Naina Redhu is an international Luxury & Lifestyle Photographer & Blogger based out of India. Although, this is a very narrow scope to define what she does, she is also a Brand Storyteller and Influencer Marketer. She started blogging in 2004 with the subjects of Innovation Management & Creativity, Branding & Identity Design, Luxury & Lifestyle.
Naina.co was launched in 2010 & became the first Luxury & Lifestyle blog in India, where international luxury brands featured their craftsmanship for the Indian audience. Naina.co is best known for vibrant photography combined with storytelling that elevates a brand's message far above "regular blogging". Naina.co has created a unique space within the Indian Influencer Marketing industry as not only a creator of quality, relevant content but also an industry leader pushing the boundaries of creativity and professionalism.
Well-travelled across the United States ( New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles ), Canada, Europe ( France, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Netherlands ), The United Kingdom , South-East Asia ( Hong Kong, Singapore, Bhutan, Vietnam, Thailand, Sri Lanka) and the Middle East (Dubai). Naina is always looking to bring more of the world to her Indian audience.
- How does it feel to be a Blogger? What is your niche in blogging? It feels great - I love it. My niche in blogging would be photography. As a photographer, I am not restricted by what I can or cannot blog about. If I make a photograph, I can write a few words about it and publish it on my blog.
- As a blogger, how can you describe a typical day of your life? Most of my typical days involve me staying in bed till noon, then making some cold coffee, reading something online ( mostly Twitter/ Instagram / Reddit ), making an update on Instagram, lunch, maybe some phone calls / emails, a nap perhaps, and soon enough it’s time for beer. That is a typical day. A typical day can involve a photo shoot for a client, attending an event that needs to be blogged, self-portraits or other photography at my apartment because I got an idea, etc.
- In what kind of a working environment do you survive? Do you blog from home, an office or cafe? I work out of my apartment as it’s a cozy space and it’s my own. I also blog from my apartment when I need to edit images and write because I need peace and quiet for same.
- What is your personal fashion style? Don’t have one as far as I can tell. I believe that as long as my body is fit, I can wear anything. You’ll usually find me in jeans, sneakers and a t-shirt / shirt.
- Who or what gave you inspiration to start your own fashion blog? It’s not a fashion blog. At best, it can be labeled as a photo-blog. I shoot and write across various genres. When I started blogging, there was no one to give inspiration in this space - there were no other bloggers in India and the very few international ones were definitely not blogging about fashion either :) I started my blog on my own because I enjoyed the process of blogging and I liked not just shooting and editing but also publishing my work.
- When was your first collaboration with a brand? What was the Brand? To be precise, my first collaboration in 2009 and the brand was, Pantene.
- How did blogging influence your professional career? Blogging is my only professional career. Therefore, no interference from any resistance.
- Can you make a living with blogging? Do you blog full time or do you have another job? I have been making a living, blogging and photographing for more than a decade now, so yes, you can make a living with blogging. I photograph and blog full-time.
- What are your goals with your blog? I just compassionately work towards the fact that I must continue to blog consistently. I have no other goals as such.
- Where is your favourite place in the world to live and work as blogger and why? Currently, I cannot imagine working from anywhere else. Being in the NCR region is great in terms of work - definitely not in terms of quality of life, though. It’s great to work in India in general because the influencer marketing space is still new. It’s a thriving space where if you produce good work and are professional, you can do well. Quality of life might be nicer in America, for example, but the blogging industry there has matured and making space for oneself is equal to a big challenge.
- What according to you is the future of Lifestyle/ Fashion blogging in India? In my opinion, there is going to be massive growth in the coming 2-3 years, after which it will probably start to settle down. Brands, PR Agencies and bloggers have been trying to figure out how to work in this industry over the last 4-5 years and it seems this will get more streamlined in the next couple of years.
- Blogging as a career is growing in India. What would your advice be for anyone wanting to start a blog? Start? If blogging is something you want to do, you have to actually do it. It takes time to build a blog and you need to have something to show before you can start sending in pitches to brands and agencies. It’s a great time to start!
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Blog: Naina.co