For the duo, it’s an idea that clicked
Giggles, a dial-a-photographer venture started by Ankit and Neha, has turned profitable within a year.
Many people are passionate about photography. Most love kids. But how many think of combining the two to make a career out of it? Meet photographer duo Ankit Chawla and Neha Malhotra, who zeroed in on the idea with Giggles Photography. From portraits of newborns to children’s birthday party shoots, they do it all. The icing on the cake? They click in the setting of your choice, be it home, office or outdoors, depending on the theme of the photo shoot.
Chawla, 24, stumbled upon his vocation as a mass communication student at IP University, Delhi. “I had prepared photo projects and montages in class and they were all centered on children,” he says. By the time he graduated in March 2008, he had honed his skills in child photography. “Kids become conscious and extremely stiff when they are exposed to artificial and harsh studio lights, with the camera pointing at them. I wanted to do away with this concept, so I thought that the best way would be to shoot on site. Hence, the idea of ‘photographers on call’ or ‘dial a photographer’,” says Delhi-based Chawla.
However, he did not get down to implementing this business idea immediately. After graduation, he found himself working for WNS, a Gurgaon-based BPO, for a year, before he was forced into the family business of manufacturing switches. When his parents realised that he felt stifled, they allowed him to pursue what he really wanted. So, in July 2010, Chawla left for Mumbai to attend a three-week workshop in photography (portraits) from Whistling Woods International.
On his return, he spoke to a few photographers to build a portfolio and understand the nuances of the business. He laid down his business idea before 25-year-old Malhotra, a friend and senior at IP University, and more importantly, a photography enthusiast. After completing her post graduation in design from Delhi’s Jamia Milia Islamia, Malhotra had joined Afaqs.comand was working here when Chawla approached her. She was hooked to the idea, and before the end of the year, she quit her job and joined Chawla as a partner. Giggles officially launched in January 2011.
The duo bootstrapped 35,000 as seed capital, which went into printing stationery as well as setting up their website, gigglesphotography.in. Besides, they already owned DSLR cameras. They decided to start working from Chawla’s residence in east Delhi since they were photographers on call and did not need an office or studio space.
Giggles landed its initial customers through mall activations, having started a photo booth for couples in a Noida mall for Valentine’s Day last year. Their first assignment involved a three-year-old’s birthday party in March 2011, which earned them 10,000, a discounted rate since it came through mall activation. Giggles broke even in August 2011, and their turnover for this year is 6.9 lakh.
A photo shoot can last 1-4 hours, depending on the theme and package. For instance, their first-day photo package costs 7,000, family portraits are priced at 12,500, while maternity/newborn portraits and kids’ photographs come for 10,000. They also do canvas printing, customised coffee-table books, and consultation-cum-styling sessions for kids. Their target market is the upper middle class and HNIs.
The company currently has 20 families as clients and has also tied up with gifting website, Excitinglives.com.The duo has plans for a big leap in the near future. “We are currently in talks with hospitals in Delhi for maternity and newborn portrait shoots. I also want to launch a natural light studio,” says Chawla. The idea is sure to click.
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