Gaurav Sawn brings fresh perspective

Gaurav Sawn assisted photographers Amit Ashar and Joy Dutta before branching out on his own. He says, “My focus has always been on pushing the envelope and bringing a fresh perspective to anything I shoot.”

Gaurav Sawn assisted photographers Amit Ashar and Joy Dutta before branching out on his own. He says, “My focus has always been on pushing the envelope and bringing a fresh perspective to anything I shoot.” The photographer believes in being able to bring out the essence of the subject whilst maintaining its aesthetic appeal. His advice to amateurs: “Photography is evolving and I believe in keeping abreast by using the latest equipment and software in digital postproduction, retouching and colour grading.

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‘He loves his gadgets’
The aim was to show celebs in their bachelor pads. Many people know that Neil is into photography and loves his gadgets but when I entered his room I felt like I was in an electronic store. He had the latest gaming consoles, two large monitors, every apple product, phones, musical instruments and even photography equipment. He not only posed for my camera but also took shots of me shooting him. He even checked the images. We then downloaded the images and he presented me with a few photo-shopped images he had taken of me. Needless to say, it was an entertaining shoot!

‘Like its candid nature’
Arjun contacted me through a mutual friend because he wanted to do a portfolio. He had over gone a drastic transformation in the last few years and wanted very casual pictures. This image was shot on his terrace with studio lights. This one was clicked while I was still testing my light. It is my favourite because of its candid nature.

‘I was nervous’
Not many people in India had heard of Poorna before Delhi Belly. I was lucky enough to shoot her for a magazine a couple of months before her movie released. It was my first shoot with the magazine too so I was, both excited and nervous. Poorna is a beauitful lady and was effortless from the moment she started her makeup till the end of the shoot. She is unconventional not only in the way she looks but also as a person.

‘Risk was worth it’
One night when I was itching to shoot and did not have any living subjects, I went to my terrace and took a few shots of Mumbai’s skyline. They turned out nice. I tried to get a more dynamic angle by extending my tripod about four feet over the ledge and pointing it down. I literally had three lakh-worth equipment hanging from the 20th floor at 2 am. The next morning I saw the images I realised the risk was worth it.

‘She is edgy’
We shot this for a premium fashion label from Paris. I had met the team a day before the shoot and they were still looking for a model for their look book. They wanted someone edgy. We got in touch with Monica who listened to the brief and within a few minutes called us over for fittings. We shot over 30 garments in a few hours and I don’t think anyone could have done justice to the garments the way Monica did. She is definitely one of the most beautiful/edgy persons I have ever shot.