 Guddu and Shani are perhaps the most elusive people in fashion. You won't spot them in elitist magazines amongst fashionistas, designers, music sensations and party-goers. However, dedicated followers of fashion cannot miss them. They have worked with the best in fashion and perhaps the biggest feather in their cap is that Sana Safinaz, renowned exacting perfectionists, work only with them. They are also responsible for launching Rabia Butt, a model fashion insiders excitedly refer to as the new Vaneeza Ahmed. Guddu Shani break new ground, pushing the limits of fashion photography and styling further. Their work speaks for itself, so although you may not see them, they certainly have an eye over everything happening, both in the industry and society at large.
And what an eye it is! From creating breakthroughs in fashion photography and working with the crème de la crème of fashion, to creating corporate campaigns for retailers, Guddu and Shani have a unique grasp on all aspects of digital imaging. With Fine Arts and Graphic Design majors from Lahore's Punjab University, they are self-proclaimed followers of their predecessors, Khawar Riaz and Athar Shahzad. Guddu Shani openly admit to being inspired by these stalwarts, the men who started fashion photography in Lahore but also confess that they stepped into the industry to narrow a major gap that they identified and later built upon: digital photography.
"When we began working, between 2000 and 2003, we noticed that existing work did not conform to international standards. The world had entered the era of digital photography; everything from pre to post production was getting digitized. We had seen and done this at college, but the players in the industry were not working along those lines. They already had established modes of working or maybe they lacked the technical know how to be able to do this kind of work. So our primary focus was to bring in the quality that we saw in international shoots and printing to our industry,” says Shani, but is also careful to include that, "Our issues were not with aesthetics but with quality.”
 Relatively recent entrants into the world of fashion and achieving acclaim in just half a decade, Guddu and Shani are extremely cautious about sparking controversy. They speak with deliberation and care: "Photography gurus (like Athar and Khawar) have done so much work in the last 15 years that even if we think of doing something unique, we find that these people have already worked on those subjects. You definitely cannot compare the experience of four years with that of 16 years”.
Guddu and Shani's reclusive tendencies and tactful speech is further augmented by the fact that their design studio, which is the ground storey of their home, is situated just off Gulberg's trendy M.M.Alam road. It's just the right proximity to be near the heart of things while maintaining a safe distance. Like them, the studio has a simple, practical character: a large green pool table greets you at the entrance that leads to a funky red and black seating area to which is attached a large space where each wall bears different canvases. It suits this couple well, who juggle parenthood with the myriad features of their work: bridal, commercial and fashion shoots along with conducting trainings and workshops.
How difficult was it for them, two uncomplicated people with solid middle class values, to enter an industry ridden with complexities and politics?
 "Not at all,” comes the astounding reply from Shani, "It was very easy, and still is very easy. We were able to identify a gap in the industry and on its basis were able to step in. However when we finally did embark on launching ourselves into the industry, we came to the painful realization that we were not technologically equipped. We had studied a subject for six years but it didn't pertain to applied photography. We had learned black and white film and an outdated syllabus. So we had to begin the learning process all over again by educating ourselves through the Internet, from workshops and seminars since our focus was on upgrading our images to those of an international level. Hence we became the pioneers in post production in the country. Even though when we began working people would criticize us for using Photoshop and creating images digitally claiming that all we did was tweak images. Photoshop is just a tool. It does what we ask it to do. Interestingly, after all that diatribe, everyone has now started to use this application and now if you notice our pictures are improvised a lot and have become top notch images.”
It is no rumour, I press, that the fashion industry is ridden by camps that are operated by those that Guddu and Shani refer to as their gurus...
