We managed to get an exclusive interview with fashion and
advertising photographer Joy Datta. We caught him at his studio in Andheri and
this is what he had to say:
NZ: So when did you make your jump from film photography to fashion Photography and how?
JD: I started in 2000 and initially it was very difficult to get any advertising work or editorial work or fashion work because one was still learning the ropes. As a young photographer one’s dream is to travel, to shoot lots of pictures, polish your skills, and yet be part of a fraternity. The Indian Film Industry gave me that opportunity. I got to work with some very talented people and see the world. After I felt I’d accomplished enough within the parameters of film photography the obvious choice was mainstream photography where my first love has always been fashion. Cinema gave me an extra edge when it came to fashion photography, as I was then able to bring a cinematic edge to my images in fashion because of those 8 to 10 years in cinema. I wouldn't call it a jump; it was more like a natural progression. It came to me at a point when my career needed to take that shape.
NZ: Where do you get most of your fashion projects?
JD: Initially a lot of friends were aspiring designers so we'd all collaborate and work on images that's how it started. Commercially, the editorial circuit in the country has given me the opportunity to be associated with the best brands, the best designers, and the best locations.
NZ: Where do you see Indian Fashion and Indian designers going?
JD: Indian designers are already making an international impact in the global fashion scene. What's lacking is the amount of marketing and wealth present in western countries. However, there is plenty of talent, its just the paraphernalia around creating a fashion brand that is still at a nascent stage. I'm sure it's not long before we are right up there, with the right resources and right capital backing this industry to achieve a similar stature as that in other countries.
The need right now is for fashion houses to come out here, in a big and serious way.
NZ: Define Fashion Photography from your perspective
JD: Fashion Photography interprets clothes by giving it an ambiance around it from a photographer's perspective. However, as a photographer, it becomes critical for one to understand what fashion is about. One should have an inherent sense of styling irrespective of genre. In my earlier days, you know, the basics of helping my mother pleat her sari and having to have an opinion of the way the women dressed in the house, gave birth to an inherent understanding of fashion and encouraged me to take up a study of different styles around the world and especially in India. There is such a rich history of fashion in India that it could take a generation itself just to study it. So I try my best to stay aware of everything that's happening but it's near impossible for anyone to everything about fashion. There's just too much happening globally. What is fashionable is what one portrays. Fashion can be interpreted in two styles, one: which is wearable comfortable clothing and two: artistic clothing which may not be worn by people in general. One must understand the relevance and importance of all aspects of fashion.
NZ: So when did you make your jump from film photography to fashion Photography and how?
JD: I started in 2000 and initially it was very difficult to get any advertising work or editorial work or fashion work because one was still learning the ropes. As a young photographer one’s dream is to travel, to shoot lots of pictures, polish your skills, and yet be part of a fraternity. The Indian Film Industry gave me that opportunity. I got to work with some very talented people and see the world. After I felt I’d accomplished enough within the parameters of film photography the obvious choice was mainstream photography where my first love has always been fashion. Cinema gave me an extra edge when it came to fashion photography, as I was then able to bring a cinematic edge to my images in fashion because of those 8 to 10 years in cinema. I wouldn't call it a jump; it was more like a natural progression. It came to me at a point when my career needed to take that shape.
NZ: Where do you get most of your fashion projects?
JD: Initially a lot of friends were aspiring designers so we'd all collaborate and work on images that's how it started. Commercially, the editorial circuit in the country has given me the opportunity to be associated with the best brands, the best designers, and the best locations.
NZ: Where do you see Indian Fashion and Indian designers going?
JD: Indian designers are already making an international impact in the global fashion scene. What's lacking is the amount of marketing and wealth present in western countries. However, there is plenty of talent, its just the paraphernalia around creating a fashion brand that is still at a nascent stage. I'm sure it's not long before we are right up there, with the right resources and right capital backing this industry to achieve a similar stature as that in other countries.
The need right now is for fashion houses to come out here, in a big and serious way.
NZ: Define Fashion Photography from your perspective
JD: Fashion Photography interprets clothes by giving it an ambiance around it from a photographer's perspective. However, as a photographer, it becomes critical for one to understand what fashion is about. One should have an inherent sense of styling irrespective of genre. In my earlier days, you know, the basics of helping my mother pleat her sari and having to have an opinion of the way the women dressed in the house, gave birth to an inherent understanding of fashion and encouraged me to take up a study of different styles around the world and especially in India. There is such a rich history of fashion in India that it could take a generation itself just to study it. So I try my best to stay aware of everything that's happening but it's near impossible for anyone to everything about fashion. There's just too much happening globally. What is fashionable is what one portrays. Fashion can be interpreted in two styles, one: which is wearable comfortable clothing and two: artistic clothing which may not be worn by people in general. One must understand the relevance and importance of all aspects of fashion.
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