Please join me in thanking Ahmed - =aksdareflection for participating in this interview. Ahmed has become a friend of mine here and I must say he has some very creative ideas and a great sense of humor, it shows in his conceptual works. So do read on and I hope you enjoy reading the interview as much as I did.

We all know you as just the photographer, but we’d like to get to know the true person behind the lens. Tell us a little about you.

My name is Ahmed Waheed Khan but most of the deviants call me Aks which is my screen name. I am not a professional photographer; photography is just my hobby and passion. By profession I am a software engineer.

I have not learnt photography, I started clicking randomly by looking at the LCD of a simple 4 mega pixel camera and then after sometime I realized I can do something different and better by looking through the view finder of a DSLR.

When did you first discover your passion for photography?

In 2005, when I was in UK, I used to take random nature shots with that ordinary camera, though the result was not great but I did enjoy those beautiful colors and scenes. In the same year, I had my first trip to London with few friends and at that time I was taking pictures with my cell phone! Yes! At that time I did not have a camera nor a passion for photography. But on the return I thought I should have captured those beautiful memories, so I bought a point and shoot and that was Konica Minolta Dimage X1.

In 2006, I joined deviantART and started posting some random nature and still life shots, example:

As I was new and the subject I was doing was already done by almost every single photographer, I decided to do something new and different. Here comes the conceptual photography in my life.

What does conceptual photography mean to you?

A concept is basically an idea/visualiztion that we get while doing/thinking or by looking at something. Initially it is a blur feeling and we need to focus on our visualization to put it into a proper and presentable form. When it comes to photography, it is really very important from the viewer's point of view that the idea is strong and not done before. If that idea has been executed before it won’t attract the attention of the viewer (until and unless the composition of your work is strong enough).

According to me, Conceptual Photography involves processes that start from

- visualization (simple imagination of the idea)
- virtual composition (how your composition will look like)
- actual composition
- and then the execution.

In short: Think, Compose and Execute.

How long has it been since you started conceptual photography?

...the story continues: As mentioned earlier that I started posting random nature and still life shots here on dA, but the response was not inspiring for a new comer. Though I was happy to meet some great deviants but still my work was not that great. I started writing critiques on others work, showed them mine and the days were just passing. After some time I realized I don’t have enough resources (models for fashion photography, car to travel and find places for nature shots), so I started taking pictures of daily life things which helped me in thinking differently. I then started composing those thoughts and finally, I was able to get some ideas. Some of my initial thoughts are:

What equipment do you usually use to create your photos?

To compose my ideas, I usually use daily life objects. Like:
Dice, Match sticks, color pencils, mannequins, gummy bears etc.

Examples:

I use my Canon EOS 350D with required lenses and I also use a self-made soft box for still life shots which you can find here.

How would you describe your career as a photographer? (amateur, professional, hobbyists, experimentalist, other)

This is just my hobby. I am not a professional photographer nor I am making money from my hobby. I enjoy every moment that I spent while thinking, composing my shots or taking pictures.

But I have some ‘unknown’ strong future plans – hope they will go well with the passage of time.

How are you usually propelled to come up with ideas and who are what motivates you?

It could be anything; sometimes a word can give me an idea (as I love to play with words), sometimes it is kind of theme, issue related to the world or just a random thought.

Examples:

World’s AIDS Day




Think Pink





Valentine’s Day

So the criminal is my grey matter and the crime’s theme is the thinking process that never ends in me. It is something that I think, see, observe from the world or sometimes feel - got into me and with that process I come up with an idea that speaks itself.

According to me, a strong concept does not need a single word of description, it should convey the message to the world, and it should speak for itself.

When you have an idea how do you go about implementing it into a concept?

As I mentioned the steps:

- visualization (simple imagination of the idea)
- virtual composition (how your composition will look like)
- actual composition
- and then the execution.

So at first I think what the idea is all about, how it should look like? Then I start composing the theme and then I execute it.

I always take number of pictures with different angles and then different compositions. It helps me later in finding the best piece, because sometimes your actual composition got better than the virtual. So it is better to try different settings.

Another thing I would like to mention, this happens to me often that when I am working on a concept, while composing I get different ideas of different themes that can also be executed using the same objects.

What has your growth of conceptual photography been like?

So far it is been outstanding and the reason are my watchers, lovers and supporters. They understand my concepts, help me in improving my ideas and motivate me more to do something good, different and better for them.

How has deviantART contributed to your growth as an artist?

I am also registered to other ART websites, but this is the only website where I love to remain 24x7 and the reason is the contribution of artists. This is the first art community where I started posting my pictures and thoughts, and I got addicted to this website.

Getting critiques/favs in no time really inspire me, and I always try to improve my thinking and try to come up with better ideas that can bring a smile to this community.

Thanks deviantART and all the artists of this community.

What types of settings and set ups do you usually include in the making of your conceptual photographs?

As I usually use daily life objects in my photography so I do need a huge setup or I don’t need to travel and find locations for the ideas. I have a self-made, cheap so called studio ([link]) that helps me in getting good pictures.

How would you describe your style?

I let my audience define this.

As a photographer what do you aim to achieve with your conceptual photography?

The first thing I want to achieve is that through my concepts the whole world can understand the meaning and importance of love and peace. And then I want my fellows to get inspire and start thinking differently and creatively.

When you look at a conceptual photo, what is the one thing you look for to strike you the most?

1. Originality of the idea
2. The composition

Who are your favourite photographers here on dA and outside of dA?

I have a never ending list but just sharing few of them:

`Davenit
`gilad
=widjita
Outside of deviantART - Fayyaz

What is your personal favourite(s) conceptual photograph from your gallery?

I have already shared few of them on top of this article, besides those these are my favourites:

What advice would you give to new photographers who are perusing conceptual photography?

Try to think differently and yes be creative! and above all respect the art and the artists.

Is there anything else you wish to say?

Get the best out of your thinking, compose it and amaze the world.

With Love,
=aksdareflection