Photographing Payal Rajput at The Art of Visuals Studio

Faces I Love

Payal Rajput became a popular face in South Indian cinema, especially after the success of the Telugu film RX 100 with Kartikeya Gummakonda. I had always found Payal Rajput's face particularly interesting to photograph — a striking blend of Indian and Western features that gives her tremendous versatility in front of the camera.

When Payal Rajput stepped into The Art of Visuals studio in Mumbai with very little time on hand, I decided to keep the photoshoot quick and instinctive, capturing different moods rather than over-planning it.

For this shoot, I used the Godox LED RGB Light Stick LC500R. It is easy to use and handle, and can create enough drama and colour to completely change the mood of a portrait within minutes.

The window effect in the background was created using a Forza 60 with an attachment. With a simple lighting setup like this, you can create a handful of very different photographs in a surprisingly short time.

But lighting is only part of making a good portrait. The real trick is making the person in front of your camera comfortable with you and with what you are doing. They don't know what's going on inside the photographer's head, so creating that trust is always important.

Now waiting for the next photoshoot with her... or perhaps a short video.