If there’s one thing that truly unites the world, it’s fashion. And this genext fashion photographer is more than fluent when it comes to communicating in this silent language.
Varun Chauhan comes from the new league of fashion photographers who have created a niche for themselves when it comes to framing fashion. His pictures are as not just about freezing the right moment, they are about capturing the soul and the attitude in fashion.
A self taught Maverick and a miser in words, Chauhan, with a very graceful subtleness shifts away from spotlight, everytime you compliment him on a perfect frame.
A huge fan of highly acclaimed fashion photographers Eugenio Recuenco and David Lachapelle, Chauhan makes sure to elevate his benchmark with every assignment.
Having shot some of the most incredible pictures in some of the most difficult land and weather conditions, Varun believes its all about capturing the right moment that makes the picture worth a Billboard.
“I have been very fortunate to shoot in some of the most beautiful locations but at same time those locations have been extremely challenging. I remember I was shooting for a men’s underwear brand Body X last year in Thailand and for this campaign, I was looking for a series of images in which models were half submerged in water with an infinite background of blue sea & sky.
Initially, I thought we could create a setup like that in a big studio because I was aware of the fact how challenging it could be on location. But I didn’t want to compromise on the originality of the campaign and so, I decided to shoot it on location itself with my fingers crossed.
But nothing had prepared us for the blasting cold winds and the fact that I had to stand in water all the while! I was risking my all equipment & gears at the same time.
Interestingly, I realised it was all worth it when we saw the final pictures! The shots were outstanding and I think the entire credit goes to my models and my production team for being such a sport,” says Varun Chauhan.
In fact, for every shoot Chauhan makes sure to sit with his team and the client to first start with an idea that everyone finds interesting, “Brainstorming on the ideas for shoot is in fact as interesting as the shoot itself. It’s like you pave a path in your mind before you start the journey. Once the cards are clear on the desk, then starts the real excitement of achieving the results that we have visualised.”
“I like to start my shoot from an idea that looks very interesting to me and my clients. We work towards putting together teams for styling, talent casting, makeup and hairstyling and the backgrounds and sets. Sometimes it takes weeks and months before we start to shoot the campaign. It indeed is a joyful journey and a learning experience with every shoot.”
For Varun Chauhan every assignment is like an experiment between the photographer and the subject to create the image he looks forward to.
“When I click, my focus is on final images, as I truly believe there is no limit to perfection or improvisation but there’s also a benchmark. Since there’s limited time at a particular set up, I also have to comfort myself with just a little of someone’s expression or moment.
The most important thing in a picture for me is to have a lot of content in every frame rather than just having a pretty model wearing a pretty dress. Production is at the core of everything in an assignment. And hence, when it comes to creating or designing the set, we create everything from scratch to finish to get that particular theme.”
Varun clearly states that there’s no such thing as a perfect picture, for him, it’s achieving the desired result that makes it to final print.
“I don’t believe in this theory of a perfect face or a perfect pose. Frankly, over the years there’s been a paradigm shift in how people have started accepting unconventional faces in the fashion and glamour industry. Look at how Chantelle Brown, is leading the game today!”
“And it’s also not the perfect camera either! I have used weirdest of the camera settings, broken the conventional rules of photography,” exuberates Chauhan.
Well, the boy is indeed going places with his unconventional style and amazing vision!
Currently, Varun Chauhan is shooting in Canada and can be contacted at:varun@varunchauhan.in
