A LOT HAPPENS BEHIND THE SCENES, ESPECIALLY DURING THE PLANNING STAGES LEADING UP TO A PHOTO SHOOT OR A FILM. HERE IS A BRIEF LOOK INTO THE THOUGHTS AND IDEAS BEHIND THE PROCESS.
CLIENT: MAGIC PLANET GAMING - DUBAI
AGENCY: FP7
ROLE: FILM DIRECTION & PHOTOGRAPHY
TV, OUTDOOR AND PRINT CAMPAIGN FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT AND
GAMING CENTER, THE IDEA BEHIND THE CAMPAIGN AND FILM WAS TO CREATE A VISUAL VIEWER EXPERIENCE.
I DOCUMENTED THE DETAILS OF VARIOUS GAMES AND CHARACTER ELEMENTS I WANTED TO INCLUDE IN THE ILLUSTRATIONS; MY ILLUSTRATION TEAM CREATED A SCENE BASED ON THE SCRIPT, USING A STYLE OF THE 90'S DC COMIC BOOKS.
THE ANIMATION WAS THEN PROJECTED ONTO MY SET, TO ALLOW ME TO FILM IN REAL-TIME.
CLIENT: LANDMARK GROUP
AGENCY: THE CLASSIC PARTNERSHIP
ROLE: PHOTOGRAPHY
I WAS ONE OF THE 12 INTERNATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHERS
APPROACHED TO CREATE A PAGE IN A CALENDAR FOR ONE OF THEIR CLOTHING BRANDS ‘SPLASH’
THE CONCEPT GIVEN TO ME WAS ‘ROOM 2013'
I WAS BRIEFED ON A FRIDAY MORNING AND GIVEN A DEADLINE OF 9 DAYS TO DELIVER THE FINAL IMAGE. I PRESENTED MY VISUAL CONCEPT THE VERY NEXT DAY AND IMMEDIATELY FLEW OUT TO INDIA.
IN MUMBAI, I FELT I COULD PRODUCE A COMPLETE VISUAL WITHIN THE TIMEFRAME, DUE TO THE POSSIBILITY OF WORKING WITH LARGER TEAMS; MANPOWER WAS THE KEY TO PLANNING, EXECUTION, AND DELIVERING THE FINAL IMAGE 8 DAYS LATER.
‘RESONANCE’
THE PAST EXISTS WITHIN THE PRESENT, IT DEFINES US IN THE FORM
OF MEMORIES & EXPERIENCES.
THE IMAGE IS A MELANGE OF HER TRIALS & TRIBULATIONS,
REMINISCENCES & HER INTERPRETATIONS OF SITUATIONS FROM
DIFFERENT PERIODS OF HER LIFE. THE IMAGE ATTEMPTS TO ANSWER WHY PEOPLE DRAW ON THEIR PAST TO REACT TO SITUATIONS IN A VERY INDIVIDUALISTIC WAY;
THE IMAGE, JUST AS WITH PEOPLE, IS A COLLECTION OF WIDELY
DIVERSE SUBJECTS, YET IT MAKES A HARMONIOUS WHOLE.
THE CLOUD WAS BY MISTAKE, THE SMOKE MACHINE MISFIRED AND
I LOVED THE EFFECT OF IT!
THE BEHIND THE SCENES MAKING OFF "ROOM 2013"
CLIENT: SHEROES CAFE AGRA
PROJECT: #STOPACIDATTACK
ROLE: PHOTOGRAPHY
THIS WAS A CHALLENGING AND VERY EMOTIONAL PROJECT.
THIS KIND OF ATTACK IS VERY COMMON IN PARTS OF INDIA, PAKISTAN
& BANGLADESH.
AN ACID ATTACK IS A FORM OF VIOLENT ASSAULT ONTO THE BODY
WITH THE INTENTION TO DISFIGURE OR KILL; THE VICTIM IS HARMED, BOTH PHYSICALLY AND PSYCHOLOGICALLY.
