IIf you follow B-town’s top celebrities on Instagram, you must have seen Rahul Jhanjani’s work. The man behind the megastar lens — from Virat Kohli in his recent shoot jonas brothers At Lollapalooza 2024 — Janjani has a story to tell behind each photo. Capturing mood and emotion is his specialty, and he believes that what sets him apart from other fashion and celebrity photographers is his “energy, passion and creativity.”
In a free-spirited conversation with indianexpress.comIn , the famous photographer delves into the ever-evolving world of celebrity photography, his memorable BTS moments, his favorite stars to photograph, how his travels are reflected in his photos, and more.
Q: Can you tell us about your transition from studying science to pursuing a career in photography? How did you develop your signature style?
Jangiani: The photoshoot was completely unplanned and happened by chance. So my neighbor was Subi Samuel, a famous photographer. When I was a student, I was basically mapping data and hanging out in his studio. One fine day I realized that this is what I like to do. Since then, I haven’t looked back.
I completed my master’s degree in photography in the UK. The whole master course wasn’t really about learning new techniques, but rather discovering your own style.It was more about studying other things photographer, find out what truly inspires you and develop your own signature style. And after trying all kinds of photography, I realized that I really enjoy photographing people. What I enjoy most is photographing attractive people. So, when I came back to India, I started working with smaller actors and kept building up.
Q: Which celebrity was the most fun to photograph?
Jangiani: Oddly enough, my first big break was in advertising shoots. Alia Bhatt. It was my first time shooting an A-lister. I really enjoyed shooting her and she remains one of my favorite people to shoot with. She brings something new to the table and always stands out every time I work with her. Alia is super professional, her vibe is great, her energy is great, but beyond that, you can always learn something new from her on set.
Q: How do you establish trust with your subjects?
Jangiani: Celebrities want to work with you because they want to show the best version of themselves. So I try to study the subject well before going on set. Just the basics like what is their profile, what are the angles, what kind of light works on them and why does it work on them, how can I make them look their best? Discover. And on set, it’s all about how you connect with the person and how they make you feel comfortable.
Whether or not they feel comfortable on set depends on everything from their technical knowledge to their personalities. Everything is closely related.
Q: How do you think social media is impacting celebrity photoshoots?
Jangiani: Accessing celebrities has become very easy. When I started, Instagram was just starting out. I had to knock on people’s doors, send emails, and go to people’s offices with my portfolio. Nowadays everyone is stalking others on social media. Therefore, if your work is good, your work will stand out.And no matter what you say, even though celebrities have millions of followers, they still Instagram Seeing what other people are doing. Therefore, it has become much easier to access celebrities.
However, as it became easier to get work out into the world, competition also increased. However, I feel like it’s easier to get noticed now if your work is good.
Q: What advice would you give to aspiring photographers who want to break into the world of celebrity photography?
Jangiani: The most important thing as a photographer is to just keep shooting. You have to be obsessed and passionate about what you’re doing. We work in a fascinating world and it’s all very fascinating, but it all comes down to your art and craft. So you have to be a really passionate photographer. You have to work on your art. There’s a lot involved in that.
Taking photos is now very easy. Cameras have become easier, but technology has advanced. Nowadays, one in two girlfriends can take photos, and it takes him an hour to learn how to use a professional camera. So I think it’s much more than that. It is important to discover your own style and stand out from others. It’s about your research. It’s about what inspires you. More important than that is how to make your work stand out. And I feel that that only happens when you have passion and work hard towards it.
Q: You work with a whole entourage of professionals, from stylists to makeup artists. How will you approach this collaboration to realize your vision?
Jangiani: When I started, there were no celebrities to work with. It’s a process. It’s about building a portfolio. It’s about collaborating with like-minded people, artists who are starting to develop just like you.
