Colston Julian

Colston Julian says I do not have a company name as such. I go under my name Colston JULIAN, which over the years now has begun to be a brand in a way.

He is one of India's leading fashion & commercial photographers. He has worked as a photographer now for a period of 24 years. He has had interesting collaborations with many global brands and also associated with SONY Alpha which today is in its eighth year.

On speaking of choosing cricketers over actors he says "I did not choose cricketers over actors. I have shot both throughout my career. However, over the past 8 years, I realized that I am photographing cricketers a lot more and I began enjoying the process. I felt I enjoyed the photography process more with cricketers as I got to know them better. They too got a lot more comfortable working with me. With the cricketers, I found that they are a bit easier to work with as they do not have as much pressure as the actors do. This gave me some room to try different things with them in the process of creating interesting images and work. I have been fortunate to also work with some athletes because of my association with cricket ."

I don't look at it as competition. I believe media has evolved over the past 10-12 years with the growth of digital consumption and even more social media. Traditional platforms have now evolved in a new digital avtar and the consumption of visuals, be it images, motion pictures or mixed media. With this evolution, there has been a massive demand for visuals ( both images and film ) which in turn has led to a new crop of image makers and filmmakers that are more focused towards mass and quick consumption of volumes of media that I would say is a specialty on its own. I think there is space for growth on all fronts as these days clients still want to shoot billboards and new print/editorial. This aside it is now a very competitive space with clients asking for more at the same time and budgets . It is a question of time when both the spaces (traditional and digital ) shall be more well defined and shall need specialization of their own. I think it is important now to specialize and focus on what you want to do more importantly to offer client's solutions as per their requirements. It is important as a photographer to understand the market and client requirements when engaging a client. In my case I get approached for complex projects sometimes with celebrities/athletes, I have realised that clients come to me as I have the exposure and experience and are looking for someone to deliver, quotes Colston while he tells us about dealing with competition in today's world with so many photographers around.

Speaking of that one technique or a unique quality which makes his photography different from the others he adds, I enjoy the craft of photography. I think my work is clean and classic. I am all for the craft of image making. I tend to steer away from trends and if I can't then I adapt them to the classics and make it work. I do like my work to be clean and sharp and well made. I try not to be too trendy.

To maintain a great relationship with all of them even after so many years, Colston thinks the most important trait that one should possess is to be human and approach everything else with the simplest mindset. He thinks over time, being humble and honest really helps.