KOCHI: One of the few internationally known women fashion photographers from India, Nisha Kutty’s expert eye has been behind many a breathtaking photograph in publications like Elle, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, Femina and many more. Her advertising campaigns for MTV India, Levis Red Loop 2007, Lakme fashion Week 2008, Lee jeans and Elite Calendar 2008 won her much acclaim. Known for her bold and unconventional approach towards a subject, she has been nominated for awards such as the MTV fashion photographer of the year. Nisha Kutty is born to a Malayali father and a Tamilian mother, and now shuttles between Mumbai and New York. A lady of few words, she speaks about how she got to where she is now.
Getting into photography and fashion photography...
I majored in photography at the Sir J J institute of Applied Art in Mumbai and later apprenticed with fine art photographer Beat Presser in Basel, Switzerland. I just loved the medium and wanted to explore it. My dad wasn’t too happy about my choice but my mother didn’t have an issue. I normally just do what I feel is right so I wasn’t too concerned about me being an Indian woman, I just wanted to become a photographer, so I slogged and slaved, and worked as a lowly assistant, getting paid ` 2500 per month and travelling by bus and slowly moved up!
I grew up reading magazines like the US and UK Vogue from my elder sister and was mesmerised by the pictures, the make-up and the models. I love clothes and fashion and how things can come together at a shoot. Right then, and still, I feel that it’s the perfect vocation for me. I think in any situation it’s best to see what drives you from inside, if it is a true and lasting force, don’t ignore it, everything else will work its way around it.
On photography and photographs...
Photography actually involves a lot of emotion. Images have the ability to evoke quite strong emotional reactions. It’s very hard for me to put into words exactly what the process means to me but there is a certain elusive quality that one chases and if it is achieved, then for me, that is a successful photograph. Usually the amount of energy and emotion you put into the work elicits a proportionate response from the viewer. There are so many factors one plays with - colours, light, fabric, textures, the human body and face - so all in all it’s a good combination of all these factors that make a good photograph.
Being a woman photographer...
There were problems...earlier on. Women tend to be naive and trusting and this sometimes reflect on their business deals. But I learnt quickly. It’s best to make one’s terms and conditions clear from the beginning. Women are naturally more creative and less business-minded so this, I feel, is a huge obstacle.
What works best...
The work I like to do best is when everything at the shoot is of a certain quality and people are really giving it their best.
Then every shoot is great! It’s annoying when people have concerns besides the shoot and are not truly interested in what they are doing.
The biracial project she had done...
It was just interesting for me visually, just apart from all the sociological aspects of it. I lived in Fort Greene in Brooklyn, where everyone seems to be of mixed ethnicity - half-white or half-black or other mixtures of something mixed with black. So I started taking portraits of women and their mixed race children and that project literally changed my life but that’s another story! I did this for about eight months and gathered quite a collection of pictures.
Advice to an aspiring photographer, especially a woman...
To women I would say it’s best to figure out the business end of things right in the beginning. If they feel incapable of doing it, they should hire a financial advisor to handle it for them. This way they don’t end up getting exploited financially or getting raw deals.
ashaprakash@expressbuzz.com