We started by asking model agency. That’s when I started Instagram. It was much easier to DM someone and say, “Hey, I love your work.” Can I do this shoot with you? ”
I was creating mood boards myself and sending them to people. And I think for every 10 people you send it to, there’s always someone who will reply and want to work with you. So I spent the first few years creating non-commercial work. I didn’t make any money. In fact, we invested funds to create this piece in collaboration with models, hair and makeup artists, designers and stylists. I contacted the designer and said: “Do you want me to introduce your clothes?” Can I shoot it for free? ”
These photos garnered attention and that’s how it continues to build. So I think it has a lot to do with your social skills as well. You will interact with people on a daily basis and will need to work in a team.
It’s also the energy you bring to the set. You work with so many different teams every day, so people need to be happy. Everything has to work well together.
Q: What challenges or obstacles did you encounter?
Jangiani: I think the biggest challenge was getting the actors to shoot with us in the beginning. Celebrities are now more open to working with young photographers and experimenting with new people. But when I started, he was six or seven years ago, it was much more limited.
All of them were senior photographers that I had worked with before. They were so comfortable that I didn’t want to experiment with anyone. So, try to give the best work you can and put it out there on social media and digital platforms so that someone notices it, someone talks about it, and you get that one chance. I think I just did it. So, it took quite a while. But eventually I got that opportunity and I thought I could prove it when the opportunity came, and that made me do more and more work.
Q: What do you think sets you apart from your contemporaries and other photographers doing similar work?
There are so many things that can be combined. It’s obviously your photography skills. I try to make my style different from what people are doing. I also think the most important thing is that people get bored easily. If you do the same thing every shoot, they won’t want to work with you again. So it’s also just trying to get inspired.
I travel often. I do lots of other things in my daily life to stay inspired. I research other photographers who really inspire me. I think it’s also about trying new things, experimenting, doing, and creating new work that keeps me excited and my subject matter excited. I think that’s really important, just not to be satisfied with what you’re doing. Sometimes I think this is where the best work comes from. But that’s not the case.
Q: What upcoming projects or collaborations can fans look forward to?
Jangiani: The Indian Premier League (IPL) is about to begin. So now there are a lot of shoots lined up with cricketers. There will also be a photo shoot with Virat. hardik (Pandya), KL (Rahul), (Jasprit) Bumrah, Rohit (Sharma). I think from the end of February to mid-March it will be full of cricketers only. But other than that, I also do a lot of filming with actors. The next day I will be shooting with Varun (Dhawan). The next day, I have something planned with Aria. That’s right, it’s a mixture of everything.
Q: It seems like your schedule is packed. So how do you maintain work-life balance?
Jangiani: The freedom of being a freelancer is that you can leave whenever you want. I love working. I can’t sit still at home. So I try to work hard every day. But if I feel like I’ve reached my limit, I’ll take a few days off. And maybe I just travel to refresh my mind and creativity. Just to get inspired and come back again. But that’s the freedom I’ve been given. That’s a big advantage of working as a freelancer.
Q: Can you recall any memorable behind-the-scenes anecdotes?
Jangiani: We were shooting together Sara Ali Khan In Goa. And we were shooting at Vagator Beach, which is a very crowded beach. And for some reason she agreed to shoot there.she really Bindus. So she does whatever you tell her to do. There was a shot where she had to climb this rock and pose on it. And the moment she got up on the rock, the tide basically came. There was a sudden high tide. So she was kind of stuck in a rock. And hundreds of people gathered and just watched as she was trapped there. It was such a funny and random moment.
Q: There’s a lot of talk about diversity and inclusion and how photography can act as a catalyst in shaping narratives. So how do you practice to ensure you cover a variety of subjects?
Jangiani: I am majoring in commercial photography. So a lot of the clients we work with today are trying to keep all of this in mind. However, most of what we do is directed by our clients. So you don’t have a lot of creative freedom to work on this. But I think doing more editing work will help me keep an open mind and have more freedom to do what I like.
Q: Who are the photographers who have influenced you the most?
Jangiani: Unlike many people, fashion photographer Steven Meisel’s work is based on a distinctive style, and his work is interestingly diverse. Meisel has definitely inspired me with the diversity of his ideas and compositions.
