The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Memories turn pricey

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Tuesday, Jul 01, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Memories turn pricey

Aloysius Xavier Lopez and Meera Srinivasan

Recording precious wedding moments is turning out to be a luxury for the middle class

Photographers and videographers play a significant role in every wedding. The business is cut-throat, and even a five per cent hike in rates can see customers seeking a competitor. The double-digit inflation could not have happened at a worse time.

“This is actually a lean period of the year for marriage, and the income we get is not sufficient for our sustenance,” says Chattanathan, who does photo and video coverage for marriage functions.

But, even the coming months of “brisk business” will turn out to a challenge if the price rise continues, he says.

“Most of our customers who belong to the middle class try to reduce the impact of the price rise on the marriage cost by bargaining with us. But, we try to tell them that we can’t reduce the rates for the same reason,” says Kesavan, another photographer.

Mr. Chattanathan says the higher transportation cost on account of the hike in fuel prices is also a problem.

However C. Ganesan, who has been in the business for 25 years, says: “A middle class family spends around Rs. 5 lakh on a wedding now, compared to around Rs. 1 lakh some years ago. But, we have not raised our rates substantially over the years.”

It has helped that some input costs have come down.

“The cost of a Panasonic tape that we bought for Rs. 90 last year, has come down to Rs. 70,” he says. But, so costs have gone up too.

The pinch is especially felt when new technological inputs are used for coverage.

While Mr. Ganesan charges around Rs. 4,000 for video-coverage, and does about 15 marriages a year, Mr. Kesavan, says that depending on the services offered, the rates can vary from Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 20,000.

However, realising the kind of financial pressure families have, some people are forced to merely break-even or even suffer a loss in order to ensure they don’t lose business.

Owner of Video Times, Ayanavaram, D.M. Premkumar, says he is unable to pass on the additional cost he incurs to customers as they may choose to go to a competitor.

“The simplest video coverage and photograph package costs between Rs. 6,000 and Rs. 7,500. Higher income groups may opt for a more sophisticated coverage, which may cost up to Rs. 45,000. But for that, I need to pay my team of 10 members, handle travel expenses and other incidental charges,” he says.

Mr. Premkumar had to increase the salaries of his staff to make sure they don’t take up a better offer elsewhere.

“We are unable to increase the charges as we were booked for some weddings three or four months in advance. We can think of a revision only after January. Till then, it’s going to be really hard for us,” he adds.

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