What does it take to be a good celebrity photographer – passion or luck? Ajmal Latheef would say neither. According to him, all that matters is omnipresence. A lensman nurtured by social media, Ajmal Latheef is an IT technician by qualification and a celebrity photographer by passion.
A few weeks ago, when Pranav Mohanlal's first-look picture from the shooting location of Aadhi went viral on the Internet, a subtle name tag that read 'Ajmal Photography’ accompanied it. We saw the same name again recently when Mammootty shared on his Facebook page a picture in which he was wearing a yellow-shirt. The megastar's picture was taken by Ajmal during the 89th-anniversary celebrations of South Indian bank.
Pranav Mohanlal on the sets of 'Aadhi'So when exactly did Ajmal fall in love with photography? Apparently, Ajmal owes his photography career to Rahul, a native of Kayamkulam, and a desktop that conked out. “It happened four years ago. I was working as an IT technician then. Rahul's computer had a problem with its RAM and I was working on it. I spent almost half a day with him and all that time, this guy kept on talking about the power of pictures and how it conveyed raw emotions.
"I was all ears because I loved having a company while I worked. Finally, when his computer was switched on, I was delighted to find a massive treasure of flawlessly captured portraits. Since then, I started using my mobile camera for clicking pictures rather than selfies. Looking back, I realize, that is where I began my journey as a photographer,” he says.
Seasoned photographers often consider celebrity photography as an easy job because it involves clicking some sure-shot frames. But Ajmal chooses to differ. He says celebrity photography is one sensitive and sensational trade where capturing that unexpected grin or a wink, is worth a million.
Ajmal with team 'Lucifer'Ajmal ventured into freelance celebrity photography two years ago after he met actor Dileep Kumar at a shooting location in Kochi. Ajmal turned his lens towards him and flashed it a couple of times, capturing some discrete expressions of the actor. The appreciation he yielded for those pictures boosted his confidence.
Having captured several exceptional photos of Mollywood celebrities, Ajmal now dreams to spread his wings. “An exclusive casual photo shoot of Tamil superstar Ajith is my long-term dream. I also aspire to click some glitzy pics of Allu Arjun and Hrithik Roshan too,” Ajmal says with a self-effacing smile.
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Ajmal Photography: of a ‘shooting’ star and his labor of love
![Ajmal Photography: of a ‘shooting’ star and his labor of love]()
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Ajmal Photography: of a ‘shooting’ star and his labor of love
![Ajmal Photography: of a ‘shooting’ star and his labor of love]()
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Ajmal Photography: of a ‘shooting’ star and his labor of love
![Ajmal Photography: of a ‘shooting’ star and his labor of love]()
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Ajmal Photography: of a ‘shooting’ star and his labor of love
![Ajmal Photography: of a ‘shooting’ star and his labor of love]()
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Ajmal Photography: of a ‘shooting’ star and his labor of love
![Ajmal Photography: of a ‘shooting’ star and his labor of love]()
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Ajmal Photography: of a ‘shooting’ star and his labor of love
![Ajmal Photography: of a ‘shooting’ star and his labor of love]()
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Ajmal Photography: of a ‘shooting’ star and his labor of love
![Ajmal Photography: of a ‘shooting’ star and his labor of love]()
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Ajmal Photography: of a ‘shooting’ star and his labor of love
![Ajmal Photography: of a ‘shooting’ star and his labor of love]()
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Ajmal Photography: of a ‘shooting’ star and his labor of love
![Ajmal Photography: of a ‘shooting’ star and his labor of love]()
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Ajmal Photography: of a ‘shooting’ star and his labor of love
![Ajmal Photography: of a ‘shooting’ star and his labor of love]()
Every photographer has a favorite among their clicks. Ajmal too cherishes one of his photographs although his subject for the picture was not a celebrity. “In the initial days of my career, I used to feature my friends as models and take themed photos, just for practice-sake. When I was working with my friend Abees, I took a picture with sky and clouds in my frame, to bring in a grace. But it was mindblowing to watch the clouds taking the shape of Arabic letters, which a fluent reader could easily read as Allah. That photograph went viral on the social media and yielded incredible responses even from a lot of people, including some famous photographers. I still cherish that picture.”
No, Ajmal doesn’t limit himself to taking portraits. He often goes on forest camps to practice wildlife photography. Fashion and travel photography are his other areas of interest.
Hailing from a middle-class extended family comprising parents, grand mother and a younger brother, Ajmal says his folks have never discouraged him from pursuing such a career.
“Earning is tough in the initial phase. It is easy to withdraw at that point. But if you have the true spirit, success would be your existential issue. You have to conquer it. I am slowly covering that phase, all by God's grace,” Ajmal smiles.
