Fotograf Mohammed Aadil

—Först och främst - vem kan du nämna som den bästa fotografen i Chennai, Indien? :)

—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.

—Är du fotogenisk?

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

—Hur började du inom fotografi?

—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.

—Vilka är enligt dig de viktigaste komponenterna för ett bra fotografi?

—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.

—Älskar du att resa?

—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.

—Vad gillar du mest med ditt yrke?

—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.

—Vad gillar du minst med ditt yrke?

—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.

—Hur kommer framtiden för fotografering att se ut?

—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.

—Vad är det speciella med den fotografigenre du specialiserar i?

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

—Hur hanterar du kritik?

—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.

—Finns det några trender inom fotografering?

—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.

—Vad bör kriterierna vara för en kund som ska välja en fotograf?

—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.

—Vad är absolut inte tillåtet under fotograferingen?

—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.

—Vilka detaljer kan en fotograf fånga som vanligtvis går obemärkta?

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

—Vad påverkar fotots värde? Vilka är dess element?

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

—Vilken person tycker du symboliserar 2000-talet?

—No comments

—Vem vill du fotografera?

—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.

—Har du några professionella tabun?

—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.

—Vem skulle du vilja fotografera med?

—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.

—Vad oroar du dig över och varför?

—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.

—Vilket är det mest imponerande ögonblicket i ditt liv?

—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.

—Om du vore en animerad, litterär eller filmkaraktär, vem skulle du vara och varför?

—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.

—Vem är din inspirationskälla i livet och varför?

—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.

—Hur definierar du framgång? Hur mäter du framgång?

—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.

—Föredrar du att vara omtyckt eller respekterad?

—Liked. Because respect follows after.

—Vilket är det största misstaget som du har gjort på jobbet?

—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.

—Vad tar du med dig och varför när du är ute och reser?

—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.

—Äger du en gadget som du önskar att du inte hade köpt? Varför?

—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.

—Hur utbildar du dig själv för att bli en bättre fotograf?

—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.

—Vems arbete har haft störst inflytande över dig som fotograf?

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

—Finns det någonting specifikt som du önskar att du visste när du började fotografera?

—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.

—Vad försöker du säga med dina fotografier?

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

—Vad motiverar dig att fortsätta att ta bilder?

—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.

—Borde dina föräldrar ha varit mer eller mindre strikta?

—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.

—Om du kunde resa tillbaka i tiden, vad skulle du göra annorlunda?

—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’.

—Tror du att det finns liv på andra planeter?

—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.

—Vilka är dina hjältar?

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

—Finns det någon person som du inte har någon respekt för?

—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.

—Vad gör du på fritiden?

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

—Har du någon sida som du aldrig visar upp offentligt?

—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.

—När är du fullständigt tillfredsställd med ditt arbete?

—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.

—Tror du på de traditionella mans- och kvinnorollerna?

—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.

—Är det enkelt för dig att skaffa vänner?

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

—Var skulle du vilja bo?

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

—Vad är det dummaste som du någonsin har tackat ja till?

—No comment.

—Finns det ett liv efter äktenskapet?

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

—Har du ett favoritskämt? Berätta det för oss.

—Not really.

—Gillar du hundar eller katter?

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

—Vem eller vad hatar du?

—I hate fakery in people.

—Det bästa med livet är:

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

—Det mest irriterande med livet är:

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

—Finns det någonting runt omkring dig som du skulle vilja ändra på?

—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.

—Finns det någonting om dig själv som du skulle vilja ändra?

—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.

—Vad vill du ändra på i världen?

—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.

—Kan du ge några råd till nya fotografer?

—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.

—Om utomjordingar skulle komma till jorden, och du är den första personen som de träffar, vad skulle du säga till dem?

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

—Om du skulle bli tillfrågad att spela in en film, vilken genre skulle det vara?

—I would enjoy shooting a film about travel.

—Imorgon kommer jag att...

—Create something inspiring.