Fotógrafo Mohammed Aadil

—En primer lugar, ¿quién puede llamar el mejor fotógrafo en Chennai, India? :)

—I believe that nobody can define oneself better than another person can. Any photographer who can bring out a couple’s story in the most artistic form, and captures the values and traditions of marriage, is in my opinion the best at what they do.

—¿Es usted fotogénico(a)?

—I am shy whenever I find myself in front of the camera. I’m more of a ‘behind the lens’ kinda guy.

—¿Cómo empezó a trabajar en la industria de fotografía?

—Photography has always been what makes me get out of bed in the morning. I was always that kid who spent more time with cameras growing up. I feel an adrenaline rush when I work with them. During one of my travels, I found an opportunity in a friend’s wedding, and have been in this business ever since. Crafting fine memories for real people started giving me a happiness, one that I haven’t found anywhere else.

—¿En su opinión, cuáles son los elementos más importantes de una buena fotografía?

—Understanding what you are going to capture is the key first step. As a wedding photographer, we have access to knowing what couples actually want, in addition to knowing specific locations, venues, décor themes, and style choices. Knowing all this, we gain a clear understanding of what type of lighting is going to be available to us. Preparing in advance then becomes a crucial phase. We also need to stay inspired throughout. Composition techniques also play a significant role, as well as how you implement lighting and shadows. At the end of it all, an emotional element surely needs to be present. The final album will then contain photos that speak for themselves.

—¿Le gusta viajar?

—I adore travelling. I feel that it removes ‘creative blocks’, at least for me anyway. Travelling makes me feel light, and fills my soul with Nature and Humanity.

—¿Qué le gusta más de su profesión?

—Plenty of factors have made me fall in love with my work, starting with how it allows me to create memories for newlyweds. These memories also serve and benefit their family and any children that they plan to have in future. Entire families cherish what we create, and that makes me feel enormously responsible because I’m given the special task of serving memories to generations. Most weddings in India are large-scale compared to anywhere else in the world. Amidst even the largest gatherings, us wedding photographers hold a powerful place owing to what we are capturing for posterity on behalf of couples. And when they appreciate what we do, it all comes home to me, and makes me feel warm and happy. They treat us like family or friends, and that is something all the money in the world cannot buy.

—¿Qué le gusta menos de su profesión?

—Sometimes it becomes rather difficult to deal with certain wedding guests. They prove challenging mainly because of differences in their backgrounds and personal perspectives. Some such people fail to understand the value of what we as wedding photographers bring to the event. Misunderstandings that arise from such parties make me feel low and uncomfortable, but my team and I do come prepared to diplomatically resolve such matters before they get out of hand.

—¿Cuál será el futuro de la fotografía?

—This business has come a long way from its purely traditional roots. Modernity has given us fresher ways to freeze moments and capture smiles. I place credit on Photobooks, and their unerring ability to make people relive the memories we captured for them. Quality Photobooks are, in their own right, a major portion of the future of photography.

—¿Qué tiene de especial el género fotográfico en que trabaja?

—I feel I come under the category of ‘fine art photography’ wherein we capture emotions and moments, familial celebrations, friendships, and more.

—¿Cómo gestiona las críticas?

—I look forward to it, actually. If my work is being critiqued, I believe it opens my mind and heart to further improvement. It evolves my work and style, to be honest.

—¿Existe alguna tendencia en la fotografía?

—In the wedding photography field, there are indeed several trends worth appreciating. Storytelling through pictures has fast become a major stylistic trend in this field. It is no longer about random photo-captures but rather choosing how to capture each photo so that it tells a story in a flow that doesn’t require words to explain them.

—¿Qué criterios debería tener en cuenta una persona a la hora de elegir a un fotógrafo?

—The first question they need to ask is, Does the photographer suit the style requirements that they, as a customer, absolutely want. Genre and Quality are two other factors to consider when choosing a photographer. A conversation must follow, one where everyone is clear on what is needed for a wedding shoot, and how best to provide it.

—¿Qué no está permitido de ningún modo cuando realiza una fotografía?

—Anything that disturbs the setting at the location/venue must be avoided or resolved as soon as possible. Be presentable, Kurtas recommended, and especially clothes that do not slip or appear sloppy to viewers looking at the stage and watching some of the photography team members working to capture memories. Nobody should feel uncomfortable at a wedding.

—¿Qué detalles que normalmente no tenemos en cuenta puede un fotógrafo captar?

—Memories. Some of the best moments can go unnoticed by the untrained eye.

—¿Qué influye en el valor de una fotografía? ¿Cuáles son sus elementos?

—The couple and both their families. Wedding photos are nothing without them in it.

—En su opinión, ¿qué persona podría ser un símbolo del siglo XXI?

