In a new book, portraits of India’s arts community by the scion of an iconic Delhi photo studio

Delhi Photo Company, the photo studio, was founded by Bhagwati Prasad in Delhi in 1937 in the newly built buildings on Janpath in Connaught Place. It was one of the first studios in New Delhi. After Independence, the studio was appointed as official photographer to the President of India [and] received accolades and patronage from an array of eminent clients including many royal figures, and British officers and their family members. Bhagwati Prasad’s grandson, Ajay Shanker, has continued the tradition of portraiture the studio became known for.

This book project is a more serious exercise, using studio setups with focusing lights to make portraits of artists and figures in the art world in a “film-noir” inspiration. With the ability to control lighting with spots or different diffusion – akin to stage lighting for theatre or dance, the photographer had the ability to construct expressive images that sometimes conveyed a dramatic sense of the subject. Now an outmoded form, Ajay has used this tradition as a tribute to his family studio’s past tradition.

A studio is like a theatrical stage. Lights, backgrounds and props are carefully selected to create iconic portraits while providing an intimate setting for both the model and the photographer. The...

Read more