Designers turn shutterbugs

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Clothes are like people, at least when it comes to getting photographed. No matter how much you try some just don’t photograph well while others might dazzle in front of the camera, but never really match up to the image in reality. So, what do fretful mothers (designers) do? They pick the camera themselves and try to get the best possible shot of their beloved creations. As with designers across the city who recently went behind the lens to shoot their campaigns, the trend is slowly on the rise.
Designer Puneet Nanda, who recently shot the “Art of Tarot” campaign for his brand Satya Paul feels it’s a natural extension of his creativity. “I have always been a multi-media person and have been clicking pictures as far as I can remember. And it’s not only about taking photographs but the entire concept which also involves the visualisation of the graphics that one goes through,” he says adding it is during that process one innately knows how best it will be photographed.
As recently Karl Lagerfeld, the head designer for Chanel took to the camera to shoot the latest autumn-winter ad campaign for the brand, so did our very own JJ Valaya, who shot an entire campaign for a lifestyle magazine, featuring not only him but other designers from the industry as well. Fashion photographer Vikram Bawa is all for this new trend. “It’s great that a designer gets to channel his own sensibilities into the shoot and get the clothes to look exactly how he/she wants them to. They know their creations best and that knowledge gives them an edge over the photographer any day,” he tells us.
However, one can’t deny that this development has been supplemented by technology coming to rescue, making it much easier to shoot pictures now than ever before.
Aditya Arya, who has been shooting campaigns for more than two decades now, tells us more. “It’s become very easy to shoot a good picture with the thousand shots one can take and the several photoshop jobs done afterwards. The real skill as a photographer comes in when one has one roll and needs to get a certain number of good shots out of that. It’s very important to know the technique as well while taking the shot,” he says.
But then there are some who wouldn’t want to restrict their talent to the ramp alone or even to merely taking pictures. Prashant Verma shot and edited an entire three-minute film as a prelude for his last show. “Film is an even more intangible medium than pictures, as one can’t capture a moment and all it remains is a memory, something that can be felt. So, it’s much more fun to work with film,” he says.