VIEW PDF - Tarun Khiwal

1. How and when did you become interested in photography? Describe your photography experience/education.
My tryst with the camera started
at an early age. My first camera
was a Pentax that my father gifted me. The camera soon became
my means of expression and I felt
most comfortable expressing myself through the medium of visuals.
2. What kind of camera and
equipment/tools do you use
most in your work?
Interview Of An ...
ER
TOGRAPH
INDIAN FASHION PHO
We decided to introduce you to an extremely talented and successful Indian Fashion Photographer. India
is off the radar when we talk about Fashion
but in this interview, you will realize there is
a lot of potential. Modelixir had the pleasure
to interview Tarum Khiwal.
I started off with film and slowly
made the transition to digital. I have
been shooting on Hasselblad and 35
mm format also now most of work
is through the digital medium. The
cameras lights etc. vary from shoot
to shoot. Apart from using flash, I
love shooting on continuous light
source, and when you are working
with continuous light source, any
thing can become your light, right
from street light, to candle to a big
HMI.
3. What is the most striking
memory as a photographer?
I don’t have one particular striking
memory as photographer. I try and
see things differently and absorb
every experience that comes my way
and cherish each memory made over
my 2 decades as a photographer.
4. Your series are really
unique, where do you find
your inspiration and how do
pick your creative team.
Thanks. I am looking for my place
and role in this universe and that
search is taking me to different
places. I derive my inspiration from
everyday life and from everything
that pulsates around me, the food I
eat, the movies I watch, the music I
listen to, animation movies I watch
with my kids, it’s a different world
altogether with kids, everything is
so different, mysterious and magical, nothing is impossible in their
world and if you pay little attention
when you are with kids you will
be surprised with your experience
being with them. Apart from that
the people I meet from different
walks of life, especially when I am
traveling. I try and travel as much as
I can, travel is the best way through
which one can derive inspiration.
I am very open to absorb every experience that comes my way and is
continuously flowing into me.
The creative team depends from job
to job, though I have developed a
comfort level over the years with a
few artists and individuals. I have
worked with people with immense
experience and on the other hand I
have always been open to working
with new talent, who have sparkling
ideas and full of energy. When I
combine that with my experience
it becomes easy to create art. I am
always very excited when I am working with a new team.
5. How did you sign your first
contract as a professional
photographer and how did
you start working with big
names?
I started off as a portrait photographer. Over time, I shot campaigns
with fashion designers; my first
shoot was for a leading designer after which I started shooting fashion,
editorials and campaigns on a regular basis.
6. You work in the Fashion
Industry. For you, what are
the differences between the
Indian Market and the other
major Fashion hubs (Paris,
Milan, New-York)?
Fashion in India is still at a very
young stage where as Milan, Paris
and New York, have been fashion
hubs for ages now. We have a lot to
learn from the west, yet we have a lot
to offer as well in terms of textiles,
weaving, embroidery etc. India is a
huge country, with a vast culture and
traditions. Every few hundred miles,
the language people speak and the
way they live changes. Our rich history, culture and architecture have
immense possibilities to be incorporated into fashion and presented to
the world.
We need to figure out what our
strengths are and bring in our sensibility instead of just following west.
Artists like Manish Arora and Ritu
Kumar have made the most of the
Indian sensibility and taken it to International levels.
© Julian Kanz, www.juliankanz.com
Tarun
KHIWAL
Not just the celebrities but people
from all walks of life have left an
impact on me; from the most basic
of travels to most exotic locales, everything has contributed in making
beautiful memories. My memory is
full of images I have not taken; they
are still imprinted on my being.
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Photographer : Tarun Khiwal
Stylist : Aparna Chandra
Make up and hair : Deepa Verma
Production : Elements Production
Model : Carla
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Photographer : Tarun Khiwal
Stylist : Aparna Chandra
Make up and hair : Deepa Verma
Production : Elements Production
Model : Carla
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Photo : tarun khiwal
Sylist : malign banerjee
Hair and make up : Deepa Verma
Model: Aniko Michnyaova
Publication : ELLE India
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7. In your opinion, what makes
a good photo?
A good photograph needs to simple
and pure. Anything, which has purity,
touches you in some manner and has
a soul, will make a good photograph.
8. Which qualities do you look
for in a model? Are you handson or do you prefer to stay
behind the camera?
The personality of the model, he/
she needs to be just himself or herself and not ape some international
top model. Things fall in place when
you shoot the personality of an individual and not someone who in the
first place is trying to achieve or be
someone else.
9. What advice would you give
to an aspiring photographer?
To be a fashion photographer one
needs to learn to experiment and to
be open to learning. Irrespective of
ones genre of specialization in photography, every photographer needs
to see and experience how life pulsate in the universe before one can
start making images.
Also a great way of augmenting ones
skills is to assist a photographer, as
there aren’t many schools in India.
Through assisting one get to learn
‘hands on’ and also understand the
workings of the industry.
10. Indian models are still underrepresented in the Fashion
industry; do you have an idea
as of why?
The Indian market is obsessed with
white skin, while by nature we have
dusky skin. Given this obsession,
dusky skinned talented models in
Photo : Tarun Khiwal
Stylist : Gautam Kalra
Hair and Make Up : Daniel Bauer
Production : Elements Production
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Make Up Artist - Shu Ling Chien
Hair Stylist - Shu Ling Chien
Fashion Stylist – Tin Lu and Kare Chen
Model – Peggy Tseng
Publication - Elle Taiwan
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Make Up Artist - Shu Ling Chien
Hair Stylist - Shu Ling Chien
Fashion Stylist – Tin Lu and Kare Chen
Model – Peggy Tseng
Publication - Elle Taiwan
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Photo: Tarun Khiwal
Make up : Sonic Sarwate @ MAC
Stylist : Nupur Mehta Puri and Malini Banerjee
Model : Carol Gracias
Publication : Cosmopolitan
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India do not get enough chance to
portray their potential within India
itself. One needs to be recognized
in their own country first before
getting international exposure.
Things though are changing and
Indian models are doing well
abroad as well. Lakshmi Menon,
Ujjwala Raut, Shetall Mallar have
done really well for themselves internationally as well.
Make Up Artist - Deepa verma
Hair Stylist - Deepa verma
Fashion Stylist –Amit Aggarwal
Model – Maggie
Client – Morphe
11. Which historical event
would you have liked to
shoot?
India was a land of kingdoms and
emperors ruled the country and
their existed different dynasties
in different parts of the mainland.
I have traveled and have shot in
many of the palaces in their current state and it still amazes me to
see the beauty, intricacies, architecture and skill with which these
would have been created. The cars
that they drove around in; the gold
robes that they wore and the silverware from which they ate. It was
the golden era in our history.
Most of the palaces have been attacked and looted yet of whatever
remains, still amazes me. I would
have loved to shoot the palaces and
all the royalty in all their pomp and
glory.
12.Which
photographers
do you look up to and why?
Has to be Nick Knight for re-discovering himself again and again
and pushing the envelope. His
approach has been traditional, yet
breaking the barriers with his art.
Among others that I look up to
would be Mondino, Rankin and
David LaChapelle for the same
reasons.
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Photo: Tarun Khiwal
Make up : Sonic Sarwate @ MAC
Stylist : Nupur Mehta Puri and Malini Banerjee
Model : Carol Gracias
Publication : Cosmopolitan
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Photographer : Tarun Khiwal
Stylist : Aparna Chandra
Hair and make up : Deepa Verma
Model : Celia
Production : Elements Production
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