Exclusive Interview of Irfan Ahson

Times of Youth: For those who don’t know about you and your work, can you tell us a little about yourself? 

I am Irfan Ahson, a photographer caught inside the body of Civil Engineer. I am married and have two kids who are the light of my life. I am from Lahore, Pakistan and have an MS in Civil Engineering degree from The University of Texas, Austin. I worked in The United States of America for 8 years before moving back to Pakistan and pursuing photography full time

Times of Youth: Who are some of your favorite classic photographers, and how did they influence you? 

Bambi Cantrell, Robert Cappa and Henri Cartier Bresson to name a few. These are the legends of photography in their fields and they taught me how to compose, how to frame, when to click and above all how to freeze that fleeting moment for the posterity.

Times of Youth: Can you describe how and when you use flash, video light, reflectors and natural light during a wedding? 

In general I try to work with the natural light and use flash only when I have to fill in the shadows at least for portrait work. But for indoors and in dim light I always use flash to get a more “lively” feel to the pic.

Times of Youth: What is one question nobody has ever asked you— that you wish they asked you?

I think I have had pretty much everything thrown at me, but I wish someone asked me, ‘Don’t you think you are burning yourself out, losing the quality of your family life while trying to improve the quality of your pictures?’

Times of Youth: How do you interact with your clients to get what you want out of them? How do you handle ‘shy’ clients? 

You have to give them time to warm up, crack a few jokes, sometimes even press them against each others bodies to break the ice.

Times of Youth: How did you end up being a wedding photographer, and what made you choose photography as a career? 

It was my passion to freeze the flow of time; to capture the perfect moment filled with emotion and I could only do that at weddings, and yes of course the most money is in weddings, at least in Pakistan.

Times of Youth: What advice do you have for somebody who wants to pursue wedding photography? 

Know your gear, master your craft, invest in good gear and give it your 100% and success will follow.

Times of Youth: Among your works, which one is your favorite? Why? 

A series of shots I did on slum dwellers of Lahore with low end gear is among my favorite piece of work. I proved to myself and few others that gear is not everything, the eye also matters a lot!

Times of Youth: Which five words would your friends use to describe you? 

Passionate, hard worker and few others I wouldn’t write here.

One word answers: 

1) If you had to choose one lens which one would it be?  
85mm 1.2

2) What is your favourite photography accessory, other than your camera? 
Speedlight

3) What type of cameras do you shoot with? 
Canon DSLR

4) How would you describe your style? 
Unobtrusive, fly on the wall.

5) What is your most used Photoshop tool / plug-in / action set? 
Noiseware

Times of Youth: Any message to your fans or followers via TIMES OF YOUTH? 

Believe in the power of your dreams. Prove the world wrong!

Times of Youth: Do tell us how can fans can contact you to share their appreciation/feedback/suggestions. 

 They can mail me at [email protected]