In the time of selfies, smart phones should have driven out professional photographers from most tourist destinations, but tourist photography continues to thrive at a few places here, including Chamundi Hills.
Umesh, a tourist photographer, does not think twice before approaching tourists atop Chamundi Hills with offers to click them posing before the statue of Mahishasura.
While many visitors take selfies and photographs of their families, friends and others in their group with the ubiquitous mobile phones, quite a few opt to be photographed by the tourist photographers.
When a tourist stops and asks for the charge, Mr. Umesh shows him copies of photographs measuring 8’x12’ and quotes Rs. 60 for two prints. The tourist offers to pay Rs. 50 and the deal is struck.
Soon, Vasu, an agriculturist from Hindupur in Andhra Pradesh, is posing before the statue of Mahishasura with his wife and daughter. “Though I have a mobile phone, I preferred to be photographed by a professional photographer as I want to preserve the moments I spent here for posterity,” he told this reporter later.
For Mr. Vasu, his visit to Chamundi Hills was an important occasion.
“I can relive the moments later with the help of the photographs,” he said, taking home two copies of the photographs, which were handed to him within seconds of being shot.
Pointing to a handful of lensmen nearby, Mr. Umesh said there was enough business for 20 tourist photographers at the statue of Mahishasura alone. There are several more near the Chamundeshwari Temple, who take photographers of tourists and earn their livelihood, he said.
The photographers operating near the statue of Mahishasura share a printer kept at a nearby kiosk.
Mr. Umesh is, however, vague about the number of customers each photographer gets every day. “Sometimes we get 10 customers. Sometimes 20 to 30 or sometimes none,” he said. But, Mr. Umesh and his fellow photographers agree that the going is good during Dasara when thousands of tourists visit Chamundi Hills every day.
