Barkha Agarwal’s Excessive-Vogue Maternity Pictures

Barkha Agarwal is an award-winning maternity and new child photographer primarily based out of India. Pictures has been her ardour for over 15 years and its not simply photos she captures however the feelings as properly. For her WPPI 2023 Speak, going down March 6 at The Mirage in Vegas, Agarwal will likely be displaying attendees methods to create high-fashion maternity pictures portraits that convey an edge to your portfolio and impress your purchasers. Right here, she solutions ten of our questions on her class, her Memories by Barkha model, the maternity photograph business normally, her greatest photoshoot problem, the gear she will be able to’t dwell with out, and extra!

1. What are you able to inform us about your class at WPPI 2023?

My session, “Creating Hello-Vogue Maternity Portraits”, is about creating maternity photos that assist add an edge to your portfolio. Gone are the times when purchasers would simply need a maternity picture with the mom-to-be standing together with her palms on the bump, carrying a princess gown. That could be a good to have picture, however now purchasers need far more. Purchasers are tremendous good and do their analysis earlier than coming to you. What’s it that you’re doing that others aren’t—that’s the query I’m exploring in my class—and the way you should utilize that to make your portfolio stand out.

2. What are the primary takeaways attendees will go away your class with?

As an idea, “hi-fashion” maternity pictures may be very intriguing. Purchasers find it irresistible. It makes you stand out from the group. I’ve deliberate a really in depth session on the subject and will likely be speaking about and demonstrating the next:

• Totally different Lighting strategies for high-fashion maternity pictures
• Idea to creation of high-fashion maternity pictures
• 5 distinctive photos to make your high-fashion maternity pictures portfolio stand out 
• Fashion a shopper to attain the specified look 
• Modifying strategies to convey that closing crowning glory to your high-fashion picture

3. What’s trending in maternity shoots proper now?

“One thing Totally different” is trending. I at all times get requested by my purchasers, “Are you able to do one thing for me that you just haven’t carried out earlier than? Since everybody has entry to Instagram, Google and Pinterest, purchasers are at all times searching for one thing new and we have to continuously create new ideas.

4. What do you contemplate to be a game-changing photographic approach or advertising and marketing tip that helped modified your online business? 

The turning level for me was after I began to grasp the play of sunshine and shadows. The impression it will possibly create in your photos is large. Pictures—in the long run—is all concerning the story that you just wish to talk utilizing the play of sunshine and shadows.

5. What’s one thing that only a few individuals find out about you?

That I did a really in depth maternity photoshoot for myself. The photographs are on my website.

6. What are maternity photographers doing however shouldn’t be?

They need to begin doing one thing totally different—one thing which nobody is doing but. One thing which is simply them. As photographers, we’re creators and we have to have a imaginative and prescient and produce that imaginative and prescient to life via our images. My coronary heart aches to see that a variety of us have entered a hamster wheel and we’re simply aping what others are doing. We have to break this and create one thing recent. One thing new. One thing that’s really us. The world is ready to see that.

7. What recommendation do you need to retaining one’s work recent?

At all times search for inspiration. I discover my inspiration via magazines, crafts and the locations I go to. Wherever I’m, I simply take into consideration whether or not I can use this in my work or create one thing impressed by this. For instance, I as soon as took inspiration from the 5 components of nature—Water, Hearth, Earth, Air, and Area. Then I assumed, what’s the resemblance {that a} pregnant lady has for these components? Then I created photos to symbolize a girl in every factor. For hearth she wore an orange gown and the expressions had been fierce. For the illustration of Aspect earth, I used a brown coloration gown and the expressions had been subdued. This idea was a brilliant hit and obtained a variety of love from my purchasers. 

8. What piece of substances or gadget are you able to not dwell with out?

My Canon R5 digital camera and my Profoto B10 x Plus lights. They’re like extensions to my arm whereas photographing and I can’t think about being with out them 

9. What was your most difficult maternity shoot and why?

Nearly a yr again, there was a shopper who was anticipating twins and was resulting from ship quickly. She had traveled 50 miles to get the shoot carried out by me. Whereas she was preparing on the salon, she began feeling uneasy. The dad known as me to debate as to what may be carried out? I stated that we are able to reschedule the shoot, however he talked about that wasn’t an choice as she was due quickly they usually received’t have the ability to journey thus far once more. We might have canceled the shoot however the mother actually wished to get clicked by me. So we determined to go forward. She had booked three appears to be like however I used to be even able to do only one. She arrived in a while. We waited and requested her to lie down. We ordered her some lime juice and snacks and he or she did really feel higher. We took a number of breaks when she felt drained, retaining our fingers crossed that she wouldn’t really feel uneasy. Lastly, we had been capable of do all three appears to be like and two months later, we did her wonderful twin new child shoot as properly. 

10. If not pictures, what would your profession be?

If not for pictures I might have been main a crew of gross sales individuals in a big company. I’m an Engineer and an MBA by schooling. I’ve labored into corporates for 5 years after which left my job to pursue my ardour for pictures and constructed a profitable enterprise round it. 

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