Portrait Photographer London

Portrait for the Global Indian Series - Rajan Nazran - 2020

Portrait of Rajan Nazran - for The Global Indian Series - 2020

I have had the pleasure to get to know Rajan over the last year or so and I was happy to help him with the portraits he needed for a couple of projects he has going on.

When I arrived at his home I was greeted by a man who I knew is very well travelled, confident and loves a chat. What was quite unusual is that he seemed relaxed and very excited to be having his portraits made - this is often not the case with most people.

Rajan was dressed in a black suit, open topped light blue shirt but had no shoes or socks on. This can be quite normal when you are only shooting a headshot or a 3 quarter length portrait for someone at their home. I was just glad he was wearing trousers!

After getting all the equipment inside I started to set up the studio; lights, stands, camera, backdrop etc. It was at this point that his lovely wife offered me a fresh coffee and as always, you get asked if you want it black or white, with or without sugar etc. But she asked if I wanted it with vanilla essence?

Now, I love a story - which for me is usually in the form of photos rather than words - but I do love a story.

Or in this case a back story… Back stories can make an ordinary story have meaning and are more memorable. This is helpful when I’m shooting corporate events and to use story telling shots in the final set of images. You can see some examples of corporate events here.

When I get asked if I want a coffee, it’s usually followed up with more questions like; do you want milk? Sugar? Cup, mug, strong or weak?

But I can’t recall ever being asked if I wanted vanilla in my coffee. Me being me I had to ask more about it. His wife then told me the story of how and when they acquired it. It turns out they were in the Dominican Republic and bought it off a farmer - he poured it like draft beer straight into this bottle for them - as fresh as it can be. This wasn’t one of those tiny yet expensive little bottles you can pick up from the local supermarket, it was a large plastic bottle full of dark liquid.

It did make the fresh mug of coffee (strong with milk, no sugar) taste very nice and yes, I did buy one of those very small yet very expensive bottles of vanilla on the way home that day - and no it doesn’t seem to taste the same… But then again it hasn’t got the backstory.

Portrait of Rajan Nazran - Nazran Roth - 2020

It was a pleasure to photograph Rajan in his home and we managed to shoot a good selection of images for him to choose from.

Rajan is a 2nd generation British Indian. He is an experienced journalist with his work featuring in the likes of TIME Magazine, The Daily Telegraph, Fortune and now exclusively with the Indian Express Group.

I did say that Rajan loves to chat and I also said I love stories…

For the last 15 years Rajan has travelled to over 50 countries taking on some of the biggest conversations, covering stories from around the world. His journey has taken him to the edges of the Amazon Rainforest, battling against hurricanes of the Caribbean, being taken hostage in Eastern Europe and facing Ebola in West Africa.

With all the stories he has from around the world, I had to ask him where he got his bracelets from.

His eyes lit up and with keen interest he told me the silver one on his right arm is a Sikh bracelet called a Kara. The others on his left arm are from St. Lucia, Malaysia & India and the FIT-BIT was from Curry’s - PC world, London.

Meeting new people and telling their stories with my photographs is so much fun and a wonderful job to have.

Let me chat with you about your next big project.

Have you just started your new dream job, or begun the first steps to being self employed or have you had your old photograph too long and it’s time to show the world that you have matured.

If you or your staff need a headshot or portrait for their new profiles - get in touch.

If you would like to discuss your story and book your portrait get in touch with me - details below.

See my BLOG on Headshots - “Do we all need a professional headshot or portrait?”

Camera and lenses used: Fujifilm XH1 Fujifilm XF50mm f2, XF23mm f2 @fujifilmx_uk

Rajan’s websites: https://globalindianseries.com

Instagram: @globalindianseries - @thenazrans

A little behind the scenes image showing the set up of how we made his portraits - with no shoes or socks...

BTS:

Black suit, light blue shirt - no shoes or socks.

DOCUMENTARY EVENT PHOTOGRAPHER - GOODWOOD REVIVAL

Watching people - seeing how they act, react & interact… & in the case of The Goodwood Revival - how they dress up!

“Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving. What you have caught on film is captured forever… It remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything”

— Aaron Siskind

Early morning fly-by - Goodwood Revival - September 2019

When I left my house in the early hours of a beautiful September morning I knew the day would be a good one. Having an early start meant the drive to Goodwood was traffic free. I turned up in the field and was greeted by the happy & smiling parking attendant, he showed me where to go and I knew it was going to be a good day at Goodwood.

I was one of the first people there that morning and couldn’t wait to get my cameras out and start shooting.

Whilst walking across the field to the entrance, there was an old fashioned kind of feel. It made me think of my grandparents going out for the day on their motorbike - he had a Brough Superior - I imagined my Nan & Grandad, a sidecar & matching goggles setting off with a hearty picnic of roughly cut bread and lumps of mature cheddar, all stuffed in the panier.

