1. 4 Jan


    Looking back at the best of 2011 9.  2011 was definitely the year my photography took off.  After a year and a half of finding my photographer self, I decided to push myself and take chances.  Primarily I shoot fashion/beauty stuff.  When I got a chance to work with Monica Johal I tried to take it to a new level.  This picture was one of several highlights in a year where I diversified my style, leanred new techniques and was even published in magazines.  Seeing my photo’s hanging in studio’s and exhibitions is a feeling I cannot describe.  I already have amazing things planned for 2012, so wait and see.

    Looking back at the best of 2011

    9.  2011 was definitely the year my photography took off.  After a year and a half of finding my photographer self, I decided to push myself and take chances.  Primarily I shoot fashion/beauty stuff.  When I got a chance to work with Monica Johal I tried to take it to a new level.  This picture was one of several highlights in a year where I diversified my style, leanred new techniques and was even published in magazines.  Seeing my photo’s hanging in studio’s and exhibitions is a feeling I cannot describe.  I already have amazing things planned for 2012, so wait and see.

     

  2. 1 Jan


    PHOTO OF THE WEEK

    This comes from a shoot I did last spring, one of several collaborations I did with Rav Brar in 2011.  This was our 3rd project together and my second time working with Monica Johal.  Since I had done both of them favours for our previous work, it was time for them to help me out with a concept that I had wanted to shoot for a long time. 

    Initially both of them freaked out when I told them I wanted to do an all black photo shoot involving leather, and a very light S&M theme.  But when I met with them to explain the oncept everyone was on board, we rented a studio space and in the end it worked out perfectly.  Ironically my favourite shots from the day don’t even show the concept in its entirety.  She is sitting in a chair tied up and in a leather outfit and we did get some amazing pics of that but my favourite shots of the day turned out to be closeups.

    Since this shoot, Rav and I have worked together many more times.  Monica has gone incognito, so I am really thankful I got to do this one with her before she fell off the face of the Earth. 

     

  3. 17 Nov


    Photo of the Week

    This is from a shoot that I consider a “turning point” in my work with Rav Brar, who has been a consistent collaborator of mine for 2011.  We wanted to really challenge ourselves and push our creative boundaries and we got the perfect opportunity when I approached model, Monica Johal, for a shoot.  Monica is a well known face in the Toronto East indian fashion scene, walking runway shows and appearing in magazines.  She had worked with a couple of my friends and I was enamoured with her look, she reminds me of an Indian actress named Kangana Ranaut.  I normally never approach a model for a project unless we know each other, but in this case I made an exception.  I was really pleased when she replied that she was also interested.  She had worked with Rav before so I knew they already had a great comfort level together.  My friend Navi J works as a visual merchandiser for Le Chateau and Costa Blanca and had already told me she is available as a stylist.  So we asked her to collaborate on this project.

    The idea to work with a horse initially came from Monica who provided me with contacts to different farms and ranches.  I got lucky with the friendly people at Claireville Ranch in Brampton who readily agreed and provided us with Willow, the gorgeous white horse featured in this shoot.  Navi and Rav discussed how to approach the styling and came up with the idea to do a boho-hippy chic look. 

    Monica was a trooper during the shoot, you can’t see it in the shots that I picked but it was March and there was snow on the ground and a chill in the air.  Still she was as determined as I was to do something totally unexpected and she braved the elements to get the shots.  In between setups she donned a winter coat to stay warm, but I was very happy with her level of commitement and variety of shots.  We had over 50 frames to choose from, these 4 are definitely my favourites.  Once we finished and took a look, the four of us (Rav, Navi, Monica and I) were so pleased with ourselves that we immediately set up another shoot together (I will post those in the future).

    This shoot opened up a lot of doors for me, people started to take me seriously as a photographer and knew I had the talent and eye for great pictures (although I have always had those attributes, thats why I am a photographer).  I will always look back at this shoot with a lot of pride and have continued to push my creative concepts since this shoot.