*An Interview with Ace Photographer - Humayunn Peerzada*

[theqca]

Ace photographer Humayunn is someone who?s passion for photography is clearly visible and comes across in almost every single photo that he?s shot.

After being one of India?s most successful models in the 80?s and 90?s with a mention in the Limca book of records - If you watched television during those years and browsed magazines / newspapers he would be a familiar face, Humayyun has successfully transitioned into being one of the most sought after photographers today in the genre?s he chooses to dabble in. He continues to pursue this passion of photography by taking time out from his commercial photography assignments to make the photos that he loves.

He comes across as a humble and honest human being who?s always willing to help other photographers?a rare trait in this fiercely competitive world. He?s got a huge fan following of photographers across the country



================================


You?ve spent a considerable amount of your life in front of the camera. When did you start getting behind the camera and which was your first camera?

Yes I have been a successful model, was an actor as well but then life has many twists and turns ...the almighty wanted me to venture into photography so mysteriously those two vocations got blurred and photography came into focus! The year was 2007 - I bought a Nikon D70 at that time to shoot kids and their birthdays. That was my first camera.







So what inspired to you take up photography?

As a model I?ve had the pleasure of having worked with almost all of the most sought after photographers of the late 80 and 90?s - Gautam Rajadhyaksha ji, Sumeet Chopra, Sir Hari Mahidhar, Boman Irani, Atul Kasbekar, Rafique Sayad - You name the person and I have shot with them for my folios and for the commercial adverts which I did in those days.

While shooting for them I used to subconsciously think about the way they took their shots, the light set up and their compositions which may have stayed with me.

I was directing a short film and wanted some stills for the opening sequence of the film showcasing Mumbai and its landmarks? I searched a lot on Google and the results I got were low resolution images so I thought to myself - I have a camera, why not just move around in the city and click pictures which I can use for the film.

The idea worked and I shot some photos and uploaded them on flickr (which was suggested to me by my friend as a great site for photographers). Just made an ID and just started uploading those pics.... they got a favourable response and my journey started.






How did you learn photography? Are you a self taught photographer or did you go to some sort of a photography school or did you assist someone?


The comments on flickr really inspired me and I started delving deeper into this art. I am a self taught photographer? Most of the knowledge I gathered is by watching youtube tutorials shared by many generous photographers from all over the world.





Did you think of photography as a career option after modelling or was it something that just happened? Could you give us some details about this journey of yours please?











Career option when I started? Absolutely not ?it?s been a step by step process exploring each genre of photography. With my experience of being in front of camera as a model the first thought that came to mind was to shoot Folios of upcoming models. I?ve had countless folios of me as a model shot by illustrious photographers.... I knew the locations they used .. the time (morning 6 to 8 ) when they got their best with soft light ? the cameras they had .. lenses they used .. how to bring out the attitude from the model .. posing that they taught etc etc .. I knew it all .. I just needed to channelize that knowledge now as a photographer.

At first I shot models outdoors and in 3 hours flat - using 4 to 5 prime locations in and around the Gateway of India and Ballard estate. I ventured into folio shoots shooting only on Sundays and keeping my kitchen fire burning.

There are a lot of legal problems and I faced many restrictions while shooting on location so I thought I should now move indoors but then I had absolutely had no knowledge on indoor lighting. As I had no options left I went ahead - I booked a studio at Dadar and God bless Narayan Bhai, he was the light-man cum assistant and part care-taker of the studio.. he was a god sent Angel for me and he taught me everything he could on lighting and how to set up a studio shot. (He unfortunately passed away some time ago). I had the requisite lens and camera to make these folio shots work for the models who paid me and it was great to get work after these pictures.

This continued from 2007 till 2010 and a time came when the modeling industry slowly shifted base from South Mumbai to Andheri and beyond and the folios also got scarce. I was actually not very happy shooting folios as I felt that as creative person and a photographer there is too much of a dependency on others for allotting their time collectively to shoot one folio of a model for example -  matching dates collectively of the model, make-up artist, hair dresser and fashion designer and finally locking the date and booking the studio ? I have no idea how photographers do that so easily.... for me it was maddening ? anyways in-between those commercial folio shoots I kept shooting  towers which were booming all over in those 3 years in Mumbai ? shot a bunch of them ? kept uploading them on flickr and felt happy and elated with the comments from peers on flickr.

