Through the lens

A graduate of Brooks Institute, Santa Barbara, USA, Atul Kasbekar has been actively shooting in India since 1991. He has been the face of professional division of Canon in the country for last two years.

His editorial work appears in editions of Cosmopolitan, Elle, L8217;officiel, and Vogue regularly. His advertising clients include Airtel, Canon, Pepsi, Rado, Tag heuer, and many more. He conceived the kingfisher calendar for UB group, which has turned out to be a cult phenomenon. The calendar has also acted as a launch pad for best-known faces in fashion and Bollywood circuit today.

8220;I like mad people, they make the world more exciting,8221; feels Atul Kasbekar, renowned fashion photographer and honorary chairman of Photographer8217;s Guild of India PGI.

Kasbekar was in town to inspire the budding photographers and share some of his special work with a selected audience.

The event witnessed some of the finest works of Kasbekar and the story behind the scenes in most the interesting way. While he introduced the audience to the nitty-gritty of the art, he also shared some hard facts and risks that come as a part and parcel of the profession.

8220;Trust is the foundation stone of our profession. A successful use of photography to portray the best shade of any emotion is possible only when there is trust involved. The company shows trust in my ideas and allows me to use the lens as I please. In return I keep a balance between their requirement and experimentation. I do keep in mind the content of the editorial or the message that is to be given by the campaign and not make it my own trip,8221; he explains, adding, 8220;Another trust is between the photographer and the model. Talking, for example, about the winning idea of Kingfisher Calendar, we need a lot of trust to make people comfortable so that we get the expression right, which is not possible if one becomes conscious of their outfits. A high level of professionalism is needed for this.8221;

A Mumbaikar at heart, Kasbekar has also adapted himself to the work style of West, where he gets to shoot most of his work.

Introducing an all-together new aspect of himself, the photographer says, 8220;I believe in being like a sponge, who imbibes energies and qualities from anybody with whom he interacts. At times it may even be negative energy that I get inflicted with as well.8221;

Consumed with light and its beauty, he says that he would prefer to burn himself in sun and watch the beauty of light rather than live in shade. 8220;I am nuts when it comes to playing with light. I like doing all kinds of experiments with light in my photography. For example, I love to shoot with a controlled sunlight on my face than having it on my back which makes the picture look flat.8221;

An ardent nature lover, Kasbekar feels that we should work with and in coordination with nature and not against it as it offers much more beauty than what we can create.

When asked about how he decides on locales, Kasbekar confesses that budget plays a vital role in deciding the location for the shoot. But creativity is bigger than that and helps him to create beauty out of nothing.