AVANCA | CINEMA 2014
Story of Photo Studios in Tamilnadu
Maniyarasan Rajendran Cheran School of Architecture, Tamilnadu, India Abstract Memory, imagination and enthusiasts are a few tools left to reconstruct the stories of old photo studios of Tamil Nadu in India. Each photograph, mostly unknowingly, became a great cultural reserve. What remains of the studios now are just crumbling buildings and heavy-hearted owners, full of fascinating experiences nevertheless. The spaces are resonant of their faithful practice and an unraveled history of Indian photography. An understanding of photography in these very spaces throws light on the historical and cultural specificity of the practice. This research will bring together the varying kind of Photographers, everyone attached to their profession in their own ways. These interactions of old and new churns out interesting tales including one about an old belief that getting clicked can reduce the lifespan of a person. This made people allow photographs to be clicked only after a person died, thereby making the deathbed change into a studio space replete with the accessories of the dead. Through many such tales it is evident that these studios were much more than what the remnant photographs reveal. They house not only the smell of old chemicals and flashlight burns vying with dust, but also a morsel of history greatly forgotten. Like a hopeful archaeologist, the film seeks to explore these skeletons of the studios, which are soon to disappear from view, drowned by the split second digital era. Keywords: Studio Photographers, Memory, Reconstructing History, Studio Spaces, Cultural History. “Tattered ‘round the edges, And faded now with time; Memories that linger still, Are what they left behind. Like a precious package, Kept in a secret room, Each memory a treasure, A family heirloom”
Introduction An exploration into the old studios suggests a significant contribution of the studio photographers in building the cultural face of photography in India and is reminiscent of a past, of a history that has hardly been visited and is mostly lost into time or is on the verges of being so. In the context of development of photography in India, it was perhaps the studios, where professionals expanded their practice and it is for this reason that old photo studios become an important point of consideration and deserve a bigger research, where the history of photography in India is waiting be unraveled. To further the argument, an understanding of photography in these very spaces should lead us into understanding the historical and cultural specificity of the practice. Interesting tales emerge, including one about an old belief that getting clicked can reduce the life span 28
of a person which made people allow photographs to be clicked only after a person died; making the death bed change into a studio space around. Through thorough research, one discovers retold narratives and experiences of surviving photographers of yesterday’s generation suggesting that these studios were much more than what the remnant photographs reveal. Incidentally, the photographic records about those smaller, rural studios are far and few, and what went on there is left to one’s imagination. Each one was different and yet they were all dependent on social and historical processes- constantly negotiated, frequently changing and often strongly contested.
Image 1 Kins of the same family. (Credits SKC Studios, Karaikudi)
The Connect and disconnect It took a little time, to reminisce of yesterday, to review our lives in the past recorded in photographs. Be it a little kid or a senescent granny, being photographed has always brought an instant smile in faces since yesteryears. Capturing moments that are gone forever and cannot be reproduced is what we liked about those visuals. There exist two people in every photograph for sure - the photographer and the viewer and that is where the magic lies. Photographs take pride and privilege in bringing out the essence by slicing moments and freezing them forever. Nevertheless, pictures savour your life. We, here in our country, had photo studios playing a vital role in our lives. Even the deprived and underprivileged sectors craved to demonstrate their inheritance through photographs in their one room hut. Photo studios were once a deepest desire and great source of pleasure serving as an element of surprise thereby giving an elated feeling to everyone. What now is treated as a matter of just clicks was once considered a treasure and held with different esteem. Photo studios were able to convey the emotions. Miracles happened just within a black cloth. Any 80’s kid would
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have still had a chance to sit in front of the wodden box camera, where the Photographer would cover himself with a black cloth around as he prepares to click a passport size picture. Common man seldom realised it as a place that caught expression, their postures, as it continuously saved memories of the respective regions that we now are able to aptly call them the reflections of the past. With a pageantry of pictures stringing up the walls of the hall or a living room, the heritage and splashiness of a family travelled to display. It was these photographs that added charms and decorated a home till a decade ago. Its hard to find those photo frames nowadays, atleast in the urban parts. Those images did tell us, how immaculately a Photographer connected to the souls most of the time. At the same time, it also tells us, how close he was to the Photograph as well, and not just to the Poser. Gone are those days where people learnt the art of photography and treated it with appropriate respect, now that every someone owns a personal camera capturing random stuffs.