It so happened that  one day I got a call from an Architect from a architecture firm in Singapore asking me to shoot towers which they had designed.

The Architect had gone through my ?tower pics of Mumbai? and felt that I can be the ONLY ONE to do justice to his design and towers. He came down all the way from Singapore and I got my first professional architectural assignment.

I had shifted from using a D70s to a Nikon D90 and had two lenses at that time - Nikon 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR DX AF-S and a Tokina Fisheye 10-17mm f/3.5-4.5 AT-X 107 DX Len but to give full justice to the Architectural work I had to invest in a Nikon D3x, Sigma 12-24mm F4.5-5.6 DG and a Nikkor PC-E 24mm f/3.5D ED Manual Focus lens and thus started my journey into shooting architecture professionally.




 
I ?noticed? your photography some years ago when you started shooting buildings and monuments. Why did you choose to shoot buildings and structures? Any reasons in particular?


In around 2007 Mumbai was changing .. the skyline was changing .. towers were sprouting left right and centre and it was quite a sight to see a vacant skyline suddenly filled with visuals of upcoming towers .. the unusual design and facade of the towers and the visuals complimenting the sky interested me visually ? so just shot them one by one






 
I?ve seen a variety of different genres from you over the past few years and one common theme that I?ve observed is that you seem to have this zeal to achieve a level of perfection in each genre. What drives you to work towards this level of perfection in photography?

Don?t know about perfection but yes with whatever gadget, technique, camera and lighting sensibilities I have and what I can gather from the equipment I possess I try and work really hard to achieve a visual which makes me happy - there have been many visuals which just got scraped and still lie in some folders of mine.

I don?t let a sub standard shot or visual enter my body of work - NEVER ?

Also there is no rule anywhere that a photographer should follow and explore just one genre either creatively or commercially and so I have dabbled in almost all genres as I get bored doing the same thing repeatedly over and again..it gets monotonous ? Photography allows me to do many things, explore so many areas and genres and I really work very hard to come to the standard I have set for myself.

For me, photography is happiness and now there?s no turning back and I?m in the most happy phase of my life - have never felt so nice and content before











You?ve got some of the best lenses ever made and high end cameras, but what do you feel is important ? gear or skill?

Dear Ayaz you have known me from the day I joined flickr and I?m sure you have seen most of my earlier visuals. From 2007 till 2010 I was just happy having my Nikon D70s and later D90 and most of these earlier visuals be it Religious landmarks or Towers were shot by these cameras and with the kit lens.

It?s only much later that I bought a fisheye as I always loved the curved perspective that this lens produces and also it allowed me to go really wide and contain some landmarks within the frame which I was unable to do so with kit lens.

As I mentioned earlier, it?s when I got my first architectural shoot that I went into buying the right camera and right lenses which are requisites for anybody who wants to shift from being a creative to a commercial photographer. There is no escape from that - commercial | professional work cannot be done with low resolution / low end cameras because clients and the market demands a certain quality which all cameras won?t provide.

Every genre requires certain specialized lenses. for example -  one cannot think of shooting a professional macro jewellery shot with a 18-105mm lens ? even if u have a 100mm or a 60mm its difficult to get the quality and output which clients demand and expect  -  u need to have a 200mm. The same goes with shooting 360 degree panoramas commercially you need a fisheye and a full frame camera. It?s the same for shooting exteriors and interiors in the professional architectural genre ? you need to have a 12-24mm or PC-E 24mm and so on and so forth.

So to answer your question - YES if at all a photographer wants to go commercial and shoot on par and compete with the best in the business he would need the best lenses and high end cameras.
These are very important, but of course without skill you can?t even think of using these cameras, lenses and gadgets. So skill is needed to get the best out of the equipment.













***continued in part 2 ***

[theqca]

***part 2 continued***


Can you give us a few examples of some photographs that you found very challenging to shoot please?

Water or water-splash photography always interested me and I love shooting these photos ?however  I very seldom get to do them as my wife hates all the mess which a this genre creates















Can you share some photos that you?ve shot which are your personal favourites and if you?d like to share some details / some story behind the photos please?

