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Come and have your photograph taken; create a lasting memory. We can have the picture shot against the sea or with the sculpture of the mermaid as a backdrop? People who visit Shanghumugham beach seem to prefer these as backdrops to their photographs.
I have been taking photographs at Shanghumugham for the past one year now. I take pictures of families, friends and tourists who visit this beach on my camera. No, it is not a polaroid camera, it is a Nikon camera. Most of my customers are from within the country. They have come on a holiday and would like a memento of their day at the beach.
This is my car. It’s a white Maruti 800. I park here near the Old Coffee House daily. Inside the car is a laptop to which I connect my camera’s memory card to. See how the laptop is connected to a printer. I give instant printouts of the picture taken. It’s ₹30 for a 6*4 print, ₹50 for a 8*6 print and ₹100 for a 10*12 print. Most people prefer the 6*4 print. Those who come in groups prefer the 10*12 print though.
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Yes, people still do like print outs of photographs despite this era of mobile phones that has inbuilt cameras. A printout is a tangible memory, you can frame it, look at it and be reminded of your day at the beach.
I start my day at 10 am. Right now, business is brisk as the school holidays are on. The evenings are when I am the busiest as people find it too hot to step out of their houses in the morning. On regular days, when it is not a holiday, it’s the weekends that I receive a decent clientèle. My nephews and son help me out; they too take photographs of customers and print out pictures.
I am from Idduki. I used to run a furniture shop there. A ban on the felling of trees affected my business and I had to close down my shop. I lost quite a bit of money as a result. An acquaintance of mine ran a photography business in Idukki. He too would deliver ‘instant photographs’ to customers. After training with him a few months, I bought a camera of my own and shifted base to Thiruvananthapuram? Why Thiruvananthapuram? Well, the city is popular with tourists? Why Shanghumugham and not Kovalam? Someone else has set up a similar service in Kovalam.
I earn enough to keep my family happy. We live at a rented house in Sreekaryam. My wife is a homemaker and my son and his wife live with us. I wind up my day by 7 pm. Once I reach home I relax in front of the television. I usually go to bed early as I am often exhausted from the long stand under the sun. Why do you want to know my age? Age is irrelevant when you are determined to earn a living for your family. Excuse me madam, a client has come, I need to get back to business.
(A weekly column on men and women who make Thiruvananthapuram what it is)