Rafique Sayed chose the field of fashion photography to beckon his arrival but has expanded his portfolio from nature to still life photography over the years. He has worked with some of the biggest name in the industry and his distinct style has earned him respect from his peers and admiration from his fans. Yet, he believes his canvas is empty, waiting to be filled with creative, meaningful and extraordinary work.

You came into professional photography more by chance and than by choice. Can you please elaborate on this point?
Life opens up many options for you but ultimately you choose the path. I’ve never repented choosing this path as I’ve never had to work because work became my passion.

Have you had any formal training in photography?
I did a Diploma in Mass Communication from St. Xavier’s College in Mumbai. I also trained as a cinematographer for a while and worked under one of the leading photographers for 6 months before starting on my own. I learnt B&W photography from Mr.R Belhihomji, a very prominent B&W photographer of his time.

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Is there any photographer in particular who has influenced you?
I think Irving Penn is the greatest photographer of all time. I also love the work of Richard Avedon and Bret Weston but the work of Irving Penn has influenced me the most. Nonetheless, everyone around me is a teacher. I still learn from everybody. You learn till you die, though no one can teach you.

You can’t work in a creative field with your ego soaring in the sky.

Can you share with us the memories of your first ever photo shoot?
When I first started I had technical knowledge of photography but not much of the cameras. In one of my early shoots, I was shooting with a Hasselblad lens with built-in focal plane shutters. Those were the days when Polaroid magazines were not easily available and I probably couldn’t afford it. So I shot around 8/10 rolls with the lens but all of them came out blank as the shutter was broken. Luckily the client and AD understood the problem and we re-shot the whole thing.

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How important is it for a photographer to “connect” with his subject when shooting people?
I think it is a myth that a photographer needs to “connect” with his subject.  I have a friendly chat with all my models before we shoot. I interact with them at least for a good 15- 20mins and try to build a rapport with them. I brief them about the shoot and expect them to do what I want. But it is not always possible to “connect” with them especially when you are working with international models. Most of them move from one shoot to another. Ideally I like to have a collective meeting of model / stylist / make-up & hair persons / AD. Nonetheless, pictures always happen before the shoot.

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When you first started, why did you choose to specialize in fashion photography?
I did not like still photography and at that point of time fashion photography had just picked up. A lot of my  friends like Shahab Durazi, Wendell Rodricks, Marie Lou Phillips, Jojo and Adhuna Bhabani-Akhtar had started doing fashion and I joined them. We worked as a team, we shared a good rapport with the models and the make-up artists and we had a lot of fun. So I did fashion photography because it gave me a lot of pleasure. But I did not want to be tagged as a fashion photographer forever because there is so much more to photography. And so I started exploring other genres of photography like nature, nudes, portraits and cars.  

Besides fashion, what other genre of photography do you enjoy the most? Why?
I want to shoot anything under the sun, explore every corner of the earth. There is beauty everywhere you point your camera. But life is much longer and bigger than the viewfinder of the camera.

I feel to become a complete photographer, an artist, you need to know how to print your pictures.

We know that you are an ardent lover of Black and White (B&W) photography. Can you tell us why you love it so much?
I see in B&W. I believe the images that stay with you the most are always B&W images. Colours will change with time but B&W images will last much longer and the depth you get in B&W cannot be produced in colour. They are magical and have a lasting effect. There is a romance happening while shooting B&W and printing them.

How do you deal with criticism?
Criticism in India means praise and I don’t like that. I would rather have someone criticize me than praise me aimlessly. Even if 5% of what my critic is saying is true then it will help me evolve. It will push me to do better. So I like people who are honest and blunt. You can’t work in a creative field with your ego soaring in the sky. I sleep on the floor; hence, there is no noise when I fall.

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Can you tell us some more about your album ‘Shakti’?
Anandmurti Gurumaa is an enlightened woman. She is highly evolved and I admire her for her boldness and out of the box thinking. I firmly believe that spirituality and creativity are interconnected. Shakti is a mission started by Anandmurti to empower women and educate female children in India by giving scholarship to girls up to 12th standard. I got involved with the mission and I made a video song involving Adhuna Bhabani-Akhtar, Sheetal Mallar, Rhea Pillai, Sandhya Shetty, Geetu Raheja, Namrata Soni, Mahesh Bhasme and many others. They all worked without charging any money. It was a pleasure making the video with so many people coming under one roof for a cause. It’s a great feeling. The video is finally going to be aired in June.

How much time do you still spend in the darkroom?
I used to spend a considerable amount of time printing but I don’t do that anymore because you don’t easily get many things [chemical and other essential printing equipment]. But printing was so much fun, to see your pictures come to life. That is missing today in this digital world. I feel to become a complete photographer, an artist, you need to know how to print your pictures.  

More Photos by Rafique | Fotosocial

Are there any post production techniques you follow to get the best prints?
There are so many sharpening and contrast tools that can be used to tweak your images but I prefer using minimum post production. 

	Quick 8: Your Favourite Camera: Hasselbald, Nikon Your Favourite Printer: My photo lab, Jasraj Graphics Your Favourite Shoot: The Sierra campaign, Safari, MTDC and Boeing International were all special. But my personal shoots are the closest to my heart and soul. Your Preferred Location: Ladakh, because it is amazingly beautiful and I always get this overpowering feeling there that I am nothing, that I am just a small drop in this universe. In our busy lives we are always seeking, but in Ladakh you know God is watching you. You can feel His energy everywhere. Favourite Photographer: Irving Penn and Raghubir Singh.  Most memorable story: My shoot with Medha Patkar. She is one of the most beautiful human beings I have photographed. She is extremely committed to her cause and a very selfless person. Current photographers you like: Albert Watson. Toughest day at work: I don’t work. The day I have to start working, I will hang my boots.