What makes a Porus Vimadalal photograph special? The subject is always made to come across as someone dignified and beautiful. The award-winning photographer from Mumbai, in fact, has a memorable series of snaps involving members of the Parsi community, which has great archival value. Recently, he shot a beautiful Diwali campaign to highlight the power of the iPhone 15 series.

Inspired by architecture and geometry, the images involve unique mithai setups that have been shot on the iPhone 15. In fact, I made the mistake of asking him whether he shot it on the iPhone 15 Pro Max, which has all the big camera features. He used the simple iPhone 15 and that simply shows how far the iPhone has come. His journey with Apple goes beyond the campaign; he recently conducted a coveted Today at Apple session at Apple BKC in Mumbai.

The Diwali campaign took time to plan. “It was a month and a half of planning, and then we finally shot it and the pictures were out around Diwali. That was very exciting. It ties in well because the (Today at Apple) session itself was about talking to people, how they can develop their photography skills, not only mithai but creating these setups at home and doing it on their own with their phones. That was the idea behind the session,” Porus told us over phone.

The session was also about him because he is a respected photog in the fashion and lifestyle circuit. “I've been a part of this industry for almost over a decade now, I would say close to 12 years. This is just one part of what I do. I work in the fashion industry. I work with a lot of magazines, designers, brands and people. I got to speak about my experiences and how I got into the industry. And what I did before that. It was a great audience; we had a lot of fun. We also had these little setups for them at the session where they could go and explore or take pictures with their iPhones. And everyone did a wonderful job,” he said.

Porus Vimadalal

Our conversation was largely around the iPhone 15. “I enjoy taking pictures with my iPhone. I use it all the time to create content, to take pictures on the go… it's amazing when you're traveling and you need some amazing shots. In that sense the iPhone is something I obviously use for a lot of stuff. Personally, all my gear… in terms of workflow… is all Apple. I end up using my MacBook, iPhone and all of that; it's something that seamlessly ties in.”

Portrait shots minus Portrait Mode

He believes that the new phone series from Apple has meaningful updates for photographers: “The camera and picture quality has been vastly improved. I also think certain features… like now you have the ability to take portrait shots without going into Portrait mode. The focus can be adjusted manually. It’s very helpful. Also, Apple introduced the 5x zoom on the 15 Pro Max, which I believe will help a lot of people. Getting great images with the iPhone 15 or the iPhone 15 Pro is easy. I've not really explored video as much but in the way of taking pictures, it's amazing. And I know it because I shot the campaign using the iPhone 15.”

Porus at a Today at Apple session at Apple BKC, Mumbai

As every photographer vouches for, the best camera is the one you have with you. For Porus, the size of the iPhone is an advantage. “It's so easy to carry it around and if you need to compose a great shot when you don’t have big cameras around you, this is perfect… it’s the camera in one’s pocket. That itself is a big thing. I obviously cannot carry my DSLR everywhere. You can pretty much achieve everything on the phone. You can even shoot ProRAW on the phone. That gives you so much freedom and post that colour grade it a way you want to.”

Enjoy the process

For many users, the iPhone has been the starting point of a long journey in photography. Once hooked to taking pictures, many have opted for bigger cameras and that is the magic of the iPhone. Porus says that it’s important to be curious, no matter what device is being used. “When you're starting out, be curious, look around and observe things. As a photographer that is something you should enjoy doing — observing everything around you as well as lighting conditions. That's such an important part of photography. When I was starting out, I didn’t take myself too seriously. We are just focused on the end goal and where you want to be. You need to enjoy the process. Take your time with things, explore, slowly build your portfolio and identify the things you love. As you keep doing it, your insights may change,” he said.

For him, photography happened “pretty naturally”. “I was studying fashion design. I did that for three years. And then I went for flying training. I got a commercial pilot's license and eventually decided on pursuing my hobby seriously — photography. It was something I enjoyed doing. I never thought I would take it up as a profession until later. I ended up studying photography in Vancouver. I was there for a while and took a little course there… came back to India and I started working as a photographer,” said Porus.

File picture of the iPhone 15 launch in Cupertino, California Picture: The Telegraph

And he has some advice for budding photographers: “Somebody who's looking at doing photography as a profession, it's important to understand that… make sure you can sustain yourself. Always have a backup but also pursue your passion. Like with everything, you need to be patient. Photography is also about exploring people skills and how you reach out to people. When you are starting your journey, focus on work. You will make mistakes and you will create work that you may not enjoy. That's totally fine. Take your time to explore.”