Love photography? Take a cue from the expert on how to shoot right

Celebrity photographer Avinash Gowariker will share tips during an interactive session at the Hindustan Times Kala Ghoda Arts Festival on how to shoot right.

He has photographed the who's who of Bollywood, and now ace celebrity photographer, Avinash Gowariker, will be hosting a session at the ongoing Hindustan Times Kala Ghoda Arts Festival (KGAF).

With the photography bug having hit many youngsters and adults alike, personal photography pages and blogs have become a common phenomenon across social media platforms. However, Gowariker is not vouching for the quality of photography these days.

He says, "Nowadays, people click photos without knowing the basics. I want to talk to them about how they can click better pictures than what they are clicking at the moment."

Gowariker points out that digitisation has made people believe that they are proficient at the art of photography. However, he asserts that the features of the high-end devices are designed to make pictures look good. Talking about the days before the digital era pervaded the scene, he says, "Earlier, photography was an expensive affair. Only passionate people would buy a camera. Each click meant that the roll was getting used up, so we thought 10 times before clicking a picture."

Photographs by Avinash Gowariker

We ask him how is celebrity photography different, and he says that half of his work is done because celebrities are liked by all. However, due to the fact that celebrities shoot too frequently, it's a challenge to make them look different and better than the rest of their clicks. Does he have a cherished memory of shooting any celebrity in particular?

"I shot with Amitabh Bachchan very late in my career. I remember how nervous I was. Mr Bachchan came in front of me and said, 'Tell me what you want me to do'. When someone of the stature of Mr Bachchan says this, it's a surreal moment, I will never forget that day," he says.