History of (Indian) Photography Photography and photographs pertain to rich history that is capable of showcasing its high value. History is recorded in imagery almost everytime; it is filled with incredible photographs. Like life experiences that are gained as one grows older, photographs keep acquiring value every single day. Each passing day steals you farther from a moment, but a photo has the power of holding it in place, so that you keep cherishing them as years roll by. When ploughing rearwards, etymology of photography says it originated from Greek language with phos (photos) implying ‘light’ and graphe (graphy) implying ‘drawing or writing’ that together makes out ‘drawing with light’. How amazingly accordant! When there comes photography, cameras come all along as well. Cameras do have a concerning story. Photography is not a reality without these proficient devices with an early mechanism of projecting images and videos. The word Camera takes its Latin history from camera obscura meaning ‘dark chamber’. Would you believe that a camera’s operation is similar to that of human eyes’? It really is. The path in which cameras evolved, from being room sized to compact models that recorded images with ease and possessed the ability to process the ones captured, is worth knowing. After all, those are god’s miniature gifts to treasure life’s precious moments. The 19th century was a milestone and was an age of meaningful discoveries among which photography holds a major seat. Redirecting into India’s association with photography, it got introduced in 1840, almost soon after camera that takes photos rather than just drawing pictures was found. History speaks so much of its entry and the impact it left on the fellow citizens. It had a start when people from other parts of the world travelled across seas to capture the monuments and buildings in India and later started taking strides. Indian photography seems to have survived amidst the British colonialism and it was mostly knotted with it. The westerns framed a demanding market for photography
in India, they bought, collected and pasted many photographs in their albums to show a visual record of their times in India to their native land. This is the first of several features to look at some of them and their work. Photo studios had started making a scene earlier around 1845-1850, the record of which is unclear. Certainly, there seems to be a little evidence of earlier photography, that the very first photo studio got advertised in 1849. As per the known records William Johnson, who had come to Bombay as a civil servant in 1848, was the first studio owner of India and was one of the founders of the Bombay photographic society. He has recorded India in many of his works and has contributed to the history of India and its culture. It is indeed informative of the fact that photography formed the key element of Archaeological survey of India that still is in existence.
History of Photography in Tamilnadu One would understand the role that photography had, when looked in deeper perspective. This master art had landed and started playing interesting across various parts of India, of which Tamil Nadu, a state filled with abundant culture, rich heritage and historical values, is interesting to be studied upon. Photography and photographers in Tamil Nadu are of high significant value binding in a unique variety, which now has lost its recognition and melting away from the scene gradually. I hardly remember a few names of them, those specific to my local area. So will be others. Why isn’t there a proper scaling of all these wonderful works? These treasures couldn’t be properly preserved or it might be that one doesn’t want to reveal of all the tricky yet amazing techniques by the then photographers. The works, photographs, devices used in the past and every related thing is pushed back to lower priority since digital photography has beaten up in just an eye’s blink. Photography, those days, was looked up in varied dimensions, all of which added value to a photograph that was made. The artisans (Photographers) should be credited in ‘making’ every photograph rather just ‘taking’ a photograph. It involved various steps to be followed starting from the camera roll, positioning and postures to the processing that involved a real workmanship. Photography then, was as an art of dedication, discipline, quality, pride and many more.
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Image 2 Women at Studio (Credits Vasan studios Karaikudi)
It took enough time to come out with a photograph while we are now basking with the facility of being photographed and getting it printed in matter of minutes and at times, in seconds. Technology has improved so much and has outgrown so many factors. Photographs narrated stories within themselves, held values and the entire photographic practice during the old days shall surprise the masses now. It is interesting to know of the old photographs, their birth process; the effort involved, people employed for it, the discipline that strictly was followed, the studio as a space factor in itself. The dark room served as a chamber that engaged works in varied proportions. More importantly it engaged all the people involved in it, more than a family. What is now seen just as an employment and business was treated with high value and esteem.
