In this age of selfies and groupies there’s something about formal studio portraits that are worth a thousand words. That’s why people still frequent studios for those airbrushed shots that make ordinary folk resemble supermodels on glossy pages.
“Everybody wants that fair and flawless image of themselves up on their walls, real and virtual,” says N. Sukumaran Nair, chief photographer, Ravi Studio (estb.1965), who has been clicking studio portraits of who’s who of the city since the early 70s.
Indeed. At some point of time in our lives, most of us would have dropped by (or been coerced into) a photography studio, dressed in our best, to get our picture taken. “It’s almost a rite of passage to get portraits taken at each stage of life,” says Suresh Velayudhan of Paramount Studios, which has been in business since 1950.
Black and white photos are most often formal portraits Photo courtesy: Paramount
In the early days, when cameras first came to town, only the wealthy could afford personal cameras and so most people had to go to a studio to get a photo taken, and that too only on special occasions. Even when cameras became available and affordable, studio photographs continue to be big business.
Black and white photos are most often formal, stiff portraits Photo courtesy: Paramount
“The trend really took off in the mid 80s when black and white photos were phased out by ‘colour labs’ that brought forth colour photography and printing. By that time the Gulf boom had also started and it was standard practice to get clicked with the family/friends before the NRIs went back overseas, after their vacations home,” explains Jayasankar V.N. of Babas (formerly Baba Studio), a studio that specialises in portraits, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year.
Old style formal family portraits Photo courtesy: Paramount
“The number of customers for portraits hasn’t gone up in the digital age but it hasn’t come down either,” he adds, even as a family of four settle down for individual and group shots on the studio floor.
People of all ages come to get their snaps taken, say the studio bosses.
“We get a lot of requests for baby portraits and quite a number of young people come for portfolio shoots or for group shots with their friends.
‘Muslim bride’ Photo courtesy: Sivans
“Many parents bring in their children of marriageable age for so-called ‘proposal’ shots. Family portraits are also a big draw,” says Suresh. “The only change in customers is the attitudes,” adds Jayasankar, referring to the black and white shots, particularly group photos, where the subjects appear very formal, either sitting or standing, barely touching each other. Modern photos, meanwhile, are much more relaxed and veer towards the candid. “In those days such overt displays of affection would have been frowned upon, even among siblings and friends. Nowadays, people want a bit of movement in their shots and holding hands, hands on shoulders, loving gazes, open smiles, hugs, kisses and the like are encouraged,” he explains.
New-age portraits are more relaxed Photo courtesy: Paramount
While some of these portraits get pride of place on walls, others find space in old albums, to be cooed over and reminisced about. For the new generation they are a tangible glimpse of eras past, when grandparents, moms and aunts looked like stars of black and white films and dear old dad and uncle were in flower power mode, head full of hair and handlebar moustache, dressed to the nines in bell-bottoms and long-collared shirts.
The art of studio portraits, though, have changed quite a bit from those glamorous, rather stiff, black and white shots of women in silk saris and beehives, standing in front of faux waterfalls and gardens. “The early photos were captured on rudimentary box cameras on slow- speed film -100 ASA [just for comparison, ASA of new age cameras are 1 lakh and above],” recalls Sukumaran Nair. “Cameras and film reels were expensive and not easily available. It was imperative that we get it right with one film, in the first shot itself, making sure that the exposure was spot on. That’s why we used to click only at the count of three (cue: ready, steady, smile). Inopportune movements would have ruined the shot. Besides, it was a laborious process to process the negative and print the photo, which, in turn, is what makes black and white photos last long,” he adds. Talk about a lasting image.
Right shots
“Ideally, the best portraits are those that bring out the personality and mannerisms of the subjects,” says award-winning filmmaker and photographer Sivan of Sivans Studio, sitting in his office, surrounded by stunning black and white framed portraits of celebrities, politicians and famous personalities, family and friends, brides and ordinary folk, all of whom he clicked on camera, over the past several decades. “For instance, filmmaker Ramu Kariyat always had a cheroot clamped in his mouth and had this habit of brushing his hair back with his fingers. The best portraits of him, I feel, are the ones that capture both his quirks perfectly. The real creativity of a portrait photographer is drawing out the personalities of the customers in the few minutes that they sit in front of the camera. Unfortunately, many so-called portrait photographers these days rely on digital solutions to get the right shot,” he adds.
