Poor Old Photographer

He runs a small shop, and yes, he is a photographer. In the so-called race of modernization, where everybody is pushing hard to stay in the front row, he lives behind with his past. Technology gives us Nikon, Canon, Sony digital cameras, 8, 12, 16 mega pixels and more with shiny LCDs on the rear sides. Point, shoot and there you go. No, he doesn't need them at all. He has his old friend - A Pentax manual camera. Dusty, Rusty and mounted on a wooden-tripod. So old that it required bandaging with plaster tape to bind compotents. But he trusts on it and is rather content.

"Digital photography has become a joke. I cannot do it! The results now a days are flat. They simply cannot match the quality of old black and white prints. In old days, we were used to work on negatives for days to enhance the pictures. The ease in creating pictures has got the photographers hasty and they have lost their patience. The resulting pictures are no more flattering as they were in our days."

Qazi Rehmat Ullah (53) runs his shop named as Shama Photo Studio. It is located at the intersection of two busy streets Choubara Road and Cinema Road. The shop is very small. Lots of old posters decorate the walls. Some of them were made by the photographer and the rest are either advertistments or film posters. A thick dust-coating could be seen on everything. Two wood benches (one for guests and one for the client model to sit upon) and one chair lay around. A couple of tube lights and white lamps provide the lighting sources. In addition, one old working table that is no longer in use. So simple is his studio.


Once, he was one of the best photographers in Layyah. But no longer, he is.

"I am photographying for 25, 30 odd years. I was very successful in my own time. But now the time has changed. There are more responsibilities on me due to the family. Expenses have increased as chidren grew up. Prices are higher for everything but the people don't want to spend money on pictures. I take 30 Rupees (ca. 45 cents) for making a portrait photo. 20 rupees go for film, negatives, development/printing. With remaining 10 rupees (ca. 15 cents), I pay shop rent and electricty bill. There are hardly 5, or 6 customers in a day. Now calculate how much I may earn in a day?"

By showing a letter envelope, the photographer mentioned that his son was recently dropped out of the college due to his inability to pay the fees.


"Photogoraphy is an effort-taking job where one needs a good sight of vision. I am 53 years old now and am no longer able to do detailed retouching on the negatives. Moreover, I have not saved enough money to make investment in the business. All I can do is just let the time pass."


The photographer was unfamiliar with the new trends in the photography. We showed him our modern digital cameras and explained some of the key features and benifits. He took the cameras in both hands and exhibited great interest in using them. We wished, we could help him more. But perhaps, his time has already gone past him.

Who will fill the colors in his picture?