Meet Vishesh Mulchan: Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Vishesh Mulchan and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Vishesh, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
I think about risk very methodically and usually only take risks if I’m willing to lose. What I mean by that, is that I don’t take risks when I can’t afford to lose. If success is absolutely imperative then I will play it safe. But if I have some measure of freedom, then I’m willing to take chances on things. I’ve worked really hard to be where I am now and I will progress steadily rather than hurriedly.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I started doing photography in 2016 and to spare unnecessarily long details, in 2016 I was so nervous to photography people that I developed social anxiety. To get over that I started attending a comic con where I lived at the time, Alias Entertainment Expo, Trinidad. Over the years I got more comfortable with my photography and started photographing people outside of events. In January of 2017 I did my first portrait photoshoot, I didn’t’ have any fancy equipment, just the cheapest flash I could find to buy and a backdrop stand I got from amazon with a piece of white muslin. I burrowed my friend’s living room to shoot in because I didn’t know any studios nor did I want to pay money to rent a studio at the time. Later that year I did my second photoshoot outside of events, this time of cosplay. I shot with my friend who cosplayed an armor set made to replicate Daedric armor from The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim game. I was becoming more confident with my image quality but I was still in my infancy of learning off camera flash and directing posing. It would then be another year before my next photoshoot and in that time, I feel like I forgot everything. So I made a decision that I was going to put extra effort into consistency. My third shoot was a swimwear shoot to promote a boat party and for the most part I think I did really well, I gained some confidence in myself with regards to lighting and pose. In quick succession I did three more photoshoots in the following months before I moved from Trinidad to Florida in March of 2019. In my first year in Florida I did more photoshoots than the three years before that. I made good on my promise for consistency and slowly but surely I could see myself making progress. I shot portraits, swim ware and fashion that year but my goal was to use those genres to become competent in lighting. In the latter part of 2019 I decided to learn boudoir. In 2020, I spent the first couple months of the lockdown learning more about boudoir and fine art nude photography and once people started becoming comfortable with the new rules of social engagement, I began shooting again. I have been fortunate to have been able to work with numerous talented and creative models in the last two years and I have grown as a photographer and as a person from learning to work with models. I may not always be at a stage where I’m photographing people, but while I am, I have learnt that there is no greater satisfaction than the excitement people feel when they see an image of themself the they love. Most people try to zone in on one thing and perfect it. Most photographers pick one genre and stick to it, and make a career out of it. I want to photograph a bit of everything. Learning a new genre pulls back the curtains from my eyes a bit and I begin to understand the world better. Shooting cosplay taught me about the passion that cosplayers have and the efforts they go through to get minor details of a look correct. It also taught me that all that effort goes in vain when people react negatively to the cosplay because the cosplayer is black. It has shown me the racial struggle of many people who I call friend, and even more who I’ve never met. Shooting fashion taught me how to see colors better. How to match skin tone to clothing colors and match clothing colors to backgrounds in a way that would accentuate the beauty being portrayed. It’s taught me that models are some of the most energetic and friendly people you will ever meet/ Shooting boudoir taught me how much people hate the way they look, and how easy it is to change the way you see yourself if you just looked from a different perspective, in a different light. What I want the world to know about my brand, is that I want to tell your story. Anyone who visits my instagram will see this on my info, all I’m doing, is photographing the human condition.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’m the type of person who likes to lose myself in my surroundings. If my best friend, or close family where here for a week, we would spend a day in Little Havana and Wynwood. There we would have get food from food trucks and perhaps dinner and some live music in one of the restaurants on 8th St. I would take them to the beach, most likely the Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park, and spend a day there enjoying the trails and nature. We would definitely have an evening getting seafood in Lauderdale by the Sea and another at Chow One Korean BBQ in Pembroke Pines. Something I haven’t done yet but really want to is to do one of the boat tours in the Everglades, so that would be high on the list of things as well. For the remainder of the time, I really enjoy taking long drives, so we would possibly drive up to West Palm Beach or Orlando for a night or two and discover new places that I haven’t been to yet. Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There are many people who deserves some credit in my story. My parents and godparents who always encouraged me to try to be better me. My God who has guided me even in times where I did not show faith. My friends, who walked with me through most of my life. My girlfriend who supports my dreams and gives me strength.

Website: www.vmulchanphotos.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vmulchanphotos/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/vmulchanphotos

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VMulchanPhotos/

Image Credits
Ashley Arkels, hey.its.emjay. Stephania Greco. Chicamaravilla_28. Alexandra Lane. Cecilia Jayo