BENGALURU: The Covid blow to middle and lower-income groups has been hard, and 12 photographers, who depend on the Lalbagh Botanical Gardens for their livelihoods, too faced difficulties as the flower show was cancelled for the last two years. With the Independence Day Flower Show inaugurated on Friday, photographers hope to earn a decent sum.
One of the photographers, Raju M, said the flower show is an opportunity for them and local hawkers to get some good money. But on the first two days of the show, the turnout has been low because of incessant rain. “I came at 9 am and will wind up at 5.30 pm. I have clicked just one photo,” he said on Saturday.
The demand for postcard-size photos was very high during the 1990s. Photographers charged Rs 15 for a small size photograph and Rs 50 for 4x6 size. Earlier, the photos were printed and sent to the addresses of people, he said. “Now, we can give prints instantly by connecting cameras to printers on the spot. A 4x6 size photo costs as little as Rs 100, still we do not have many takers. This is because everyone has a smartphone and clicks photos on their own,” he added. Some 15 years ago, there were close to 25 photographers at the flower show, but the numbers have come down over the years, he said.