Celebrity and lifestyle photographer Colston Julian shuttles between Mumbai and Toronto for work. Born of mixed ethnicity, Goan and East Indian, Julian never took any formal training in photography. Starting out as a mountain biker, he worked his way through college in an advertising film production house before he apprenticed with a cinematographer. “I want to neither conform, nor belong. I just offer my own point of view through my the pictures I click,” he says. Julian draws inspiration from cartoon strips. “My creativity is inspired by Bill Watterson’s Calvin and Hobbes and life in a make-believe world while conceptualising. But I am a realist, so I frame my pictures accordingly.”
‘She changed in a car’
I shot this image for an international luxury brand in Montmartre, Paris. We shot this towards the end of February, when it’s freezing cold in Europe. While we were all covered from head to toe, Lara soldiered on in spite of the weather. Even in three layers of clothing, we were shivering and here she was sporting a summer collection. We shot all day with her and she sportingly walked the streets and changed in a car. She was very easy to work with.
‘She is a very spirited musician’
My shoots with Anoushka have always been non-structured and loads of fun. This picture was taken at her home in Delhi for a magazine. I have always enjoyed working with this spirited musician. She makes the pictures vibrant with her personality. We completed the shoot, with a few changes, in three hours.
‘Rahman is a bit shy’
This shot of Rahman was taken in Chennai, at a beach. Rahman is a bit shy, so we had to be really quick with the shoot. I must have taken only 20 frames to get this. The idea was to capture him in a black and white picture to give it a true classic feel.
‘Rahman is a bit shy’
This shot of Rahman was taken in Chennai, at a beach. Rahman is a bit shy, so we had to be really quick with the shoot. I must have taken only 20 frames to get this. The idea was to capture him in a black and white picture to give it a true classic feel.
‘We used 3000 balls’
This picture was shot in Jaipur for a British television channel. The idea was to shoot him in a vast sea of cricket balls, so we got 3000 such balls made specifically for the shoot. Shane stood inside a glutton style table, which was filled with the balls.
‘Everything looks surreal’
Angela is one of the most promising faces I have seen in a while. Diving and shooting underwater is another high. It takes away gravity and everything looks surreal.