Vikram Bawa (born 16 March 1970) is an Indian fashion, advertising and landscape photographer based in

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

. He was the first Indian photographer to promote and showcase

3D photography Stereo photography techniques are methods to produce stereoscopic images, videos and films. This is done with a variety of equipment including special built stereo cameras, single cameras with or without special attachments, and paired cameras. ...

in the late 1990s.

Life and work

Bawa was born in

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...

. He moved with his parents to Mumbai at an early age. He went to Green Lawns High School, Mumbai. After which he graduated in maths from

Elphinstone College Elphinstone College is one of the constituent colleges of Dr. Homi Bhabha State University, a state cluster university. Established in 1823, it is one of the oldest colleges in Mumbai. It played a major role in shaping and developing the ed ...

, Mumbai. He started work as the managing director of a chemical firm at age 18. In 1996, he started photography professionally. Bawa started photography as a hobby when he was 16 years old. His mother and father were avid hobbyists, which influenced Bawa. Bawa started shooting on a Yashica automatic camera and his father’s Yashica TLR. The first camera which he bought was a Yashica FX 3 Super 2000 SLR. It was on this camera that he learnt the photography skills of which he makes use today. He has also directed music videos and a film called ‘Yahaan Gandhi Bikta Nahin’, a short film on Gandhi in present that has been part of a traveling exhibition to art galleries across India. He has pioneered Fashion Films in India and has made fashion films for various clients including Jewels by Queenie, Nikhil Thampi, Gitanjali, Joy Shoes, Harshita Deshpande and Delna Poonawala. Bawa's first photography assignment was with

Rani Jeyraj Rani Jeyraj is an Indian model and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Femina Miss India 1996. A native of Kundal village in Tirunelveli District, she was born to a middle class Christian Nadar family in Zambia. Her parents were teachers ...

(

Femina Miss India Miss India or Femina Miss India is a national beauty pageant in India that annually selects representatives to compete in Miss World, one of the Big Four major international beauty pageants. It is organised by '' Femina'', a women's magazine ...

1996). Since then he has shot for magazines including ''Femina,'' ''Verve,'' ''Hello!,'' ''L'Officiel,'' ''Elle,'' ''Hi Blitz,'' ''Marie Claire,'' ''TheTechy,'' and ''Stuff.'' Brands that Bawa has worked for include

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atlanta ...

, Dove, Godrej, L'oreal,

Reebok Reebok International Limited () is an American fitness footwear and clothing manufacturer that is a part of Authentic Brands Group. It was established in England in 1958 as a companion company to J.W. Foster and Sons, a sporting goods company ...

, Skoda India, Sony Electronics, Taj Hotels, Catwalk,

Kingfisher airlines Kingfisher Airlines Limited was an airline group based in India. It was established in 2003 and started its commercial operations in 2005. Through its parent company United Breweries Group, it had a 50% stake in low-cost carrier Kingfisher Red. ...

, Sahara Ambey Valley, The Leela Palace, Goa, and FSP London. He has photographed Bollywood celebrities

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, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Nawazuddin Siddiqui,

Abhishek Bachchan Abhishek Bachchan (born 5 February 1976) is an Indian actor and film producer known for his work in Hindi films. Part of the Bachchan family, he is the son of actors Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan and the grandson of poet Harivansh Rai Bach ...

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, Karishma Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra, Hrithik Roshan, and Lara Dutta. He unveiled his own Fashion Calendar on the theme of Draupadi for 2014 in Mumbai with stars like

Kabir Bedi Kabir Bedi ( pa, ਕਬੀਰ ਸਿੰਘ ਬੇਦੀ; born 16 January 1946) is an Indian actor. His career has spanned three continents covering India, the United States and especially Italy among other European countries in three media: fi ...

, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Evelyn Sharma,

Shamita Shetty Shamita Shetty (born 2 February 1979) is an Indian Bollywood actress, model and interior designer. She made her Hindi film debut in the musical romance film ''Mohabbatein'' (2000), which earned her the IIFA Award for Star Debut of the Year – ...

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and many more in attendance.

Exhibitions

Solo exhibition

*''The Other Side,'' Gallery Art and Soul, Mumbai, India, November 2012.

Group exhibition

*''Articulate 2011: An Exhibition of Contemporary Photography,'' Saffronart, London, October 2011

Collections

Bawa's work is held in the following permanent collections: *Priyasi Art Gallery *Gallery Art and Soul, Mumbai, India *Jindal Art Foundation *Alfaz Miller Collection

Recognition and awards

Rightly called as "Master of Gimmicks" in the world of fashion photography, Vikram has won many awards from Masters Cup, Prix de la Photographie Paris, The International Color Awards, Spider Awards, Asian Photography Most Influential Photographer Award, PIEA Award and many more. * Vikram received four international awards for his Leela Palace Goa hotel campaign - a first for any Indian hotel campaign. * Vikram’s fashion film ‘The Long Show’ was nominated for the International Fashion Film Awards (IFFA) 2014 for Best Art Direction and Best Music Nomination. * He was judged as the "2nd best photographer at the PMA International Awards, USA" for his 3D photography. The images were part of a 30 country travelling exhibition.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bawa, Vikram 1970 births Living people Indian fashion photographers Artists from Mumbai Elphinstone College alumni