Commercial photography for the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship

Posted on January 30, 2012

Commercial photography for the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship

Just before Christmas, Karan was asked to shoot the promotional images for the HSBC-sponsored Abu Dhabi Golf Championships. It was a whirlwind job: Karan flew to Dubai on the Friday, shot on location at the Abu Dhabi golf course on the Sunday, spent part of Monday in a Dubai studio and was home doing post-production work late on Monday. The job was finished on Christmas Eve.

The tournament, which finished a few days ago on 29th January, is one of the biggest events on the PGA European Tour. This year’s event was won by Englishman Robert Rock, who held off giants of the game including Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods.

The brief given to Karan from Tristan, the Creative Director at JWT Dubai was “the giants are coming” and so the notion of giants formed the heart of this commercial brief. Each shot for the campaign needed a Gulliver’s Travels feel, to signal the arrival of golfing’s greatest. The images demonstrate gigantic versions of players and their kit with spectators and families looking up in awe as the sport’s finest gather to compete.

The campaign needed to not only encourage golf fans to come to the tournament but also had to appeal to families and couples who could have a nice day out on the golf course.

“I really enjoyed this job,” said Karan. “It was a joy to work with Tristan and Joseph at JWT, and all credit goes to Hikmat, the production manager from Magnet Photo Productions, who did a wonderful job of pulling everything together in such a short period of time.”

Agency: JWT Dubai
Creative Director: Tristan Fitzgerald
Art Director: Joseph Alipio
Retouching: Sinisa Savic
Production Manager : Hikmat Ghandour (Magnet Photo Productions)

Commercial photography for the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship is a post from Karan Kapoor’s blog. His main website is here.

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Waterworks interview in Digital SLR magazine

Posted on December 16, 2011

Waterworks interview in Digital SLR magazine

In November 2011, Karan was interviewed for a feature in Digital SLR Photography, the UK’s popular photography magazine. Features Editor Caroline Wilkinson wanted to find out about Karan’s work, particularly the extensive amount of underwater photography he’s done throughout his career, for clients including Atlantis Resorts in Dubai and Pfizer, the pharmaceutical giant.

“For some reason, my work always tends to be about water,” says Karan. “So I was very happy to talk to Digital SLR Photography magazine about the challenges of underwater photography and the techniques I use.”

Many of Karan’s commercial and advertising commissions have had an aquatic element, needing him to work underwater as well as from dry land.obs where I need to go underwater as well as be on land. “I’ve always been connected to water,” he says, “so, in a way, it’s fate that my career took this focus. It’s just one aspect of what I do, but it does sum up my most iconic work. Underwater work has always been an important part of my portfolio and my profile.”

Karan, who used to swim and play water polo as a child, still swims several times a week. “I love being in the water,” he says, ” and my kids love it, too. My wife however prefers to watch us swimming from the warmth of a sun lounger on the beach!”

For more information about the techniques and kit Karan uses for underwater commissions, and details of some of his underwater projects, click on the images to read the article.

Did you see the interview in Digital SLR Photography magazine? What did you think?

Waterworks interview in Digital SLR magazine is a post from Karan Kapoor’s blog. His main website is here.

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Beauty shoot with Nadira V Persaud

Posted on December 13, 2011

Beauty shoot with Nadira V Persaud

In October 2011, Karan collaborated with leading makeup artist Nadira V Persaud on a personal project which was a little different to his typical photography work.

“Nadira asked me to work with her on this personal project to showcase her makeup work,” Karan explains. “It was totally different to the type of photography I usually do, and we were both really pleased with how it turned out. The shoot had its challenges – it took a bit of time to find the right models – but the end result is great. The look is really interesting.”

Karan has done beauty photography in the past but, as he explains, it is usually character- or personality-driven, such as the shoot he did for Olay featuring Twiggy.

“This shoot was really enjoyable,” Karan says of the Nadira V Persaud project. “It wasn’t as action-packed and energy-driven as my usual stuff, but it was very calming. It was nice to be in the studio when it was cold outside! Usually I’m outdoors competing with the elements.”

Nadira blogged about the shoot here

Nadira’s blog
Nadira’s website

Models: Rose from Models One and Egle from Nevs Model Agency
Photographer: Karan Kapoor
Make up and hair: Nadira V Persaud
Retoucher: Sinisa Savic

Beauty shoot with Nadira V Persaud is a post from Karan Kapoor’s blog. His main website is here.

