He always managed to capture beautiful moments even through the lens of his mobile phone camera. Noticing his eagerness and passion to learn about perfect frames, lighting and angles, it was his uncle and mother, who helped Sandip Ghosh to buy his first professional camera, a Canon 80D in 2017. Since then, this self-taught shutterbug has been pursuing photography full-time, and doing regular portfolio shoots besides covering some private weddings. “I discovered my love for the camera when I was in school. I used to click photos of nature and was always interested in macro-photography but I had no formal training and learnt the ropes of the trade through hard work,” shares the lensman with enthusiasm. When Sandip shoots models, he always makes it a point to bring out a newness or freshness in his subjects. “It often happens that models tend to look or pose in the same way for their shoots. I try to deviate from that and I don’t like artificial settings for shoots. I ask my models to wear minimal make-up since the best shots are always natural,” he emphasises. Sandip found Amita’s face very photogenic but he feels she needs to work more on her expressions to grow as a model. Srijla, with whom he did a fashion shoot has a confident gait and knows exactly what to do with her hands. “Like many models, Srijla is not ill-at-ease with her hands and gives the perfect poses,” says the resident of North Kolkata. Sandip finds Pooja very expressive and feels that Rima’s eyes and lips are her biggest assets. Sandip, who plans to build his career as a fashion photographer, dreams of having his own studio one day and loves to dance to Bollywood tunes when he isn’t working.
Sandip Ghosh can be reached at 7003937451 / 9804507543 or sandipg295@gmail.com Instagram handle: sandipg383
Pooja Sarkar | 23, height: 5 ft 4 inches
This young girl was always passionate about modelling and though family pressure led Pooja to pursue electrical engineering, this final-year engineering student has not given up on her dreams of being a model. “I am very passionate about modelling and want to become a professional model and an actor. So, I am also taking lessons in acting,” the resolute lass tells us. Comfortable both in Indian and Western wear, Pooja likes to keep it classy yet simple and loves wearing a sari. When not shooting, she mostly wears palazzos and cotton jumpsuits in olive, khaki and other bright colours. “Black is my favourite colour but I also like magenta and green. When it comes to saris, I love Jamdani weaves in muslins and also the classy linen ones in bright combinations like red and green or yellow and green,” she shares. Pooja likes wearing junk oxidised jewellery, especially chunky earrings and nose pins. “I don’t like too much make-up on my face and the matte finish look with nude lips and a hint of mascara works best for me. I am particular about shoes and wear sneakers and flats,” says the model, who’s a great cook and loves digging into a platter full of hilsa.
Instagram handle: @poojasarkar1995
Amita Ghosh | 24, height: 5 ft 3 inches
Modelling since 2016, Amita aspires to be an actor, apart from making a mark as a successful model. “Besides modelling, I also have my personal travel, food and fashion blog and I am pretty regular in the blogging world,” she tells us. When not working, Amita loves wearing Western apparel and cotton jumpsuits are her favourite. I also love knee-length floral dresses and I simply love prints. It can be any print — geometric, animal, floral but graphic prints in psychedelic colours are my favourite,” she adds. When it comes to fabrics, she loves them in purple, pink, violet, green and yellow. “I love junk and costume jewellery, especially long earrings and I am a shoe hoarder and have more than 15 pairs of stilettos in all colours including a very funky sky blue one,” says Amita, who loves wearing lehengas in pastel shades for weddings or family occasions.
Instagram handle: @tinkuamita Blog: amitatinkuconsulting. wordpress.com
Rima Bhattacharya | 21, height: 5 ft 4 inches
This 21-year-old college student loves to keep everything simple in her life, be it fashion or make-up. Aspiring to be a model and actor, Rima has been doing product shoots and fashion assignments for the past two years. Her choice of clothing is always Western clothes with jeans and sleeveless tops being her comfort wear. “I love frill-free tops paired with blue denim. But when it comes to party or family occasions, it’s always either a sari or floor-length flowy gowns for me. I love those supra-net or sequinned saris besides the regular hand-woven ones,” says Rima. When it comes to make-up, this bubbly girl likes smoky eyes and nude lips. “I love wearing chandelier earrings with ethnic clothes and don’t like too many accessories,” elaborates Rima, who loves listening to songs and watching movies on YouTube.
Instagram handle: @bhattacharya_rimaofficial
Srijla Guha | 22, height: 5 ft 5 inches
This pretty young thing with Spanish roots has stellar looks and is being noticed for her complexion and delicate features. “My mom is Spanish and I was born in Mexico and later made Kolkata our home since my dad is a Bengali,” says Srijla Guha, a Zoology graduate, who is doing her Masters in Science. She was in Class 10 when Srijla discovered her love for modelling after she did a small-time shoot. “Since then, I kept getting intermittent offers and I was noticed for my features and this appreciation encouraged me to explore modelling as an option,” says Srijla, who is also a professional scriptwriter. When not shooting, she loves keeping it very casual and mostly wears shorts, jeans and tees. “I am an extreme person when it comes to clothes. Either I will look very casual or like a million bucks,” she says with a laugh. Though black remains her all-time favourite, she loves to flaunt eye-catching colours like yellow, orange, green and fuschia pink. “I simply love floral prints in all shapes and sizes and I have them in hordes. When it comes to ethnic wear, I love comfortable handloom saris,” says the model who loves sleek watches and has 25 of them.
Instagram handle: @srijami