“Those were the days of reels and dark rooms. Back in the 1980s, there was only one photo studio in Warangal district. It was in my village Mangapet. This studio was owned by my uncle who was a photographer. It all started when I curiously began observing him play around with the photos he’d capture. His techniques and way of capturing inspired me to a great level. I began to assist him at the studio by working in the darkroom and developing reels. By the age of 16, I started exploring photography too. I used to travel on my cycle into the dense forests and capture photos of the beauty nature had to offer to us. Eventually, my uncle had moved to Hyderabad and I had taken over his studio by shifting it to a town called Hanamkonda.

I was never really inclined towards education and my father never forced me to pursue it. Amongst all my friends, I was the first one to put up a shop and start earning. Of course, I had a lot of people come and ask if I would be able to handle the shop all by myself. Over a period, I got the ropes of this field. I educated myself on various techniques and gadgets. Just when I thought I was gaining expertise, life had something else planned for me in store. There was a sudden shift to digital cameras and digital equipment. We had computers coming in later.

Honestly, yes it was a tough time for someone who has not been well versed with the complexity of technology. All my old equipment had to be disposed of. Operating a computer was alien to me. It looked delicate and I was scared to get my hands on it. As time passed by, people familiarised themselves with computers and by observing them work on it, even I understood its functions. I even took designing classes to acquire knowledge in creating albums.

My first digital camera was a second-hand Canon 350 D. I can now handle and operate various other cameras irrespective of their models and brands. Today, after navigating through different challenges, braving different phases of evolution phases, here I am still holding my camera and capturing things that appeal to my eyes.”

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