In the searing heat on a Tuesday afternoon, we walk into Janpath's Punjab Grill restaurant to witness a few individuals savouring their meals. These people are unaware of the fact that just by taking a few steps into the restaurant they would be setting foot in Delhi Photo Company (DPC)—one of the city’s oldest photo studios. Ajay Shanker—a third-generation portrait photographer who also runs the restaurant—greets us in his office as he sifts through his iPad to show us a few portraits he clicked recently. While the restaurant very well camouflages the DPC studio—it lies at the back of the restaurant—Shanker has very well managed to keep this space pristine.
How many of us recall experiencing the joy of getting photographed in a photo studio—amid lights, motorised backgrounds, and reflectors. In current times of instant gratification through smartphone photography, this is but a rarity. DPC, however, is keeping this art of 'creating memories’ alive.
A family legacy
Established by Shanker’s grandfather Bhagwati Prasad in 1937, DPC was the first photo studio, established and operated by an Indian, in Janpath. Prasad had learnt photography while working in ‘Photo Service’, a photo studio in Kashmere Gate, for a few years. Back in the days, studio photography mostly catered to a royal clientele. By 1938, DPC opened another branch in Mussoorie. “The summers here [in Delhi] used to be very hot so they wanted to shift to a cooler place for portraits. That’s when we moved to Mussoorie for a few months,” explains Shanker. After India’s independence, DPC was appointed the Official Portrait Photographers for the Presidents of India. Until the late 1980s, they were responsible for taking portraits of all the Ministers for the Government of India. A photograph of Rajendra Prasad, India’s first President, still hangs on a wall in Shanker’s office. You will also find other original photographs of Indian royalty that were clicked by his father, Vijay Shankar, and grandfather.
There was a time when DPC would also shoot proposal photographs and passport-size pictures for people. However, their work primarily comprises photographing portraits. "Street or scenery never fascinated me, people did... and that too in a controlled lighting," shares Shanker, who has also worked as a photographer on many Bollywood films such as Tango Charlie (2005), Dil Maange More (2004), Aabra Ka Daabra (2004).
Lighting is a key technique when it comes to creating a successful image. What makes DPC timeless is the lighting technique they use while clicking portraits. “We create a setting wherein there are eight to ten lights on a single person. These aren't flash but continuous lights. Nobody in India takes portraits like this," explains Shanker.
Preserving a dying art
With the arrival of the mobile camera that brought about a click-and-capture culture with it, Shanker mentions that studio photography lost its relevance post 2007. A number of photo studios shut due to this. "By 2008, 2009 we realised that we couldn't just sustain by depending on the studio; no one could. The portrait work could definitely continue but it won't help with sustenance,” says Shanker. This is when they decided to open a restaurant--Shanker runs a franchise of Punjab Grill.
DPC, however, continues to exist. Even though the customers are relatively few, Shanker still takes commissioned works and travels around the country to capture portraits. He has also published a book, titled Hindi effortlessly: A humorous take on learning basic Hindi with photographs. The book is a beginner’s guide into the language but with the help of a series of photographs clicked by Shanker during his travel pursuits. Another book, Studio in the Village is underway.
Shanker's office is no short of a gallery. Adorned with several types of cameras and a number of photographs clicked over the years, the place harbours remnants of history. For the rich legacy DPC houses, it can be very well considered a hidden gem in Delhi and Shanker, no less an artist who has been preserving and taking this legacy forward. He is resolute that DPC is here to stay. His sons Aryan (17) and Damian (14) have harboured the same interest in photography as their father and forefathers. Shanker now looks forward to taking the photo studio back to the masses. "This isn't a thing that should be lost," he concludes.