Photographer sees no earnings, thinks of switching profession

Manmeet Singh Gill

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, June 18

53-yr-old Arun Madaan, who has been into the wedding photography business for the past 32 years, is now contemplating to change profession as Covid-19 has turned his life upside down.

“With a few weddings taking place amid the restrictions on the number of guests and the Covid scare, wedding photographers are no longer in demand,” said Madaan.

“I started learning the art of photography at the age of 15 and set up Shiv Shakti Photo Studio in the Putlighar area in 1988 when I was 20 years old. For the most part of my life, I worked with camera. As I do not expect the things to normalise soon, I am thinking of switching profession, but I don’t know any business to switch to,” said the photographer.

For a start, Madaan has already started selling gift items. “But this is again not turning out good for me. People give gifts when the times are happier,” he said.

Madaan said even in summer, when people refrain from organising weddings because of high temperatures, he would get three to four bookings. “I have not received a single booking in the past two and a half months,” he said, adding that with the increased penetration of mobile phone, the studio business had started declining a decade ago. “Now nobody comes to the studio to get even a passport-size photo clicked. People already have it in their mobile phones and get it printed from a stationary shop. Our business depended on marriages and other parties. The earnings were good as people are willing to pay hefty amounts,” said Madaan.

The seasoned wedding photographer said big fat Punjabi weddings had already been postponed. “People are having simple weddings these days due to the restrictions,” he said.