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Karan Kapoor selected for AOP Open photography award

Posted on October 10, 2011

Karan Kapoor selected for AOP Open photography award

Karan has been selected for the AOP Open 2011 awards and exhibition, which is open both to the public and to the Association Of Photographers. The picture selected is from a personal series Karan shot in Goa, India, over a number of years.

“The image selected for the AOP Open is from a personal project I shot in Goa over the years,” explains Karan. “It started in the mid 1980s, a long time before the digital era. I spent a load of time riding around the interior unknown parts of Goa, capturing a world that was very different from most people’s perception of Goa and indeed of India. I suppose I was searching for the real old Goa. It was a great time: just me, my Royal Enfield motorbike and my Hasselblad 503. The image holds special memories of a great time for me and that’s partly why I chose it when thinking which image to enter into this contest.”

The AOP Open is run by the Association of Photographers and has been running for 11 years, attracting around 1,500 global entries annually. It is the only photography competition which gives professionals and amateurs the chance to compete on equal terms. There are no categories or themes, so each photographer has completely free choice when it comes to submitting work.

In 2010, the AOP open attracted over 4000 voters. Add your voice to the vote this year! Vote for your favourite image in the Public Choice award. Voting closes at 1pm on Thursday 13th October and everyone who votes will be entered into a prize draw: the prize is a wonderful collection of photographic books which any photography fan would love.

If you like Karan’s picture then please vote for it and show your support: just click this link to register, and you’ll see Karan’s photo (above). Thank you.

Karan Kapoor selected for AOP Open photography award is a post from Karan Kapoor’s blog.

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Skyride photoshoot campaign

Posted on September 22, 2011

Skyride photoshoot campaign

Skyride city events are a nationwide series of summer events aimed at encouraging people to get on their bikes. In 2010, over 200,000 people took part in free-mass participation rides all over the UK.

Karan was asked to shoot the campaign used to promote the 2011 events. It’s a major campaign with a production to match: a section of London’s Embankment was closed off for the purposes of shooting, and more than 20 models of all ages were hired for the day.

“There was a real range of ages amongst the models,” says Karan, ”from grandparents to toddlers on bikes with stabilisers. The one thing they had in common was that they had to come hurtling down a steep bit of camber towards my camera lens! They all had to ride so close to me that I needed an assistant on each side to protect the camera lens – just in case! Thankfully nobody fell off their bike, but some of them were a bit shaky and I’ll admit to being a little worried at times. Thankfully there were no accidents, just a couple of close calls!”

The campaign was actually shot during the 2010 Skyride event, and there wasn’t a lot of space for the action-packed shoot. To get the images, Karan had to lie on the ground (for about 10 hours!) and shoot upwards. “The remit was images which were full of movement and action, portraying a range of real people enjoying cycling,” explains Karan.

Although Karan has done work in the past for Sky, this was his first time working for Sky Creative and with Christopher Ringsell.

CLIENT: SKYRIDE
AGENCY: SKY CREATIVE
HEAD OF PRINT CREATIVE: CHRISTOPHER RINGSELL
STYLIST: LOU DE VILLE

Skyride photoshoot campaign is a post from Karan Kapoor’s blog

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Friends Life commercial shoot

Posted on August 24, 2011

Friends Life commercial shoot

When Friends Life insurance company launched, they commissioned Karan to shoot for this multi-media campaign. The brand was to be launched with five images and accompanying videos.

The shoot used five different locations, as you can see in the images and videos in this blog post: a beach, mountain, dirt road, dance studio and football pitch and the setting was beautiful Cape Town. Karan recalls a fun and challenging shoot which resulted in great images.

“The Friends Life insurance shoot was exciting,” he says, “because it had a video element to it as well as stills. We had bad luck with the weather and there was a small child crying on the beach throughout the shoot, but we got there in the end!

“It was great to work with Richard and John, the Creative Director and Art Director. All in all, this project was a very enjoyable one to be part of.”

As mentioned, this project involved creating video as well as stills. The video clips are at the end of this blog post; do take a look.

CLIENT: Friends Life
AGENCSY: CST the Gate
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Richard Hayter
ART DIRECTOR: John Taylor





Friends Life commercial shoot is a post from Karan Kapoor’s blog.

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Wild in Tuscany: commercial advertising shoot

Posted on July 21, 2011

Wild in Tuscany: commercial advertising shoot

Here’s a sneak preview of just some of the stunning images Karan created for an international brand when he was asked to shoot a major campaign for them on location in beautiful Tuscany.

The images, which have just been released, were shot last August.

“This was a huge job,” explains Karan. “It was a five-day shoot which involved flying in six models from London and setting up a big fake rainstorm. It represented a great opportunity for me to work with great bunch of models, a fantastic creative team and a major client and agency.

