CAPTURING LIFE

HAIDER KHAN HAS BUILT A SUCCESSFUL CAREER AS A DIRECTOR AND PHOTOGRAPHER, WORKING WITH HIGH-PROFILE CLIENTS, PROMINENT NEWSPAPERS, AND ADVERTISING AGENCIES.

HE IS A SELF-MOTIVATED INDIVIDUAL WHO DEMONSTRATES HIS LOVE FOR PHOTOGRAPHY AND DIRECTION THROUGH HIS WORK.

HE INCORPORATES COMPONENTS FROM HIS EVERYDAY SURROUNDINGS AND DAILY HAPPENINGS BECAUSE HE IS A GOOD OBSERVER AND BELIEVES IN LEARNING FROM DAY TO DAY LIVING.

CITY FIRST INTERACTED WITH THE DYNAMIC HAIDER ON HIS MUSE AND MOTIVATION.

Please tell us about yourself. Your journey so far.

The road has been incredible, with many ups and downs, but Mumbai has provided me with everything I’ve ever wanted, and practically all of my dreams have come true.

What led you to choose photography as a career option?

I have always wanted to be a film director, but no one would hire me as an assistant, either in photography or direction, so I taught myself and did it myself.

What makes your art different from other photographers, like what different vision you carry in your mind and heart before initiating a project.

No matter what kind of a project it is, before I take a picture, I visualise it in my mind; it’s your mind that takes a fantastic picture; the camera is just a tool to help to make it happen.

Who has been your inspiration so far? Quintin Terrantio, Mani Ratnam, Yash Chopra, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Herb Ritz, and Francis Ford Coppola have all been sources of inspiration for me.

I think that their work is incredible and whenever I look at it, I want to work a little harder so I can be the best version of myself.

Being the only Indian this year, how do you feel about winning the National award, Sony photography award 2020?

It’s great to see my name alongside the name of my country; in 2022, I and India will be forever linked. It feels amazing to be the lone Indian doing something for India this year.

How do you see yourself 5 years down the line?

In the next five years, I see myself directing at least 5 masterpieces of cinema

Any message you’d like to share with our readers or budding photojournalists?

Don’t be scared by the camera’s million functions; there are only a few that are truly important.

I say this because many senior photographers have scared me by telling me how tough photography is; when I first began out, no one helped me, so I had to figure it out on my own.