Love is patient, Love is kind.
Love does not insist on its own way.
Love believes all things, bear all things, endures all things.
LOVE NEVER FAILS.
I was very happy on this day coz I completed 100 photographs and also coz I finally successfully took this shot - some 6 months earlier I had tried shooting this photo and failed miserably -  probably it was possible only with an extension tube shot and was shot as part of my 365 project.

This is the nearest the lens + extension combination can go .. it?s a very minute needle attached to a glucose bottle ... behind is the printout on which love is written ... it was very very difficult to shoot this and get the focus so very sharp ... but i think i managed it.
Stacked all of the extension tubes on a Nikon 50mm 1.8 lens and took this pic.




Shot with a Nikon D3x and a Tilt shift lens - Nikkor PC-E 24mm (miniature effect done by focusing just on the Mosque and blurring everything around it)
No lift .. 20 floors to walk up - but when u see such a grand visual .. There is happiness within you while clicking which cannot be explained




4 attempts were made by me in 2 years and was not so successful in taking this shot. But never stopped trying - wanted it in my 365 by hook or by crook .. was successful in shooting it on this day without any hassles or problems .. kisi ne sach hi kaha hai "ke agar kisi bhi cheez ko DIL SE chaho to puri ki puri qayanaat tumhe use milaane ki koshish mein lag jaati hai.?
This frame has the Moon, Lal Bahadur Shashtriji statue,  has trails traveling and meeting at one point in the frame,  has stars, a lovely blue sky and lastly one of the finest cinema houses of Mumbai




Although I have faced many difficulties in shooting and stitching panoramas earlier but this one beats all the earlier ones in being the most difficult panorama while shooting and while processing as well - if one zooms out and to see the nadir from the zenith one can know that there is just very little space to move around while composing these shots. Do click on the link to see the 360 degree panorama output.



You must view the 360 panorama to get an idea of what I'm referring to and its on the link below...the image above doesn't really do full justice to the visual.

http://www.360cities.net/image/motorhome



This was not a very easy visual for me to shoot ... it took me 1 hour to get everything right ... after every shot had to brush off all the dirt and then throw it back again to get the splash of the pencil dirt and the focus of the pencil right ... and it continued for 1 hour till I got this one




As I shoot all alone .. it?s difficult being a model and as well click simultaneously. The PS work too was not easy



This was shot from the most filthiest spot ever (that too on Eid day) but once I?ve decide that I have to shoot something, I leave no stone unturned to get that shot. This was my 200th capture for the ongoing 365 project and just looking at this visual makes me sooooooooooooooooooooooo very happy and satisfied .. I skipped the Eid namaaz of 6.40 am and shot this :p



It?s really amazing how the heart wishes/ request / dictates / challenges the brain and the brain sets out to do everything and sees to it that the wishes get fulfilled and challenges are met ..

So I got my dream visual .. I wanted to shoot this for about 4 years, had no plans whatsoever as to how I will execute the visual .. things just kept happening and within minutes I decided the building from where I can shoot .. I met the secretary of the society .. explained how the visual is important to me .. he recognized me as a model and was not interested in my dream and my visual .. lol .. he was more into aap kaun kaun si advert mein aaye hai .. aapko Doordarshan ki kitni ad mein dekha hai ... hahaha .. to cut the story short .. I got permission to go to the terrace .. and in say less than 5 minutes I had most of my shots ... I thanked him profusely .. and here is that dream visual ...





This photo was a very risky shot in terms of taking the shot and so for me is part of my personal favorites




After the Motor home and Kolkata's Tram  .. this was the most difficult one to shoot .. low light was the main issue .. still i feel i managed it . looks neat .. very happy to have shot this ?




As it was a Sunday, the tram services were not so regular and were coming specifically from this side after a gap of 15 minutes ... for one and half hour I kept shooting this combination of Mosque and Tram.. the climate was hot and dry and there was no sign of the rains .. Suddenly it all changed and it seems like it rained just for me ... so it rained and the tram came in tandem with the rain and I went khatak and khatak ....