I WANTED TO RAISE AWARENESS TO DISCOURAGE FUTURE ATTACKS AND HOPE TO REACH THE AUTHORITIES TO CONTROL THE SALE OF ACID IN INDIA.
THE PHOTO ON THE LEFT IS OF 'SHANTI', SHE IS ONLY 19 YEARS OF AGE, WHILE 'RUPA', ON THE RIGHT, WAS A SUCCESSFUL ACTRESS, SHE WAS ATTACKED WHILE SHE WAS SLEEPING, SHE DOESN'T KNOW WHO
ATTACKED HER.
I LAUNCHED THE CAMPAIGN ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND IN PRINT, ALONG WITH THE SURVIVOR STORIES. I AM ALSO PLANNING TO SELL PRINTS FROM THE SHEROES CAFE IN AGRA WHERE THE SURVIVORS WORK, TO HELP THEM RAISE FUNDS FOR THEIR RECONSTRUCTIVE SURGERIES.
CLIENT: SHARJAH MEGA MALL
AGENCY: GREY WORLDWIDE
ROLE: PHOTOGRAPHY
I OFTEN FIND, BRINGING TALENT FROM DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE WORLD TOGETHER TO COLLABORATE, CREATES A CERTAIN MAGIC.
THIS CAMPAIGN FOR THE SHOPPING MALL WAS COPY-DRIVEN AND THE VISUAL ACTED AS SUPPORT. I WANTED TO CREATE AN IMAGE USING A STYLE REFERENCE FOUND ACROSS THEATERS IN THE EARLY 19TH CENTURY, YET GIVING THE IMAGE A MODERN FEEL.
MY TEAM PRODUCED 3 VISUALS IN MUMBAI AND MY SET DESIGNERS WERE INTRODUCED TO WORK ALONGSIDE A TEAM OF LOCAL WOOD SCULPTORS.
THE COMPLETE STAGE WAS HANDCRAFTED FROM RECYCLED WOOD FROM THE LOCAL RAILWAY TRACKS.
THE CLOTH BACKGROUNDS WERE HAND PAINTED TO GIVE IT A PERIOD CORRECT LOOK. THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVOURITE IMAGES AND WAS
FEATURED IN THE LÜRZERS ARCHIVE 200 BEST PHOTOGRAPHERS IN 2010/11.
CLIENT: BAJAJ DOMINAR - INDIA
AGENCY: OGILVY MUMBAI
ROLE: DIRECTOR
I WAS APPROACHED BY OGILVY MUMBAI TO DIRECT TWO FILMS FOR
THE BAJAJ DOMINAR D400 MOTORBIKE.
THE BRIEF WAS TO INTRODUCE BIKERS TO A TRENDING HASHTAG
AND SHOWCASE THE BAJAJ DOMINAR IS THE RELIABLE CHOICE OF VEHICLE FOR THEIR NEXT TOURING ADVENTURE.
BIKERS WERE ENCOURAGED TO RECORD AND PHOTOGRAPH THEIR TOURING RIDES WITH ENTHUSIASTS GLOBALLY AND SHARE THEM ON SOCIAL PLATFORMS USING THE TAG #MOTOGRAPHY.
I FLEW TO KASHMIR TO FILM THIS, AS SOME OF THE LOCATIONS, WERE UNCHARTERED AND REMOTE, I COULD SHOW OFF THE BEAUTIFUL LANDSCAPES WHILE THE SENSE OF TOURING AND ADVENTURE COULD BE VISUALLY CAPTURED AND FILMED IT USING PHOTOGRAPHY TECHNIQUES.
THIS WAS A VERY CHALLENGING SHOOT, MOST LOCATIONS WERE HARD TO REACH BY ROAD AND MY TEAM OFTEN HAD TO CARRY THE BIKE INTO AN AREA OR ON TOP OF A MOUNTAIN FOR ME TO FILM A SCENE.
WE HAD LONG HOURS OF FILMING WITH A COUPLE OF HOURS OF SLEEP EVERY NIGHT, BUT WE MANAGED IT.
I BELIEVE, WITH THE CORRECT TEAM, WE CAN OVERCOME ANY OBSTACLES.