The celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi is one event every Maharashtrian eagerly waits for every year. While some consider it as a great event to remember and worship the lord others look at it as an inconvenience owing to the fact that streets are jammed and the entire city’s traffic situation is unstable. Born and brought up in Mumbai, ace photographer, Colston Julian saw Ganesh Chaturthi’s celebration as a great back-drop for a fashion feature.
“I’ve always been amazed with Ganesh. Being in Mumbai, you can’t help but be fascinated by it, and in a way it signifies the core of the city,” Colston shares with Homegrown.
The photographer teamed up with model Preiti Datha and a team of 25 crew members contributing behind the scenes.
Shooting in an uncontrolled environment is always a challenge for a photographer. He did not want to hurt celebrators’ sentiments as he shot the model for the shoot.
“We would spend some time with a particular procession, and make a connection with the people there, assuring a level of comfort and understanding. Only then did we ask if we could shoot a photograph with them.”
“Through this shoot, we’ve documented fashion in a unique social environment. I did expect some problems, but it went off very smoothly, and there were no problems at all. There was no backlash, no one responded to the shoot in a bad way. People can be sensitive, and these things have to be respected, so we took certain measures to be careful. The model was covered up, the clothes were Indian, and they weren’t obscene.”
The shoot went so smooth that this picture of the model posing with the idol did not stir up any negative commentary.
Julian, earlier used to shoot models in a studio however, broke the rule and went out to capture some visiually rich photos of his subjects.
“For me, the idea of Ganesh came because my work back in 2010 was more studio based, and not so much on location. Eventually, I started to shoot on the streets. And as I saw more of where I’m from, I realized that it’s important to show the space and environment that you come from. It was about shooting the environment, not about making a statement regarding Ganesh celebrations. I wanted to be a part of the festivities and celebrations in general.”
Capturing street style at its best?
Scroll down to see more pictures from his shoot.
Watch the making of this amazing photo-shoot here.
The Making Of Colston Julian’s Fashion Shoot Amidst Ganesh Pro…Watch the making of Colston Julian’s fashion photography feature amidst Ganesh processions. It might change the way you view these festivities in India. View our feature + the entire photo-series here: https://bit.ly/1YxZ4B7Video was first seen on GRAZIA INDIA
Posted by Homegrown on Tuesday, September 22, 2015