Both the lens and the cam had a bath ?.





Immediately after these couple of shots I shot the 360 degree panorama and it can be viewed here:

http://www.360cities.net/image/55-nakoda-mosque-on-a-rainy-evening-intersection-of-zakariya-street-and-rabindra-sarani-kolkata-west-bengal-india-humayunn-peerzaada

I wanted to shoot this one from a long time and always felt I won?t be able to do justice to it ... but once I made the custom heart bokeh .. I felt I can pull this off .. I think it?s a neat shot .. full credit goes to the model for being so patient and for giving this fabulous pose and expression .. there were hundreds of onlookers gazing at her but she was so professional ... she kept giving one pose after another



As they say when you are alone you are not always alone ... there is an Omniscient being.... When you are pensive, down and a little short of inspiration, that?s when the Light from him  beckons you, showing you and proving that someone up there is the best Visual creator who just moves his hands and a Divine visual is made..

On this day I was not at my cheerful best .. Probably because my 365 was reaching its destined end and I had no more Skyscrapers to scale .. but as they say The Show Must Go On....

So went to flora fountain garden to shoot something .. was not getting the desired bokeh .. clicked many shots but nothing enticed my eyes or my lens .. dejected and angry I wrapped up and came at the main gate of the garden and looked up and all my anger vanished and I smiled, smiled and smiled looking at this gorgeous sunset , sky and clouds ...

The pic gives the visual that someone above is descending his divinity, light through the picturesque fiery sky... Maybe God wanted me capture this divine visual that evening

Also practically every mobile phone user at flora fountain was capturing this...
This visual beauty was last seen in 2007 -




The idea here was to have the speed light inside the umbrella and the result was just wonderful




Its a simple shot but was difficult to execute as I wanted all the elements which I have used in my photos throughout the year -  Rumi Sahab, Bokeh, Heart, Love, 365 celebration and a Splash which I had not tried earlier .. I was lucky to get the splash in the form of a Heart ... also there is a tear as well... this was the parting visual in my ?365 Dil se? project where I shot one photograph every single day for 365 days of the year.




All decked up for the auspicious Republic Day celebrations which were the next day ... if there is will, there is a way ... agar dil se chaho to doooriyan bhi nazdikiyan ban jaati hai .. kuch bhi impossible nahi world mein ... would call this a roller coaster shot of mine ..  I have never driven my car at such speed ever .... is manzar ko mein miss karne ki soch bhi nahi sakta tha ..




I took the risk of shooting these from the railway bridge opposite the Hospital and just managed to escape from the eyes of the police and if friends see the pic closely ... 3 Vans just entered the frame for ?NAKABANDI? ... just about managed to escape from their eyes.







I wanted to shoot this perspective of Minara Masjid for a very long time and was successful in barging into a house opposite the mosque .. I was complete stranger to the family but when I went into their house just couple of minutes after iftari -  they were so gracious .. made me break my roza with khajur, tea and halwa .. shot a series of photos from their balcony .
I wish I could shoot this on a tripod which was just not possible.





I did my own marathon when in the evening when I climbed 32 floors of a tower to click this beautiful blue hour visual of Mohd Ali Road




Couldn't resist a blue hour of this beautiful bldg ... shot from a 7 floor terrace atop a water tank .




The 4th of Jan dawned and I made up my mind for shooting a blue hour visual of "Mahim ki Dargah" from the top of a water tank located on the opposite building ... Though I had some commercial shoots lined up all day, I postponed them and waited for 5 clock to shoot the Dargah ... I took the camera, tripod .. Set the camera for the blue hour and took off for Mahim in a cab ... I was late but still managed to reach the building in time .. when I went to the terrace, I was faced by unanticipated gush of perils. Was shocked to see the entire terrace flooded in knee-deep water.

Anyways, this couldn't dampen my passion to shoot the Dargah and I waded through the knee-deep water in drenched jeans, socks & shoes. Slowly, I reached the stairs and I saw a broken wooden bed attached to the stairs - probably the iron stairs had some issue so to climb that they had attached this bed to it ... I have absolutely no fears of climbing up, but I always have this phobia of getting down from high places ... Somehow my passion for photography and getting visuals which others don?t have makes me brave enough and do the extraordinary...

