Luv Israni - India's leading celebrity and fashion photographer

Luv Israni, an ace photographer personifies an eccentric and inspiring spirit; untamed yet sophisticated; spontaneous yet focused; zest for life; enthusiastic and tremendously visual.
At a very young age, Luv started his journey & flourished as a kid model. He was exposed to the camera at a very early age and gathered all the confidence, strength and ability on screen. His keen eye in direction was a big plus factor when he directed two short documentary films in Mumbai ‘bomb blast’ and another ‘Mumbai 4 A.M to 4 A.M’ in the year 2005. That’s when he realized, his desire was not to be in front of the camera but his aspirations changed to be behind the camera. From that point onward he chose to be a photographer without looking back.
In 2005, Luv entered the trade and did various shoots and that’s when he started developing his career path. Luv is one of the finest and the youngest advertising, fashion and celebrity photographer in India today, shooting a number of Advertising campaigns, Film & Television Publicity shoots, Product shoots, Magazine covers, Fashion Features, Model Portfolio, Catalogues as well as Hotel & Property shoots.
Today he is a much sought after personality within the fashion, fame and glamour industry. Respected by clients and colleagues alike, Luv's masterful talent speaks volumes for itself. Luv's creativity extends far beyond the studio walls. Most importantly he has earned the respect of his peers and the public for his creativity, customer satisfaction, tireless devotion and work ethic. All one needs to do is glance through his work to see the heart and soul of a gifted artist in the prime of his life and career.Read on to find out more in his own words.

Nationality:  Indian.

Education/background: Graduate from MMK College of Commerce from Bandra.

Favorite reading material: Don't really read

1. Firstly, thank you for agreeing to be interviewed despite your very hectic lifestyle.So tell me who is Luv Israni? Tell me a little bit about your background. Where were you born? Basically a brief synopsis of your life from a child up until adulthood.

Luv Israni earlier known as Mohit was born and brought up in Mumbai. At a very young age I had joined my family business where I was a Casting Director handling all sorts of castings for films, television serials, print ads, as this has been my family business for over 2 decades now (www.modelspoint.com).

I always wanted to be a film director, I had taken admission in the London school of film making but at the last minute I decided to drop the idea. My career took off again with my family support when my dad started a magazine known as Tele Prime Time where I got opportunities to start clicking away.

2. How do you find and get clients?

Initially it was a little easier for me as I had a model in my house, my younger sister Megha..So I used to experiment with her..But yeah, I started off with shooting kids portfolios.. My mom became my business manager & started showing all her models my work & started getting me shoots.

3. Is this your full-time job or do you have other businesses as well? Please elaborate

I am lucky as I have made my passion my profession & yes this is my full time job. Along with this I also have my family business which takes up a bit of my time and is varied.My dad runs a Celeb Management Company known as Celeb 9 that handles television celebrities; their complete business. He has recently also opened an acting school known as MUMBAI ACTING ACADEMY which is a one stop shop for anyone who wants to act where acting is not taught but actors are made.

My mom handles this website www.modelspoint.com which is a portal for fresh talent & a casting agency known as Israni Communications. I have started a Wedding division which is run by my sister. She's the first wedding director in the country who covers videography & photography of weddings. 

Though all of us have our own domains I focus on my photography but I do have to sometimes over look all the other departments too.

4. What are the hardest challenges you face in running your own business?

Dividing Time - my major draw back which I am quite aware of and trying to work on is..Time Management..I wish the day had 48 hours so that I would be able to do everything as per plan...

5. Do you feel like you’re balancing your work and personal life pretty well? 

No not at all.. My sister has been complaining about this for many years now, friends too, and recently my girl friend also broke up with me because of this. I do wish to create a balance but the more I try to do the balancing act, the more it gets out of balance.

6. If you were not a fashion photographer, what would you be doing?

As a child I always use to think of studying Hotel management and would always want to be a Chef.. But today when I think about this question I have come to realize that I am happy in my current profession and can't imagine doing anything else.

7. What topics and subjects are you the most passionate about?

Pictures & People.

8. What makes you the most happy? (Work or personal)

Clicking clicking.. I can go on and on non stop without a break. all day all night

9.  Where do you and your friends like to hang out or do in your spare time? 

I am a complete Bollywood Buff - Movies is something I use to earlier try to watch once a week. Nowadays its one in a month or sometimes one in 3 months because of work pressure. But I like chilling out with friends, calling them over for a drink. I often invite them home and drink with friends and family together.

