As children, we all had our crushes and heroes. And we’d eulogize them in our own little way, by plastering their images across the walls or on cupboards, much to the annoyance of our mothers! Probably what drew us to these larger than life images were the celebrities’ vivid and grand persona. Portraying this very persona in his collection of fashion photography pictures, Arjun negotiates with the stereotypical outlook on fashion. The photographer pursues the offbeat paths of documenting it, dismissing the fuss about overly exotic locations or jazzy, non-relatable props.
Shot in unexplored locations across India, Arjun’s fashion photography albums have a traditional hint to them. His exceptional skill in finding beauty in ordinary places inspires the viewers to do the same. His photographs ensure an opera of artistry, enhanced by a dramatic play of light, thoughtfully selected backdrops, and entrancing color synchronization. The themes of Arjun’s fashion portraits swing from dramatic to elegant, bold and edgy to ethnic. Formulating in his head what would go best with the respective model’s charming features and the aura that they entail, Kamath customizes and choreographs the mood boards accordingly. This helps him instill liveliness in his photographs which can only be attained once all the pieces of the puzzle fit perfectly. Nupur breathes in tenderness, inspiring an ease like the one brought by a cold breeze on a warm summer day. On a different island lies Life, created to titillate one’s visual as well as emotional senses. Moving away from glamour, Arjun has shot Nicole, an artwork flaring with a hint of sensuality. Pleasing to the eye, his fashion photographs carry you to the dreamy land of beauty. Come, reiterate your love for fashion with Arjun as he wittily tries to change its definition for you, opening up a new perspective.
Rashmika Mandanna
Winters had cast their magical spell over Bengaluru when one fine morning Rashmika and I were on our way to the city's outskirts. We were headed to a picturesque farmhouse with a sunflower field in its backyard to click some vibrant and dreamy fashion portraits. As we paced away from the concrete jungle, the sky opened up to us in puffs of cottony clouds and the first hints of daylight. Soon enough, we approached our first location. As we made our way through a field painted with bright yellow and deep green, the sunflowers leaned in to convey their warm greetings. The joy in me grew with each step we took, as it was a long-standing dream of mine to shoot in an unending sea of sunflowers while mixing natural and artificial lights to create dramatic imagery. And so, it all unfurled. Rashmika graced my frames with sheer elegance and a fiery look in her eyes. The silver, magenta, and green in her silken saree shimmered under the lights, while her ornate jewellery adorned her demeanour with even more beauty.
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Malavika Mohanan
Mumbai skies had awoken with the perfect shade of blue when Malavika Mohanan and I set off on a drive to the city’s outskirts. It was a thoroughly pleasant morning—the crisp and refreshing winds were indeed playing their charms. We were headed to a tiny village by the countryside, away enough from Mumbai’s humdrum to spare some time for listening to the radio, watching the sky change colours, and of course, clicking a few photographs in serenity. Our musical car ride to the village ended with a lovely sight of the sun painting the hamlet golden. Very much in our spirits, Malavika and I began exploring the ancient gullies sprinkled with colourful tiny houses, spotting a mooing calf here, a bunch of merry kids there.
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Malavika Mohanan
The afternoon seemed divine when Malavika and I made our way to the wild and quiet landscape of Karjat. We had left from Mumbai earlier that morning, listening to the radio and exchanging stories as we drove past golden fields and tiny settlements. And while the verdant city of Karjat is only a 2-hour drive from the metropolitan, it seems like a different world altogether. A sheer serenity enveloped the air as we walked into the wilderness, skipping rocks in the gurgling stream and listening to the chirping birds hovering above. After a fun hike up and down the rocky hills, I stopped to behold a frame that brought all the fine elements of Nature together.
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Shweta Tripathi
After wrapping up the shoot for The Anxiety Series, Shweta still had a day in Bengaluru before she flew back to Mumbai. So, Arjun decided to use that day for conversations and a simple shoot. While the sun was still moving up in the afternoon sky, they decided to hang out in one of the city’s chic and serene cafés. Having watched her powerful performances in acclaimed Indian films and series like Masaan, Mirzapur, and Made in Heaven, the duo had a lot to discuss and muse over. And thus, over coffees and shared stories, Arjun clicked a few pictures of the poised and graceful Shweta, her expressive face contrasting the maroon turtleneck.
