Award-winning wedding photographer Kevin Then shares his thoughts with Fotoflock.com on the many different factors, and people, that go into making the perfect wedding photograph.

Who introduced you to photography?

I should be thankful to my brother-in-law, who is a professional photographer and also the owner of a bridal shop. He was the one who first allowed me to use a professional camera. I should also be grateful to my wife, who happens to be the first model to be captured by my camera lens. After that, I just couldn’t help but fall deeply in love with photography; I became crazy about it. That’s when I started learning and exploring photography.

Which photographers have inspired you?

To be frank, there isn’t anyone who I would say is my idol. Personally, I feel that each and every photographer has his/her own talents and aspects that we can learn and explore. In short, I respect talent, creativity, innovation and art…

What attracted you to wedding photography?

The passion of love.  As a wedding photographer, I get to share in a couple’s joy and capture their precious moments together using my own expression and creativity. I then present the images in a beautiful and artistic manner so that they are everlasting images.

What special challenges does wedding photography present?

The main challenge is the “Passion”! In my opinion, “Passion” should be applied in three ways.  First of all, the make-up artist, stylist, dresser and lighting technician needs to be passionate about beautifying and grooming the models (i.e. the couple). Secondly, the passion to lead the models in the frame to express their enthusiasm and love for one another. Lastly, the passion for wedding photography by capturing the models’ postures, gestures, facial expressions, spirits, every single precious moment, using different angles, lightings, graphics editing and so forth. In short, it’s all about the passion of the team – when everyone is passionate about their role and believes in producing great pieces, then the photo will be a fantastic photo full of passion!

Your photographs are very dramatic and seem to come from a fantasy world. Is this the effect you were hoping to achieve?

Yes, that’s my aim. As a norm, an ordinary wedding photo is just about the couple hugging each other, and posing and acting intimately…….. I want to fuse the commercial and the artistic to present a strong and dramatic effect which makes the photo longer lasting and high in value.

What responses have you had from couples, on seeing your shots?

In a word, they are impressed! Haha…. That’s why they ask me to be their photographer.

What do you think is the most important aspect of a wedding photograph?

I think it is a combination of all the following factors: overall appearance, make-up, styling, lighting, colour adjustment or enhancement and the cooperation of the models. Only when all these elements come together will you get a good or perhaps perfect photo.

You recently won a Hasselblad Master Award. How did that feel?

It was a dream come true! It’s extremely important for me; truly an honour for me and family. It’s no doubt a great encouragement which will drive my passion for photography. Its great to have my hard work recognised. I’m also truly proud to get the Hasselblad Master Award as an Asian!

What are your plans for the future?

I’m planning to have my own photography exhibition, to allow people around the world to share in my expression of art.

Printing wedding photos is a tricky task... especially with longevity being an issue. How do you tackle this?

In order to make a photo last longer, it should be laminated, under room temperature and kept in dry air or condition. The photo paper quality also matters. Most importantly, it is necessary to educate the client on how to handle and take care of the photo album.

What printing equipment would you suggest for best results?

I would suggest the one that I’m using now i.e. the Epson High: a large printing format printer which I use mainly for photo printing.

More Photos by Kevin Then | Fotoflock Gallery 

There are two sides to Raj Mistry – the bright and cheerful side which comes out in his commercial photography and the “grungy” side which he expresses in his personal work. Fotoflock.com got to know more about this intriguing photographer.

You are involved in many different types of photography: commercial photography, landscape photography, people photography. What would you say is your main focus?

My main focus is on commercial photography – I’ve done campaigns for many different brands including Pantaloons and Siyaram’s.

Which was your favourite campaign to work on?

My favourite campaign was a jewellery campaign for Taraash. The reason I enjoyed this campaign was that I had absolute freedom to do whatever I wanted, and the focus was on quality rather than quantity. 

How would you describe your style?

My commercial work is as per the client’s requirements. However, my personal work is quite different: it is fantasy-based and has a grungy, video game feel to it.