I got on the stairs and reached the terrace all set to shoot the blue hour .. Excitedly I did my first click, and I got the shock of my life - the Memory card in the camera missing.
*^@%^%***#@&& ?.Disheartened and cursing myself, I got down from there .. took a cab and went back home .. No prizes for guessing my mood.

The next day, I went there again - I don't take defeat easily.

And this day I was rewarded with a lot of fireworks. Firecrackers were bursting everywhere, when they reached for the skies & exploded there in a riot colours and then showered their bounties on us, the feeling was fantastic - absolutely magical

Probably it was Baba's will, that I should forget the memory card back home on the previous day ..coz if I had shot on Friday I would have never come back to shoot on Saturday and would have missed this Heavenly feeling and the visual that I managed to get.





I am very proud of this panorama ? it?s the Almighty?s will that I pulled it off .. an art which challenges the artist and makes him wonder as to how will he execute certain shots/visuals/panoramas .. wohi maza hai .. wohi thrill deta hai ...

When I boarded this Nauka with Photographer Paul Nilot .. I had no idea that I will be able to shoot the panorama from a nauka ... it was gloomy that day .. a very difficult panorama not only to shoot but to process as well .. the main issue being the wires of the Setu and to compose it in a manner so that it gets perfectly aligned when processed ....nevertheless i think i pulled it off ...
Woh shaam vakay mein ajeeb thi magar ye panorama mast hai ... lol hahahahhahaha

You must check the 360 panorama....and its on this link here - 

http://www.360cities.net/image/52-vidyasagar-setu-kolkata-west-bengal-india-humayunn-peerzaada#-49.55,90.00,110.0



***continued in part 3 ***

[theqca]

***part 3 continued***


You?ve also shot quite a bit in Kolkata. How did you end up shooting in Kolkata and can you share some of your favourite photos from there please?


I want to come out with a Coffee table book on iconic landmarks of India ? ethereal Kolkata was my first step towards it .. I thought I will stay there for 6 days and can capture Kolkata at its best ? lol even after 3 trips and around 20 days of me being there I still feel one can?t have enough of Kolkata


http://www.360cities.net/image/51-victoria-memorial-kolkata-west-bengal-india-humayunn-peerzaada

This panorama (the one on the link above) is the most dearest to me .. the 3rd and final trip to Kolkata was planned and made solely to shoot this particular panorama ..

A very difficult panorama not only to shoot but to process as well .. the main issue being the chess board tiles and its perfect alignment while shooting and if problem erupts while stitching/processing then to solve that as well ?







What are the mistakes that you made when you started photography? Some learning?s that you would like to share with us which can be of some benefit to us here on the forum?

It?s always been a trial and error sort of a learning for me ..  .. we are all learners and this art is so interesting and has so wide a spectrum that one cannot be proud and boast that he or she has mastered this craft ?

I have made many mistakes and keep making them but I don?t let my mistakes be uploaded and included in my body of work ? I?m myself a very strict critic ?

I have done 2 seasons of 365 that is roughly around 800 pictures ? if u view the 365 seasons folders Ayaz .. you will see some 400 pictures which I shot for these seasons and I have discarded and dumped them .. the photographer in me liked those photos as I have invested so much time and energy on them but the critic in me told me not to showcase them.





I?ve also noticed over the years that you have a very helpful sort of a nature as a photographer and have actually given out complete details on how you?ve shot some photos including details of the light set up. This is a unique trait because I don?t find a lot of photographers keen on sharing their knowledge because they feel someone else will get the same shot. What makes you so willing to share knowledge about how you shoot your images?


When I started out I always looked for someone knowledgeable to share knowledge, guide me and take me forward into this world of photography and I found no one.. except for Shabir Patel who is a store house of technical knowledge.

As I had started photography very late in life I felt I had very less time? so I have to be quick and fast in learning and grasping knowledge and also executing it ? No one gives u work unless and until you have a strong body of work ?. one needs to prove to the world that  you are good and you are different ? initially when I started shooting products, I bought the entire set up of studio lights and started shooting in my bedroom .. it was so cumbersome ? took me so much time to take out the lights, use them ? took so much time and energy ? after lot of research I finally decided to buy speed lights.

