Ashok Studio

If you know where Murugan Theatre is on Theni Main Road in Aundipatti, then you’ve definitely passed by Ashok Studio. We are right there at number 54. It’s a small shop, but we’ve got all the backdrops and those big umbrella lights that make everyone blink when they go off. Photography is a funny business because one day we’re doing tiny passport photos for school kids and the next it’s a full family group that barely fits on the bench. The studio can get a bit warm under the lights, so we keep the door open to catch whatever breeze comes off the road. It gets noisy with the buses going past, but we’re used to it. We spend quite a bit of time at the computer too, just touching up the shadows or fixing the colors so people look like themselves. We don’t go for anything too artistic or strange, just clear pictures that people want to keep in a frame. The equipment is older in some spots and newer in others, depending on what we needed to replace last year. Most people in Aundipatti know us by name, and we like it that way. It’s a basic routine: take the shot, show the screen, and print it out. No big mystery to it, just trying to make sure the focus is sharp and the lighting is decent enough for the customers who walk through the door.