17 August,2017 10:01 AM IST | Mumbai | Shraddha Uchil
Dress like a maharaja or a nauvari-clad Marathi mulgi at a pop-up photo studio that will gift you a timeless, vintage family portrait
The props, costumes and the set are meant to transport you to the photo studios of yore. Pics courtesy/Shiresh R Karrale
We have all seen those sepia-toned, fading photographs of family members, immaculately dressed in ethnic garb and seated in a studio, posing for that one perfect shot that will be framed and strung up in the home for generations to come.
If you're looking for a change from the vibrant colours of today's photographs and would like a vintage-style family portrait that recreates the nostalgia of the decades gone by, head to The Old World Photo Studio at Piramal Art Gallery this weekend. The brainchild of well-known photographer Shiresh R Karrale, the studio is being set up for three days on the occasion of World Photography Day (August 19).
Sharing how he came up with the concept, Karrale says, "I specialise in advertising photography and celebrity portraits. But one day, several years ago, when I was looking at pictures from my grandfather's time, I realised that I could recreate the period in a modern-day studio. I tried it for the first time at an arts festival in 2010."
From then to now, he has shot over 1,000 families in this style, getting them to don traditional attire - a nauvari saree for women, a dhoti and topi for men, and so on. Karrale and his wife Varsha handle the styling, right from braiding or arranging flowers in your hair, to making sure you're wearing the appropriate jewellery. "Apart from traditional Maharashtrian costumes, I also have props like a gramophone, vintage spectacles, and a carved wooden cane. I love collecting antiques, so a lot of these come from my own collection," he adds. The backdrops used on the set have also been painted by Karrale, who is an alumnus of Sir JJ School of Art.
Mukesh Parpiani, head of photography at the Piramal Gallery, NCPA, shares that they will be providing additional costumes, including those of the maharajas. "The art of photography is 150 years old, so it made sense to have attire that reflects different time periods," he says.
Parpiani has been curating World Photography Day events at the venue since 2012, and these festivities have seen sessions and live demos by acclaimed photographers like Raghu Rai. This time around, alongside the studio set-up, there will be an exhibition featuring the works of not just Karrale, but also those of Kakubhai Kothari, Mukesh Trivedi, Bipin Mistry, Raju Shukla, NCPA photographers Parpiani and Narendra Dangiya.
From: August 18 to 20, 12 pm to 8 pm
At: Piramal Gallery, NCPA, Nariman Point.
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