10. If someone could grant you a wish and you could choose to have any skill or talent in the world, what would it be?

Grant me a wand to travel all across the world..

11. What are your favorite websites?

I have a few minutes to spare for Facebook only

12. Who or what inspires you?

My father. He is 58 yet has so much of energy..His Dreams inspire me to work harder and achieve them all..

13.  Do you consider yourself to be a spiritual person?

I believe in God. Love visiting temples. I often go to shirdi. Pray every morning before beginning my day

14. Have you had any formal training in photography or graphic arts?

Not at all.. It's my father who has trained me and he is not a photographer himself. I have not assisted any photographer or gone to any photography school.

15. What are some of your most memorable shoots?

The last shoot I did recently in Goa. One of the most special shoots ever.

16. How would you describe your photography style?

I have always tried not to have a particular style when I shoot people. I try not repeating the same thing, my style is finding new locations, new garments, new feel so that none of my images look like the ones I have done earlier.

17. Your picture gallery on facebook shows your passion and well developed eye for fashion.What is it about fashion that attracts you as a photographer?

I love when my pictures speak. I make all my models and actors perform. A video is quite easy as u have 25 frames a second to perform. But in a still its much more difficult to have it all perfect. I direct all my talent to perform & get the image right & that's my forte. 

I always believe that I should perform better than yesterday. Each day when I shoot I tell myself I have to click better than yesterday & that's how I keep growing.

18. What advise would you give to students out there who aspire to be a part of the fashion photography industry?

Think different, work hard  and keep clicking.

19.   Are there any additional comments you’d like to add for the blog readers?

It has been 7 years now that I have been clicking away and finally I present to the world a glimpse of my work over the years. It has been a great experience capturing various Actors,Models and Brands..With great Pride and Gratitude I thank my team,my fans my faces who inspire me to do better work and God up there who makes my click better than the last..

Once again,thank you Luv (Mohit) for taking the time to answer these questions. Desert Moon wishes you all the best in your future endeavours!!!

If you wish to see more of Luv Israni's fantastic photography then visit his website or facebook page

Website: http://www.luvisrani.com/
Facebook page:  http://www.facebook.com/luvisraniphotography

Al Falah Charitable Trust Qurbani Program 2012

Dear blog readers,

The reason I posted this letter from the Director of the Al- Falah Charitable Trust in Malawi is not to boast or off show, for certainly what the right hand gives, the left hand should not know about. Boasting, showing off and being proud is not a part of my character for I was  not brought up in that way. My sole intention in posting this letter is to simply create an awareness that the projects that my family and I are involved with are legitimate projects. I know of many people out there who wish to contribute funds to the poor but are afraid of the legitimacy of the organization. Many of my Saudi friends have given donations to organizations outside of Saudi Arabia and they have been duped by these bogus organizations. A family friend of ours had given a huge sum of money for a masjid to be built in India. When he visited India himself he went to the village to enquire about the masjid that he had supposedly funded only to realize that no masjid was built. In other words he was cheated and robbed of his money by shady, unscrupulous characters.Be very careful to whom you donate money to. Make sure that the money is given to trustworthy, honest individuals. I would now like to take this opportunity in encouraging all my blog readers to join in our yearly Eid ul Adha Qurbaani program in Malawi by contributing funds to purchase sacrificial animals. If you wish to be a part of this project along with the well building project to provide clean drinking water to the poor impoverished villages in Malawi then kindly drop me an email or contact the institute directly. My email address is desertmoonsdiary@gmail.com. As God Almighty mentions in the Holy Quraan, " Those who (in charity) spend of their goods by night and by day, in secret and in public, have their reward with their Lord: on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve."

The Prophet Muhammed (SAW) said: " “Charity extinguishes the heat of the graves for the charitable people. And the believer will stand in the shade of his charity on the day of resurrection.”. Always pray that God Almighty blesses each and everyone of us in this world with hands that give and not hands that receive. Ameen!!

