The Lead: Smile, please! How's your wedding photography?

In this episode of The Lead from DH Radio, director of Shutterbug Film Company Abhiram Rajan on how the wedding photography landscape has changed due to the pandemic.

Excerpts:

Sandeep Menon: Today we have with us the director of shutterbug Film Company. Abhiram Rajan to talk to us about what's happening in the world of marriage during these times in India. And many other things. Abhiram, How are you?

Abhiram: Rajan: Going Okay. Things are going fine. What about you?

Sandeep: Life moves on. Let's not talk about me. So, the last time I met you, I think a couple of years ago.

Abhiram: Three years ago.

Sandeep: Three years ago, yes, you were taking photographs in bars and pubs and stuff like that for pubs and things. And you are a BCA by education also. Yeah, tell me how did you get into this world of, you know, taking marriage photos and things like that

Abhiram: My career began from there. So when I met you at the, at a pub, so I used to be a photographer in the pub, okay, so that's how the career began. So pubs and birthdays and everything. So that's the photographic career began. So to talk about how I got into photography, so I also worked for a company like a regular nine to five job. So the passion of photography that was there, imbibed in me... That was there pretty much long time ago. So I wanted to do something regarding this, but I didn't have the money to buy a camera or I was not sure like how good or how rewarding is this is going to be so. So after finishing my graduation, I am a BCA graduate, I went into a job, a nine to five job a regular nine to five job. So I got a camera. In the first year of my job, I managed to put together some money and buy a camera. And started shooting random stuff, all the random stuff. And I used to shoot for my office events as well. Like a lot of games and events, these Friday get together get-togethers were there in the office space to shoot and I used to circulate these pictures so I really got good reviews for all these. Back then photography wasn't that great. Mine wasn't great, to be honest. But still, I got a really good review. And one of my colleagues came up with an offer was to shoot a birthday. So actually all began From there, the birthday became a hit and it went on... I shot in this field of shooting birthdays for at least 1.5 to two years. And even along with that, I did some more product photography and all the small-time stuff, all these pubs and bars. So things went on like that. But these actually didn't give me a lot of great exposure. Okay, and only one thing was there in my mind that was to shoot weddings. Okay, and unfortunately, I never got my first wedding untill three years. For three years I used to manage with all these, which I was personally not happy with. But once the wedding started, things picked up really good. Like it was above my expectations, things really started shipping output and here we are after 2.5 years of shooting weddings, and hundred and 20 weddings.

Sandeep: Yeah. I see your Twitter handle shutterbug Film Company, sorry, the Instagram handle. I see those pictures. So, tell me about
How has a wedding photography landscape changed in this Coronavirus time because I noticed that you guys are still shooting during the lockdown also. So how has it affected you guys and how is the situation?

Abhiram: Okay. Coronavirus lockdown Yes, that is something that we have to talk about. So this situation there is positives as well as negatives, associated with it. I locked in negative; I'll say challenges. So coming to the positive, the thing is we can actually sit back, it's actually the time to go back and introspect, like what all has gone wrong till now and also come up with new stuff, really new stuff...

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