you have the freedom to choose and play around with colors and combinations when it comes to clothes.

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Just wanted to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very Happy and prosperous 2014 :). When I look back at 2013, it's been an amazing year for me. I got a chance to meet and shoot some incredible people and hopefully I, in my own little way brought a smile to their face. When I had started off, I never had a clue that I would be getting to shoot the kind of photographs I loved and more importantly getting to meet people that helped me achieve it. I want to thank all of you for the opportunity. I sure am excited about 2014 and what it has in store for me. Looking forward to meeting many more amazing people, documenting important moments in their life and in the process taking awesome photographs.

Here is to an amazing 2014!

Okay, so I have got a bunch of shoots which are more like re-shoots? As in my subjects actually had gone to another photographer for a session and then were disappointed with the photographs and approached me. This got me thinking, what is it that makes us choose a specific service or product over another, not just in photography but in general. When I thought about it, at least from my perspective, based on how I decide is pretty straight forward - What is it that makes me 'feel' good about this product/service. Today with a bunch of information (much of it being noise), how many times do you decide to go out for dinner and you see these huge banners of 'India's number one', ' Best food as ranked by', 'Award winning restaurant..' etc etc just to end up disappointed? Either it's too crowded, the ambience is bad, service is not good, food got you sick, Manager was rude, waiters were slow, food was cold?.. And then you sometimes find that small place which looks so inviting, minus all the 'noise', and you have this gut feeling.....you know you have entered the right place. :) So while some people might be okay with mediocrity, I think there is a significant number of us that would not settle for anything less than the best. This is something that I notice in almost every aspect of life, be it eating out, vehicles, cheese, clothes, movies, music, you name it. I think the same holds good for photography. I think with the whole Facebook page concept things have just gotten a lot more complex. Don't get me wrong, as a medium Facebook and other social networking sites are very important for anyone providing a service. It's a great way to reach a wider audience which invariably means more work and as a customer you get a variety of options to choose from. However, there are two possible things that could happen, you either get carried away by the whole numbers game -who has the most number of 'fans'(for lack of a better word) or you actually use it as an option to go through the work of different photographers or whatever product and make a decision based on what your requirement is based on how you 'feel' about it.

So what is it that makes you decide on the photographer? Is it the number of followers someone has in Facebook that makes you assume the person is good (You know the - maybe it's something that everybody is seeing that I don't :)?) Or do you look at how well the photographs are composed and exposed or how real the photographs look or do you prefer photographs that are cooked in Photoshop excessively? Do you look for photographers who specialize in a particular genre or someone who shoots everything under the Sun? The questions really are - Are these the kind of photographs that are going to work for you a couple of years down the line? Do you really relate with the photographs? Do you think they represent your reality in the way you see yourself or the way the photographer does?

What about you? Are you 'settling' for what is provided or do you go for what feels good to you? Are you doing your research or are you following the herd? Do you think long term or short term in terms of the photographs or in some cases the photo - 'effects' will stand the test of time ? Are you going by your gut feeling/intuition or with what everyone is saying?

Like Tony Robbins says, the quality of our life depends on the quality of the questions we ask ourselves.

What is it that you are asking yourself before deciding?

A messy lunch affair. :) Apparently, this is how it is everyday with every meal :) Another set of photographs from this chaps book that is going to be printed soon.

Guys, meet Ruhaan. I had shot Jyoti when she was expecting and was looking forward to shoot as soon as she delivered. But it just could not happen. Anyway, 5 months down the line and we decided to shoot at their place. Now I know many of you ask me if you shoot at home, the reason I mostly say no is because the environment makes a huge difference in the photographs and definately contributes to how the the photographs turn out. However, there are many people who are extremely creative and do up their place really well, such homes can actually be an awesome place to shoot, especially, if you have light colored walls, big open windows and doors, maybe antique furniture etc. Anyway, they live on the 16th floor and have a huge bedroom door and I knew that the evening sunlight would be magical, if only it wouldn't rain! So I set out at like 12 in the afternoon, and spent the day with them till about 5 in the evening. We got to shoot the guy in some beautiful sunlight, while he was bathing, eating and also with their dog. Took a short break in the afternoon, ordered some food and we were back in action. Now, this is the first time I actually shot a "5 month" old, but I realized that the best time to shoot little ones are, when they are just born (within like 20 days) and then maybe when they are just about to sit down, because, you can get some really awesome photographs while they are sitting because they can't move by themselves.

This was so much fun. These are now off for printing and I for one just cannot wait to get them!

Sangita had got in touch to get some photographs done of her family. Just by reading her emails I could figure out how diligently she had planned for these photographs. Sometime during the shoot, her husband did mention this to me and I did want to make it a little special. The thing is with two small kids, its a huge task for a lady to manage them, get them ready, manage their moods, get them to sit still, talk to them, keep them occupied and happy.. the list goes on. And without a doubt, thanks to her we were able to get some great photographs. The thing with little kids is that you can never have an agenda for the shoot. They pretty much dictate it :) You just have to be patient, keep them occupied and you could get some awesome shots. Again, an awesome family and an awesome shoot. Another day well spent.