Do you play video games yourself?

No, not really, but I love their look and feel.

What attracted you to fantasy?

I love the unusual outfits, the unusual hair, the unusual settings. I like it that it looks unreal. I also enjoy the fact that there are no rules; there is so much freedom.

What is your attitude towards technology?

I’m a fan of technology. Nowadays you can’t survive without Photoshop. I believe that Photoshop is a form of art! I used to use a film camera but I switched to digital due to the demands of the market. Nowadays it is difficult to use a film camera – it’s quite difficult to buy camera rolls and there aren’t so many places to process your photographs.

As for digital photography, I like it that you can make changes during and after the shoot. There’s more room for improvisation. However, there’s a danger of getting carried away – you have to know where to draw the line.

Looking through your (commercial) photographs put me in a good mood: the colours are cheerful and all the people are smiling. Am I right in guessing that you're an optimist?

No, I’m not actually. I had to shoot those photographs in a certain way due to the demands of the client – they want lively pictures with lots of light and energy. However, in my own personal work, you won’t find any smiles. The only smile is on my face!

Who has inspired you?

David Lachappelle because I find his style very fresh, very colourful and very different from other photographers. He’s not conventional.

Among Indian photographers, I like Prabuddha Dasgupta. I love his black and white photographs. I like his style because his shots always look natural and never forced.

I’d also like to mention my friend Tejal Patni. We studied together and it’s actually because of him that I became interested in photography. I’m a very technical guy and one day he asked for some technical help. While helping him, it occurred to me that photography was something that might interest me.

He now lives in Dubai and he works on fashion photography and editorials. For some reason, although our styles are very different, they never clashed. 

You hold photography workshops. Who do you conduct these workshops for?

So far I’ve held one or two workshops with five to six guys in total. I prefer smaller workshops because you can connect with people more easily, you can answer their questions. I’m also a bit of a perfectionist – I like to tell people what to do and how to do it correctly.

Would you like to hold more of these workshops in the future?

Yes, I’d love to do that; it would give me great personal satisfaction. There are so many talented people out there but they don’t know what to do or how to do it. I’d love to be able to teach them.

Most of your photography is of people. What do you think is the biggest challenge when shooting people?

I believe that beauty is there in each and every model, you just have to know how to get it out. I think the trick is not to force the model – if you allow the model to get into a comfort zone then you’ll get a good shot.

What are your plans for the future?
In the future I’d like to become a cinematographer and start shooting my own films. I’m thinking about doing a course, either in London or New York.

Do you think your interest in films has influenced your photography? Any films in particular?

Yes, of course. I like Bollywood films a lot because, after all, the Bollywood film itself is fantasy. However I like Hollywood films too.


More photos by Raj Mistry

Winner of a Hasselblad Master Award, Hans Strand was an engineer before turning to landscape photography. Here he reveals what attracted him to landscape photography and why the landscapes of Iceland in particular are so inspiring to him.

After working for nine years as a mechanical engineer, you made a career change. What brought this about?

My back broke down and I could not sit all day long as I was doing as an engineer.  At this time my great hobby was landscape photography so I took a chance and became a professional and it has worked since 1990.

What attracted you to landscape photography in particular?

The complexity and the sense of being a part of nature. After all, all living things have their origin
in the wild landscape.

What do you look for in a landscape?

Complexity.

How do you decide whether to shoot a landscape in colour or in black and white?

Today, now that I am shooting digital that is a decision I can make at home, but before when I shot with film I looked for colour versus contrast. You can shoot a perfect colour photograph in low contrast, but for black and white you need contrast. Often you can shoot black and white when the sun is higher on the sky and then shift to colour when the light is getting warmer and softer.

How big a part do weather conditions play when shooting landscapes?  

The right weather is important but not everything. Shooting a rugged landscape like Iceland in sunshine is not what you want.  There you want moody conditions to get the right seriousness of the landscape. On the other hand, you have to work with the light you have at hand and try to make the best of it. You can´t just skip taking pictures because you don´t get what you have anticipated. There are always possibilities in every kind of light. Often landscape photographers regard grey weather as bad weather, but I think it is terrific.

