I wanted to capture the side of Mr Anwer Maqsood that we all acknowledge but never see up close and personal except through the veiled satire; that of a hardened rebel.

He is the legend who has shaped Pakistani satire, literature, and art for over five decades. This portrait captures a man who is a paradox: a sharp critic of society who remains its most beloved storyteller. To look at him is to see the history of Pakistani entertainment condensed into a single, dignified frame. He reminds us that while humor can be fleeting, wit is immortal.

I had been meaning to photograph Mr Maqsood for some time. I had the good fortune of running into him whilst waiting for the same flight at the Karachi Airport. I introduced myself and asked him if he would allow me to take his portrait upon our return back to Karachi. He was kind enough to oblige and we managed to make it work despite a very short time window and busy schedules – Mr Maqsood was going to Islamabad for his new play and I was doing back to back sessions at various universities before returning to the UK.

I like to keep things simple and not impose too much on the subjects especially when I am trying to capture their personality (Landscape photography practice has made me good at improvising). As such, I am happy to improvise to whatever environment and surrounding the subject is comfortable in. When I arrived at Mr Maqsood’s house, he happened to be in his study. He asked me whether the room was okay or if we should go in the garden. I always had an extreme close-up in mind and so we decided to take the photo in the study but the option of the garden set off a light bulb in my head (more of that later). I kept the lighting setup relatively simple; a clamp-shell lighting setup with an octa softbox and a reflector. I used a Sigma 50mm 1.4 lens on my Panasonic S1R. Exposure ISO 100, f/11 1/160th of sec. The entire setup and photo took about 10-15 minutes.

Mr Maqsood’s home is very much an art gallery filled with paintings and sculptures. I suggested taking some pictures outside in ambient natural light for photogrammetry and creating a digital double. The light was fading and I have to use a high ISO but still managed to get a digital 3D scan out of it that I hope to refine later (see below).