- PhotonImage has blown up on social media. It is now a highly sought after media production company for weddings. Tell us a bit about how your company started.
When I was younger I would look at magazines and posters and be so intrigued by what went into each photograph. In my youth, I was particularly interested in an album cover the Backstreet Boys had and started thinking about getting my friends together and doing a mock photoshoot. At the time I didn’t have a camera of my own and would always end up borrowing from my friends. Eventually I ended up getting my own DSLR and took some pictures of my wife on holiday in Morocco. I shared the images on my Facebook page and they surprisingly received a lot of likes and feedback. Soon after, someone from India who was running a blog reached out to me asking for permission to share my images which I agreed to. I then found out that my photos were getting even more recognition. It led me to seriously consider taking up photography as more than a hobby. Myself and my colleague then started doing shoots, and eventually commercial shoots, and so on. In 2011 we decided to start getting into the wedding industry and PhotonImage emerged!
2. The fine arts are not typically encouraged by parents in the Tamil community as an industry to build a career. What was your family's reaction when you told them you wanted to pursue photography full-time?
My wife was happy for me, she always knew I had a passion for photography so she was pleased that I was pursuing what I was really interested in. Who would have thought that the pictures I took of my wife would have led me to choose a full-time career in photography!
3. What would you say is the most rewarding part of your job?
I would say the most rewarding aspect of my job is receiving positive feedback from my followers on Instagram and Facebook. Social media really does have an impact on what I do so it's important and nice to hear all the good things that people have to say. Even receiving criticism encourages me to improve on what I do. Every once in a while I will post an image that I’m really proud of and hope to get a good online reaction but then it will hardly get any likes or shares which always makes me wonder. It's just interesting to see how people react to what I put out there. I always want to do better and show my best work.
4. Do you have any advice for young people in the Tamil community interested in going against the grain and pursuing a career in the arts?
I would say just go for it! I can only speak about photography since that's my field so here's a few things in regards to that: Just make sure to keep practising and experimenting, the more pictures you take in different settings the more you will learn which will just better your skillset; also, remember two important factors when it comes to taking photos — lighting and framing. If you master these things everything else will just fall into place. Put your talent into action and don't give up on what you have a passion for. If you follow your heart you’ll end up where you’re meant to be.
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If you are interested in learning more about PhotonImage, check out their Instagram!