( Click on the JPEG pictures below if you desire to read it in bigger print)

Maids in Saudi Arabia; a never ending issue

The maid issue in Saudi Arabia is undoubtedly a never ending saga. After almost a period of two years, the recruitment of Filipino and Indonesian domestic workers to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia may resume shortly according to Arab news. The two year ban came about due to the tensions that existed between Saudi Arabia, Manila and Jakarta over the rights of domestic workers, cooks and drivers within the ultra conservative Kingdom. Diplomatic ties between these nations were severed following the execution of an Indonesian maid Ruyati binti Sapubi, who was convicted of killing her female employer with repeated blows using a cleaver after suffering protracted abuse and being told she could not return home. Around 2010, another Indonesian maid Sumiati Salan Mustapa was severely tortured by her female employer and required hospitalization. Her case triggered off a wide spread furor throughout the Kingdom as well as across the globe.She had severe head and body injuries after being tortured repeatedly with a hot iron. Further aggression was created against the Saudi government by human rights activists after a Sri Lankan maid's ordeal made headlines throughout the world. Twenty four nails were hammered into her hands, legs and forehead by her Saudi employers after she complained of a work overload. After imposing a ban, thereby preventing the entry of Indonesian and Filipino maids into the country, the Saudi government announced that it would seek domestic workers from other African countries like Ethiopia, Kenya as well as Morrocco. However,as soon as this announcement was made the Saudi women were up in arms at the thought of having 'beautiful Moroccan maids' inside their homes. Saudi women feared that Moroccan women would seduce their husbands as they are known to engage in witchcraft and sorcery. My Saudi friend mentioned to me that they use to have a Moroccan maid some time back but fired her after finding talismans, amulets and strands of hair in her bedroom.
Also in 2010,"Saudi Arabian legal adviser Saleh bin Saad Al-Laheedan issued a fatwa, or religious edict, allowing Saudi women to work as maids, provided that they have no other recourse, are over 50 and are accompanied by a mehram, or close male relative. However, by the end of the year, only 30 Saudi nationals were reported to be working as maids."

On the flip side of things, there has also been an increase in child abuse cases carried out by maids in Saudi Arabia with the latest case being that of a four year old child whose body was decapitated by the Asian house maid. According to newspaper reports, the child's mother collapsed and was rushed to hospital after seeing the child's lifeless body in a pool of blood. Her husband was rushing to get home when he sped through a red traffic light and met up with an accident that instantly killed the driver of the other vehicle and seriously injured the other passenger.The maid on the hand tried to commit suicide after carrying out this heinous crime by drinking a bottle of clorox. However, she survived the ordeal and was hospitalized.

Hiring a maid in Saudi Arabia is an expensive affair with recruiting agencies charging between SR10 000 to SR15 000. Very often maids run away from their employers without informing them and hence bringing a new maid means paying a huge sum of money and starting the whole recruitment process from scratch. Usually maids runaway after seeing advertisements in the newspaper of other employers offering higher salaries and better working environments. According to the Saudi gazette, local families claim the increasing number of runaway maids has caused them great frustration, leading them to take on the household chores themselves. Sarah Sonbol, a mother of five has started a campaign called ' Do It Yourself' where she encourages families to do all the household chores themselves by dividing tasks amongst each family member. Her movement has already received positive feedback in the Medina region where almost thirty families are now doing the domestic chores themselves. “Do It Yourself” provides a step by step program on how to divide chores appropriately and ways to motivate household members. Sonbol’s movement not only aims to deal with the maid crisis and the high prices Saudi families pay for domestic helpers, but also to keep families active and work collectively. “Doing things ourselves worked wonders for our relationship with our children and has helped a lot with my marriage,” she said.

Whilst the media are quick to sensationalize negative stories by creating the impression that the Saudi society is a barbaric ignorant one, I on the other hand would like to relate to you a few positive, heart warming stories regarding this topic. Recently, whilst chatting to a prince over coffee, I was informed that his father had given their house maid of 25 years, SR2 million the day that she left their home and returned to her family in Eritrea. She bought a hotel and improved her family's lifestyle. Another member of the Royal family honoured his Filipino maid and nanny by building a school for Filipino kids in her name. A colleague of mine attended the function and was amazed at the manner in which the prince showered love, respect and adoration for his nanny by equating her to his own mom. She had been a part of his family from the time he was a child. A princess, who frequents the hospital quite often with her mom informed me that she had paid for her drivers's kids education. Her driver is from Egypt and so she had sent his kids to the USA to complete their tertiary studies. She even provides them with a small monthly allowance. Making headlines just a few days ago, a Filipino maid who married her employer inherited SR20 million from his estate. Her brief two year marriage to her employer certainly turned her life around from rags to riches.