Story of Photo Studios in Tamilnadu The beginning of photography started with copying frames which were so brittle that just a shake would spoil it to the core. Imagining yourself of entering a studio of those days, you enter one and when request for snapping is made- that the process starts. Taking a photograph was not an easy affair then. A separate studio, with focus and doom lights were essential. Camera rolls are made ready, the positioning and the according position of the customer gets defined. The photographer pushes himself into a black cloth which is literally like entering a camera, operating it and coming out successfully framing a picture to cherish for the rest of your life and for the future generations to come. The frames were to be handled properly and were to be processed laboriously in the dark room. The narration and happiness that such an array gave people can’t be measured. When coming to those devices, they were in huge sizes occupying the entire workspace before 1940’s. It is said and known that the people who were photographed were asked to reposition themselves according to the camera’s ease so that the picture comes not with a blur or a shake. It is quite surprising to know that holes were dug under the ground and people were made to sit accordingly to match the heights of the camera, since they are too large to be moved. Speed of 30
the camera’s shutter then was quite a task that took from minutes to be shot while now it takes 1/125th of a second in an average now. When such ones were taken, people were adhered to a string in their necks making them still and not moving. This was why photographs of those days portray grimmed faces. Though technology has made a revolution, that satisfaction, pride, glory and happiness that came up in making, in doing a picture is missing these days. Negatives were made in papers as films that were 10” x 12” which is quite a varying range compared to the current 35mm films. Still photographers employed 60mm negatives too. There were also glass negatives where in a pictures gets drawn by a skilled artist on the negatives developed. The very look of such a picture gave a promising sense of photography. The result in the desired effect or form wasn’t made sure until it was seen concrete. Today’s cameras have given us the facility to view the shot in a second and if it is not desirable it could be clicked for the next time in a very short span of time. While today’s pictures are of repetitive nature, pictures of those days were calculative and carefully taken. Adding to these, it is no wonder that politics and cinema had photography influenced in rather too many ways, Tamilnadu, in particular. Photo studios ought to be credited as stepping stones, for which the state has been paid with four chief ministers till now, from the film industry. History resonates loud of the avid dialogues uttered by every dreamy man who just awaits to have him clicked for the screening test and selection; one would pipe dream of becoming an actor and even becoming a chief minister of the state in the past. (cinema 2006). Such was the aspiration a photo studio gave a layman letting him grind his thought mills. It persisted as the only medium that took both politics and cinema to people in a quite straight manner. Men and women who entered cinema had themselves snapped in crazy yet interesting postures like being photographed in scenic backdrops. Pictures that show family hierarchy, picture of a husband and a wife where the male sits and the female stands, standing alongside with bullet bikes, fans, flower vases, radios, televisions and that had put people in total felicity. One can find the kind of society that existed and the ethics that were followed then. Photography created an aspiration for the cameraman and the viewer as well, giving them a false satisfaction. It is said people go in queues during festival times, travelling in bullock carts to the studio to have them shot. All these excitement came merely from a black and white photograph. Coloured ones entered the field during late 80s. And presently, one gets captured in a singular backdrop, gets it edited in Photoshop, auto corrected and gets it printed. This was not the case 25 years ago, photographers had a control over the art and they mastered it. A Tamil film (Imsai Arasan 23m Pulikesi, 2006) (Fiction Genre) possibly tells us, many kings would have wanted their photographs to look nice and they tricked by merging their face with built body of some other person. It puts me in wonder that these men had experimented with various tricky stuffs during their leisure time. And that is, I will say, a drastic change. It is evident that
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technology has overruled us, made people dumb with missing the essence of photography at the outset. It wouldn’t be exaggerating to call them as scientists for the seemingly an unconscious skill that they possessed. The transformation since then and now has so much to be noted about, in this case.
