A common sentiment among the photographers that stroll around the Gateway of India, Mumbai is, ‘Once my son starts working, I will leave this tedious job. I am just trying to make my ends meet.’ A common sight, untill a few years ago was families or couples posing and getting their photos clicked from professional photographers for a nominal fee.
However, with an increase smartphones boasting advanced cameras, these photographers are slowly fading into oblivion. When spoken to, a few revelations came through, including the popular breakthrough of the general perception of them losing significant business due to a spike in digitalisation. Other photographers believe it is the increase in the number of photographers from double to triple digits of 200-300 which has taken over their pocket.
Why not switch to other profession
Lack of skills, a declining age, and risk are what keep them confined to the walls of Gateway and not looking beyond it. Most of them have been in the business for over 10 years and are above 30 years old, which restricts their ability to explore further due to boundaries of familial responsibility. A few of them have educated their children and are relied on their output to peacefully walk out of this profession. Photography is the only source of income for a lot of these families, and taking risks is close to losing the bare pennies that they earn. At a grown age, especially in an Indian environment, people of such age with no backing avoid taking risks. Additionally, there is no guarantee that any business or other profession they start with would necessarily turn out to be lucrative. It is a gamble which nobody is ready to play. Hence, they remain stuck in the vicious cycle of wanting to leave photography but being stuck there because taking a leap of faith could be precarious.
What can be done
On one hand, it is tempting to have the government involved in the process of helping them earn better. An official registered and a required number of photographers is what would suffice for them to have heavier pockets at the end of the day. Moreover, distributing photographers at more heritage sites that see the influx of tourists could be another option. A skill-based training would be helpful that could provide them with better opportunities to use their photography. Assigning a number of photographers to capture the historic sites of Dadar for a show and using it for showcasing or displaying. This would be an added income as well as a platform for them to use their skills.
The positives
However, there is a silver lining too. The involvement of government brings in a lot of cons with it, especially in a democracy and particularly in a state which is prone to a political crisis. Changing governments could lead to divided and scattered attention towards them. Moreover, it is not the duty of any ruling party to help the citizens earn more, but definitely to provide opportunities for employment. A solution for this could be having the government as a silent minor partner and giving the responsibility to regulate the photographers to a committee or a body. Further, raising awareness and advocating for supporting #localphotographersandnotphones could be a major step ahead.
