Sudarshan Photo Studio

I’m sitting here at the desk at Sudarshan Photo Studio. It’s right by the Koth Road Depo in Pune, so there’s always people walking by. I started this place a long time ago. The cameras have changed, but the walls are still the same shade of blue. My cousin helps out sometimes when it gets busy on weekends. We spend a lot of time just moving lights around and trying to get the glare off people's glasses. Sometimes the printer acts up and I have to spend half an hour poking at it. It’s a small shop. There are stacks of old photo envelopes in the corner from years ago. People come in for passport photos mostly, or sometimes they want a family picture. I remember when everyone wanted film developed, but now it’s all digital files and emails. The tea guy comes by at four every day. That’s usually when I take a break and look out at the traffic near the depo. It’s noisy outside but quiet in here with the lights. I’ve lived in Pune my whole life. My father had a shop too, though not for photos. I like the smell of the paper and the way the studio feels when it’s empty. Sometimes kids come in and they can’t sit still. It makes the day go by faster. We just do what we can to make sure people look like themselves in the pictures. It’s not fancy, just a room with some cameras and a backdrop.