Educated in Kuala Lumpur and Australia, SC Shekar began as a photojournalist at The Star newspaper in the early 1980s, where his work won many Photo Awards. In 1989, he started Reds Studio Inc., specialising in editorials, architecture, hotels and resorts, and food photography. His work has appeared in many exhibitions, including “Movements”, KL Arts Festival (1985), “Kuala Selangor, A Documentation”, National Art Gallery (1989), “In Memory of Ismail Zain”, National Art Gallery (1992), “Dokumentasi Malaysia”, National Art Gallery (1994), “The Craftsman”, The Regent of Kuala Lumpur (1995), “Photography As An Art”, National Art Gallery (1996), “Visions”- A Multicultural Exploration of Malaysia and Australia, National Art Gallery (1997), “Rural Landscapes – Selangor”, Concord Hotel (2001), “Kuala Lumpur – A Confluence” (2002), “Images of Malaysia” (2003), “Peace” (2004), “Eight”, The Private Gallery (2005), “Silent Stills”, Art Salon (2006). Shekar is also very well known in the international hotel circuit in the Asia-Pacific region. His trend-setting work for the Shangri-La and Four Seasons hotels has won him much acclaim.
Shekar has accepted commissions for documentary assignments in India, Sri Lanka, and Papua New Guinea. He has completed two books documenting Southeast Asia: “Our Land Within—Journeys Through Southeast Asian Communities” (2011) and “Raising Land—The Way of Life and Land in Sarawak” (2013). He has spent over 12 years photographing Myanmar during the political upheaval beginning in the late 1980s.
In 2018, Shekar produced an exhibition and a book titled “Grit and Grace: The Grandeur of Monochrome Malaysia”. The book is an initiative supported by Khazanah Nasional to celebrate Malaysia’s journey and progress as a nation. These photos are on permanent display along the corridors of The Datai Langkawi.