—No comments

—¿A quién le gustaría fotografiar?

—I would love to shoot an Elopement Wedding. Don’t get me wrong, I am not endorsing running away and tying the knot without one’s family knowing. But there is something genuinely romantic and passionate about two people so desperate to be together that they are willing to say yes to one another and only later worry about parental consent. Also, I have always dreamed of shooting a tropical wedding, a woodland one, and one atop a mountain.

—¿Tiene tabúes profesionales?

—I am unsure how to answer this, but I can offer an opinion that may fit the question. I personally believe that not everyone can be a professional photographer just because they own a high-end camera. I get miffed when someone says otherwise. It takes a lot of training and experience, thought and hands-on learning, time and energy, to become a professional photographer. Not something that happens overnight. Newbies cannot therefore claim to be professionals, not just yet anyway.

—¿Con quién le gustaría fotografiarse?

—Any photographer who has a keen eye for Art. They should be proficient in varied compositions, aside from the regular ones. They need to think out of the box, and be quite patient.

—¿Qué le preocupa y por qué?

—Indian Weddings and Time are not always a great match, and are a main source of worry for me. No mater how much planning has gone into the wedding, there is always the element of time-limits. Running short of time has always been a nagging worry for me, despite the fact that we cover all our events on time. Strangely ironic, I admit.

—¿Cuál ha sido el momento más impactante de su vida?

—Two moments come to mind.
First: when someone trusts me to handle their Big Day and doesn’t control every step of the process, but allows me to do it my way even though I have only a few years under my belt. Second: When the same client calls me to their home and tells me that my team and I did a fabulous job. Such appreciation is what photographers like me live for, to know that we literally made their day.

—Si fuera un personaje de animación, literario o cinematográfico, ¿quién le gustaría ser y por qué?

—I would prefer to fly or be invisible. Any character with the ability to fly or turn invisible makes me want to be them. I think flight will help me achieve more with my photography, especially where angles are concerned. I can’t believe I said that so seriously.

—¿Quién le inspira en su vida y por qué?

—Budding photographers actually inspire me in more ways than one. They bring a heightened sense of dedication and effort to what they do and learn. Couples and their love stories also inspire me. Their families, and the bond they share, also inspire me in several ways. I see so much trust placed in me, and it makes me push myself to give my best.

—¿Cómo definiría el éxito? ¿Cómo lo mide?

—Completing a project and still being able to hold the same level of love and respect with that client is, to me, a prime example of success. I measure success with the happiness and satisfaction of my clientele.

—¿Qué prefiere, gustar o sentirse respetado?

—Liked. Because respect follows after.

—¿Cuál es el mayor error que ha cometido en su trabajo?

—I wanted to shoot a beautiful picture of the bride’s lehenga; a traditional bridal outfit. I couldn’t find an ideal spot to hang the outfit for the shot. All I could find was a water sprinkler nozzle-head, and as bad luck had it, the sprinkler came on and almost ruined the dress. But I managed to salvage the situation, thanks in large part to the hotel where the wedding was taking place. It was one of the finest hotels in India, and I offer all due credit to their laundry services. In my attempts to take the best shot possible of this lehenga, I made a rookie mistake, one which taught me a valuable professional lesson.

—Cuando va de viaje, ¿qué lleva consigo y por qué?

—I carry all my equipment, as many as possible. You never know what you might need and when. I keep my destination contact(s) at hand, ready to contact in case of aid or information.

—¿Se arrepiente de alguno de los gadgets que ha comprado? ¿Por qué?

—I explore all the gadgets I possess, and find the best ways to use them. So nothing is truly wasted with my team and me.

—¿Cómo se forma para tomar las mejores imágenes?

—I pursue cross-inspirations, meaning I gain inspiration from movies, architecture photographers, generic business styles in photography, and try to implement the best elements into my wedding photography field. Photography is all about ‘lines’, so I tend to focus on those elements from my cross-inspirations. I also definitely study the work of other photographers. I like to try out various styles, actually practically try them out. I feel I’ve learned a lot through this approach.

—¿A quién pertenece el trabajo que le ha influenciado más como fotógrafo?

—I keep track of the work of varied photographers. Most especially, a sense of ‘fearless photography’ most captures my interest.

—¿Cuál es la única cosa que desearía haber sabido cuando comenzó a tomar fotografías?

—I wish I knew what ‘K’ meant, namely Kelvin, which is essentially increasing/decreasing the warmth in a picture. Technically, this could have saved me a lot of effort early on.

—¿Qué desea decir con sus fotografías?

—I wish to craft the finest memories for both the couple and their families.

—¿Qué le motiva a continuar tomando imágenes?

—The love and trust from families and couples makes me feel responsible to the fullest, which in turn motivates me to keep getting better and giving better.

