By Maliha Rehman
In a world where content is king and untold stories are communicated through the dynamics of the lens, Naveed Amjad seems to be at the very helm of it all. Balancing his loyal clientele of fashion brands along with artful projects with the Colony in Lahore, the esteemed videographer’s love for film transcends beyond the fashion industry. With a thirst to consistently create and inspire, Naveed’s multifaceted work is testament to how vastly talented he is and it seems that he shows no signs of slowing down.
One of his most recent, exciting ventures has been in collaboration with LA based writer and filmmaker Mahnoor Euceph, recreating paintings by A.R. Chughtai into moving portraits. “My aim was to render light as close as possible to stay true to the painterly quality of the visuals,” says Amjad, describing the extensive preparations required for a project of this stature, involving an in-depth study of Chughtai’s paintings to see how they could be translated through photography and film. Conceived and orchestrated by Euceph, Naveed Amjad and creative director Hashim Ali were pegged to bring it all together.
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With most videographers staying within the comfort zone of the fashion industry where repetitive concepts are accepted and applied, Naveed has delved further while staying true to his storytelling roots. After graduating in 2016 from NCA with a major in Visual Communication Design, he expanded his practice towards film and photography.
And then, designer Zara Shahjahan contacted him for videography. “Back in that time, Instagram videos were a novelty with a time restriction. Stills were more favored,” says Amjad as he recalled how it all began. While still being a fresh graduate, his video for the Zara Shahjahan lawn campaign which took place in Vietnam a year later placed him on the map. From Zara Shajahan came Generation and then Khaadi as well as a nomination at Hum Style Awards 2018 for Rising Star. While the Rising Star category included models and designers, Naveed’s nomination was a first for videography. With nine years in the industry thus far, Naveed has amassed a steady number of clients for both videography and photography (MAHGUL, Dear June etc).
At a time when videography as a whole wasn’t widely recognized, Naveed’s work paved the way for other brands to take note on the importance of having video as much as stills. With the burgeoning popularity in fashion films and reels, in 2024 the Hum Style Awards introduced a category which was solely focused on awarding videographers, with Naveed getting nominated yet again.
“A video recall value has more weight than stills. It depends on the product and what it is. But if I had to pick either one, I’d pick videos because they last more.” says Amjad as he expresses his take on the power of interactive content and how brands are steadily opting for more reels to be shot than stills.
Most recently, the question has arisen as to whether or not Artificial Intelligence (AI) will slowly replace the work done physically within the fashion industry. Even though fashion around the world has been dabbling with AI, Naveed confidently says, “I don’t think that we will be replaced. In fact, I see it aiding the process and with time I do believe that laws will come into place as to how AI can be used to avoid running into copyright issues.” He then carries on to saying that he’s been studying AI in terms of image development and treats it more as a “friend and not a foe.”
While concepts such as AI have made the workload for most people manageable with its swiftness, it has left room for thinkers to not think, creating a gaping hole of redundancy which is evidently shown in how concepts are being recycled and used by multiple brands to the point where their lasting signature is not a priority. “The light has indeed dimmed. There is a visual overload and it has become tougher for a brand or an individual to create a separate, distinctive identity. This is why, despite its many advantages, a lot of brands are hesitant to use AI, refusing to compromise an identity that is based on natural and humanistic aspects.”
With his reputation for honesty and integrity, Naveed continues to brainstorm and pitch methods of creating that will benefit his clientele to ensure they aren’t merely “followers” but in fact, stand apart as trendsetters. Whether it’s suggesting a different editing process or experimenting with color grading, Naveed’s mastery over technicalities is ever prevalent. He remains committed to learning as well as teaching others on how to move the needle in creativity and to steer clear of the mundane black holes that present themselves.
A videographer. A photographer. A storyteller. A thinker. Naveed Amjad, a wearer of many hats.
What do you think?