 Diplomatic as ever, Shani concedes, "Personally, I have never viewed camps negatively even though it is a negative phenomenon that influences the whole industry. I don't support any camp but I'm not against anyone. The trajectory of the industry has been such that Athar and Shahzad have defined the concept of Eastern beauty in Pakistan. They've been so powerful in their image building that, even today, if a common girl visualises a bride it is invariably from a shoot these two have done. They have established something. In the same way, one cannot ignore Khawar Riaz's contributions to the field of male modeling. His shoots have defined masculinity in the country. So both these stalwarts define cultures. But what happened was that when they had stepped into the fashion world, there was no industry to speak of and they themselves were not properly trained; they learned through trial and error, self-teaching through experimentation. With the passage of time if you want to produce quality work then you have no option but to do limited work, and then you discover that with limited work you can't cover your overheads, so you begin a process of expansion. Now the issue here is that not everyone can work in a broadminded way. If they have made a camp, they are just trying to secure their business. And then if you have been reigning over a kingdom for so long then it isn't easy to share that position with a third new entrant.”
"How you handle this situation as a creative individual is another thing altogether. In my humble view, they mishandled the situation. That's all... and you can't blame them. If, after reigning for 16 years, your empire is slipping away from your hands it's natural to want to protect it in every possible way. I look forward to working with and learning from them, but I will change this camp culture.”
So what did the gurus do wrong? "They couldn't distinguish between being fashion photographers and a modelling agency or talent agency operator. Worldwide, any agency that signs a model has the right to dictate who she can work with. The norms however are that the agency wants their model to work in every field possible whether its fashion or the corporate sector. Now what has happened here is that photographers ne models ko paala hai. I am using the word 'paala' simply because I know, for instance, that the way Khawar can manage and groom models, I can't. The point is that these people couldn't specialize in these two distinct fields separately. Now if a fashion photographer tries to get involved in the business aspect of a modelling agency, then this is bound to happen since you believe only you have the talent to expose her best.
This happened with us when we started to work with Rabia Butt and people started to speculate that since she had done so much work with us, she was now exclusively signed by us. When we heard this rumour we intentionally motivated her to work with others like Maram Abroo, Deevees and Khawar to dispel this notion. Naturally there were a few prints we didn't like and we would say to ourselves that she probably shouldn't have done this, but you see that's not our prerogative. If we kill this possessive instinct then we will allow a healthy competitive culture where a lot of creativity will flow and flourish.”
They are heralded as the next Athar Shahzad, so if they take on the throne, what would they do differently, I probe.
"I am in the process of establishing my own talent agency that will collaborate with all senior photographers. I know that others will step up either in embarrassment or by realising its business potential; it's all about promoting a certain working culture. I will not only be a modeling agency but also a talent agency called Flair International that will promote talent in all aspects of art. I am no longer Guddu Shani but a full fledged agency – 360 degrees. My aim is to promote whatever is required to further my cause. Flair is going to be the first modelling agency that will release models internationally. We are currently in negotiations with agencies in Malaysia, Thailand and Dubai. We want to expose these regions to South Asian features and looks in partnerships with their local agencies. One agency that is working as our agent internationally is the Norwegian Idol Looks.”
"We are working on a broader scope. Over the long run we want to groom a stock of models who we can bring up to international standards, so our local models have an opportunity to work globally. We've signed Rabia Butt, for instance, and are sending her for training to New York. She'll do a lot of editorial work there, in collaboration with Idol Looks. As I had mentioned before, I always keep looking for gaps and there was a huge gap in terms of model releasing. Till now models did not have the right to work with various photographers. With us, all models will be advised to work with everyone. We will be targeting fashion photographers for magazine editorials, the corporate sector and advertising for commercials. We will also try to partner with all existing seniors especially Khawar Riaz, Frieha Altaf and Nabila, with whom we will attempt to create a culture of hiring mutually even if it means cutting down on our commission. Model payments have always been a contentious issue; we'll be very clear on agreements. We will use our models as marketing agents. We will encourage them to speak to the media and everyone in the industry. We're also trying to develop photography workshops, make up training, choreography to make sure we have refined models.”
It's a tall order, but then Guddu and Shani are all about making giant strides. |
