Monochrome Master

THE BLACK-AND-WHITE MAGIC OF MAX VADUKUL

- Suzanne Driscoll

MAX VADUKUL HAS COME A LONG WAY since growing up in Africa. Known for his creative black-and-white portraits and innovative fashion photography, he was born in Nairobi, Kenya, to Indian parents in 1961. “The Sixties were the golden years for the National Geographic,” Vadukul recalls. “They were spending a lot of money to educate the public and the photographers were the best of the lot.”

Vadukul’s father sold photographic equipment throughout the eastern coast of Africa in Tanzania, Zanzibar, Uganda, and Kenya. He often wanted a traveling companion and would take his son out of school for many of his business trips. “Looking back, this might have been the inspiration for my love of photography,” Vadukul says. “I remember seeing beautiful landscapes that hadn’t been homogenized, wandering Maasai and camels, and on one occasion driving through a sandstorm.” His father lent him his Rolleiflex when he was very young and Vadukul still puts the photo of him holding the camera on his business cards.

Then the violence started in Nairobi: people’s heads were being slashed open with machetes while others were set on fire. When Vadukul was just 9 years old, he vividly remembers being in the shower when his father yanked him out and said, “We’re leaving now and you can’t take anything with you.” The family emigrated to North London where his father had a difficult time finding a job. Moving from place to place, Vadukul attended four schools in six months, and was frequently bullied for being “different.” His older sister felt sorry for him and bought him his first Olympus camera and a darkroom, as well as karate lessons.

TRIALS BY FIRE