Vikram Bawa is one name that comes to mind when talking about fashion photography. But it is not just fashion photography that he has excelled at he has also shown his prowess in ad photography, beauty, glamour, celeb, etc. Vikram Bawa gives Fotoflock.com a showdown on his life and what it takes to be who he is today.

You have seen everything there is to in photography and have come up the hard way, what was the driving force? Did you choose photography as a profession or did it happen by chance?
(Laughing) I don’t think I have seen everything in photography. I think I’m still a beginner and will be for a long time to come.
Well to put it straight – photography started as a hobby and developed into a passion. But I was actually a small self employed businessman at the age of 18 coming from a very ordinary middle class background. I worked hard to make my business successful. Unfortunately around the age of 26, I lost everything I had and had nothing to fall back on. I was unemployed, too old to start studying again and too self respecting to take up a job (and I don’t think I could have done justice to any job either).


My mom and dad have been avid hobbyists and brilliant photographers in their youth. I guess it is their genes that carried forward. And somewhere along the way I picked the skill up. My parents have been my pillars of strength through all of it.


The biggest motivation and driving force were and always has been to prove to myself that I love what I do and will only grow higher and higher in my work, stature, society. I wanted to use what I have to better my life for me and hopefully everyone’s life that I may touch. It was more a need to survive and that too at what I love. It is more challenging in life to stand for what you believe in and push forward.


Now that I look back at life, God had a plan and I was destined to become a photographer. No two ways about it.


You are widely recognised for your glamour shots. What does it take to execute a tasteful glamour photo?
Well glamour photography is more about knowing who you are shooting, planning the shots in advance as to how you want to do it and what it should look like. When I say advance, it could also be 5 minutes before the shot, as long as you are sure you know what you are going to shoot.


Knowing the models body language is also very important. Knowing how she will move and pose before it actually happens is the key. The biggest point over here is to respect the model and your job. Only when the trust is there will you be able to get your shots.


Was shooting celebrities a choice? Is it satisfying?
I think shooting celebrities was a natural extension of where my work was taking me. From being a fashion photographer and someone who liked to experiment with ideas and concepts, I think it was a matter of time that I was approached to work with celebrities.


Shooting celebrities in today’s scenarios is not a choice for a people’s photographer anymore.


They are the driving factor in the present advertising and glamour world. It is satisfying to the extent that you are shooting with the most beautiful people in the industry and the visibility is phenomenal. But in terms of creative satisfaction, which is where my thoughts are for the moment, the satisfaction levels can be much higher.


What is the most challenging aspect of photography?
Trying to be ahead all the time and get a one up on yourself at every given point. It is also to try and take out the maximum from every given opportunity and create images which stand the test of time.


What sort of photography do you enjoy the most?
Hmmm… given a choice, travel photography is what I prefer doing the most. I also love doing large set ups. Unfortunately, not too many people in India are doing big pics at the moment. We have a tendency to do of the cut and paste kind of thing.


If you were not a photographer, then what would you have been doing?
If not a photographer, then I would definitely be a racing driver and traveller. I love driving and traveling.


What advice would you give young photographers?
Practice practice, practice! Experiment, experiment and keep experimenting! Criticise yourself all the time!


Do you think it is important to have formal training in photography?
I think it is an advantage and it helps you start out much quicker than self learning. Though it is not a necessity to be formally trained if you have the drive.


Comments.
If possible make your money from something else and use that money to do your photography and create images for yourself. If anybody thinks that there is lot of money in photography, sadly it’s really not that easy. Beware of the pitfalls of becoming commercial and losing your own sense of individuality.

More photos by Vikram Bawa in the Fotoflock Gallery