A picture worth a thousand words is an understatement -- an enormous understatement. However, if it is my click, every shot should be worth a million or more. This thought drives me to reach a new milestone with every click. It inspires me to do something extra with every snap. Sometimes, a new ray of light or a rightly placed shadow brings this extra dimension to the project.

I find every object in a different Color pattern and try to transcend it into newly found heights of light and shadows. Be it a car, jewellery or a fabulous dress, it is a piece of art which scales up when rightfully coloured and perfectly pictured.

Photography is not just about capturing images; it's about weaving stories, grabbing emotions, and freezing cherished memories in time. My take is going beyond and above the techniques of the contemporary and traditional approaches, and many times I prefer a jugalbandi to position the product right at the heart of millions of its target audience.

My story is quite simple. I was born at one of the unpopular hill stations in the state of Kerala, India, as the third son of a farming family way back in the 1980s. My great-grandfather moved here a few decades before my birth, and my father found a living in agriculture and sent us three to a local school. I have seen nature playing the best of the shadow-light magic, sitting at my Varanda. And hence, photography naturally comes to me.

But a camera didn't. Those memories remain in my mind, and they start coming out as and when I am behind a camera to click action after becoming a professional since I left my philosophy studies midway to become a photographer. I got my first camera with almost no features during those days. I clicked randomly – most of them are live actions involving humans and animals.

In 2008, I started assisting a well-known commercial photographer and learned the basic techniques of commercial photography. But inner calls to grab real-life imageries made me accept an offer from Vanitha, India's largest-selling women's magazine, as its in-house photojournalist. A great experience and lively reader response taught me many things. But, in between, I realised this was different from my cup of tea. And I was back to commercial photography in 2014. Since then, there has been no looking back.

The first two years of my commercial photography career went without major breakthroughs, though I won many prestigious clients. However, as early as 2016 brought me the biggest turn of my life, with three groundbreaking projects that challenge anyone behind the camera. The first-of-its-kind black beauty concept in Fashion was a signature moment. So was the series on India's queens, such as Noorjahan. And later the same year, a massive historical campaign for Malabar Gold's signature Brides of India was challenging and exciting. We captured the moments from 2000 years of Indian History from the Gupta age. The campaign was a moment of change for the fashion industry and my career. Challenging yet thrilling works come one after another. First, Kerala Tourism campaigns make me travel to different terrains. Then came the national Fashion and retail brands from Tanishq to Big Bazar.

In a nutshell, I am TIJO JOHN – a commercial photographer with years of experience handling national and international clients from almost every industry ranging from Tanishq to Malabar Gold, Kalyan to Joy Alukkas, CMR to Movada Watches, TVS to FBB and more. At Tijo John Photography, every moment is treated with the utmost importance and attention to detail, and I strive to surpass expectations and create images that evoke emotions.

Cameras I used: Not relevant- My eyes grab the story. The rest is just technology.

Lights and equipment: Natural light is always my preference. When it is not available, I create the same with artificial lights.