HYDERABAD: Special photo series on the work that an NGO in Hyderabad makes her feel more hopeful about the future of the world than extravagant weddings. Meet Dr Namrata Motihar Rupani who has chronicled the food donation drive of SAFA Society across ten days in areas such as Charminar, First Lancer Moosapet, Chandanagar, etc and these snapshots, she says, gave her a glimpse of the human spirit during such crises.
“Watching a needy elderly citizen and a toddler clutch the charity they have received as though their life depended on it speaks volumes of what India has been going through during the lockdown,” she says. She hopes to put such snaps together in an exhibition soon.
Born and raised in Delhi, Dra Namrata was inclined towards medicine and ended up specializing in dentistry from Christian Dental College, Ludhiana. She moved to Hyderabad 15 years ago from Chandigarh after she got married. She is a dentist who also runs her three-year-old fine arts facility and studio called Capture Life in Banjara hills. Namrata shared on stage as a speaker at TEDxNalsarUniversity in 2016 – about just how far photography can travel from going beyond a passion to being able to connect with hundreds of people through a powerful form of art and expression.
One of her favourite series was shooting Hyderabad when the Hyderabad Metro Rail was coming up and for display at the Metro Rail Bhavan. She has captured several people and weddings on camera, including the nuptials of badminton players Saina Nehwal and Parupalli Kashyap.
Trends in photography
As the wedding guestlist shrunk to 50 during the lockdown, photo ideas such as wallpapers for homes have picked up, says this photographer. “One of the interior designers in Hyderabad asked for a design on the ceiling 19x16 feet and we designed a photograph collage for that.”
Photobooks in demand
Photobooks, which are like coffee table books except that they are for families, are also in demand. “The lockdown has made everyone go nostalgic and they all looked up old photographs and asked us to made photobooks to be passed on to future generations,” she says.
Workshops for all
Dr Namrata said that she also noticed that many signed up for her online photography workshops. She has conducted over 90 workshops - both for mobile photography and camera photography. Many aspiring photographers who dreamt of having their own studios were among her students this season.
Juggling professions
“While I did attend to emergencies during lockdown, there were fewer cases than it was otherwise, for obvious reasons. This helped me use my time to not just attend to my two kids, aged 14 and 11, but also to pursue photographic projects,” she adds.
Dr Namrata Motihar Rupani is a dentist in the morning and photographer in the evening. While she enjoys the colourful moments of Indian weddings as a professional photographer, she says that being able to focus her lens on the spirit of humanity in Hyderabad when NGOs did their charity work was especially fulfilling
While setting up your own studio
There is no need for you to set up a physical studio in this digital era. Create a good website or social media page and showcase your work and meet your client at a co-working space for meetings and interactions
Opt for camera rentals instead of buying fresh ones. That way your gear won’t get outdated and you don’t have to invest too much for equipment you don’t use much
Use social media to your advantage
— Manju Latha Kalanidhi kalanidhi@newindianexpress.com @mkalanidhi