Through the Looking Glass

Advertising man and a genius behind the photographer’s lens, Ash Khosla talks to Apparel about building a business in the world of professional photography and creating a brand through his unique ideologies...

- Ash Khosla

TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT HOW YOU STARTED YOUR CAREER? WHEN DID YOU DECIDE YOU WANTED TO TAKE UP PHOTOGRAPHY AS A CAREER?

Before moving to live in the UK, I owned an advertising agency in New Delhi. A career in advertising usually means no work-life-balance, and having been in the fast lane long enough, I decided to make a somewhat natural shift to photography as a full-time career in 2010. My business today - MagicEye Design – is one of the biggest and best-equipped professional photography studios in Northern Ireland, UK. Like any business, we have multiple revenue streams. However, we specialise in creating advertising photo shoots and ad films for fashion and clothing brands.

FROM ADVERTISING TO PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY. WHAT WAS THE REASON BEHIND SUCH A MOVE?

While in advertising, I frequently hired top Indian photographers, like for example, Dabboo Ratnani who shot Lisa Ray for one of my client’s assignments in 1998. Having worked with so many photographers and observed their work up close along with their individual styles, I had the liberty to critic and compare their work. This gave me a unique perspective and the analytical skill to bridge gaps.

WHAT INTRIGUES YOU MOST ABOUT PHOTOGRAPHY?

Photography is a science and an art. Finding an ideal balance between the two is key. Learning and development in photography is an endless journey, because the more you learn, the more you realise how little you know. With constant technological developments, the challenge is to keep up to its pace and continuously upgrade equipment and improve skill sets.

TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOUR FIRST FEW GIGS FOR INDIAN CUSTOMERS AS A PHOTOGRAPHER.