Oh and don't forget to notice how stylish Aryan and Ruhi are :)

Here are some of the maternity photographs of Sruthy and Nithu. Again a fun session and an awesome couple. As you can see she was in her 8th month, but was extremely patient and calm all throughout the shoot. Again, a photographers delight!

Here's to an awesome weekend :)

Sneak peek at what's up next. Stay tuned. :)

I have to admit, I have been getting some awesome people to shoot and here is another set of images from a shoot I did recently. Remember, at this age, its very difficult to get them to sit still and considering the heat in Bangalore these days, doing something indoors made a lot more sense.

By the way, who said "studio" photographs are not candid and natural? :)

So here is something different this time. Suba, who runs Core Method in Bangalore got in touch with me and was looking at getting some photographs done in her studio. Now although the shoot is more in line with Advertising and Commercial photography with a more lifestyle sort of a feel to it, the idea really was to use real students and not models with barely any makeup and to keep the photographs as real as possible with the least amount of Post Processing. She believes in the whole mind-body connection and all of you who are looking at getting in shape should head over to her place, Core Method in Koramang,ala. I for one, could feel the pain in my body seeing these extremely fit students flex and stretch like crazy. Just goes to prove, what the human body and mind is capable of! She is an awesome person and a great teacher.

Product Goodness! - So in today's time, where everything is digital, most of the images are generally stored on a computer or a mobile device. I guess with everyone having access to smart phones and the latest gadgets, its just so much easier, right? However, for some reason, for me personally, there is nothing like looking at prints in your hand. Yes, digital images can be opened any time you want, but how many of us actually even do that? I think I for one, however good a photograph is, after looking at it for a couple of times, never again go to that folder :) But when you have a beautiful album which is more like a coffee table book, things are different. It's something that could trigger conversations over tea, something that you could look at when you are all by yourself, something that takes you back in time. Here is a Custom Flush Mount high end album I designed for Nidhi recently as part of her Maternity shoot. Planning on doing a lot more of these in the future for sure :)

When Nidhi contacted me to do her maternity photographs, I wanted to do photographs which were real, showed her personality and at the same time were fun. However, since I had not met them before, I was not sure what to expect. At 8 months with all the changes in the body, I thought I would have to keep the session really short without tiring her out. But I was in for a surprise. Not only was she game to stand in front of the camera for extended periods of time, she was a complete sport in terms of doing what ever I was asking her to do. Well, asking them(she and her husband) to be precise. The thing is that it can be quite awkward for anyone to stand in front of the camera when it is not something that you do regularly. But she and her husband were totally open to suggestions and doing what ever I was asking them to. This kind of gives you a lot of flexibility to try and get the photographs that you want. The best subjects are the one's who are open to suggestions. So I thought I should put a couple of photographs from this session on the blog. Here are a few. :)

So I get this question almost every time by every customer who contacts me.



I thought might as well write a post on it. I generally do sessions either indoors in a studio type setup or outdoors in a more natural setting. I generally recommend wearing "solid" colors rather than heavy duty prints, checks, or any clothes that have distracting emblems etc. The whole idea of a photo session is to create photographs where the emphasis is on the subject and not on the clothes or surroundings. Yes, those are important, in fact very important, but they should assist in creating an appealing image and not take away from the the subject. Indoors, I generally, prefer very subdued, solid, earthy colors, like light blues, greens, reds etc for girls and maybe something that complements those colors that Men can wear. I think Men can never go wrong with plain white shirt along with khakis or denims. For couples, I don't necessarily want them to wear the same colors, but at least the colors they wear should complement each other. Now, if you are a fashion conscious person or extremely good looking and know your sense of style, then I guess, everything written above does not matter. These are just guidelines that one can follow. Another thing to keep in mind, is that outdoors, there are a lot of distractions and a lot of colors, so its always good to wear something that does not add to that confusion. Remember, in fashion, the focus is on the clothes, but in a Portrait session, the focus is on the person.

Having said that, it is equally important that the kind of clothes you put on are well fitted, look good on you, go well with your skin color and body structure. Accessories also add to the overall look of the image, although care should be taken that its not overdone in any way. It's also a good idea to always bring along 4 to 5 outfits just in case a specific color is not working out or does not look as good. Many times we perceive things based on what we think we like but in camera those outfits and colors may not look good.

Last but not the least, wear something that you are comfortable in. :)

Have you see a socks obsessed dog with a hairy ass?! So this chap was over at my place for the weekend since his folks were out for the weekend. Got a chance to take some good photographs of this fellow. Great fun. He was actually playing the whole 'throw and fetch" game during this session. :)