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Shraddha Srinath
How many different worlds lay hidden in a single land, with their own little stories and lives? Drawing wonderment from this question, Arjun experimented with different themes on this photoshoot. Previously, he had collaborated with the renowned film actress, Shraddha Srinath, for his pictorial story called Coming Out. So, this time around, they decided to curve away and explore the city flavours. Shot in and around Bengaluru, the photoshoot depicts Shraddha in three entirely unique characters, highlighting the rustic moods and unexplored gullies of the metropolitan.
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Neha Sharma
It was one of those mornings when time stood still or at least felt like it. The golden hours seemed to have decided to hang around for a while longer, enjoying this little celebration of art. The sunlight masked itself graciously on Neha, accentuating her eyes and everything they stand for: honey under the sun, chocolate in the company of the moon. Donned in silver ornaments teeming gleefully on her black and maroon attire, Neha appears to don entire traditions and cultures in the photographs. Arjun captures events which are rather ordinary and pours gold into them. A man in red turban enjoys his cigar, as her piercing gaze approaches the camera lens boldly. In a different scene, she appears to be amusing herself over a fond memory, while two men busy themselves in a game of chess on the rustic porch. Kamath introduces the viewer to the richness of folk objects like an antiquated veranda proudly displaying the last of its paint, flamboyant turbans that perfectly match the stance of the men who wear them, and the cotton wraparound tunics, locally called angarkhis, that add to their grace. By doing so, he steadily transports the audience to the land of melodious sarangis and alleys sprawled with bright colours.
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Fatima
Only a woman knows her endurance, her pains, and her longings. She feels each emotion deeply, working her way into the minute mazes of her heart, making separate rooms for all of them. Maybe this is why when she laughs, there is no hidden worry in her joy. And when she cries, she does so unapologetically. Fatima is a fashion photography shoot that talks about the perennial happiness a woman carries with her. Even on the days when she can’t feel it herself, others feel it through her. Built on a lighter note, the fashion shoot observes Fatima wearing a half smile, revealing of her only the parts that she wants to. Mischievous and radiant, her expressions instill curiosity and delight. Keeping in mind the technical and artistic temperaments of a fashion portfolio, Kamath represents the actor’s poise and elegance in Indian flavours. He delivers the pictures without diminishing the actress’ amicable aura or meddling with the authenticity of her personality. Although sober in makeup and styling, the shoot offers some very dramatic headshots.
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Nupur
The richness of Mumbai lies in the many experiences it offers. From bustling alleys with houses endorsing half-peeled paint to the diamond necklace assembled with uber-modern houses, the city has it all. On a quiet summer morning when the city was still waking up, Nupur and Arjun had taken upon a fashion photography expedition. While passing one of the many colorful and energetic lanes around Mumbai’s CST, the artists were invited inside a quaint little shop by an amiable presser. The moment they stepped in, the photographer was overcome with a sense of elation induced by the dramatically bright colors the shop endorsed. He decided to make an image right there. Exploring further, the descent of sunlight at an ordinary bus-stand caught the photographer’s eye. In a moment, another stunning picture was made. Casual yet focused, Kamath made the city’s most public roads his canvas and painted a unique picture on it. Part of the reason why his shoots are so enjoyable is that he looks for brilliance in habitual places and then pours magic into them.
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Life
She has more temples in her landscape than walking space. She inhabits stupor and self-realization in equal observance. She makes a man question life as he has lived it. She holds the forsaken and the hopeless to her bosom like they’re her own children. She endorses an undying spirituality, enthralling anyone who encounters it up close. King Harishchandra, Lord Rama, Kalidasa, and George Harrison are some of the umpteen names which grace the treasured stories she tells. The fires of her burning ghats singe your soul. Observing death up close, feeling it swarm somewhere above you in the smoke is enough to steal your sleep for the night. Her overflowing alleys engross all your senses at once. She has room for twenty-three thousand temples and atheists alike. She encourages your mischief and banishes it over time. She spins on her own whims, ridicules reality, and swallows you whole. She has been in existence since time immemorial. She is the heartland of India, the holiest place on earth. Bathing in the vivacious waters of Varuna and Assi rivers, she is entire India packed up in a single city.