Image 3 Experimenting with Himself (Anonymous)
People were employed as assistants to help in setting the camera, the chemicals mixed and readily kept for the processing of the photos. Special attention was laid on the part of mixing chemicals involved in the procedure since the ratios mattered a lot for the exact and expected outcome. It was quite disheartening to know that companies don’t anymore manufacture chemicals for photo processing these days, since every nook of photography today has technology impacted on it. Employees never expected an appreciation for the job well done but were punished instantly for a wrongness involved. It is said that a day without being scolded and punished was considered as a day well done. And people worked with complete enthusiasm and anxiety to learn this art of photography, considering the ill treatments as a learning curve. One would be amazed to hear from the head photographer who sits in an Embassy at Pondicherry when he narrates us of the struggle he took up in attaining the position that he is in today. He had to convince the photographer, with whom he wished to join as an assistant for less than a dollar of salary, 20 years ago despite being employed in a public sector with a much better remuneration. For everything he has achieved so far, he happily acclaims and hands over the credit to that photo studio he had been working for 7 years now. Though the dark room dynamics continued to remain strict in a way, it never had anything to do with the undying passion one, in the yesteryears, had towards photography. It was only the love for photography that stayed at the end of the day. This fine and fair lined chemistry between the photographers and their profession as a key element makes it evident of the moral force that was pursued all in one dark room that had brought and is bringing an individual into light. Not anything in the world would bring in a questioning about the camera when a picture is shown. Such is the importance of photographs and the photographers as well.
Photographers were treated in two extremes, that is with complete respect and then with ignorance. Camera rolls mattered a lot and only a limited and prescribed amount of pictures were allowed to be taken with the rolls as committed. It wasn’t like the way we now practice to take any number of pictures and get it deleted in most of the case. Moreover, it was considered taking a picture often might reduce the lifetime of an individual and hence only dead bodies were photographed (Image 4) It was with utmost care people carried those large cameras and the films to snap the dead ones piercing a coin to make their eyes look opened. Even a little carelessness was assumed to spoil the essence of the photo or the films. The Photographer from Karur town tells, how he used to prepare to shoot a dead body, after his studio is intimated of a person’s demise within the villages. He also tells, the photographer is expected to buy the garlands, milk, etc to be used for the purpose of funeral. He also narrates how they used the prepare the glass negatives, and lift their wodden cameras above their head, while crossing the river. (Image 5)
Image 4 Reconstructing the scene - Clicking a dead body
Image 5 Reconstructing of crossing the river with equipments
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‘Come what may, I never will give up my profession for anything’ says an ardent photographer of those days. This was the level with which photography was followed as a profession with much passion. In entirety, as a qualified photographer, this is all so inspiring and informative. When I took up digging Tamil Nadu for its photographic history, a good deal of information was collected from various districts that include Madurai, Trichy, Karur, Tanjore and many more to come. To retrieve, to re-collect, to preserve and archive all those invaluable materials that belonged to the previous generation of the photographers has been our major objective. It initially was challenging to recognize the old photographers in these regions but when interviewed, they were able to emote of their once passionate profession that slowly has changed its dimensions due to technical improvements. This long run served an opportunity to know of the untold tales of these vanishing photographers along with their unrevealed techniques. The study as a whole was much interesting came out with lot of interesting data and going to be as well. The further move to this exciting subject intends to start reading the language of the collected treasures. Ironically, all these elderly statesmen I happened to meet in this research were humble enough, highly level headed and too principled in their work. They hardly moved away from the integrity and sincerity that they had and indeed have towards their work, through the years. Not to forget that, this is what had fed them bread and butter all the while, before being engulfed by the chips and ‘memory’ cards. What they used to produce an artist’s document of a portrait has become commodity product today. As I started in my path of digging them from Madurai, I was amazed at the fact that, the association of photographers had more than 700 registered photographers in it. The very thought of analysing the photo studios in Tamil Nadu first drove me to find the Madurai Studios at my locale, Madurai that I had seen and known famous over the years. I only ended up finding the studio not anymore existing in that place from my grandparents and the place has now been occupied by a restaurant. Madurai, being considered as Tamil Nadu’s highly cultural destination and fast expanding commercial centre of South India, is known for its profound ethnic value with the practices that reflect its robust tradition in every aspect. Standing architecturally majestic in customs and traditions, religious sanctity, art work and festivals, Madurai has set itself as an example of cultural diversity and photography also has occupied a special place among all these. The saddest fact in this miniature attempt is that only two studios (that were opened before 1975) are surviving the wounds inflicted by the digital studios. Incidentally, they have as well reversed digital to come in terms of the present ages. At this juncture, it only surprised me more to know that there still exists a studio which does manual black and white processing and printing in the whole of ancient city, Madurai. One more interesting fact is the contrast of prices that the 32
