Scotland through the lens of Rid Burman
As the famous adage proclaims, “A picture is worth a thousand words”. Indeed, counterintuitively, images and words can say so much more through a lack of articulation. When regarding works of art, an impact personal to each beholder is of more importance than that on the artists themselves. Art is most successful when gaps are left for each individual to fill on their own terms. This personal interpretation is just as valuable in the realm of photography.
Today, we explore a collection shared by photographer Rid Burman. Although he was born in India in the early 1980s, Burman is a true man of the world. In his late teens, he moved to California to study at the Brooks Institute of Photography. After graduating in 2000, Burman moved to New York City to start his career as an assistant to Steve Klein and Mark Selger, two esteemed photographers from whom he continued to learn of the artistic applications of photography.
In 2008, Burman returned to India, where he began to work for several global publications, including Vogue and Elle, as well as commercial clients, such as Adidas and L’Oréal. With travel essential to his craft, Burman now flits between Paris, New York and Mumbai but can be found at any corner of the globe at a given time, often accompanied by his wife, model and creative director Laura (née Gavrilenko).
Between 2017 and 2019, the Burmans travelled voraciously, stopping off at Iceland, Scotland, France, Belgium, Greece, Thailand, and India for photographic enterprises. Many of the artful photographs taken during these adventures have been published and shared over the past few years, owing to the couple’s nuanced artistic direction and a deep passion for one another, evident across the portfolio.
The collection of photographs seen below represents Scotland through the Burmans’ lens. The beholder may like to derive a personal narrative or symbolic significance from these images, but for the Burmans, it’s a celebration of nature. The expressive nude portraits frame Laura in a natural state, finding peace and comfort with the nature surrounding her in the rural Highlands.
The photographs also celebrate Scotland’s astonishing scenery with landscapes and fauna unique to this beautiful nook of Great Britain. Meanwhile, eye contact in some images conveys intimacy between Rid as the photographer and Laura as the cherished subject.
In November 2023, Rid and Laura Burman published their first book, Laura. Including some of the photographs below, among many others, the photography book showcases some highlights from the couple’s adventures, celebrating their relationship in an artistic guise apt for any coffee table collection. You can view purchase options here.
