Shuba Krishnan Photography
A Diploma in finance, a Bachelor’s degree in commerce and an MBA (a gold medalist at that) landed me a Research and Consulting career in the Energy sector – a career that lasted 9 years! Towards the end there I realized that I had no clue why I was doing what I was! Not all career journeys begin with a plan. Mine did not. If you want to know the story of how I got from an Energy market analyst to a Newborn baby photographer, Read on!
The first jolt of uncertainty hit when I had my first daughter. Being a new mother brought several questions in my head about rejoining the industry. Will I be able to spend time with her? Will I be able to witness her milestones? How will she manage without me? My industry job was not flexible. I had to trade-off between a 9-hour job (+ 2 for commute) and a big part of my life. Its even harder to make that trade-off when you don’t have the right reasons for being at that job in the first place. I stayed home for 3 years.
It was about this time that my husband gifted me my first canon DSLR. I developed a hobby of taking pictures of my daughter every day. Looking at those pictures allowed me and my family an opportunity to relive those joyous moments every single time. Every milestone was captured and shared!
Hobby turned to freelancing and my friends wanted me to do the same for their children. That’s when I think it began, in 2016 - “Why not create such beautiful memories for other families?”. Within a span of six months, I had met several babies and families through my journey. I found a connection with every family I met. They were going through the same magical journey as I had. My photography was helping them capture their emotions and joy, just as it had helped me. The idea of “Shuba Krishnan Photography” as a full-time career came to fruition during my second pregnancy. I finally made my peace with the fact that I never wanted to go back to my industry job.
Baby photography is a challenging business. Not everyone who owns a DSLR and clicks baby pictures can be a good photographer. Your technical, emotional and creative skills are continually put to the test. I took up several workshops from some of the best photographers in the industry to learn how it’s done. Parents trust me with their new born babies. I’ve taken newborn safety training courses to make sure I’m qualified to handle that trust. Leading up to the shoot, nothing is more important than to understand the parent and to put them at ease.
For the shoot itself, picking a set is a work of art – colors, textures, props, lights and more importantly the baby, all need to come together just right to create that magical shot. I’d like to say this came naturally to me. But in reality, it took time, a lot practice and repeated learning. I now work with newborn babies as young as 5-15 days, children up to age of 1 and expecting moms in Hyderabad. This profession requires trust and word of mouth. I have been lucky to have worked with several families in the last 2 years. My profession has helped me become independent, doing what I love and I couldn’t be happier. Who wouldn’t be happy to wake up and go capture some beautiful babies?