Keerthana Balaji
Wildlife photographer
From toothless grins of thaatha-paatis to candid shots of the birds and monkeys of the Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR), Keerthana Balaji loves to chronicle happy moments. The wildlife photographer says her love for the lens began when she started photographing happy memories.
Last year, her big moment came when her photograph of a face-off between an elephant and a pack of dhols won her the Sanctuary Asia award. What made it even more special was that it was the first-ever photograph from ATR to win this award.
Keerthana is also conscious of the ethics of her profession. She believes that intruding into an animal’s habitat, no matter how great a photo-op it is, is not ethical. When she gets free time, she wanders off into the woods. “One of my favourite trips was when I photographed four species of birds endemic to the Western Ghats,” she recalls.
She has her gang of forest lovers for company. They undertake nature and educational treks, bird-watching expeditions and safaris. The team, recently, set up a tour group called Thadam, which aims to encourage eco-tourism in the Pollachi, their home town.
“Getting into wildlife photography has given me an opportunity to give something back to the place that moulded me. I would love to contribute towards the conservation of my living space.”
The best part of this job is that she gets to travel, she says. “I can holiday even while I work. I never get bugged about work.” She is thankful for her supportive family and friends, who always give her a thumbs-up for her wild expeditions.
She recently tried her hand at food photography as well. Keerthana is also the co-founder and creative director of The Pollachi Papyrus, a quarterly magazine aimed at conservation by way of responsible tourism.
Kirthana Devdas
Specialises in portraits of people, candid wedding photography and culture documentation
“Are you from the bride’s or the groom’s side?”
After over three years of being a professional photographer, Kirthana Devdas still has to answer this question at weddings. People still cannot buy into the idea of a professional woman photographer, laughs Kirthana. “It is more of a cultural issue, unique to the South. But, at times it works to your advantage too. People make an extra effort to help you out and be nice to you.”
Also, you’ll get more access to the bride and the groom if you are a lady. “Especially at a village wedding, where the clients are already put off by the equipment. They feel comfortable talking to a woman rather than to a man.”
She photographs tribals, documents their culture, craft and livelihood, contributes to coffee-table books for hospitals and also indulges in fashion photography.
But it is the photograph she took of a woman who set herself afire that she can’t forget. “I still cannot forget her face. When I saw her, she looked so happy that she did not seem like someone who would kill herself. These projects help you become a sensitive being too.”
The visual communication graduate from MOP Vaishnav College says, “I usually keep to myself. But, because of the field I am in I have to push myself to reach out to people. On a normal day, you might not have a conversation with someone but, on the job, you get to meet so many new people. That’s what makes this beautiful.”
Before a shoot, she spends some time talking to her subject, retrieving background information and doing research on them. “If it is a wedding, I go a day before, chat with the people around and warm up. The trick is to be as invisible as possible so that people are comfortable with you.”
Anu Durairajan
Baby photographer
Anu Durairajan’s life is full of drama. She has to roar like a lion, make funny faces and be on her fours for that perfect baby shot. Baby photography is not a cake walk, warns Anu, who runs Tiny Pixels.
“There are instances where the kids will just look blankly at you! You have to wait and be patient, before you get that smile or expression.” There are different tactics one has to pick up. “You must identify the one person in the family that the kid is most comfortable with. At one of my shoots, the family driver succeeded in making the child laugh!”
Anu began her career by clicking pictures for her sister’s daughter. “I always had a rapport with children. Seeing my photographs of my niece, my friends started to urge me to take this seriously.” She set up a studio called Tiny Pixels and, before she knew, offers came knocking.
Now, she says she prefers to shoot children in their homes or at an outdoor location. “Children get bored inside a studio. Moreover, outdoor photography can be made dramatic with sunset shots and scenic locations.”
Maternity photo-shoots are in now, she says. “The idea is to catch the romance between the parents. There is a glow on the mother’s face that is special and is a memory to be cherished.”
As a woman, she enjoys a lot of advantages, she says, “My subjects are babies, I engage with mothers. And they feel extremely comfortable with me. Some of my clients are my best friends now.”
The best part is you become a kid yourself. “The profession keeps me young,” she winks.
Anu wants to give story-telling a shot, as she has realised how much she enjoys being in the company of children.
