Tarun Khiwal

Tarun Khiwal Biography

Tarun Khiwal is a well-known fashion and commercial photographer from Mathura, Uttar Pradesh. He is one of the leading names in Indian fashion industry and a recipient of numerous honours and awards related to the field. 2005 Hasselblad Masters Award, Fashion Photographer of the Year Award" at the Lycra MTV Style Award and Kingfisher Fashion Photographer of the Year are some of the major honours received by him. Over the years, Khiwal has worked with brands such as Panasonic, Gillette, Reebok, Nokia, American Express, Nestle and Honda. He regularly works with leading Indian magazines like Elle, Tank Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Grazia etc, mostly associated with fashion world.

Tarun Khiwal was born in Mathura in the year 1965. He grew up in Lucknow, where his father worked with Indian Railways as an officer. His passion to camera and photography began in his teens and started taking photographs at age 15, after his father gave him a Pentax K1000 camera. He also thought to become a painter. Yet he felt that both painting and photography could be the best career options for a secure financial condition and hence he enrolled for engineering studies. He took mechanical engineering at the Institute of Tool Room Training, Lucknow.

Tarun started his career in 1989, designing press and die casting tools at West India Power Equipment Private Limited in Jagdishpur. But he was not happy with his job. The technical director of the company gave him the book, The Magic of Thinking Big to read. After reading the book he quit his job and shifted his base to Delhi the same year. He became the apprentice of renowned architectural and interior photographer, Hardev Singh followed by fashion photographers, Atul Kasbekar and Prabuddha Dasgupta, which proved to be a major turning point of his life.

He started working independently since 1995 and initially worked for magazines like Society and First City. Subsequently he entered fashion industry. In 2004 he received "Fashion Photographer of the Year Award" at the Lycra MTV Style Award and Kingfisher Fashion Photographer of the Year award, and after that he rose to the prime league of fashion photographers.

Published: January 14, 2019

Updated: January 14, 2019