He has captured some of the best moments of the who's who in the Malayalam film industry. Ten years into the world of photography, ace fashion and film photographer Mahadevan Thampi is convinced that it is the passion that enables one to attain great heights.
Early days
A native of Thiruvananthapuram, Thampi pursued his Bachelor's in Journalism and Mass Communication (BJMC) at Mar Ivanios College, situated in his hometown. It was during his college days that he developed an interest in photography. Interestingly, photography was also part of his curriculum.
Post his college education, Thampi began working alongside renowned photographer B. Chandrakumar. “B. Chandrakumar has clicked some of the most magnificent photographs of elephants. He was always able to capture many precious moments at the right time,” explains Thampi.
B. Chandrakumar had introduced him to yet another legend in film photography N.L Balakrishnan. Thampi spent many years working as his assistant. Since then, he has had the good fortune of being part of many celebrity shoot sessions as well as films.
'If you are passionate, then experiment'
After spending over six years as a fashion photographer, Mahadevan Thampi believes that it is important to know all that you can about trends, colors, and other aspects of the fashion world. “Most often, the photographer needs to know more than the general public. After all, our photographs do help set the trends. More importantly, a fashion photographer needs to experiment. If you are passionate about photography, try out various permutations and combinations. That way, when your passion becomes your profession, you would able to do good work and your frames would be unique and well appreciated,” explains Thampy.