“It was hard work – physical, long hours and strenuous – but there were plenty of bonuses. An amazing location, great food, a wonderful crew and – as you can see – a fantastic set of images at the end of it all.

“One of our biggest challenges lay in creating the rain sequence you can see here. We were shooting at an incredible old Medici palace overlooking rolling hills… lovely views, but not so lovely for those who had to somehow get a huge tanker of water up the steep hill! And, wouldn’t you know it, just before we started to shoot, we had a huge thunderstorm and downpour! It was quite bizarre as that’s exactly what we wanted for the shoot, but as soon as we started work the sun came out. The rain you see in the images is, in fact, fake.”

Tuscany is a part of the world Karan hadn’t visited prior to this shoot, but he’d love to go again. “We shot in various locations, from Florence to Siena,” he says. “The scenery, landscape and light is simply stunning. It’s a great part of the world, very inspiring.”

As well as these vibrant images, bursting with Karan’s trademark energy and colour, here’s a very short video clip, shot by Karan’s assistant on camera phone. It captures the hard work – and the fun – which lies behind just one of the seemingly effortless sequences you see captured in these images. Get a sneak peak into what life is like on a high-end commercial photography shoot!

There are 11 images in total from this shoot. To see them all, visit Karan’s website.

First assistant: Dan Brownsword
Makeup and hair: Nadira Persud
Stylist: Elizabeth Cavatorta
Retoucher: Sinisa Savic

Wild in Tuscany: commercial advertising shoot is a post from Karan Kapoor’s blog.

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Still motion animation project, Karan Kapoor and the LPA

Posted on June 27, 2011

Still motion animation project, Karan Kapoor and the LPA

This clip shows part of a project Karan did with the London Photographic Association (LPA). Using motion animation, the treatment gave Karan’s images a 3-dimensional appearance.

“I was approached by the LPA and asked to supply an image to do a test for a still motion project,” Karan explains. “It’s really interesting to see what happens when you put a bit of motion to a still. I really enjoyed being part of the process.

“The development of video thing is interesting and another aspect of photography for us to learn about, understand and experiment with. I think it could become a bigger part of the industry – just consider all the filmatic billboards in tube stations.”

‘Still Motion Process’ was developed by Peter Remmers. It is a creative process whereby a still image can be turned into a motion sequence incorporating sound and text. The result can be subtle or dynamic.

Peter Remmers is represented by LPA Productions.

Still motion animation project, Karan Kapoor and the LPA is a post from Karan Kapoor’s blog.

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Harrah’s Casino and Resort commercial shoot, California

Posted on June 24, 2011

Harrah’s Casino and Resort commercial shoot, California

This two-day shoot for the Harrah Casino and Resort had a fantastic location as you can see from the images. It was shot in the midde of nowhere on an Indian Reservation in California. The shoot was gruelling, involving long hours and 10 models but the results were great and the client was delighted with the 11 shots which come to life with Karan’s recognisable use of style, colour and dynamic movement.

Karan enjoyed working at such an unusual location. “I did listen to all the gambling advice given by concerned friends,” he says, “they told me to place a chip on all numbers but 37! But none of it worked… At least I didn’t come home broke!”

Photographer: Karan Kapoor
Client: Harrahs
Agency: BBDO
Creative Director: Sean O’Brien
Art Director: Brian Ho
Art Buyer: Cameron Barnum
Production: Anderson Hopkins

Harrah’s Casino and Resort commercial shoot, California is a post from Karan Kapoor’s blog.

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Wild Wadi shoot, Dubai

Posted on May 23, 2011

Wild Wadi shoot, Dubai

Karan was recently commissioned to shoot a series of vibrant images for Dubai’s Wild Wadi Waterpark. As you can see from the images chosen here from the shoot, he lent his trademark visual style to the project, capturing movement and exhilaration in stunning colour and clarity.

Karan said: “Don’t tell my kids, but… best part of the shoot was the recce, when I got to try out all the rides at the waterpark!”

The Wild Wadi Waterpark includes 30 rides and attractions and is situated in front of the Burj al Arab. It has won lots of awards for technology and innovation, including the Dubai Quality Award Gold (2007). This project partnered award-winning photographer and award-winning subject – and the results speak for themselves.

Karan was assisted on the shoot by Dan Brownsword and Kishen. Retouching was done by Sinisa Savic and the Producer was Arabian Eye.

Wild Wadi shoot, Dubai is a post from Karan Kapoor’s blog.

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