Colston Julian's Fashion Shoot Amidst Ganesh Processions Is Stunning

With Ganesh Chaturti celebrations on-going, the festivities may represent different things to different people. For some, it’s the most important festival of the year, where peace and faith come together in prayer. For others, it might be a more loud, vibrant and exhibitionist celebration than they’d care for. And for others, it might be an inconvenience at the periphery of their radar. But it takes a particularly creatively-inclined mind to see it the way photographer Colston Julian saw it--as the backdrop of a fashion feature.

“I’ve always been amazed with Ganesh. Being in Mumbai, you can’t help but be fascinated by it, and in a way it signifies the core of the city,” Colston shares with us. What started off as recce for a possible short film ended up being a discovery of the vibrancy that surrounds Ganesh Chaturti celebrations in the city. Born and brought up in Mumbai, he always saw these processions as something that truly signify the core of the city, and that inspired him to shoot a fashion feature around these iconic festivities that every Mumbaikar relates to. And, as anyone who’s witnessed these processions can imagine, this shoot was not an easy feat.

“None of it was planned. We didn’t have a permit, and even if we were to get one, it would have been a broadcast permit. We formed a team of 25 on the ground, with six or eight people constantly with the model. It was extremely hectic.” Shot in the areas of Chowpatty, Lalbaug, and the backend of Fort, this shoot was chaotic to say the least. “We had a relay of cars. Communication and transport was a mess. We did dry runs to try and work out the logistics, location and the lighting. It was a complete nightmare, and for shoots like this logistics are very important,” Colston shares. But, logistics weren’t their only kryptonite. “We had to be very careful not to offend people, or get in their way. We briefed the Team to be very polite and sensitive. Especially since a lot of people were intoxicated. But, we got cooperation from a couple of mandals--we wouldn’t have been able to do it without that.”

Unsurprisingly, the execution of a shoot where religious sentiments run his, is filled with endless challenges. “We would spend some time with a particular procession, and make a connection with the people there, assuring a level of comfort and understanding. Only then did we ask if we could shoot a photograph with them.” While these celebrators might have cooperated with the shoot while it was happening, the usage of a religious procession as the backdrop of a commercial fashion shoot had the potential to stir some trouble with devout believers. Fortunately, as Colston explains, that didn’t happen. “Through this shoot, we’ve documented fashion in a unique social environment. I did expect some problems, but it went off very smoothly, and there were no problems at all. There was no backlash, no one responded to the shoot in a bad way. People can be sensitive, and these things have to be respected, so we took certain measures to be careful. The model was covered up, the clothes were Indian, and they weren’t obscene.” He shares that they were particularly worried with regard to one specific picture that involved the model sitting at the feet of an idol posing, but that too gained no negative commentary.

Interestingly, Julian, commercial photographer, belongs to the studio breed, more used to controlled lighting and constructed backdrops. But, back in 2010, he broke away from the rigidity of studio shoots, and moved into a more fluid space of visual expression, and this shift inspired him to work on a project like the Ganesh photo-shoot. “For me, the idea of Ganesh came because my work back in 2010 was more studio based, and not so much on location. Eventually, I started to shoot on the streets. And as I saw more of where I’m from, I realized that it’s important to show the space and environment that you come from. It was about shooting the environment, not about making a statement regarding Ganesh celebrations. I wanted to be a part of the festivities and celebrations in general.” But, this fluidity and open form of expression isn’t an easy feat. Dealing with a set that you can’t control is a challenge, especially if that set is a live, bright, loud and crowded Ganesh Chaturti truck in the midst of the festivities bustling across the city. Still, Colston and his team rose to the occasion. “It’s something I embraced completely. Because of my cinematography background, I’m used to a more fluid and larger set. It’s so exciting, because we were constantly changing things on the go, and always coming out with something more. My style explores a new format of street style. This shoot changed my style of photography for fashion features,” he candidly admits.

He believes that the visuals one can create out on the streets amidst the cultural and social environment of a buzzing city is something you can never find in a closed studio. And taking this street shooting culture across the world, he’s worked in New York, Milan, Tokyo, Paris and so forth with a similarly dynamic style. Across India too, he has shot a Mumbai-based travel story in the local trains, that too without a permit, which made this shoot a guerilla-style one. His wide-angled, spontaneous approach with liquidity and movement saw itself emerge in Kolkata, and Goa as well. But, to the great delight of Mumbaikars, he maintains that Goa isn’t as exciting and lively a location to shoot as Mumbai is, with its unique fabric. “Mumbai has a lot of texture to it. It’s very Indian in so many ways, but still has a lot of Western influence, which adds to its diversity. For instance, these Ganesh processions representing Indian festival culture will play western-style trance music.”

Watch the making of this photo-shoot here. 

The Making Of Colston Julian’s Fashion Shoot Amidst Ganesh Pro...Watch the insightful making of Colston Julian’s fashion photography feature amidst Ganesh processions. It might change the way you view these festivities in India. View the entire photo-series here:http://homegrown.co.in/colston-julians-fashion-shoot-amidst-ganesh-processions-is-stunning/
Posted by Homegrown on Tuesday, September 22, 2015

While the backdrop of Ganesh is an exciting and lively one, at some point of time it might have been too lively to stay in the background. And as it inched to the foreground with its vibrancy, it interfered with the statement that the fashion was supposed to make. “It was a big issue. We shot over three days, and we had to reshoot a lot of it. Some shots were becoming too busy, and stole focus away from the fashion. The balance is something that I had to find, to make sure the fashion wasn’t being overpowered.” Despite the many challenges of shooting in a live, uncontrollable, unpredictable location lined with immense possibilities of peril, Colston’s Ganesh fashion shoot was a successful feature. And he will be mimicking this success in a Durga Puja themed upcoming shoot, later this year.

Scroll on for a closer look at Colston Julian’s Ganesh fashion feature.

[This shoot was done for Grazia magazine with the model Preiti Datha. It was styled by Fashion Director Ekta Rajani, and make up was done by Kritika Gill.]