I was commissioned by CEOLounge magazine to shoot editorial images for the cover story of their December 2019 issue featuring Britannia MD Varun Berry. CEOLounge is a company catering solely to CEOs to provide them experiences which celebrate life beyond the boardroom.

pradhyumna gupta photography

The brief was to make editorial images which showcase Mr Varun Berry in a relaxed yet corporate light (yes pun definitely intended). More of a lifestyle vibe. I did a quick recce of the office space and decided to narrow down 4-5 spots near to each other so that we could quickly move in and out and get the images. I setup the lights and took a few test shots to get my composition and settings dialled-in. I also made a note of the settings for each of the shots I visualised. Since it was an office with artificial lights and no natural light coming in, I didn’t have to worry about the changing ambient lights.

I had requested for a window of approximately 45 minutes to make a variety of images. However when I reached the Britannia offices I was informed that I will have a maximum of 20 minutes as Mr Varun Berry was very busy, granted as he heads one of the biggest and legendary food products company in the nation. I knew I had a big challenge ahead of me to get a set of different shots in as less of time as possible.

As I had already taken test shots and noted down the exact settings all I needed to do now was worry about building a rapport with Mr Berry within the first few seconds. Based on the inputs provided by the HR Manager, I knew Mr Berry was a stickler for time and I knew I had to be as quick as possible to get the images and that was my key to make him comfortable. Since I had the composition, lights and settings dialled-in I quickly shot the images in each of the location.

At the end of the shoot, Mr Berry told his HR Manager that this was one quick and hassle-free shoot. Heck he said “This guy’s good“. I was chuffed to have done a good job in such a short time.

Below are the tear sheets from the December issue. A fantastic experience shooting the cover story of a magazine.

pradhyumna gupta photography
pradhyumna gupta photography
pradhyumna gupta photography
pradhyumna gupta photography
pradhyumna gupta photography

This also gave me an opportunity to use my newly acquired collapsible beauty dish (Glow Beauty dish) from Adorama and I must say it produces excellent quality of light.


Gear used:
1. Nikon D750
2. Tamron 24-70 f2.8
3. Glow Beauty Dish 25″
4. Godox AD200
5. Godox TT685
6. Generic light stands.

If you liked my work, please feel free to contact me via the Contact Form. I am always keen on meeting new people and working on exciting projects.