Mumbai's Prathima Pingali was the only Indian to make it to the 'Top 100 Photographers' in the World in a competition which was recently held at the UK. Moreover, in the photography business where wedding photography was the most common, Prathima chose the road less travelled and created her niche in pet photography. Whether its capturing your pet's candid pictures or making your maternity photoshoot revolving around him, here's what Prathima Pingali has to say about her journey in an exclusive interview with us.
"My whole life I begged my parents for a dog and they kept telling me that when I turned 13 I would be able to take care of one and that's when they would get me a pet. When I turned 10, I moved to a boarding school and unfortunately, my chance of getting a dog did not materialise. In 2015, when I started college we were finally able to bring home this cute little bundle of joy who we named Pax. He was the best dog ever.
True to his name, he always made sure that we didn't scream at each other and that there was peace at home because if we did, he would bark at us and tell us to stop! He was adorable. He was our new sibling and we loved him dearly.
In September 2017, Pax passed away after undergoing surgery. Being a photographer, I loved taking his photographs and took thousands of them which helped me capture memories that we shared with him over the course of his life. These photographs, now help us relive those memories even today, as they hang on our walls.
Pawparazzi was started soon after Pax passed, with the idea that I could help families capture precious moments of their pets, moments which will then become invaluable memories.
I have another dog now, his name is Prancer. He has become my model for any new ideas that I come up with for the business."
Also Read: International Dog Day: Top 5 Dog Instagram Accounts To Follow
Why Pawparazzi?
“Dogs’ lives are too short. Their only fault, really.” – Agnes Sligh Turnbull
This is a quote that really resonates with me and it's very true. You never know what life is going to throw at you and you should make the most of every moment that you have and get.
Pets are as much as part of our family as any of the people we love. Our aim is to capture the personality of your pet and the relationship that you share with them. They are a part of our lives, and it's never too late or too early to start collecting lasting memories.
Being a student of Fine Arts with my specialisation in photography, I was always a very creative person and would constantly be doing something crafty. When I started taking photographs, everyone told me that I had a good eye, and so I decided to take it forward.
Photography, animals and nature are my favourite things in life. I thought why not combine them? I love wildlife photography as well. I travelled to Africa in 2017 and went on a mobile safari to live amongst the animals.
Her 'Pawfect' Work
"The focus of my work is obviously the pet and the relationship that the pet parent shares with them. My speciality is capturing the pet's personality because every pet is different.
We often get asked " Can you do a photoshoot for me? But my pet isn't trained, how can we do it?" and my answer to that always is,
Your pet doesn't have to be trained. I'm here to capture your pet exactly how they are. If they like rolling in the mud, I'll get into that puddle with him to get the best shots, if they like running around a lot, I'll run around with him and get you photographs that you normally wouldn't be able to.
Pet Photography as a career choice and its scope
To be honest, pet photography is an art. It's like a painting. It takes time, loads of patience, lots of trial and error. Photography is one side of it, there's a lot of editing involved as well!
The whole process involves hard work and a lot of patience. I started pet photography as a career because I knew that I had it in me to take on everything. It's a great career to have. There's never an off day, and even if there is, that cute furry face that you'll meet will make you forget all of your problems! Pet Photography has a great future. Pet "owners" are now pet "parents". That one word makes a lot of difference and its that feeling of oneness that people have with their pet which makes this the best job ever!
Social initiatives for dogs
I feel that every animal deserves to be loved. I've never been scared of petting my free-roaming pets (stray dogs). They watch 100s of people go by, hoping to get some love and no one gives it to them. I find that very unfair. I take out time to give them the love that they deserve. But that's not always enough. 75 per cent of what we make from our yearly Pawparazzi Calendar goes into buying food, water bowls and radium collars for the dogs, which prevent their accidents at night. It makes my day when I know that I've made a dog happy, and know that they're safe.
Also Read: Celebrate International Dog Day By Visiting These Pet-Friendly Places In Mumbai
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