Remembering Prabhakar Kusuma, the Hyderabad photographer who was among 2018’s Fellow of The Royal Photographic Society (FRPS), UK

On Thursday, the Hyderabad photography community lost one of its unsung heroes — Prabhakar Kusuma. The 66-year-old reportedly passed away following a cardiac arrest. The soft-spoken photographer was a mentor for several budding photographers and a trusted friend to members of Telangana Photographic Society.

Prabhakar was selected as Fellow of The Royal Photographic Society (FRPS), UK, and one among the four people worldwide to be chosen in 2018. He was the only recipient from India this year. And, the last time a photographer from the Telugu-speaking states was bestowed with this honour was 31 years ago.

When we interviewed Prabhakar at his residence in Begumpet (published in The Hindu MetroPlus dated June 18, 2018), he reminisced anecdotes from his four decade long career in photography.

He recalled going through a rough phase and buying eight 35mm films that were three years beyond expiry date since he couldn’t afford new ones. While the new films were priced at ₹200 each, the old ones came at ₹5 each. This was in 1993 when he wanted to shoot the inmates of a destitute home in Warangal. Twenty images that he selected from this series shot over eight months, fetched him the FRPS recognition 25 years later. Each of these images had a story to narrate and Prabhakar recalled vividly how he gained the confidence of inmates to be able to shoot them in their personal space.

Prabhakar moved to Hyderabad in 1995 and to tide over financial needs, worked in the advertising industry. He simultaneously took up other photography assignments. Advertising was his bread and butter but photographing people and lifestyles was what he loved the most.

His interest in photography began in the 1970s, when as a school student he was introduced to dark room techniques. “I saw how images came into view and I knew this is what I wanted to do for a lifetime,” he told us.

‘The Destitute’ series was also showcased as part of Indian Photography Festival 2018 held in Hyderabad. Prabhakar was also a contributor to The Hindu and Business Line in the 90s.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Sangeetha Devi Dundoo / November 24th, 2018