GIVE US YOUR SUGGESTIONS & FEEDBACK ABOUT THE SITE
We will send you an E-mail every time there is a new article in your favorite section. Sign-Up For ALERTS.

Ash Gupta - Interview Recently, TakeGreatPictures.com contributor Mary McGrath spoke to Ash about his equipment, his favorite shooting locations, working with models, and more. Article rating: 7.00

>>Click here to read Ash Gupta's Ten Tips on Fashion Photography...

TakeGreatPictures.com (TGP): Tell me about some of the challenges you've encountered working with models.

Ash Gupta (AG): Well, agencies always want to know what other agencies you've shot for, where you’ve been published, and that sort of thing. If you want to be successful shooting models, you have to like people. I really like the diversity found in people's nature.

TGP: So what do you do if the shoot isn't going as planned?

AG: I need to stop the shoot, if I'm not getting what I want. But you need to be clear at the onset of a shoot so everyone knows what's expected. If it's not going right, you need to give new direction, so that they understand your point of view.

TGP: Does your wife mind that you take photos of all these gorgeous models?

AG: No, she doesn't mind. She reviews my work and critiques it on technical aspects even though she herself is not a photographer.

TGP: Why do you prefer to shoot women?

AG: It comes naturally to me. The female form and persona has always intrigued me. It might be my childhood fascination with Bengali literature that portrayed women in their strongest form.

TGP: How are the models in India different than the ones in the states?

AG: Models are the same everywhere, but the concept of fashion changes.

TGP: Is it important to study photography?

AG: There's a difference between a photographer as an artist versus a photographer as a technician. In many schools, there's an emphasis on the technique, not on the aspect of “what to do,” that is, what you are trying to communicate.

TGP: What is your workflow like?

AG: Well, I like having my group with me on the shoot if possible. It is a team effort, but that's not always possible. I rely on Jeff Linett's expertise in Photoshop to a large extent, but I'm very specific about the final appearance of the image.

TGP: What type of equipment do you use?

AG: I use both PCs, largely for viewing purposes utilizing ACDsee software, and I also have a Mac G5. I use the Epson R 2400, because I like to actually “see” the prints, and their nuances, which I can't view as well on a monitor. With cameras, I've got the Mamiya 6x7 and also I've used Canon for the past 20 years. Right now, I've got the Canon DS Mark III.

TGP: Do you prefer film or digital and why?

AG: Well, about 30% of my work is done with film, with 70% devoted to digital. I have a lot more control with digital, but there's more texture with film.  There's much more freedom with a digital darkroom for manipulation.

TGP: What about your usage of lighting?

AG: I prefer ambient lighting. All kinds of lighting are born from ambient lighting, or a deviation from ambient lighting. The way you light depends on the way you observe the subject.

TGP: Any particular photographic influences?

AG: Helmut Newton, David Bailey and Jan Saudek, along with Sheila Metzner and Ellen von Unwerth.

TGP: Tell me a bit about your location shoots. 

AG: I do lots of location shoots. Recently, I've shot in airports, private jets, and in Death Valley. I actually prefer to shoot outside my studio. It's actually cheaper to light a place that already looks like a set.

TGP: Tell me about your project in Death Valley.

AG: I was involved in getting “key art,” you know, the stuff that's used to promote a movie. Everything you see that leads up to the movie and makes you want to see it is what we call “key art.” In this case, I was shooting Max Ryan for a $100 million feature film.

TGP: Wow, just looking at these images makes me want to see the film.

I'm looking at Ash's monitor, in which a crusty Max Ryan in western gear is seen braced against an old truck, probably from the 50's. The desert is barren. He looks like he's running from something. Clearly, it's a movie I'd like to see.

TGP: Tell me about the assistants you use, and what they do.

AG: Well, assistants come and go, but Jeff Linett has been with me for 3 1/2 years. He's really in charge of my workflow. He's got a great expertise in Photoshop.

Maximillian Xavier has been with me 10 years.  I guess Max is my in-house creative director. Max helps define the “coolness” factor in fashion with his background in art. I rely upon him for his stamp of approval. Max gives me a confidence level before an image leaves the studio.  Max is the “pen” also, involved in a majority of the writing as well.

Actor-writer Maximillian Xavier “pens” it up quite nicely in referring to the poetic nature of Ash's work, and the impetus and concept behind his mentoring program with his Studio838.

"Studio838, is a movement in the iconized image world that is pushing and blurring the lines of apparent vogue that hold fine art from commercial art. We are a 'community of thought', a unified identity of spirit and planed amalgamation of ideas branching through its members with the full spectrum of their individually tinted talent, applied to the technique and methods of their art. We have a shared human quality, a reticent regard for what has been before and a rapt curiosity about what is next, for what is going on and a need to express it.

Founding photographer and original member Ashutosh Gupta, has taken a small cadre of brilliant young artists, and discovered a collective.  Decades ago as a young photographer garnering early accolades in his native India, Ash arrived stateside, first in New York, then Los Angeles. Still a young artist himself, he sought out (legends) to mentor him, exposing him to a world he would make his own. Men like Howard Schatz, Levon Parion and Joe Gantz spent lifetimes refining their craft, revealing it through the honored bond of first assistant.  Ashutosh has continued garnering accolades, being acknowledged with articles and covers in PDN, After Capture, Better Photography, and the Times Journal of Photography, among others.

He now brings the evolution of a collective dynamic to bear on the art world, showcasing the young elite of 838."

-Maximillian Xavier

Fashion far forward, and the spawning of young talent. That’s what Ash is all about. We look forward to seeing more in the months ahead.

For more information:

http://www.studio838.com

Mary McGrath is a freelance writer and photographer whose work has appeared in Newsweek.com, MSNBC.com, Rangefinder, After Capture, Professional Photographer, and many other publications. She can be reached through her web site at: www.marymcgrathphotography.com

^ Back to top

* Your Name:
* Email address:
	(Enter the code shown)
	(Your e-mail address will not show on the site and is used so that we can contact you back if needed)
* Your Comment about this article::
	Include me in the TGP Monthly Newsletter