A taste for fashion and an eclectic style fuels this creator’s artistic flair

Naznin Suhaer is a fashion and lifestyle blogger turned product photographer based in Hyderabad, India. A scroll of her Instagram @idressfortheapplause shows off her eclectic charm and fashion forward style.

Naznin’s keen interest in fashion has developed her eye for colour and sense of composition, vital skills that have helped hone her craft as a product photographer. This fashionista has persevered in learning to be more proficient with a professional camera in order to produce high-quality images for brands she partners with.

As a long serving member of the Creatively Squared creator team, Naznin has produced stunning assets for well known global brands such as Sunsilk, TRESemmé, Vaseline and Venus just to name a few. Even through her focus is now product photography, she is equally comfortable in front of the camera as behind it!

Keep scrolling down to meet the vibrant Naznin and learn more about her journey from fashion blogger to professional photographer.

Let’s meet Naznin

Hello, Naznin here! I started out as a fashion and lifestyle blogger 8 years ago. Little did I know that my love for content creation would make me the product photographer I am today. When I'm not creating, I'm watching Netflix, making smoothie bowls and playing with my furry friends.

I enjoy beauty, food styling and lifestyle photography primarily. However, I love experimenting and do not limit myself to any particular genre. My aesthetic is quite experimental. I enjoy vintage, dark academia, grunge and punk aesthetics. I also love colour and minimalism occasionally.

Naznin’s Creatively Squared journey

I received an exciting offer from Ruth, the Creatively Squared cofounder, 4 years ago to create content for a beauty brand. I was impressed with the clarity and transparency of the project brief. The project went well and ever since then, there was no looking back!

All the projects I've worked on so far with Creatively Squared have been interesting for me. Although my best is yet to come, I particularly enjoyed creating images for Olly Gummies.

I also enjoyed working on content for Sunsilk and TRESemmé.

Apart from the projects I received from Creatively Squared, I also had a good time working for a haircare brand Bare Anatomy which involved creating water shots for them.

Tools of the trade

Although I plan to upgrade, I’m currently using a Nikon D7000 that serves fine for developing the kind of projects I usually work on. I use Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom for editing.

I love working in natural sunlight, either direct or partial - peeping through the window. Most of the time I enjoy working at home since it gives me the freedom to experiment with props without having to carry them to a particular location. I love seashells, books, hats and beauty products.

I live in a room with barely any sunlight. Therefore I use my younger brother's bedroom and balcony. It gives me sunlight and beautiful shadows to work with. That's my home studio until I build one of my own.

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Naznin’s creative process

I always enjoyed capturing pictures of nature, food and beauty products, but I find it daunting to use a professional camera in manual mode since the technical aspect of handling it seemed intimidating to me. I slowly began to understand a professional camera with the help of friends who were patient enough to answer my questions and explain things to me.

From then on it was just practice - capturing the sky, trees, birds a million times, capturing a simple vase in my room, flowers in my neighbourhood, carrying my camera to the events I was invited to and slowly moving on to shooting for beauty brands.

When I have a photoshoot, I always create a storyboard for every single shot including all the little details. That's a habit I developed in the last 2 years. This helps minimize shoot time on the day and be more efficient.

I always try to rest well a day before I shoot. I watch interviews of artists/creators on YouTube, scroll through Pinterest for endless hours and get my props out to inspire me for the shoot.

I'm a one-woman team. Sometimes I get my mum to help me but I aim to being as independent as possible while shooting.

Who inspires Naznin

I enjoy content by Audrey Leighton from @frassyaudrey, Courtney Halverson from @prettylittlefawn and Christopher from @co.nfused.

Top creative tip

My advice for creators would be to create what you gravitate towards, instead of trying to create what you think people might like. Spend as much time with your camera as possible.

Don't give up on practising and experimenting until you are satisfied with what you want to achieve.

Always create for yourself first even if you're creating for a client. If something feels off, then maybe it is. Don't stop giving it multiple tries until you are happy with your work.

This year’s focus

I’d like to improve on my time management and work on multiple projects simultaneously.

Thank you Naznin for being a valuable member of our creator team and sharing your creative journey so far. You can keep up with Naznin’s journey through her Instagram @idressfortheapplause or visit her website for her latest blogs.