—¿Cree que sus padres deberían haber sido más o menos estrictos?

—One of the best gifts I have in this lifetime are my parents. They never once complained about my career choice. I wouldn’t be where I am without their continued support. This was true even when I lost several cameras, and they still supported me with new ones. I learned trust early on through my parents, and learned to value said trust, a trait that I still carry onto my work and clients.

—¿Si pudiera volver atrás en el tiempo, qué haría de forma diferente?

—I would have liked to keep a steady record of the timeline and pattern of my work progress from day-one. I have learned a lot over the course of several years, but was too busy doing the work to maintain any sort of ‘personal diary’.

—¿Qué piensa de la vida en otros planetas?

—I am quite reliant on what Elon Musk and his Space-X initiative is going to discover, which I believe will happen in my lifetime. I would like a grab a ticket for myself once space exploration options are open to the public. Who knows what we’ll find.

—¿Quiénes son sus héroes?

—My family, and whoever has ardently supported me and been with me all my life, through thick and thin.

—¿Por quién no siente respeto?

—Anyone who misuses opportunities to create photographs for couples, and harbours the sole aim of self-promotion with no regard for taking emotionally relevant pictures for the customer. I am not a fan of those who intentionally refuse to see the difference between intimate and vulgar in photography.

—¿Qué hace en su tiempo libre?

—I explore forests or national parks to pursue my passion for wildlife photography.

—¿Cuál es su lado desconocido que la gente nunca quiere ver?

—I shall openly admit that all my clients, and by extension the public, do not see the amount of post-processing / post-production work that goes into each of their photographs.

—¿Está complemente satisfecho de su trabajo?

—I feel completely satisfied only when I have achieved a pre-determined output quality for each photo I capture. I will only truly be happy once I have captured the result I’d visualised in my mind.

—¿Cree en los roles tradicionales de hombres y mujeres?

—I deeply believe in this, actually. No matter how far modernity takes us, I will always be that one photographer who enjoys capturing traditional moments as they were always intended to be. Every tradition followed in a wedding has powerful value, especially for future generations who may be looking back at these moments and memories from, say, thirty years in the future. Traditions are gradually vanishing, I feel, and photographers are one of the few professionals working to ‘chronicle’ such traditions.

—¿Hace amigos con facilidad?

—I believe I do, because I still call most of my clients my friends.

—¿Dónde le gustaría vivir?

—A forest setting, among Nature. Or a hilltop.

—¿Cuál es la cosa más estúpida que ha aceptado hacer?

—No comment.

—¿Hay vida después del matrimonio?

—Most definitely. There are several small blooming beginnings after marriage. It will be interesting to note how each couple discovers this for themselves.

—¿Tiene un chiste favorito? Cuéntenoslo.

—Not really.

—¿Le gustan los perros o los gatos?

—I own a cat called Kittu and I love her very much.

—¿A quién o qué odia?

—I hate fakery in people.

—Lo mejor de su vida es:

—To be born, or to be living, in this generation where technology is booming.

—Lo más molesto de su vida es:

—The new methodological twists that some people are choosing in the wedding industry.

—¿Hay algo a su alrededor que le gustaría cambiar?

—I would like to encourage people to hold on to the traditions specific to every wedding. Traditions are important and powerful, and carry ancient wisdom in them.

—¿Qué le gustaría cambiar de usted mismo?

—I would love to change my over-thinking, which is a nasty habit that harms only one’s own self. I would also like to learn not to feel disappointed at the end of the day if/when couples do not grant my team and I more time to get the job done.

—¿Qué le gustaría cambiar del mundo?

—I think I am the wrong person to be asking this, because I am more inclined toward changing my own little world in my own personal life. If each one does that, I believe the world at large will change for the best. That’s why I prefer praying for better human beings, and humanity.

—¿Podría ofrecer algunos consejos a los fotógrafos que empiezan?

—Do not assume the camera is all that matters. It is not about the sort of technology or tools you own. How much time you spend with that camera or tool, how much you learn about it, how much you can ‘ask’ your camera to ‘work’ for you, these are all important thoughts for any budding photographer to meditate upon. Do what you think you need to do to get the perfect output instead of following the ‘default recommends’ in a camera. Lights, shadows, reflections, lines… Look for these in every frame. Keep practicing every day. You can also rent gear instead of actually buying it when you aren’t ready.

—Si los extraterrestres llegaran a la Tierra y fuera la primera persona que encontraran, ¿qué les diría?

—Do you need a photoshoot? I might make myself their official photographer.

—Si le llamaran como fotógrafo de una película, ¿a qué género pertenecería?

—I would enjoy shooting a film about travel.

—Mañana voy a hacer...

—Create something inspiring.