VISAKHAPATNAM: Chatting on the WhatsApp has led to the setting up of a selfie studio in the city.
Just a month-old, the startup to promote selfie culture has been formed by a group of four students at a time when studio photography is fast dying.
The promoters have pooled up money from their savings and contributions from their parents, and housed the studio on a rented premises in front of Andhra University College Engineering for Women at Sivajipalem.
“The idea of selfie studio came sometime ago when we observed people talking about selfies frequently. The craze is evident on the Facebook and other micro-blogging sites, which motivated us to start the studio,” Behera Madhuri, B.Tech (EEE) student of AUCEW, told The Hindu.
With the support of her batch-mate Bindu Madhavi, who is pursuing final year of B.Tech (mechanical) course, the team started procuring accessories like Harry Potter replicas, fancy spectacles, toys, hats, ties, moustaches, quotes on social media, masks, cartoons, crowns and wigs, to use them as props for photography.
“We planned many things. We came across passionate photographers such as Haritha, who is studying B.Com second year in St. Joseph Women’s College, and Chaarshani, who is from our college. We are from different branches, but regularly discuss ideas on WhatsApp to go ahead with our out-of-the box venture,” explains Madhuri.
As a first step to take their selfie studio to the people on an experimental basis, they hired an SUV along with accessories to RK Beach, Kailasagiri, Tenneti Park, and Rushikonda on December 31.
“Though not very big number-wise, the response was quite encouraging. In future, we want to operate selfie studio on the wheels on a permanent basis,” discloses Madhavi. The reason for this, the promoters say, is that many are not aware of their studio’s location at Sivajipalem.
The student-promoters have already received invitations to participate in college festivals, functions and parties. They are planning to introduce more themes and acquire more accessories so that they could get angel funding to make it a commercial venture in the near future.
