Meet Kerala’s youngest photographer. At 18 months, she took first photo. By 3, she clicked pictures for her mother’s maternity shoot.

Some people develop skills as they grow up, others are simply born with talent. 4-year-old Pihu belongs to the latter category. When kids her age are busy playing with toys, this little girl from the picturesque city of Palakkad in Kerala has shown a remarkable interest in cameras. Her attention to detail, perfect angles and understanding of frames have been widely appreciated across social media. But safe to say, sometimes passion lies in the genes, and Pihu, the eldest daughter of Vipin Das and Sreeehma Sreedharan, is simply following her father’s footsteps, who is a professional photographer with over 15 years of experience.

A natural eye beyond her years

According to a report by the Humans of Bombay, Pihu held her first-ever camera, not a toy one, when she was just 18 months old. Although the device was almost half her weight, she lifted it carefully and clicked a photo of her favourite toy elephant. Her parents couldn’t believe that the picture was actually taken by a toddler.




As per the post, Pihu displayed curiosity about different types of lenses, cameras and even the gimbal from a young age, asking her parents how each button worked. Interestingly, the little munchkin refused to play with a toy camera, probably realising that it lacked the soul of an original one.

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Learning by watching, mastering by instinct

Speaking about Pihu’s first official attempt at photography, her father, Vipin, told Onmanorama magazine that he had casually handed her a small camera at his friend’s child’s birthday party. Pihu, quite surprisingly, got a grasp of how to use it by observing and mimicking other photographers. After Vipin made the camera shoot-ready, the young girl clicked about 10 ‘good photos’ at the event.

But what impressed Pihu’s photographer father was the fact that she handled the camera with utmost gentleness, realising its value. Since then, Pihu started accompanying her dad on outdoor photoshoots. Last year, when Pihu’s mother Sreeehma became pregnant for the second time, Pihu became her mother’s personal photographer. She was the one who captured stunning portraits during Sreeehma’s maternity photoshoot, all in natural light.

From family moments to public spotlight

Pihu shot to fame after politician and MP, Shafi Parambil, dropped a video of her on Instagram last year in November. Apparently, Pihu had clicked some applause-worthy pictures of the MP. According to Pihu’s father, his daughter possesses a natural aptitude that helps her identify the best angles. When the light is dim, she knows how to adjust the camera simply by observation and attention.

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A post shared by Shafi Parambil (@shafi_parambil)

More recently, Pihu fascinated devotees and attendees at Palakkad’s famous Kalpathy Ratholsavam festival, a 10-day annual chariot event at the Sree Viswanatha Swamy Temple. Not only did she take some spectacular photos at the festival, but she was also at ease and enjoyed the visual spectacle, all under the safety lens of her father. Pihu also has her own Instagram account, cam_girl_pihu, which is managed by her parents.