Goodwood has many events throughout the year and the Goodwood Revival is one to remember and to look forward too. It’s like stepping back in time watching all the people dressed up in vintage clothes, smoking pipes and wearing neck scarves and cheese cutter hats.

This iconic motorsport event first appeared in the calendar back in 1998 and is now regarded as one of the biggest historic motorsport events in the world and apparently the only one to be staged entirely in period dress.

The Ford GT

Trackside was an exciting place to be. Not just watching these cars on their test laps but the whole experience and sensory overload of the familiar yet overpowering racetrack smells and the sounds of the tannoy systems - They are often a little too loud or just that little too muffled as the cars roar past...

It’s one of those experiences that takes you back to when you were younger. For me it would be back to the memories of Brands Hatch in Kent, sitting uncomfortably on the often wet grass bank watching cars or motorbikes going round and round the track and then the sudden excitement and noise of the crowd as one of them spins off the track.

The cameras were all rolling too, trying to catch the action, the noise and maybe the crashes...

There was lots to see and do at The Goodwood Revival and I walked all day, all over the place, looking for weird and sometimes bizarre things I wanted to photograph.

Documentary wedding photography and portrait photography are my main income alongside being a documentary event photographer, so observing the normal stuff and trying to make it interesting to view is fun and challenging. Especially somewhere like The Revival as there is so much going on and it’s like going back in time, a different kind of normal. Seeing things that we just don’t see now-a-days in our modern, everyday life. The old fashioned clothes, singers, dancers, oh, and there are the amazing cars and motorbikes too of course. The thing is, I knew all that stuff was going to be there, the cars, the motorbikes, the people dressed up in their old fashioned clothes, the racetrack, I knew most of it beforehand.

But I didn’t expect there to be such a great atmosphere, the feeling of almost seeing my grandparents, and my parents (metaphorically speaking of course) walking around this time-warp of a place - Being able to get a tiny glimpse of seeing the world how they would have seen it when they were young. That was the thing that brought it all together for me, to create one amazing experience!

Apart from the price of beer that is! That was a very modern experience - you could say almost futuristic!!

As a portrait photographer who loves to work in a documentary, candid style, I wanted to go to The Goodwood Revival mainly to photograph the people who attended it. To soak up the atmosphere of this event. See what people do, how they dress and to see the amazing cars too of course.

Within the last couple of years I have switched camera brands & started to use the Fujifilm X system full time. I love the way they feel in my hand, their size & simple looks really helps you blend in for this kind of work. The image quality is beautiful too and after 18 months of testing I finally added another body and a couple of lenses to my kit bag and now use them for all my work since the end of 2018.

I hope you enjoyed a little taster into this great event from goodwood.

if you are planning an event or team building day out for your company and need to document it with a dedicated, professional photographer, get in touch with me and we can see how I can help you.

If you are interested in this event see the official website here: The Goodwood Revival 2021

Headshot Photographer - Do we all need a professional Headshot or Portrait?

“It’s one thing to make a picture of what a person looks like, it’s another thing to make a portrait of who they are.”

— Paul Caponigro

How important is it that people can see you before doing business with you or offering you that role?

Where do clients see you first? Social media? Business cards?

Why is it important to make that good first impression with your clients, or casting agent before you meet with them?

When is it important to start that relationship between you and your clients? - Before you meet?

What do people see on your profile, website or newsletters? A professional or an amateur?

Who do you want for your next client?

What can you do to engage with your clients the first time they see your profile?

Are you and actor? In business? Or looking to start your own company?

Self Portrait - Mid 2019

What do you do?

• Business

• Self employed

• Sales

• Insurance

• Estate Agents

• Corporate

• The Arts

• Actor

• Musician

• Dating profile

What ever profession you are in; make sure you look professional

Whether you meet clients, or you offer services to others, I believe you need a great headshot or portrait of yourself and your staff so your clients can see who you are and will want to learn more about you and what you can do for them.

If your business is on social media I would recommend you have a professional headshot or portrait for your personal profile too.

A good quality portrait or headshot will make you and your business stand out - on social media, printed business cards, an advertising campaign, at a conference and in your monthly newsletters.

A strong Corporate portrait with clients office in the background

A welcoming Headshot with dark textured backdrop

Headshot with plain white background

Self Portrait - February 2019

As a portrait photographer I love the whole process of making portraits and I understand the importance of them. If you work for a large corporate company, run your own business, large or small, self employed, or if you are in the arts; an actor or a musician - everyone should make the best of themselves and promote themselves as the professional they want to be.

Get in touch below and we can chat about your next move and how to make you and your company stand out.