Sir Hari Mahidhar and Shabir patel helped me a lot ?. all of my product |table photography visuals have been shot in my bedroom with speed lights ?  it requires almost no space .. gives me the liberty to move around and use the speed light from any part of my room ? I make sure that those visuals look different from each other and I?m damn confident that no one can say or gauge that these product shots are shot in a bedroom ?

Now coming back to the answer I felt when I had no one to guide me, there are many like me who are groping in the dark waiting for someone to throw some light and show ways and means to realise the dream of making good photographs ? so whatever I learnt from those generous photographers who day in and day out share their knowledge through tutorials on YouTube - I did the same on Facebook by sharing how I do a particular shot ..


What I would like to tell upcoming photographers is that ?

- Photography is easy, it?s not difficult .. just pour in some passion and invest some time in it
- Don?t stick to one genre ..try to explore and master as many genres as possible.
- Shoot many but upload just one ? quality matters quantity doesn?t
- Don?t hammer 100s of pics of the same locations \ products etc at viewers?.
- Create a neat body of work ?












 
Are there some photos or locations that you?ve always wanted to shoot but haven?t been able to shoot them till date?

Yes! I still have to shoot the Bandra Worli Sea Link from the top of Taj Lands End? Gateway of India from the top of the Tajmahal Hotel ? Haji Ali Dargah from the top of Four seasons hotel .. apart from Mumbai my wish is to shoot the TAJMAHAL like never before .. Jama Masjid also like never before ? don?t know when these visuals of mine will be a reality



 
I?ve personally seen photos from you which are from a variety of different genres like blue hour photography, off camera flash strobist type photos, 360 degree panoramas, portrait, architecture, HDRs etc ? which genre do you like the most and why?

 I love them all .. but the main reason I bought speed lights was to shoot portraits of models at  lovely iconic landmarks of Mumbai .. but i have been unable to do so as there are so many restrictions and legalities ? this is the kind of work I wanted to do with models

















But as I just said one cannot do such shots without inviting trouble ?

Since I had invested so much on triggers and speed lights and before frustration would creep in I channelised that dream from outdoor to indoor having full control on location and the subject by shifting from portraits to doing products in my bedroom


Which is your favorite photography location and why?

 Haji Ali Dargah is the most fascinating location in our city .. i can keep clicking and keep getting different visuals of this iconic religious landmark of ours ? Baba has always made me happy by giving extraordinary visuals each time I have shot ? I think I?m probably the only one who has the maximum number of pictures of the Haji Ali Dargah ?




















From outside Mumbai .. i think Victoria Memorial is an amazing iconic location which I have captured ?











You are one of the few people I know off who have successfully completed a 365 project with 365 photographs which are actually ?good? photographs. How and why did you do this 365 project? Any tips or advice for someone who is planning on doing a similar project?
 
I have been a great fan of Photographer Dustin Diaz and have always been fascinated as to how he uploaded one picture of his everyday on flickr for 365 days ? Dustin Diaz and his 365 project has been a source of great inspiration for me ? that?s how I started a 365 project but unlike him I wanted explore all genres of photography and later decide as to what genre I will finally settle for ? so experimented mostly all genres and by the end of 365 I actually loved all genres and wanted to do all genres commercially and creatively.

Every photographer be it fresher or professional should attempt a 365 in his lifetime .. its  fun, it?s an eye opener .. makes one know the right and wrongs of photography .. one can explore genres and decide on the one which one is comfortable with ..it results in consistency, gives  speed and makes one quicker and makes one remember tiny and minute details ..  makes you updated .. one gets slammed or praised by peers and friends ? makes u grounded






Could you share some details on future photography projects that you?ve planned?

I am usually busy shooting commercial assignments pertaining mostly to architecture and product photography.

Creatively I have just started Humans of Mumbai inspired by Photographer Brandon Stanton .. i have just started it .. let?s see how it progresses

I have always been interested in people and have been shooting portraits in and around the streets of Mumbai city from a very long time, 2007 to be precise; I had titled the series "life continues?.

