Seen the upside down Make Heads Turn Hi-style ads? Or the very hip looking Style One promos? Perhaps you gazed longingly at the latest Nalli Next posters. The person behind these photographs is S Muthukumar, who is currently clicking away stills for Unnaipol Oruvan, Kamal uch-anticipated remake of A Wednesday. Haasan's much-anticipated remake of A Wednesday.

Receiving me in his studio, Muthukumar starts off from the beginning of his photographic journey, "I did my BCom in Loyola College. After which I studied direction and scriptwriting at the Tamil Nadu Film and TV Institute, Taramani. Although I studied the basics of filmmaking, I did not make it my profession." A disappointment in college pushed the 36-year-old photographer away from the silver screen. "I did a feature documentary on homosexuality for my film direction course.

I discussed case studies, talked to psychiatrists and did a lot of research. It was a very simple video with no risque shots. But the board did not approve it, although they said they would pass it for the effort taken. Although it was just a college project, I did not feel too keen on pursuing directing after this," recalls Muthukumar.

His next response is surprising. "I learnt photography only from friends; I have no formal training. My friends and I used to get together to shoot portfolios of pals and that was how I learnt the nuances of photography ."

I wonder aloud if all this talent is due to his genes. The photographer has an impressive family background.

"My dad, known as DNS, had worked with Kamal Haasan, managing his production companies for 25 years. He worked with Modern Theatres production company for Shivaji's first film Parasakthi and till recently, has worked with several production companies throughout his career," he smiles. His brother Sathyamoorthy is a personnel manager with Big Films and AVM.

Muthukumar has done all kinds of photography, right from fashion and industries to CSR ads for IT firms and NGO promos. "In product photography, one has to give life to the product by using an interplay of light and angles. But in fashion photography, the pretty face and body form only half of the end product. It is up to the photographer to coax the right kind of emotions from the model," he explains.

Muthukumar stresses on the importance of choosing the right model. "Due to our conservative society, Indian models are not comfortable with wearing clothes that fit the image of international brands. But foreign models have been brought up to believe that dressing skimpily is both comfortable and necessary . If a model is not comfortable with the clothes she is wearing, no matter how confidently she tries to portray herself, the whole look just does not come out well. The photographer has to communicate with the model every second," he says.

"I spend a lot of time experimenting with photography and playing with kids," grins Muthukumar.

"Sometimes, I call my friends for experimental photo shoots. Time and money are not important because one has to keep trying out new things. Sometimes, my experimental shots turn out to be much better than my commercial ones."

As for kids, there is a surprising admission. "I love to play with kids. I can spend hours playing with them all sorts of outdoor games, like hide and seek. My wife also joins me, but the kids call her aunty, while they call me Muthu," laughs Muthukumar.

Talking about kids, when he was little, he was interested in athletics but since he has bad eyesight, he could never think of taking it up. But this myopia hasn't prevented Muthukumar from scaling the heights of photography.

"Probably my running around with kids keeps me limber for my shoots," he muses. What for, I ask. "I climb anything and everything, to get that perfect angle.

People call me crazy, but I will do anything to tame the light," he smiles. He says learning to tame the light is extremely important, especially during shoots on the beach, where there is only one source of light.

A regular for Nalli Silks for seven years now, he describes his experiences with the silk baron at length.

Shooting for Nalli has been an awesome experience. "The very first ad that I shot for them," he recollects, "was a disaster." The camera didn't work properly , the lighting didn't turn out well and the generator conked out. That advertisement turned out to be really bad. But the people were nice enough to understand that everything had gone wrong and they agreed to shoot again. He spent his own money and begged them to re-shoot, which turned out decently . The following years of working with Nalli has been "totally rocking". has been "totally rocking".

As he talks to me, he unconsciously reaches out to select a song on his computer. In answer to my enquiring gaze, he catches himself. "The studio is always filled with music and it helps to keep the mood of the crew people light.

Favourite songs are Unfaithful by Rihanna and the Titanic theme." Muthukumar never repeats a location for the same client. "I have shot in Bangkok and Malaysia, as they are ideal for shooting. While doing our film shooting, we often go for long drives, Malaysia, as they are ideal for shooting. While doing our film shooting, we often go for long drives, through villages, to scan the area and check the best scenes for the shoot. In this way I find great locales for my shoots. I want to explore south Tamil Nadu. I think it has great potential, instead of having to go abroad," he says.

How different is it to be working in movies? "The director briefs me and gives me just the outline. I insist on that, so that I am able to create a deliberate teaser picture for the public. There is a given budget and a given time and I have to work within those limits,"

signs off Muthukumar. Unnaipol Oruvan is slated for a late September release -- resh_al@hotmail.com

Working with dancer Sudharani: I have brought out a series of dance documentary DVDs featuring Sudharani Raghupathy. One such DVD on Sudharani Raghupathy is called Madura Margam on Thillanas sung by Sudha Raghunathan and performed by Sudharani's students.

Landmark film:

My first movie with Ulaga Nayagan was Chachi 420 and we were shooting in Mumbai with Shantanu Sheorey, who was the initial direc tor. The famous photographer Suresh Natarajan was also with us.Shantanu was not keen on having me on the sets, because he wanted to work with Suresh Natarajan. We shot for two days without any inci dent and on the third day, I took nine rolls that I had shot, and showed them to Shantanu and his only response was, "I love your work!" Muthukumar has worked in Marudhanayagam, Mumbai Express, Dasavatharam and Peraanmai.

On the actors:

I was introduced to Bharat Shah by Rani Mukherjee during the making of Hey! Ram. I didn't like Rani when we first met, but when she emerged with her makeup, I was awestruck. And Shah Rukh Khan is amazing, with the amount of energy he exudes. But I was surprised to see him on Pepsi and cigarettes all the time.

Kamal Haasan:

Kamal Haasan is a great person to work with. He ensures that everyone eats at the same time and the same food is served to all. Every moment spent with Kamal Haasan's crew is a learning experience.You can pick up so much by just being around them.

Gearing up:

I approach every product with a fresh mind. I don't do any homework but improvise as the shoot goes on. However, the groundwork is very important. I don't consciously look for inspiration like watch a movie for ideas. The creative bursts are already registered in the subconscious.

Funny moment:

Once, I attended a Christian wedding and was snapping away as usual. I clicked photos of the bride and groom exchanging rings underneath the table when no one was looking.

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