Lightscapes

Well-known photographer, artist and educator, Shailan Parker has spent over three decades perfecting his craft.

What does it take to get one brilliant shot? 

SP: Light, light, light! Being at the right place at the right spot at the right time and with the right photo gear. That is the decisive moment. However, for 'arranged' photography, it takes no less than a mini design project with all its 5Ws.

How would you briefly describe your journey in photography? 

SP: It has been a fascinating, educative and roller coaster journey! Over the last 30 odd years, my assignments have taken me across India to cover various genres – from working on the Nehru Exhibition at Victoria and Albert Museum, London and the Swaraj Bhavan Museum, Allahabad to advertising, fashion, food, industrial and architectural photography, and editorial, publishing and social communication. My clients include corporates, advertising agencies, institutions, NGOs, designers, artists, galleries and publications. I have also worked on several books like Tandoor–The Great Indian Barbecue, Hyderabadi Cuisine, Pottery and the Legacy of Sardar Gurcharan Singh, Handicrafts of India, and Celebrating 150 Years of Income Tax in India.

I am a partner at PhotoDesign with my wife, Indrani De Parker, a communication designer and educator from NID, who is currently a PhD scholar at IDC, IIT Bombay, Mumbai. Both of us have provided the Indian imaging and communication industry with reliable, result-oriented services, season after season. Our ability to design communication products and craft visuals around the client's brief and communicate visual narratives of artifacts, lifestyles, services and businesses has made PhotoDesign fairly successful for over three decades.