city has seen. Termed as the costliest, in the whole, for charging 50 rupees for 3 copies of passport sized photographs during 1995, has turned into where, one could get 50 copies at the same cost!!! A black and white manual print of 6”x4” costs 40 rupees, compared with the 3.5 rupees charged for the same sized digital colour digital print. That sounds too varying! Having started his own studio ‘Sathya Studios’ in 1965, Mr.Palaniappan, a photographer of yesteryears started his career in photography at the age of 17 taking guidance from his guru and helping him in printing and processing works, transferred his profession to his generation and had stopped working in the studio by 2002. He had started the studio with his old Yashica 12 that now he shows and boasts with pride. The dark room has lost its purpose as well. The studio, eventually, after taken over by his son turned into a digital one. And that gentleman’s resume reads this way-10th Class Pass, 2 months of training in Photoshop under his Uncle! Sadly, Palaniappan’s son deserted the studio for another job, while Palaniappan stands as a security in front of State Bank of India, Madurai branch.
Image 6 Photographer Palaniappan. 2009.
Extending to other studios in Madurai, of which Jupiter Studios was found to be one of the many prominent ones. The photographer wasn’t pleased enough to reveal about the technical details off late and about the history of his studio. Taking off to Trichy from there, we happened to find Mr.Jameel, an expert in photography during his ages. This gentleman hasn’t loosened a bit of his interest towards his profession and still has his studio running, providing the quality tag of his photography maintained over the years. He totally showed off a different perspective towards this art. People usually had a practice of burning the unwanted things (including the film rolls, prints) during a festival called Bogi, one of the many significant festivals in Tamil Nadu. The films used for photography never failed to fall prey to this practice. But Mr.Jameel, Modern Photo flash, Trichy has his films still preserved in a very legitimate way. The old man, who has his fixed appointments with his doctor every alternate day, seldom misses his appointment at his studio even for a day. He is at his comfort when he is at his studio. He might get weakened day in and day out, but not the skills behind his magic box. He still goes on for shoots all by himself and never sends his assistants
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as his peers would do. He is personally requested to come by his clients, who agree to assistants of other photographers, when they have to settle for someone other than him. One could find people thronging into his studio even now, looking for their own photographs’ negative taken at this studio, decades before. One could also read the notice welcoming as you enter is studio “negative and soft copy rights reserved”. This meant that, he wants his prints assured in its quality and he doesn’t want to leave it for anyone else to do. In his half century of studio experience, he had his bitter times, when he found his negatives being treated as mere raw material for a picture print. Quality is not something less than 100% for him. He strongly believes in his principles and work ethics, and makes sure his assistants also follow him. He is a strict task master extracting work from them and makes sure they are as equal to his quality towards the clients. His name is an established brand name in the city of Trichy for value of money photography services. He is a client’s man, attends functions outside only for those who are very close and adamant about his presence. Once he did 10 weddings/events every month, now he does 10 per year. He has nothing to prove, he has nothing to bother about his survival and does his job pressure free. Very strong in ideals, he is a strong believer in God, a Muslim, which easily can be found from his apparent name, but could not trace anything other than the apparent evidence. His studio is filled with so many stuffs, which suggests that he is not a religion centric man, but god centric. He says when customers are provided with a copy of the negatives and soft copies in disk, they seem to get their photographs printed at places that afforded them low. Finding the quality of his so called photography and his own language of processing getting lost in this run, from then on, he stopped and never kept up this habit of providing the negatives apart from the printed photographs. It is quite amazing to see him being able to locate pictures taken years ago, just through the bill number and getting the customer satisfied with an immediate processing and printing. He has a wide collection of his works that include pictures of celebrities, well known people of Tamil Nadu and is completely dedicated towards work.
