Pause for a pose

Akash Kumbhar, a 25-year-old fitness and fashion photographer from Mumbai, made an attempt to enter Limca Book of Records on January 12, not by doing something outrageous or vague but by doing something that he is passionate about. Kumbhar did a photo shoot with 400 fitness models striking different poses in under 60 minutes. The results of Limca Book of Records and World Records India will be announced later this week. 

Talking to Kumbhar, we find out more about how he trained himself for the photo shoot and why he decided to choose photography as the medium, among other things.
  
Kumbhar made an attempt to set a record at BodyPower expo in Mumbai. Before attempting the actual record, however, he practised with and experimented with a 10-year-old child. “The challenge here was to capture 20 poses in under a minute and this child just outdid himself by doing 25 poses in a minute which is great, especially for someone who is not used to the camera,” says Kumbhar adding that he has photographed Nick Orton, who is the CEO and founder of BodyPower, because of which he felt even more motivated.
 
The youngster says that even though none of his family members were into photography, he has been fond of all things artistic right from his school days. “I knew one thing for sure — I did not want to study something technical. I wanted to pursue something that I liked, which is why I started studying photography so that some day I could turn it into a career, which indeed has worked well for me,” says Kumbhar. 

He has been following his dream but what has given him an additional boost and confidence to excel in whatever he is doing is the support of his family. “My family supports my choices. I would also like to add that hard work  pays off. When you are young and dedicated anything is possible, one just needs to dream and take the leap of faith without worrying too much,” says he. 

When asked why he chose fitness photography, Kumbhar says that he always wanted to do something different. “Even though I work both in fashion and fitness, the approach is different,” he says adding that fashion photography is all about good looks through make-up and clothes. 

“What stands out in fashion photography is the fact that all the models have a personality that has to be captured in the frame. You have to also respect the fact that they are professionals and have been in the industry for a long time. But when it comes to fitness photography, the main aim of shooting is to highlight their strong points — be it a muscle or an intimidating pose with minimal use of props. These fields are different, but I thoroughly enjoy my work,” he shares.
 
Next, Kumbhar will be making an attempt at Guinness World Records.