A self-taught photographer, who left college midway to pursue his passion in capturing stills, 39-year-old Sayantan Sarkar has never shied away from experimenting when it comes to his work. The curious camera wielder, who mainly focuses on food, photography, fashion and lifestyle subjects, loves working with new and at times, non-professional models. “I love experimenting with looks, and I try to bring out the different shades of beauty in a model. When I am doing a concept shoot, the aim is always to underscore the best features of the model. I am a very body-positive person, and I love to work with models of all shapes and sizes. At times, even as an amateur model, one can give the best shots if captured properly," says Sarkar, who loves discovering and working with aspiring models.
In the pictures of the four models that I have shot recently for four different projects, I have tried to bring out their individual essence of beauty. While shooting Anumita for the clothes made by NGO Shirc, I highlighted the saris more. I chose Anumita because this particular shoot required someone who had a very homely and regular look with a kind face. I needed a dusky model for the brand, and she was apt for it,” recalls Sarkar. With Aritra and Debjani, he did a concept shoot and a fashion wear shoot, respectively. “Recently, I planned to shoot on a concept around skin and hair, and I selected Devarati as a model, because she had exactly the kind of hair and skin that I wanted to freeze in frames,” explains Sarkar, who loves travelling to unknown destinations, when not working.
Details: 98364-86282; sayantansarkar@hotmail.com
Aritra Chatterjee | 22, height: 5 ft 7 inches
The lanky model, who’s doing her Masters in Linguistics, is a model by hobby. In this picture, she’s seen wearing designer Pragya Pandey’s designs. “It was a shoot for her latest collection, and I have worn a sea-green georgette flowy long dress with a plunging V-neckline and back, and a sequinned halter-necked crop top in burnt brick orange, paired with a white layered, long skirt,” says the chirpy girl, who is also an avid tennis player. Her personal style is minimal, and she loves the sporty look, especially mini skirts with T-shirts and sneakers. “I am more of a one-piece person, and I love wearing Western dresses in cotton. For parties, flowy cocktail dresses are a must, and I love the colour blue in all its shades,” she adds. Not much of an accessories or make-up person, Aritra loves to finish her look with a small stud and a nose pin.
Debjani Kar | 24, height: 5 ft 5 inches
A school teacher by profession, this amateur model is seen here flaunting a smart denim blouse with a sari. Beautiful saris top the long list of Debjani’s sartorial choices. “Saris are fluid and look good on any body type. I love saris in cotton and linen, and I prefer pastel shades including light yellow, peach and pink,” says Debjani, who also loves to don some chunky jewellery.
Devarati Mukherjee | 27, height: 5ft 6 inches
In this photoshoot, this pretty young thing is seen wearing a cami strap, cotton maxi dress in mustard yellow with lace detailing in front. When not shooting, she prefers wearing jumpsuits, flowy maxi dresses, crop tops and flared jeans or anything that is not body-hugging. “I love natural and sustainable fabrics including cotton and linen. In ethnic wear, I love long-pleated kurtis and palazzos, and if it’s a sari, it must be chiffon for me,” she says.
Anumita Dutta | 16, height: 5 ft 5 inches
An aspiring model, this school-going lady recently shot for NGO Shirc’s latest collection of saris in bright hues of yellow, blue, red, white and gold. Otherwise, Anumita is almost always seen in body-hugging crop tops paired with black denim.“I love Western outfits, but for family get-togethers I prefer a nice sari rather than a kurti. My favourite colour is black, and I love wearing short body cons,” says the spunky girl, who loves wearing Swarovski and Michael Kors watches.