Kindhanar Studios, Tanjore was our next tip to be found. The place is now deserted except the hoarding that reads ‘Kindhanar Studios’ with the symbol of a lion posing afront! It was in SPS Studios at Tanjore where we happened to find an abundant collection of 60mm negatives. These were used to take still photographs in the old days. 1960-70 is the period during which still photography had embarked a significant presence of its own. ‘Vasan Studios’, Karaikudi founded in 1948 is now taken up by the son of Mr.Srinivasan, the owner of the studio. The studio is now in the hands of his generations. One of his sons, who now runs the studio, after requesting many a times, agreed to open up to us, all the equipments that were locked in his home’s store room. He had preserved a collection of over 200 varied cameras without his knowledge. The studio had had lot of workers, working on film processing and people who own a studio in and around Karaikudi were once working for Vaasan studios and they proudly speak of it. At the outset, that turned out to be an informatory trip towards finding the histories. The owner’s son found so many precious film negatives, glass negatives that employed a technique called Mixed Media that he himself was aware of only after being asked. The owner’s wife when at first seemed to not so delighted with all this digging at her house, ended up telling proud stories of his husband’s skill in photography and how he had mastered it.
Image 8 Painted Glass for an upcoming Tamil film. 1959.
Other studios that gave us an insight about our work are Rasi Studios, Madurai and Deluxe Studios, Karur owned by BalaSubramanian during 1934.
Conclusion Image 7 Photographer Jameel. 2010.
The transition stage is nearing completion to push out the film era and their studio spaces. Before the remaining gets washed off, we find, that holding onto all possible references and documents of our history, as our vital responsibility. It is imminent for the film age 33
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to get over at least in the commodity stage of industry. However, there is still a glimpse of hope to revive it maybe in the form of an art medium. It is very clear that, the future of it is too unclear now. But our efforts to bring into light the beauty of this medium would sustain some more life in it. Having done all these, we find this the right time to combine all the gathered details into one video as a documentary for the masses to know of the spectacular art and that Romantic space existed with different face years ago.
Bibiliography Books
Prasad, Madhava., Journal of moving Images, 2006. Text Note : (Cinema, 2006) Srinivas, SV., Film culture, Politics & Industry, April 2003.
Dissertation
Maniyarasan R, 2010, History of Indian Photography, National Instiute of Design, India.
Filmography
Imsai Arasan 23m Pulikesi, (2006)., Tamil, Directed by Chimbudeven., India Text note: (23m Pullikesi, 2006)
Conferences
Kannadi, 1st Madurai International Photography Conference, “History of Tamilnadu Photography”, Madura College, India, Jan 2013. Chhaya, International Photography Conference, “ History of Indian Photography- Tamilnadu”, National Institute of Design, India, Feb 2012.
Articles in Journals Image 9 SPS Studios, Tanjore, before renovation. 2010.
While every photograph has its own historical integrity, it can be reinterpreted through new connections and juxtapositions emerging from meticulous archival research. Taking this as the pivotal point, we are documenting the studio spaces and the photographers from the previous generations along with their experiences. These photographic archives will play a major role in accurate reconstruction of the architectural object since the documents they preserve are dynamic ones and not just nostalgic images. The narrations of their intangible past are recorded in their own voice, while they re-visit their times as they start opening up to us. This journey towards unwrapping the past continues to unravel more stories, more people, more studios, and in-turn look to help archiving all possible materials from the film era. A flash of golden memories from the womb to the tomb, reflections from past to present, a recorded imagery of time is preserved for future generations, so as not to be forgotten. This is being brought in a new dimension, a video documentary, hopefully assuming it to be one of the many mediums that intend to take this perception about photography, in a much better and faster pace. One belief that I strongly am willing to pin point is photography along with its dark room beauty when preserved with the right blend of aspired minds and maintenance is sure to make this ravishing prowess go great heights than what has been reached till date and the history alongside shall remain instructing the generations for many years to come. And will these memories and stories will live on and on.
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Dr. Deepak John Mathew, “Archiving the memories”, Art & Deal, Jan – Feb 2012.
Websites
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imsai_Arasan_23m_ Pulikesi, 2013 http://www.visionsofindia.blogspot.in/, 2013 http://www.madurai.org.uk/culture/, 2013