When 365 season II was about to end in February 2014, I knew there would be a vacuum of creative work for me.
That is when a friend of mine from FB asked me "what next?", for which I really had no answer. She suggested that I should take a look at the amazing work of a photographer and the theme he was working on. She thought that I would be perfect person to attempt the same for Mumbai city after my 365 project is completed.

She shared with me "humansofnewyork.com" by photographer Brandon Stanton. I was amazed to see Mr. Brandon's work and the passion he has put into the theme from 2010, shooting 5 portraits a day which he still continues to do. I was elated to see that the theme "life continues" and "humansofnewyork" share the same emotions and expressions and also are very similar in content.

Immensely inspired by this internationally acclaimed Photographer's passion for his project ?humansofnewyork?, I thought that I should continue the series of "life continues" but re-title it to "humansofmumbai?. ?humansofmumbai' would be similar and dissimilar in many ways from humansofnewyork.

For me a Human of Mumbai could actually be anyone, someone known or a complete stranger .. I won?t be following any bias of caste, creed, class, community or gender. Further, I have not restricted myself with a time frame for this particular project as compared to the 365 project which has specifics to follow to upload one photograph everyday. This will allow me to keep a balance between my commercial assignments and also passionately involve with HOM (Humans Of Mumbai). Presently I have targeted 4 portraits/stories a month and yet not keeping any specific time span as the theme is so humongous that it has all the possibilities of going on for a very long time.

It would be an interesting & enriching experience for me, not only as a photographer but also as a human being to shoot portraits from all walks of life living here in Mumbai .. my amazing, beautiful & glorious city Mumbai.

So with utmost earnestness and straight from the heart - I will try to capture the very essence of humansofmumbai i.e. The Spirit of Mumbai reflected in them.
 
http://humansofmumbaiin.tumblr.com/







Thank you for taking time out and sharing all these details with us Humayyun...On behalf of the forum - all the very best for your upcoming commercial and personal projects. Look forward to viewing your Humans Of Mumbai series during the course of the year.


*** the end ***

[dranand]

OMG ........... awesome, visual treat , excellent interview and write up. Gr8 going guys.

[Brendon]

Brilliant !!! Wonderful images. All of them were simply amazing. Excellent write up as well.

[Humayunn Peerzaada]

Thanks so much Photographer Ayaz Bambotia and Photography Club of India .. it was great to relive my journey of photography through this interview ...

[gautam023]

Made my day!!! Brilliant interview and a wonderful set of images!!!!
Keep it up PCI!!!!!

[Jasii]

Outstanding Ayaz ji! The pics were excellent and the write up was lucid and made us feel part of the action, wonderful insight into the world of a legend, I loved reading this and to say the least found it immensely inspiring.

    +1

Cheers!

[theqca]

Thanks so much Photographer Ayaz Bambotia and Photography Club of India .. it was great to relive my journey of photography through this interview ...

We're the one's who need to thank you for sharing ur work here Sir..... It's a pleasure to view your visuals!

[LightWave]

If I were to describe in one word .... "Inspirational"
Wonderful images, each has lessons to be learned from.

[shooter]

Very inspiring interview.....This forum is certainly getting enriched with so eminent people, and providing so much scope for us to learn so many new things. From my childhood days, I was very interested in panorama, and the interview just made my day. It was very pleasing to see the panoramic view of Kolkata.

[SharatKolke]

Ayaz, you have brought out Mr. Humayunn's passion and love for photography and his journey into the world of photography beautifully. Sir, your philosophical outlook to life as expressed in the quotes of Rumi further enhances the already beautiful photographs. Thanks for the visual treat!

[Hankosaurus]

WOW!  Just WOW!

What a delight and treat it was to read Ayaz's interview with Mr. Peerzaada! The story of Humayunn's journey, how he learned, how he took his decisions, how he grew.... and the splendid pictures..

All those things are totally amazing and inspirational.  Thank you. Thank you.

[sumit malhotra]

Truly amazing pictures and journey by Humayunn Peerzada Sir.

This interview is surely a great Inspiration to all.

[Sandeep]

Just went through the first part..loved it..keeping the rest for weekend to read and relish at leisure

Thanks Ayaz for this post..