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Nicole
Beauty does not need to orchestrate itself. It finds a way to glow. And the way tulips bloom with spring, beauty flourishes in its own time and at its own stride. More than an attribute, it is a tribute to everything a woman is. It speaks of women in what is tangible in them and what is impalpable. It does not distinguish between the fair-toned or the dusky-skinned. Or the slender and the curvy. You see, it doesn’t follow a rulebook at all. It blushes over women who carry flowers on their backs. Who fill their collarbones with droplets of kindness. Who are fierce and gentle, depending on the day. And then again, beauty does not need to orchestrate itself. It just finds a corner, slips in, and rests there unannounced. And it is felt nonetheless.
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Nammooru Bengaluru
You wake up to the sound of your name as mother slides the curtains and the sunlight fills the room with golden air. Ajja sits in the verandah, quietly reading the newspaper and sipping his morning tea, waiting to buckle your shoes and drop you off at school. In the afternoon, your little feet dance as you hurriedly step inside the house, change your clothes, and in microseconds, you are again at your doorstep with a bat in your hand. You call your gully friends and get lost in the thrill of cricket as you know it. The bright afternoon melts into a grey evening. Old men and women donning plain traditional clothes head for the evening arati at the Shiva temple just around the corner. You look up and give them a faint smile and they reciprocate it with a grin. The dark then takes over and before you realize it’s time to tend your mighty responsibilities- homework, dinner, and sleep. Then one day, you wake up an adult and it hits you- there was much profoundness being a child.
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Amchi
If personified, Mumbai would be this sassy, bold, well-spoken woman who seeks no one and is loved by all. Rivers of men and women festoon the city’s streets, railways, shops, and footpaths even at the oddest hours of the day. Each day is like a new, ephemeral life that gives birth to a thousand glittering dreams and in turn, buries a million. The scramble of the local trains, abrupt gushes of aroma from the tantalizing street food tadka, and the dramatic weather all chisel the city’s soul. Enchanted by its buzzing lifestyle, Arjun finds a second home in Mumbai. He took resort of the city for fashion photography with Amchi. It portrays the spirit of the city, fashioned by the ever graceful Nidhi Sunil. Unlike most of Kamath’s shoots which are exhaustively planned and well-choreographed, this one was very spontaneous. Arjun realized he was going to be free for a day when in Mumbai, so he instinctively dialed Nidhi’s number just a couple of days before the shoot and things surprisingly fell into place.
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Padhaaro Mhaare Des - An iPhone only fashion series
Let’s be honest, we have all tried to click photographs through our mobile phones and felt that it is impossible to get them right. An intrigued Arjun challenged himself to shoot an entire series with a mobile phone camera, barring all accessories. Padhaaro Mhaare Des, a fashion photography series shot only on iPhone successfully sculpted his beliefs into reality. With this shoot, he proved the two ideologies deep-seated in his mind. One, the best camera is the one that you’re holding in your hands. Two, the world is your oyster and you can excel at your work with conviction and effort, regardless of the tools. While using the iPhone 8 as his sole gear, Arjun took advantage of the soft sunlight at dawn and nothing else to come up with some breathtaking shots.
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Sobhita
Imagine waking up in the holiest place your mind can fathom. You feel the divinity in the air as it softly tugs at your heartstrings. The cold water kisses your warm feet, awakening your senses. It gives you the audacity to believe in something you can’t quite put your finger on. Temple bells jingle in the distance, calling you closer. The crisp smell of camphor and the burning jasmine incense tickles your nose. You are surrounded by men cladding saffron and women dressed in saris with elaborate precision, covering their heads as they offer prayers to the sun and the water and the skies. You float across the courtyard taking in the surroundings as they come, and suddenly you find yourself losing all the weight of the heart and the mind. You are unaware of the soft smile on your lips or of the disappearing creases from your forehead. At that moment, you are wondrous but not perplexed, and curled up in a blanket of stillness.
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Simran
She has graced the world of films with her timeless charm and divinity, winning millions of hearts over the years. Even after having worked with Mani Ratnam and bagging two Filmfares, Simran walks so down to earth that she could almost be mistaken for a mortal. The goddess of Tamil films, Simran Bagga came across Arjun’s work online and loved it. Following collaborative discussions, Arjun flew to Chennai when their timelines finally matched and that’s how the shoot came to life. Prepping up for it, he roamed around Chennai for two days, looking for the perfect location to document a fashion photography shoot with the actress. In search of a quiet place isolated from Chennai’s bustle, the photographer stumbled upon a colorful shrine in Mylapore. He knew in an instant that the temple would make for a fitting background, accommodating quaintness in its stone texture and brightly colored vicinity.
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