Today is International Women’s Day. A day to celebrate womanhood, get inspired, feel proud and motivate others. I know we should be doing that every day but still I think today is special☺

As you all know I love photography and I believe in continuous learning and experimenting. I am fan of couple of Women Photographers whose work I admire. They motivate me in some or other way. I am planning a series of interviews with these fab ladies through the month of March to celebrate Women’s Day!

Here is my 1^st interview with one of the famous Fashion & Portrait Photographer Avni Bid.

Avni’s work has been published in: Dark Beauty Magazine, South Asian Bride Magazine (online and in print), Cover and 8 page spread in Indian Weddings Magazine, Pump Magazine (Print), Style Equation Magazine (Print)
She had the opportunity to talk about her Photography on Radio Zindagi and was appointed by Gujarat State Tourism to capture Navratri Celebrations in the Bay Area. She has also worked with a few Non-Profit organizations – Shankara Eye Foundation, I Click for a Cause, Kids and Art Foundation

Avni, thank you so much for taking time to share your expertise, experiences and for inspiring us through your wonderful pictures.

So….

What does photography mean to you?

Photography is a means to express myself and to show the world, the beauty that surrounds us.

Can you please tell us more about your Photography Style?  How did you figure out your Niche?

Recently, I have been shooting more of Fashion/Beauty portraits. I also enjoy close up photography. As most photographers would do it, I tried a few different genres of photography, and I enjoy these the most.

What was your career path? How did you get from being an aspiring photographer to actually doing it full time, for a living?

I started with taking pictures of my kids, to preserve the memories. But as time went by, I started experimenting & learning  more about photography. Few years back I met with some models and shot their portfolios,and that was the beginning of my career. Since then I have been shooting model portfolios, headshots, family portraits, events (Corporate, weddings, birthdays, non-profit events)

Which photographers influenced you, and how did they influence your thinking, photographing, and career path?

There are a lot of photographers whose work I love. But some photographers whose work I adore are  – Sue Bryce, Lindsay Adler, Jeremy Cowart, Annie Leibovitz, Ansel Adams, Peter Coulson…Emotions in Sue Bryce’s Portraits, Edgy look in Lindsay Adler’s images, social messages in Jeremy Cowart’s photos, are some of the works that influence me.

Exactly what it is you want to say with your photographs, and how do you actually get your photographs to do that?

I would like to say that – Beauty surrounds us, in everything.  To me, even a dead flower, a drop of water, a smile, tears, everything is beautiful.

What technology/software/camera gear do you use to keep focused on what you do best, as you   photograph?

Camera: Nikon D7000, D800

Lenses: 50mm 1.8, 85mm 1.8, 24-70mm 2.8, 70-200mm 2.8

Software: Lightroom, Photoshop

What motivates you to continue taking pictures economically, politically, intellectually or emotionally?

Infinite possibilities to bring your vision to life

How do you plan your portrait and fashion photo shoots?

Conceptualise

Decide on model and vendors

Which was your personal favorite assignment?

“Horse Whisperer”

How do you educate yourself to take better pictures?

–Critiquing (by self and others)

-Sharpening my skills by learning something new everyday (online or friends)

-Practicing

What is the one thing you wish you knew when you started taking photos?

That it is a very expensive hobby 🙂

What advice would you give to our readers who want to get into photography?

Photography is a lot of fun. Be creative and don’t be afraid to use your imagination.

You can follow Avni’s work on below links:

Website: http://avnibid.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/abid.photography/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/avnibid/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/avnibid/

500px: https://500px.com/avnibidphotography