@rohanshrestha

class="content__text" It all began as a simple WhatsApp message that I got from my wonderful friend, @manasvi18 "Hey are you a Messi fan?” he asked "man, I worship the ground he walks on" "okay so would you be interested in shooting him?” He asks as I promptly reply with "I will give you my left nut" So we’re going to Paris! It happened just like that. The most incredible part of my year. When people play the hypothetical game of “Who’s the one person you’d do anything to photograph?”, for me it was always this one guy. Being a Barca fan since 1999, Messi isn't just a footballer or the GOAT or the world champion. He's our boy from la masia, the one whose given me an infinite amount of happy memories since his debut in 2004/05 Prior to photographing my hero I was nervous as hell, what do I wear? Should I tell him I’m obsesssed with him? I’m a barca fan? No? Okay let's do what you normally do- let’s try to act professional. “Don’t deviate Rohan” I told myself “be the photographer and not the fan”. The shoot was for Byjus where @singhvinsingh@adityank and of course @divyagokulnath - in the middle of them being so understanding of what we could all collectively achieve doing this shoot, I was allowed to shoot my ‘ #whiteTseries’ with Leo. At the start of this shoot my hands were actually shaking and I was like, “fuck okay this is what it's like to be very very nervous”. I was a ball of anxiety prior and had to call up my friends to calm me down. The shoot was so smooth and eventually Messi was told by his team that I was a MASSIVE fan and at the end of the shoot he came over and hugged me. Post shoot ngl many tears were shed. Thank you to @homyarpatel my assistant who held me together when I was feeling nervous. These images were shot a month and a half ago and my friends asked me why I wasn’t putting them up? “I'll wait for him to win the World Cup”. A few days ago I was fortunate enough to be in the stadium watching Leo lift that trophy. It was written in the stars and sometimes we just have to be grateful for what life gives us.

January 19, 2023