I got to finally meet the winner of the Miss India Gauteng and Her name is Ayushi Chhabra. She also took part in the Miss India SA final and came in a close second. I got it touch with her and planned a shoot on the weekend. I started hunting for various locations and Sasank pointed out the Centurion Golf Estates. It turned out to be the perfect place to do the shoot for her. A simple plan really, doing the shoot with a white dress and then a white sari using the magnificent backdrops of the estate.

The shoot was done by Sasank and I using two slightly different methods:

Me: I used the zoom lens for variation with the external flash for light fill. The depth of field (DOF) was kept high (usually at 4 and then at 8 ) to have more of the background in focus with her. This also allowed for ultra-sharp focus to be possible. I used a polarizer filter to get more crisp colour as well.  I did not use the flash in all the shots where the natural fill light is sufficient.

Sasank: Used the fixed 50mm ultra-wide prime without flash to capture the natural ambience. This had a softer tonal effect and and provided the dreamier look. This had the best effect at close-up focus.

We used a gold reflector to add further light to add detail in the shadows.

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I must share something quite interesting. I know photography takes years to master and to start a company around it that functions successfully. One would think it takes years before people might look to you for inspiration. Never the less, it didn’t stop a school pupil in grade 9 to ask me about becoming a photographer someday. It was a school assignment that the pupil had and the aim was to find someone in industry that they aspire to be and ask questions about that profession. Interestingly, the pupil found me and emailed me questions. I want to share these questions with you as well the answers I gave the pupil.

1)            What does being a photographer entail?

Firstly, there are different types of photographers out there doing different kind of work. So, I’ll focus on myself which involve a lot of people photography. I don’t deal with journalism photography that much and that’s a different life altogether.

So here’s my world:

Being a photographer for me entails a lot more than just taking good pictures. It starts with your human eye and how you perceive the world. You will see and feel the pictures in your mind. From this mental picture, you need to translate it to the pictures people can feel too. So pictures from a professional photographer can entice an emotional response compared to any other ordinary picture. That’s where you stand out and that’s what people pay for. Your ability to sell your pictures and manage the business effectively is also important. Believe it or not, in the beginning of your career, its your business and selling ability that will get you success more so than the quality of the pictures. Only after you proved yourself in business and gain a reputation, the quality of your pictures will be noticed.

2)              What kind of personality would one need to succeed in this profession?

Photography is about building relationships with people so they get to know you and trust you in your work. It’s also important that they are comfortable with you which means having a personality that can really connect with people. So being a photographer is a person with an artistic ability to see the world through a camera as well as a charisma that attracts them to you and to your work. Success in photography depends on it and the people will always come to you because they like you. You never have chase them to do the work. Even if the photography doesn’t involve people, the pictures themselves will connect with someone. Another important lesson is to take the pictures that you feel are correct because people who really care about your work want to see your perspective and not what others see.

3)            Where did you study?

I actually didn’t study photography. I’m actually a full time engineer and I learnt photography by buying a simple point-and-click camera and learning it over 8 years. With time, I started to perfect the art and even today I improve it some more (learning never ends). I learnt my photography by simply doing it. This is the best lesson anyone can get. If you get a chance to study it, please do so. It will give you more insight more quickly. I didnt get that opportunity to study because I didnt have the time to study it (being an engineer) and I didn’t realize photography was my calling. I am the typical late bloomer, you might say.

4)            What is your favourite part of your job?

The favourite part is meeting new people and taking pictures in the way I like it. I love this work because I run it in my own way and provide pictures that people love to see. Best part of this, it is has tought me humility and to work with my clients by building a relationship first and doing the photos next.

5)            What are some disadvantages of being a photographer?

The disadvantage is the initial cost of starting a photography company. It costs quite a bit of money to get the right professional equipment. So to start, its important to have a good camera and 1 good lens. As you start to earn, you should build it up one by one. So it will take time, and patience is required to build your career.

Its been pretty eventful in the past month especially around the weekends. I’ve been casually talking pictures for the various events, parties and general meet ups with friends. I also travelled around with my fellow photographer to scout for locations for upcoming shoots.  We also went out to the city of Joburg to try some street photography with friends. There was also a day without electricity at home so I walked outside in the night to take photos of the street. There was construction outside on Charles St as they are extending the road to be larger. Surprisingly there was electricity on the other side and just not in our zone. It has been an interesting month. I’ve put together a random collection of photos of the past 3 or 4 weeks… just something out of the ordinary.

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