You have photographed landscapes from all over the world. What is your favourite location for landscape photography and why?

Since 2000 I have returned to Iceland every year to take pictures. I find its landscapes the most spectacular in the world. Nowhere else have I seen landscapes with such complexity and colour. I have also practised aerial photography a lot and have found new perspectives to take my landscape photographs.

You recently won the Hasselblad Master Award. How did that feel?

I was surprised and happy. Normally I don’t bother with competitions but this was an extra dimension.

You have some amazing photographs of water bodies. What tips would you give to Fotoflock viewers on how to shoot water bodies?

Look for flow patterns and reflections. The right shutter speed is important. For running water, like rivers, I recommend between 1/2 sec and 1/8 sec to get the right motion feeling.

Please tell us more about your latest book, “Arctic Impressions”.

Unfortunately this book is not out yet as my publisher went bankrupt and I am now trying to find a new one. Hopefully the book will come out next year.

What was the experience like of shooting in the Arctic?

The Arctic landscape is virgin territory. In 1999 I visited the island of Ellef Ringnes in northern Nunavut. Hardly anyone has been there since 1904 when the island was discovered and definitely no one has been photographing there. The silence and the long lasting light are fantastic. It is very minimalistic compared to a rainforest but nevertheless complex. In 2004 I visited Svalbard and was even taking pictures of polar bears. Normally I am not so interested in wildlife photography, but seeing a polar bear in its natural habitat is something special. 

Do you pursue any other types of photography?

To make my living I take images for photo agencies and find no problems doing that. In most cases I can do this kind of photography when I am not busy with my own things. It is very important to make enough money to be able to finance your own projects. For me this money often comes from stock sales. I spend perhaps 10% of my time taking pictures for agencies and the remaining 90% on my own projects.

Shooting landscapes and printing them must be a tough job. How do you accomplish this?

The shooting process and the printing process are two different worlds. You shoot with passion and you print with accuracy. In the printing process you need a lot of computer know how whereas with shooting you can get very far with just talent.

More photos by Hans Strand | Hans' website

Starting as a photojournalist, Nrupen Madhvani has gradually added to his repertoire and is today an acclaimed fine-art photographer too. He speaks to Fotoflock.com about photography, art and how the twain shall meet!

You worked as an assistant to Mr Hiroyuki Yamamoto, a reputed Japanese photographer based in Tokyo. What did you gain from the experience?

Professionally, I had reached a critical point in my career and I wanted some international experience. I chose Tokyo because I had always been drawn to the Japanese aesthetic. The films of Akira Kurosawa and the writing of Yukio Mishima were also influences. Also, I had seen Japanese TV commercials and print ads and some of them were so esoteric that a part of me was looking for answers. To cut to the chase, what I really gained was the opportunity to work at an international level with a great photographer. More practically, it was also my first experience with the intricacies of a large format camera and film. I was also exposed to the famous Japanese discipline along with their professionalism. Mr. Yamamoto taught me more than just photography. Through his kindness and generosity, I learnt a lot about life.

You have photographed a wide range of different subjects including people, food, jewellery and landscapes. Is there any genre of photography which you particularly enjoy?

There’s also interiors and fine art in that list… I particularly enjoy the process of compressing external spaces into the internal space of my viewfinder. Architecture and interior areas are always designed keeping the nuances of light in mind. My job is to compose and realize these spaces and if possible, surprise the very people who had conceived it. I find this fascinating. Fine art, on the other hand, allows me the freedom to express my thoughts on a variety of subjects, and present them to an audience in a personalized manner. It’s difficult for me to isolate any one genre, because all the different subjects that I tackle ultimately helps my growth in some way. Commercially, what I don’t enjoy is working on ‘safe’ assignments.

Do you think that, as a photographer, it is important to shoot a variety of subjects?

