Earlier, when I met Shruti, she was a young woman who had just moved from working in the media, on channels like Star Plus and the like, which was the natural progression from being a media student. A strange twist of fate kept us not in touch for the longest time, but here we are back and enjoying who she is today- a woman of substance.
But all this did not happen overnight; Shruti had always been super independent from her childhood, being sent to boarding schools all over the country (Jaipur, Gwalior, and Bangalore). Simply because her father, who was an iron and steel exporter, had always had residences far from civilisation. For Shruti, her dream was always to be in the glamour world, so she chose to work in Mumbai’s media.
An extrovert and a hard-core party girl, she has a certain flair for the obvious; she changed media jobs so fast (from ad agencies to production houses), going exactly where the money took her. Recollecting that her first job (2005) paid her merely 8k, she jumped into the next for 18k in two months, then the third paid her 25k. Anchoring and reporting got her so mobile that the moves took her to many agencies.
It was there that she chanced upon her now husband, Vicky Tejwani (Matrix Studios). Her obsession with babies was clear from that time on; she left everything to marry and have her children (Asia and Rome). Not one to say die, she continued to work, educating herself, straddling motherhood and her career.
From a garage to Premium homes
Picking up a camera, but not just on a whim, Shruti did what came naturally to her, given her background in the media. Her passion did not abate with motherhood. She never stopped working; she continued attending masterclasses and workshops, educating herself, and even went to New York to shop for her first studio set for newborns. She started out of her garage, like all the people who have succeeded. She was thrilled to hear that and remarked, ‘Though my garage was the storage space, I practically lived in my car, carrying everything with me, calling it my ‘photography at your doorstep service’.
Not one with a laid-back attitude, she did go to the London School of Photography to brush up on her skills. Coming back, she realised there was a lacuna in the photography space. At the time, nobody had entered the space for Bespoke fine art photography for maternity and the newborn. This was in 2008, and since then, she has built a unique presence with her impressive shooting skills. There has been absolutely no looking back.
Today, 20 years later, her credentials are impressive, and her client list is even bigger. Her confidence is sky high, but it is her work that ultimately speaks for her. Though her premium clients still want to shoot in their homes for her newborns, she does use her White Light Studioz, which she co-founded, for many of her shoots. The biggest challenge Shruti faced then and even now is that India has always been big on the evil eye (Nazar). She could never post pictures on the gram or for advertisements, as people were not at all comfortable with marketing gimmicks. But the flip side was that she was highly recommended by word of mouth because they began to trust her as she protected her clients.
A mature voice at 45, groomed to boot, Shruti explains how the industry is not kind to anybody, but which one really is, if you are not equipped with the resilience and the grit to egg on unconditionally. She has become a highly acclaimed photographer working with high-net-worth individuals (HNIs) and prominent families in the city. Her work is a testament to her exceptional skill, capturing timeless keepsakes that are not just ethereal but also heart-touching. With a diverse portfolio ranging from portraits to fashion, jewellery, and collaborations with top brands, her style is glamorous yet artistic, and her friendly nature makes her one of the most popular and busiest photographers in the industry.
Natural progression
Now, with an astute understanding of the market, she has also started shooting leading Fashion designers, Jewellers, and Celebrities, creating quite a niche for herself. Her mainstay is the privacy she offers her clients, asking for their permission before speaking about them. Her listing reads like a who’s who, as one can relate when she shares-‘I’ve shot people like Amitabh Bachchan to Ananya Panday recently, and I have never had a bad experience with any celebrity to date. Sometimes the shoots actually turn into friendships like the one I share with Sussanne Khan, somebody with whom I have shot extensively.
She has also expanded her portfolio from just fine art portraits of mothers and children to editorials for fashion, content creation, design, brand campaigns, creative, store tours, etc. The list seems endless. But what do you enjoy the most? She laughs wholeheartedly ‘I have become the jack of all trades, but hey, a master of all, changed that around a bit. I enjoy the new Makeover trend that is changing people’s lives. You have no idea what the confidence- and image-building activity can do for a person after a photoshoot. There is a reason why a photograph is called an image. And an image is so important for people, isn’t it?’
Words of advice: what should people look out for when choosing a profession of this sort? – ‘The thing with media is that it’s extremely competitive and completely unapologetic. If you are someone who cannot take the pressure or criticism, you need the strength to endure a lot to outshine everything and come out smiling.’
Shruti has proved to be a powerhouse in the world of visual storytelling. Her expertise extends beyond traditional photography, as she now heads a production house catering to ad films and other creative projects. This expansion showcases her versatility and adaptability to diverse creative demands. Shruti’s portraits reflect her keen eye for detail and ability to evoke genuine emotion, making her a sought-after photographer among elite clients. Shruti, good humouredly says to her clients, ‘You just pay, and I will shoot anything for you’
