Photographer
Narendra Ballar has been a part of the photography scene for a while and has
created quite a resume for himself. Conveying a sense of exotic elegance his photographs
often resemble vibrant classical paintings. We recently had the opportunity to
talk with Narendra about the thought and vision that goes into making his Photographes.
IM: What influenced you to get into photography? Narendra: The
thought of capturing moments that
will be gone forever, impossible to recreate. For me photography takes
an instant out of time altering life by holding it still. My camera is a save
button of my mind's eye.My
love for art, and no art can be better then photography, it’s an art of
observation. It’s about finding something interesting in an ordinary situation.
It has little to do with the thing you see but it’s everything to do with how
you see them!
IM: What camera do you use for most of your shoots? Narendra: When
people ask me what photography equipment I us, I always tell them my eyes. Jokes apart 1. Hasselblad
camera with Phase One digital back 2.
Leica M240.
IM: Your photographs have these amazing vibrant colors, is
that a conscious personal style? Narendra: Colors can evoke very strong emotional reactions and can
have a huge effect on our moods if used cleverly, it’s a brilliant way to
really bring your photography to life and the use of these vibrant color can be
anything, picking up bright clothes to pop-up colored props, be it your
model lipstick color or the background colors.And
yes I love creating such wonders.
IM: You have shot a lot of models in traditional Indian
wear, how would you say it’s different from shooting models in western
wear? Narendra: I
always believe beauty can be seen in all things, seeing and composing the
beauty is what separates traditional and modern. I love both and being from
India, the land where your traditions and culture defines you, my
traditional wear pictures is just the outcome of my basic thumb rule which is
"staying close to your roots".
IM: Do you have a favorite project that you worked on? Narendra: Oh
there are many, choosing one would be quite difficult, but as a Photographer
you always have a style and you love your muse when they do justice to your
style and then you capture a moment to gaze on, and I have been obliged to work
with few wonderful names like Jacqueline Fernandez, Sushmita Sen and Shilpa
Shetty Kundraamong others. My camera and thought just love them!
IM: What do you love the most about fashion photography? Narendra: Fashion
photography is like creating your own statement. Fashion photography has never
existed in a vacuum. Photographers have continually pushed boundaries for fashion,
and the tension between artistic and commercial demands has generated great
creativity and technical innovation. Whether fashion shoots or
advertisements, images reflect contemporary culture, world events and the
dramatic shifts in women’s and men's roles throughout the 20th century.
IM: Natural light or artificial? Narendra: Natural light always dose justice with my style
and thought process, and I love experimenting with the natural light. But
creating drama goes well equipped with artificial lights.
IM: If you could photograph any historical figure, who would
you choose? Narendra: Madhubala and Princess Daina.
