THE CAMERA IS something that has always fascinated 28-year-old Pratik Bhattacherjee who loves experimenting with new ideas. “It always amazed me that how a particular device could freeze time that otherwise would be gone forever and cannot be reversed,” says Pratik. Pratik’s aunt, aware of his never-ending fascination with the camera, gifted him his first Kodak KB 10 during his thread ceremony. “My journey as a shutterbug began back then. As time passed, I realised I would not be happy with a staid corporate career and neither did further studies interest me. Hence, post-high school, I enrolled for a photography course in Kolkata to learn the nuances of the trade,” recalls Pratik.
His mentor was a veteran press photographer, who trained him and accustomed him to the different types of cameras invented so far. Like his mentor, Pratik too started his career as a press photographer and also made a few short films. “This helped me gain practical experiences that I believe is the most important prerequisite for learning anything. It has been nine years now and the journey has been an enriching one,” says Pratik, who started his own company, PB Studios in 2016. “It’s one of my biggest achievements in life and currently I have 16 people in my group who work with me in the fields of advertisement, wedding shoots, fashion and celebrity photography,” adds Pratik. Pratik did a fashion shoot with Ankita and he feels that she carries herself smartly in front of the camera and her biggest assets are her eyes. “With Anrini and Rusita, I did sari shoots for a boutique. It was their first assignments—and they did a good job. Rusita’s body structure goes well with traditional outfits, whereas Anrini’s smile is her asset,” tells Pratik. With Simran, it was a portfolio shoot and Pratik finds her extremely camera-friendly. “Photography is a never-ending learning process. I want to grow as a fashion photographer further and the only way to catch up with global trends is through uninhibited experimentation, which is lacking here,” feels Pratik.
Simran Kaur
23, height: 5 ft
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The saying — great things come in small packages — fits snugly on Simran. The five-feet beauty, who hails from Delhi, has an art and fashion blog and she loves posing for the camera, whenever she gets time after classes at Calcutta University. When it comes to casual wear, this spunky young girl loves wearing oversized tees over a pair of shorts or denim. “Many a time I put my father’s T-shirts to good use,” tells Simran, who also prefers wearing T-shirt dresses, since comfort is of prime importance to her when it comes to sartorial choices. “Though I am a Punjabi and my natural choice of traditional wear should be salwar kameez, nowadays I love wearing handloom saris for formal occasions. I love the linen ones since they are so comfortable and easy to wear,” she mentions. Simran is in love with powder blue and apart from that she also loves black and white. “I love collecting quirky earrings and I have a box full of them, mostly the oxidised ones,” tells Simran. Make-up for her constitutes a BB cream, some kohl and mascara and lipsticks in pinks and nudes.
Instagram handle: @runningsince96
Ankita Bose
23, height: 5 ft 4 inches
Ankita, who is a psychologist and pursuing her MBA in HR at the moment, loves following her passion, which is modelling. A freespirited woman, she loves wearing ripped faded denim with a basic black or white tee most of the times apart from dresses and jumpsuits. “I love mixing casual with formal wear. For instance, I wear noodle strap tops with formal blazers and things like that. But saris are my eternal favourite,” she explains. But she is not at all a print person and goes with monochromes all the way. “I love Mangalgiri saris with thin gold borders and in solid bright colours such as red and black. I am not much of an accessory person and I like to keep it simple. But at times, if I am wearing something with a plunging neckline, then I wear a statement choker,” she informs. Make-up means bold brows and red lipsticks for her.
Instagram handle: @rayabose
Rusita Mondal
25, height: 5 ft 3 inches
A teacher by profession and a trained Odissi dancer, Rusita always likes to keep things simple and fuss-free. Her sense of style, too, leans towards ethnic wear. “I love kurtis and love to mix and match them with long skirts, palazzos and even denim,” tells the pretty young thing. When it comes to formal occasions, saris are an obvious choice of wear for her and she sticks to the lighter colour palette always. “I love wearing silver. I am not much of a neck-piece person but I love wearing silver earrings in all shapes and sizes,” she says. Rusita is also in love with sling bags and has them in all colours and shapes. “Since I am a professional dancer I have to do a lot of make-up and hence when I am not doing anything I love to keep it absolutely simple with just a hint of kajal and lipgloss,” she tells us.
Instagram handle: @rusitamondal
Anrini Sen
25, height: 5 ft 3 inches
An MBA graduate, Anrini never wanted to be tied down to a 12-hour job and hence she decided to make a living out of her hobby, which is acting and modelling. When not working, she prefers to go for the one-piece dresses, both long and short and cotton skirts. “I love them in prints, too, mainly floral and geometric patterns. Usually, I go for the A-line and straight cuts,” tells Anrini, who loves wearing black, red and light pastel shades including pink and green. When it comes to make-up, it’s always a light base for her with a hint of kajal and lipsticks in the shades of red and maroon. I love wearing earrings, especially the big ones in silver and oxidised gold and I have about 300 pairs of them. I also have a shoe fetish and have 40-45 pairs of them, mostly in wedge heels and flats in black and white, since they go with all the dresses I wear,” informs Anrini.
Instagram handle: @senanrini; @anrini.jim_93