Interview with Hong Kong based fashion Photographer
Aanchal Wadhwani
By India Models 12/1/18
Aanchal
Wadhwani |
Hong
Kong based fashion photographer Aanchal Wadhwani got enamored by photography at
the age of 16, while she was working on her jewelry line and bought her first
camera at the age of 17. Specializing in fashion, beauty and commercial
photography Aanchal runs a production house called Matryoshka Studios out of
Hong Kong.
IM: How did you come up with the Idea for Matryoshka Studio?
Aanchal: I started out at the age of 16 when I began
studying fashion design; which was the same time I started my jewelry brand
'Matryoshka'. During that time, I was exposed to Photoshop and it was love at
first touch. I spent a lot of my free time mastering the software and began
retouching images for professional photographers shortly after.
I got myself a camera at the age of 17 and my first shoot was for my own
jewelry brand. Eventually my work had been seen by brands, magazines and
agencies which led to my career as a photographer.
Over time as photography became more prominent in my life, my jewelry brand
gradually turned into a production company and has now become 'Matryoshka
Studio'.
IM: Can you tell us bit about the equipment that you use?
Aanchal: My studio has an extensive array of equipment from powerful strobe
lights, a variety of stands, soft boxes, reflectors, grids, umbrellas,
diffusers and of course I wouldn't be able to shoot anything without my Canon
camera and lens!
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IM: Do you edit the photographs yourself?
Aanchal: I am quite picky about how my photographs look.
As I play a big role in the concept development, I try to portray my ideas
through photography and retouching combined.
Initially when I started as a photographer I would retouch all the images on my
own, however as my workload has increased, I have had to outsource my
retouching to a few artists I truly trust aesthetically.
IM: One aspect of photography that you enjoy the most?
Aanchal: Definitely seeing the final outcome after so
much preparation! I love the entire process of a photo shoot but looking at the
completed images is so rewarding.
The greatest thing I've got from photography is to be able to have a job that I
love so much I don't feel like I'm working! That's more valuable to me than
anything. I guess that makes it two aspects of photography I enjoy.
IM: In your opinion what separates a good model from a great
one?
Aanchal: There are a lot of good models who know their
angles and can pose well. However, I enjoy working with models that bring their
own ideas to the table! I always have a print out of the concept reference
available and discuss it through with the model before the shoot.
Though what really impresses me is when a model can take on a character and
portray it through her body language and eyes. That to me is a great
model!
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IM: What's your indulgence?
Aanchal: Desserts! Particularly pudding. I have an
incredible sweet tooth.
IM: A song that you can listen to on repeat?
Aanchal: My favorite song rotates every now and then. At
the moment, the song I have on repeat is Usher's 'All Falls Down'.
IM: Favorite movie?
Aanchal: I'm not an avid movie watcher, but every now
and then I like to watch movies that evoke thought. My favorite movie that I
watched recently is the anime 'Perfect Blue'.
Especially having a background in media and having experienced the acting
industry first hand, it really hit me hard.
IM: Finally what are your plans for the future?
Aanchal: In
the long run, I'd like to expand my production house to cater to companies
globally!
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