This is a question close to my heart. I started off as a photojournalist and then moved to advertising and editorial photography. As a visually motivated person, it’s important to understand that the canvas is as large, or as small, as you make it. Life is too short to concentrate only on a telephoto viewpoint. Variety is under-rated. People seem to forget that it is the spice of life! I have an intensely active mind and monotony sets in if I don’t keep broadening my horizon.

Many of your photographs of people are shot in black and white. Is there a reason for this?

There is, definitely. Let me put it this way… I believe in the theory of an alternate reality. With B&W, I get a peek into another world; a world without color. B&W is an abstraction and you arrive there by combining various tones of grey. After all, aren’t we, as humans, far more interesting because of the grey areas that exist in our personalities? We also refer to the mind as ‘grey matter’. Other than portraits, I use B&W because it works better for certain subjects. Having said that, I must add that this is a very complex subject and I am still trying to understand it.

A lot of your work has been in India… what do you think is special about what India has to offer?

India is very special. Which other country in the world is as diverse as ours? Which other country has as many dialects and languages? As many varied customs and cuisines? Even geographically, we have everything from the mountains to the sea. And color… I sometimes think that we invented it! Visit Gujarat and Rajasthan and you’ll see what I mean. I’ve been fortunate enough to have travelled across India by all possible modes of transport, including bullock carts. What I love the most is road trips because I can stop anywhere and shoot anything. The potential of India is limitless.

You describe your work mantra as “We do not see things as they are; we see them as we are.” Can you explain what this means?

It’s actually not as complex as it sounds. If you are able to put more of yourself, your experiences, and who you are into what you do, then the work will have something very special… your very own, personal, unique signature. 

You have also directed several short films as well as an experimental music video. Do you think these experiences have influenced your photography in any way?

Who has inspired you?

A lot of people from all walks of life, including family and friends. From the photographers, it would be Cartier-Bresson, Ansel Adams, Jerry Uelsmann, Arnold Newman, Irving Penn, Richard Avedon, Helmut Newton, Herb Ritts, Annie Leibowitz, Steve McCurry, Raghu Rai, Pablo Bartholomew, Hideki Fujii, and my sensei, Hiroyuki Yamamoto.

Finally, the person who brought photography to life for me was my first teacher, Mr. Behlihomji. He was in his 60s when I first met him. His passion for photography was infectious and his energy was boundless.

You say that you are still “passionately evolving”. How do you manage to achieve this?

This is an easy one. I have what I refer to as a ‘very healthy insecurity’. This feeling pushes me to try harder. One of the things that I try and remember on a daily basis is that the only constant is change. Besides, it always helps the whole evolutionary process if you love what you do. 

You are well-known for your fine art photography. What do you think is the future of fine art photography in India?

It feels good to be acknowledged for my part in this field. I am very upbeat about the future of fine art in India. Actual sales may not directly reflect what I’m saying but if you look at the number of exhibitions in various Indian metros, and also the fact that many global websites are giving importance to the photographic image, then this genre is definitely moving in the right direction. Fundamentally, as image-makers, what we need to keep in mind is that selling a fine art image is incidental. The main thrust has to be the act of creating something of value. This thought-process will improve the overall quality of fine art images in the market, and better quality will gradually lead to a bigger quantity in terms of sales.

What are your thoughts on printing?

I guess one of the uppermost thoughts when printing is ‘how do I get my blacks to look, on paper, the way I see them on my monitor screen?’ The denseness of black or lack of it can actually make or break a particular image. There are many variables involved, especially at the printing stage. My job is to try and get the most out of the technology that is available to me within the budget that I have. So, I try and minimize these variables, for example, the optimal combination of image, printer, and paper.

What printing equipment do you use?

The printers I use are all from the Epson stable! For high-end work, I use the 9800 and 11880. For daily chores, I use the Epson Stylus CX5500 which I received as part of an award for my B&W image called ‘Unbottled’ in the Epson Photo Imaging Contest 2007.

More photos by Nrupen Madhvani.