So you see folks, the moral of the story is this: In every society you get the good and the bad. Whilst there are many bloggers and other individuals out there who are quick to write negatively about Saudi Arabia using any bad occurrence by a Saudi individual to taint the Saudi community and Islam in general, I can assure you that good people do exist in the Kingdom. Most of the time their stories do not make it to the media as they do not wish for the world to know about their activities. Abuse and human rights violations do not occur only in Saudi Arabia. It is a global world wide phenomenon. Signalling out one country is just not fair in my opinion.

Source:
http://www.emirates247.com/news/maid-becomes-millionaire-in-saudi-arabia-2012-10-14-1.478881

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jun/22/maid-held-hostage-saudi-arabia

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2011/jul2011/saud-j06.shtml

http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/04/06/205890.html

http://www.reuters.com/article/2010/08/26/us-srilanka-maid-idUSTRE67P17420100826

http://www.emirates247.com/news/maid-from-morocco-no-thanks-say-saudi-wives-2011-09-14-1.418358

http://www.arabnews.com/saudi-arabia/runaway-maids-police-say-problem-persists

http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentid=20121013139441

http://tdh.ch/en/countries/morocco - picture

Makkah Museum (Mat7af al Haramain) - Part 1

During the month of Ramadhaan I was commuting on a weekly basis to Makkah to spend time with my family who were in the Kingdom for a six week vacation.Whilst in Makkah I arranged for my family to visit the Makkah museum. It was a truly fascinating experience and of course a very educational one as well.
Usually in Ramadhaan the museum is closed to the public unless prior arrangements have been made by your travel agent. The museum prefers to accept groups of pilgrims who have booked to visit the museum in advance. Since I reside in Riyadh, I asked one of my Saudi friends to seek permission for my family and I to visit.The administration staff at the museum were very kind and accommodating and allowed us to come by whenever it suited us. Whilst viewing all the artifacts in the museum, qualified and knowledgeable staff were on hand to provide us with detailed history and information. If you wish to visit the museum kindly call the Makkah museum ( Mat7af al Haramain) at  00966 (0)2 5602188. It is a museum that I highly recommend for all children to visit in order to gain a better perspective with regards to the history of the Haram in Makkah and Medina.The museum is situated approximately 20 minutes away from the Haram area on the old Jeddah road.

A teak staircase of the holy Ka3ba dating back to 1240H

Ash Shumaisi moldings which used to be above one of the entrances of the Holy Mosque

A slab of Ash-Shumaisi stone on which is engraved the name of the ameluke sultan Qayitbay who died in 901 H

The brassy head of the pulpit made in the era of sultan sulaiman alqanoony on the tenth century of alhijra

A brass crescent belonging to one of the minarets of the Holy Mosque dating back to 1299 H

Four inscriptions on two stone pillars recording the reconstruction of the Muqam (stance) during the reign of the Amluki sultan al ashraf abu an nasr linal in 858 and sultan ganosh al ghori in 915.

Wall plaques found in the Haram with Allah, Muhammed and the names of the four khalifa (Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthmaan and Ali)

