Shiva Prasad

MDC Member Since: March 2007
View Shiva Prasad’s Portfolio
Location: Roslyn, NY - USA

What type of Photography do I do ?
My interests span a wide spectrum of the field of photography. Including nature, landscape, architecture, travel, fashion and beauty.
What is your medium (digital or film)?
I converted to digital five years ago and since then, never looked back. My film cameras are a relic of the past.

What kind of camera do you use?
I have an affinity for the Canon line of cameras and lenses for decades and they have served me well. I firmly believe they are the trend setters and will be on the forefront of the cutting edge of technology. Presently I use a Canon Mark II 1 DS with Canon 40D as a back up body.

How long have you been in the industry?
As a matter of fact, I am not a full time professional. I call myself an advanced hobbyist or a serious amateur, which I believe is the common terms for photographers who do not rely on photography as a means of living. I am a mechanical engineer by profession. I have been practicing the craft for 25 years with little ups and downs.

Where did you get your start?
My father bought me a box camera to keep me gainfully occupied with a worthwhile hobby. He felt I could channel my teenage energies into a creative pursuit. His strategy was right. I developed an undying passion for photography over my growing years. I never ever missed an issue of “Popular Photography” or reading about the advances in this field. I have been actively pursuing all facets in this field for well over 25 years. Though, I confess, there have been periods of disappointment , especially when I tried my hand at color printing and I could never get the colors right with my darkroom chemicals.

Photography knowledge:
I am mostly a self taught photographer. Though I did take courses at FIT, NY(Fashion Institute of Technology) and ICP, NY (International Center of Photography) and Nikon School, NY. EPSON workshops and several online sites like Canon workshops. Voracious reading of articles in “Popular Photography,” Shutterbug and After Capture digital magazines.

Inspiration:
That’s an easy one to answer. I look towards the old masters. To name a few, Andreas Feininger for architecture. Yousof Karsh for portraits. George Hurrell and
Clarence Sinclair Bull for fashion and beauty. Helmut Newton and Henri Cartier Bresson for capturing the everyday life of ordinary people. Ansel Adams for landscapes.

What do I look for in a model?
From a strict sense of beauty, my desirable model would have long flowing smooth hair, smooth skin, high cheek bones. Flexible and slender body, large eyes and most importantly a symmetrical face. Personality attributes - patient, ability to take directions, hold a pose , stamina, easy going and a sense of humor.

How do I pose a model:
I explain that good posing comes naturally. Poses need not be contrived and uncomfortable. The model need not be a Yoga practitioner or be a contortionist. Posing for a model is all about geometry. Angles, triangles formed by hands, legs and in harmony with the body’s curves. Combined with the proper lighting and backgrounds this yields great pictures. I learn from nature the harmony of shapes and colors that makes natural beauty so appealing and apply it to photography.

Lighting:
90% of my portfolio pictures have been shot using natural light and multiple reflectors. I firmly believe in what you see is what you get by the play of shadows and light as they appear on the subject and the background. Therefore, I rarely use strobes to get the desired effects. If I do need to use artificial lighting, it will usually be steady lights.

What was your most memorable shoot?
I was shooting the movie star Rekha in Bombay, India. She was an upcoming actress and I was an energetic upcoming teenage photographer. She was obviously disappointed by a kid assigned for her photo shoot. Boy, was she wrong when I turned out some of her best pictures, which I am sure she still treasures as she went on to become Bollywoods leading actress for almost a decade.

What is my interest now?
I would like to be agency affiliated to help new and upcoming models with their portfolios. I believe I can highlight and bring out the best in a God given models beauty. While, diminishing her natural flaws.

About Photoshop:
Perfect pictures which do not use any further editing is an ideal situation which, unfortunately, does not exist. I confess I do use Photoshop as a final editing tool. Though its use is to correct flaws which are either unanticipated during a shoot or simply cannot be changed at the time of the shoot.