Photoshoot + Interview: 'Vintage Royal Traveller' by Ash Sharma
Q: When did your love of photography first blossom?
A: Photography is an art. It is a fluid action that tells a story. Photography changes the way you see things. It's actually quite an incredible transformation to experience. Everything around you looks different when you start to see the world as a photographer. I always loved capturing the pictures for my friends and family members. I really got serious about photography when I bought my first camera and the world of digital really opened my eyes to what was possible with photography. I enjoyed capturing the images because it gave me the ability to capture scenes from my life to remember and study. I remember how much fun I had working with people capturing moments and emotions, seeing the look on their faces when they saw their portrait and actually liked what they saw. Those positive experiences were so much more satisfying to me that I knew that my future lies in photography. It has caused me to fall in love with light and see the world around me with fresh eyes every single day.
Q: What inspires your creativity the most?
A: Creativity is the spice of life. For me, I find my inspiration in everyday, what I experience in my everyday lives, bringing those unique moments to life through images. Just the act of looking through the viewfinder slows me down and I am at once connected with what I see. For each project, I create an inspiration board and it helps me to express my imagination and ideas. The experience of really noticing the world around me and within me is the greatest inspiration of all.
Q: Please tell us a little more about the experience you had planning and capturing this beautiful series of images?
A: I believe planning is the most important part for a photoshoot. It took me a couple of weeks to come up with the inspirational board. The goal of the shoot was to produce editorial images. So, it took me a while to brainstorm makeup artist, hairstylist and models etc about the concept. The day before the shoot, I always make sure that I have everything ready for the next morning. With the great team collaboration, we were able to execute the concept and capture some beautiful images. Overall, it was a lovely experience.
Q: What does an average day in the life of Ash look like?
A: I am a software engineer by profession but photography is my passion. I really enjoy capturing images because it has given me the opportunity to share in people's most special moments on a regular basis. Apart from my IT job, I usually spend my day setting up an inspirational mood board for models, make up artists, designers and a hair stylist so that we could come up with lots of different and unique ideas. I love to work and capture editorial and beauty images. On the shoot day, I get up early and make my way to the studio or the the location for the shoot along with my cameras, backdrops and lighting equipment. After the shoot, I start sorting through all the photographs and edit a few of them. I usually create a story telling medium through a sequence, a series or an entire portfolio. And when I'm not shooting, you can find me traveling and hanging out with my friends and family.
Q: Lastly, what do you hope to achieve with your photography career in the not-too-distant future; do you have any exciting, upcoming plans that you would like to share with us?
A: I am looking forward to work with celebrities, creative stylists, designers and renowned makeup artists. I have many ideas and inspirations to work on. I would like to travel and create photo-essays of different cultures all around the world. Meanwhile, I am also excited to plan a trip to Asian subcontinent early next year and would love to create portraiture work with the native people.
We want to thank Ash for taking the time to answer our interview questions and we encourage you to check out more of his work by visiting his website or following along on Instagram. Enjoy!.Full credits: Photographer: Ash Sharma | Models: Priya Surya & Katherine Ognibene | MUA: Phiphi Liang | Hair Stylist: Katt Fiorini