A photographer often changes lenses, but sometimes the lenses change the photographer. Bibo Aswan, a talented young fashion photographer, tells Vatsala Devi how focusing on the best parts of his career behind the camera brought about a uniquely personal evolution.

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About the Photographer

We’re often told, “Don’t judge a book by its cover,” a reminder not to prejudge the worth or value of something by its outward appearance alone. While the idiom may ring true for other aspects in life, we are all guilty of buying a book or magazine – especially fashion magazines – because the cover was irresistibly eye-catching. Photographer David Bailey reportedly once described in an interview that a fashion photograph is simply “a portrait of someone wearing a dress.” The roots of the profession are found in Victorian society portraiture where from as early as the 1840s, debutantes, actresses, and dancers posed in their finery for portrait photographers, just as their mothers had sat for the great portrait painters of their day.

Today’s most dazzling fashion images are rich with colourful and poetic narratives. Big budgets, set designers, and multiple stylists are employed to create elaborate fantasies. Local fashion photographer Bibo Aswan describes the process as one akin to making a film. If you haven’t heard of Bibo and the magic he creates behind the lens, you can be forgiven as Bibo explains his rise to fame is mostly owed to social media, especially Instagram.

“I am a self-confessed introvert, so putting myself out there like other photographers who go out to find subjects and models to shoot has always been a problem for me. So in order to let people know about mywork, I realised I had to find away to overcome this, and that’s how social media came to my rescue,” explained Bibo with a smile.

Meeting Bibo in person after seeing his stunning images, it is hard to imagine that both are related. The 26-year-old seated in front of me is timid, modest about his successes as a fashion photographer, and has very little to say, while his photographs – edgy, loud, and bold – are in complete contrast with his personality. When asked, Bibo explained that while he is an introvert he loves nothing more than to capture beautiful objects and most of all the beauty of people.

Displaying more depth than usually seen at his age, Bibo said, “It’s hard to explain how my photographs happen, but when I get behind the lens, it is almost like I am transformed into someone else – someone with no inhibitions or restrictions. Someone who is in charge of what he wants to capture and how he want to portrays it. Models are my preferred subjects, as there is something compelling and interesting about human movement, as well as the dynamic shapes and strong features of the models. I am not sure if it’s their self-confidence or natural beauty or a combination of both but when I take picture of models I love showing them at their best. I also try to bring out the unseen side of that person.”

Bibo’s career in the fashion photography industry is one that happened by chance, and the journey to establish a name for himself in the local industry has been an uphill battle. “When I was younger, I was taken by [the Japanese art form of] anime, and I could be seen doodling anime characters on any space during my free time. I dreamt of becoming a comic illustrator. But all that changed in 2004 when I stumbled onto a fashion reality programme on TV and got hooked on it,” is an introvert he loves nothing more than to capture beautiful objects and most of all the beauty of people. Displaying more depth than usually seen at his age, Bibo said, “It’s hard to explain how my photographs happen, but when I get behind the lens, it is almost like I am transformed into someone else – someone with no inhibitions or restrictions.

Someone who is in charge of what he wants to capture and how he want to portrays it. Models are my preferred subjects, as there is something compelling and interesting about human movement, as well as the dynamic shapes and strong features of the models. I am not sure if it’s their self-confidence or natural beauty or a combination of both but when I take picture of models I love showing them at their best. I also try to bring out the unseen side of that person.” Bibo’s career in the fashion photography industry is one that happened by chance, and the journey to establish a name for himself in the local industry has been an uphill battle. “When I was younger, I was taken by [the Japanese art form of] anime, and I could be seen doodling anime characters on any space during my free time. I dreamt of becoming a comic illustrator. But all that changed in 2004 when I stumbled onto a fashion reality programme on TV and got hooked on it,” he said. “It was an obsession like no other! I fell in love with the entire process, right from the conception to the execution. I also loved the chaotic situation that goes on behind the scenes – how it can all look so messy a the beginning and during the shoot yet the end result is something exceptionally beautiful. That intrigued me and pushed me to pick up a camera and try it – and voilà, here I am!”

Although Bibo has wowed many celebrities, models, and publishing houses with his bold work, he explained that being a fashion photographer in Malaysia is not an easy task. “I understood that to announce my presence in the fashion industry I had to have a portfolio, so I started with the place I was most familiar with, Limkokwing University. I was given a partial scholarship and I pursued a diploma in photography. Being at Limkokwing proved to be a blessing for me in more than one way. Not only did I learn from some of the best lecturers who encouraged us to be creative but I could also build my portfolio of works using the other students who were pursuing courses in other creative fields,” he explained. “I did a lot of test shoots, I approached people I thought were beautiful and asked if I could shoot them, I used social media to post my photos and expose my work to the masses. Then eventually, people started to contact me asking for quotes and request for me to shoot their collection and that’s how I think my career sort of happened.”

Being a freelance photographer, pointed out Bibo, has its advantages and disadvantages. He explained that one of the great things about having a freelance career is that it allows him a lot of freedom – to decide when to work, what to work with, where to work and most importantly to decide how he wants to show off his subjects. “That means a lot to me,” he said. “The downside to being a freelancer, though, is there is no guarantee there’ll be a steady stream of work. There are peak and nonpeak seasons and one never knows how long it’ll last.”

After working as a fashion photographer for five years, Bibo explained that he feels it has slowly changed him for the better and he is now more comfortable being in the limelight. “As a photographer, I cannot run away from meeting people as that is one of the most important aspects of being a people photographer. Over the years, I’ve met so many people and all of them have different characters and personalities, from down-to-earth individuals to the most demanding divas. I think that I’ve developed better social skills from having to interact with people from all walks of life,” he added.

In Malaysia, where photographers are seemingly never in short supply, finding a strong foothold is a challenge, but through his hard work, dedication, and persistence, Bibo has crafted a reputation for himself through his works that have been featured in a number of renowned magazines. “Fashion is a highly charged and competitive industry,” he explained. “Everyone is looking for ways to stand out from the crowd, and I think my images help these individuals achieve that goal.” Edgy, colourful, bold, and vibrant are some of the adjectives that is used to describe Bibo’s images, and he’s becoming one of the country’s preferred photographers to shoot fashion editorial spreads for well-known magazines. Clearly, he is a talented photographer on the rise.

“While many people may think I’ve achieved a lot in a short span,” Bibo said with a smile, “I think there is a lot more that I can accomplish. I hope to broaden my career here, and also have more projects outside of Malaysia. I also hope to own a studio in the next five years. But above all this, I’ll know I’ve done what I set out to accomplish when I’ve shot Coco Rocha or Saskia de Brauw or Noah Mills!” For someone who has made a habit of reaching his goals, including one of making changes to his very nature, Bibo Aswan can doubtlessly expect to one day find his images in fashion spreads featuring those very names.

Read more:

• 8 Stunning Images From an Award-Winning Malaysian Photographer
• 12 Photos from a Documentary Photographer in Malaysia
• 11 Photos from a Budding Young Photographer in Malaysia