Lure of the Lucre Lands Wedding Shutterbugs in a Web

By Saumesh Thimbath

Published: 21st April 2016 03:11 AM

Last Updated: 21st April 2016 03:11 AM

KOCHI: Photographers in the state are staring at a bleak future with companies taking a leaf out of the Uber business model which is having a successful run in the state by pitting local cabbies in opposite camps.

Bharat Matrimony, a match-making website, offers its clients an option to avail  photography packages - promising all the features offered by top wedding photographers in the state.  Sources in the sector say the company conducted a recruitment drive for photographers and hired them as employees on salaries ranging from `30,000-60,000. This has not gone down well with the All Kerala Photographers Association (AKPA) which said the move would throw many wedding photographers in the state out of business as matches are increasingly being made through websites like Bharat Matrimony.

AKPA alleges that the company is 'tricking' its clients and the photographers who enrol with them. "The company employs mostly youngsters contrary to their claims that they have experienced wedding photographers. These youngsters look for a break in the field and find the company's offer attractive. But they are not paid according to their work. What's more, these youngsters often lack the expertise needed to shoot big functions. There have been many cases where the clients were unhappy with the output," says Binoy Kallattukuzhy, Ernakulam district president of AKPA.

He says the association is not against youngsters getting lucrative jobs. Their concern is that a great share of the money that should go to the photographers is being siphoned off by the company. "We came to know during an investigation that in January alone the company had made prints worth `23 lakh. A major share went to the company. The photographers did not benefit from it," Binoy said. The company did not respond to calls and mail seeking clarification in the matter.  But, not all photographers seem alarmed. Rohit, manager of Weva Photography, Kochi, says they have not been affected by entry of Bharat Matrimony photographers. He says their clientele is mostly from the upper classes. Moreover, they enjoy a good reputation.

But, Vipin Das, a photographer in Kochi, says people like him who own a small studio are the most affected.

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Source: Lure of the Lucre Lands Wedding Shutterbugs in a Web