IANS/Mumbai
Well-known fashion photographer Gautam Rajadhyaksha died yesterday following a heart attack, family sources said. He was 61.Rajadhyaksha, a cousin of author Shobha De, was popular among all film personalities and worked on portraits of almost all the leading stars of Indian film industry.His glamorous photo-shoots helped propel many actors, including Madhuri Dixit, to stardom. He also mentored many budding photographers.A chemistry graduate from Mumbai’s St Xavier’s College, Rajadhyaksha taught there for two years, following which he joined the photo services department of leading advertising agency Lintas in 1974 and eventually became the departmental head.What started as a hobby soon became a profession for Rajadhyaksha. During his stint at Lintas, he participated in the creation of milestone advertising campaigns, while continuing his childhood passion of photography during the weekends.His first encounter with fashion photography was in 1980, when he happened to shoot pictures of actress Shabana Azmi who was a college mate, Tina Munim and Jackie Shroff and after that there was no looking back.