Behind the Lens: Our Creative Process & Team
A final image is never just one click. It is the result of patience, collaboration, and a lot of chai-fueled planning. Here is how we turn a rough idea into a campaign-ready visual.
Photography seems easy from the front, but so much more happens behind the scenes. This video gives a quick glimpse of our epic brand shoot for Pink Cottage, showcasing the entire team in action.
This is the result of a decade of partnership and months of planning. This video montage covers a month of travel and work, showing the teamwork and adventure that goes into a large-scale advertising campaign.
Still fresh. This was an impromptu shoot with the rising star Roshni, and it shows that sometimes the most powerful portraits come from spontaneous moments of creativity.
This fine art series was inspired by a shot I took in 2015. We used a giant piece of lycra fabric to explore shapes and forms with a talented ballet instructor, creating these ethereal, abstract images.
Another image from the Lycra series. The fabric stretches and contorts around the human form, creating a beautiful and anonymous silhouette that is all about shape and light.
The movement in this shot from my personal Lycra project is incredible. It’s a self-conceived idea executed without any external references, which makes me very content with the result.
This image is from the original 2015 shoot that inspired my Lycra series. The model is standing behind a frosted glass, creating a ghostly, high-contrast silhouette that sparked a whole new creative direction for me.
The elegance of ballet is still visible through the abstracting layer of fabric. This series was a great team effort and a highly enjoyable experience in creative exploration.
In 2016, I started a series called "What's Your Tool," asking professionals to bring their most important tool to the studio. This is Jitendra, a 21-year-old cook, holding his pan.
This is Sultan, a 22-year-old barber, holding his razor for the "What's Your Tool" series. The project aimed to create appreciation for the tools that enable us to earn our livelihood.
About Behind the Lens: The Process & The Team
People often ask why a single product shoot takes an entire day. The truth is, we spend hours sculpting the light before we ever touch the camera. We obsess over the reflections, the texture, and the mood so you do not have to settle for anything less than a hero shot. It is less about just taking a photo and more about building a visual that actually works for your brand.
The Anatomy of a Shoot
Photography is often viewed as a simple act of clicking a shutter, but a true commercial campaign is a logistical and creative operation. When we work together, we are not just shooting; we are crafting a narrative.
Pre-Production & Concept
Before any equipment leaves my Pune studio, we dive into the 'why'. We sketch, build mood boards, and define the visual language of the campaign. Whether it is a luxury watch or a high-fashion editorial, the pre-production phase is where we solve most of our problems. If we plan it right, the execution is where the magic flows.
The Team & Technical Execution
I never work solo. Great results come from a collective vibe. On set, I bring in specialists—art directors, stylists, and makeup artists—to ensure every frame is curated for impact. I use medium format Hasselblad gear because, for luxury campaigns, the texture and resolution matter. We often utilize techniques like light sculpting to control how reflections play off glass or metal, ensuring the product looks premium, not plastic.
Post-Production
This is where we refine the raw vision. We focus on clean, high-end skin retouching or precise composite editing for products. We do not do heavy, unrealistic filters. Our goal is to make the final image look natural yet polished. We believe that when the planning, the lighting, and the crew come together, the result is something that stops the scroll. Tick tick boom, it is done.
Ashish Gurbani
I am Ashish. For me, photography is about the marriage of lighting, mood, and team chemistry. Whether we are shooting a luxury watch in my Pune studio or directing a campaign on location, my goal is to make the process as creative as the final result.
Looking for a specific photography style?
Browse our other collections to see how we handle different products and lighting needs.
More from Advertising & Campaign Photography by Ashish Gurbani