The gold plated gutter of the Ka3ba

Riverview Spa - South Africa

A week prior to my departure from South Africa, my mom's sister decided to give mom and I a surprise by treating us to a hand and foot massage at the beautiful and tranquil Riverview Spa. If you are looking for a place to relax in the country side not too faraway from the city,  surrounded by picturesque hills with a river running through then Riverview spa is just the ideal place for you. Situated less than an hour's drive from Johannesburg and Pretoria, tucked away in a peaceful valley you can de-stress your mind, revitalize your body and soothe your soul.We arrived at the Spa around 11 in the morning and were welcomed by warm, friendly staff members.The owner's daughter Elmarie personally came by to introduce herself to us and also gave us a brief history about the spa and how it all started off. We were treated to welcome drinks and then made our way to the garden for our half an hour hand massage.The massage therapists were experienced and jovial. It was sheer magic being pampered in a peaceful ambience surrounded by the swimming pool and beautiful gardens whilst inhaling the fresh country side air.After our hand massage session we made our way to the Riverview Cafe where we indulged in a delicious vegetarian lunch. The kitchen at the spa prepared for us a snack platter comprising of cheese and corn samoosas, spring rolls and moons.We were also served delicious spinach quiche accompanied with a Greek and potato salad. After lunch we were once again whisked away to the garden area for our foot massage session. My mom suffers from arthritis and hence she commented that after receiving her massage she felt much relief in her hands and feet. The only disappointment was not being able to take a walk to the romantic riverside picnic area as we experienced a huge afternoon downpour. We were warned not to make our way to the river in the rain as we may slip due to the rocky steep incline near the river bed. Hence we made our way back to the Riverview cafe after the foot massage session for a late afternoon high tea. Riverview can accommodate up to 20 guests per day at the spa and 10 guests at a time to stay-over in their lovely private chalets.This is the perfect hide away for friends and family, close to all wedding venues in Muldersdrift and perfect for pamper days or break-awe’s combined with a relaxing day at the Spa. Riverview is a place with a heartbeat, a place with a difference, a home away from home. It was a day experience that I will cherish and remember forever. I had the opportunity of spending quality time with close family members and individuals that I truly care about. If you require more in depth information regarding all the treatment packages the spa has to offer I highly recommend you to visit their website.

An 'Emerging Mystery' by Photographer Sebastian Farmborough

A sweet message from a world class photographer and a truly remarkable human being.....Sebastian Farmborough

Hey,

Please feel free to share the pic. It's attracted over 18,500 hits so far from 134 different countries and I'm hoping that sooner or later it might generate the kind of attention that would enable me to return and complete the project.

Hope life is treating you well, Sebastian.

Whenever Western societies view a Muslim woman in hijab or niqaab, their first impression is likely to be one of negativity. A Muslim woman in niqaab is usually perceived as being illiterate, backward and uneducated.When I first saw this image of a fully veiled Muslim woman in water, I was blown away by the beauty and sheer simplicity of it. Thank you Sebastian Farmborough for replying to my emails promptly and for also providing me with a link to your fascinating story. I would also like to take the opportunity to encourage one and all to kindly view Sebastian's website where you will marvel at his breathtaking photography.

"The image is based on one of my very first experiences in Saudi Arabia: With the naked beaches of Barcelona a not too distant memory... I headed down to the Arabian Gulf for a dip. There, I became mystified by something black and obscure out at sea. It looked like a huge jellyfish. Then, as it approached, I realised that it was in fact a woman.

It was such an intense experience that I just had to capture it for myself. However, it was not until a few years later in Dubai, when I had acquired the equipment and expertise necessary, that I was able to execute it. Anyone trying to take a picture like this in Saudi Arabia would run the risk of ending up in prison, so in the more liberal country of the UAE, I was able to realise it.

It actually took me a year to find the right lady. Yes, there are lots of women with beautiful eyes in the Emirates, but finding an open-minded enough one to do it, now that was a challenge!

The picture itself was taken at dawn on the Burj Al Arab beach. I chose that time, because I wanted extremely soft light to fall on her and the sun to reflect in her eyes. It was winter, so the sea was freezing and we were both deep into it. It was an incredible experience. The model and I had only met a couple of times prior to the shoot so we actually got to know each other as it went on, finishing with a nice hot chocolate on the beach afterwards.

The photo is entitled "An Emerging Mystery" and I feel as though it is extremely symbolic of Muslim women's increasing prominence in the world, despite a continued mystery. The Saudi veil is so often portrayed negatively in the West that I hope to counteract that somewhat and prevent the Western public from being mislead. Many Muslim women actually choose to wear it and I am more than happy to respect that.

The image marks the beginning of a project that I have been wanting to carry out for some time. All we ever hear about Saudi Arabia seems to be negative, where as having lived there for 3 years, I can assure you that the reality is quite different. In fact, there are many things that we westerns could actually learn from them. I really admired and enjoyed the strength of their friendships, the closeness of their families, their sense of humour, and how friendly and generous they are. With this and other images I would like to try and redress the balance a bit and produce a book reflecting the more magical aspects of the kingdom."

Source:
http://blogs.tribune.com.pk/story/13355/the-veil-as-an-accentuation-of-beauty/