Bengaluru a major hub for photography groups

From conducting photo review sessions to organising shooting tours, they do a lot

Praveen P (fifth from left), founder of Focus Photography Club, at the Elephant Stables during a photo tour of Hampi.

Many Bengaluru groups offer support for photographers, and encourage them to travel to new locations.

To mark World Photography Day (which concluded on August 19), Metrolife brings you details about the city’s photography clubs.

The pandemic has changed the way they work. Some are now active online. Others are waiting to restart their activities offline.

Youth Photographic Society

Youth Photographic Society (YPS) was formed in 1971 with the support of the department of youth services and sports, government of Karnataka. The club has honorary members like TNA Perumal, C Rajagopal, G Thomas, who have been pioneers in the field.

Till March 2020, the club used to host programmes on Saturdays at Yavanika, Nrupathunga Road. Manju Vikas Sastry V, secretary, YPS, says, “There would be presentations or open house (review sessions for photographs). In the former, we invite eminent photographers from different genres to present their best clicks and talk or show how they shot them. In the latter, members present their pictures while others give their feedback, comments and compliments.”

The club has 700 annual members and 315 life members. “We also have junior associate memberships, where youngsters (above 12 and below 18 years) can enjoy free membership, with a one-time registration fee of Rs 100,” he adds.

Exhibitions — one national and the other international — are held every year. “These are called ‘Salons’, where entries are invited from across the country and across the globe accordingly.”

The club calendar includes outdoor photo sessions to places like the Bandipur National Park, training sessions and workshops.

Since the pandemic, most programmes are held on Sundays, which are livestreamed on YPS’ Facebook and YouTube channel. “The ‘Open House’ is exclusive to members and happens on Saturdays via Google Meet,” he says.

The club is hosting a Salon this weekend. “This is our first free Salon. We received 13, 321 entries, of which 71 award-winning photos will be exhibited. Around 3,000 accepted entries will be showcased as a slideshow,” Manju Vikas adds. The club has three sub-groups — Salon participation, Macro photography and Street photography.

The club and its members hope to return to field workshops and activities soon.

For details, contact: 95139 77257 or visit: ypsbengaluru.com

‘YPS All India Digital Salon 2021’, will be held at Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath, from August 21 to 22, 10 am to 5 pm.

Focus Photography Club

Focus Photography Club was founded in 2012 to encourage people to pick up photography, not just as a profession, but also as a hobby.

“We were looking at being there for people who wanted to click good pictures when they were heading out on trips with their families. A lot of IT professionals joined us and photography turned to be a great stressbuster and weekend activity for them,” says Praveen P, co-founder of the club.

The club used to conduct photo walks initially but grew to organising photo trips across Karnataka, Mahabalipuram, Pondicherry, among other places. “We have done five exhibitions. We have also hosted regular workshops with senior photographers, so that budding photographers could learn from their experiences,” he says.

The pandemic put a stop to these activities. “We share our clicks and feedback on our Facebook group now,” he adds.

Focus Photography Club hosts sessions on Facebook and Clubhouse.

Visit: Focus Photography Club on Instagram, Facebook.

Darter Photography

A decade-old, Darter Photography started with the purpose of ‘discovering the wonders of the world through one’s camera’. “When we started off, we wanted all our tours to be outdoors, with the theme of nature or culture. We focused on visiting wildlife spots and festivals and doing landscape photography,” says Shreeram M V, founder.

Darter Photography plans to start its tours soon. Shreeram M V, founder
(sitting, second from left) with a group at Ladakh.

The group has done photography tours in countries like Bhutan, Myanmar, Kyrgyzstan, Iceland, Svalbard, Kenya, Patagonia and Antarctica. “We like finding places across the globe, which will make for a great frame. In India, for wildlife tours, we have covered the Himalayas, the rainforests of Western Ghats, the deserts of Rajasthan, and the Andaman islands,” he says.

For festivals, the group has gone to the ghats of Varanasi, the Hornbill festival of the North-East and attended the Theyyam dance of Kerala, says Shreeram. The pandemic has made travelling to far-off places difficult. “We did some trips in the Western Ghats during the monsoon, and Rajasthan earlier this year. However, plans came to a halt after the lockdown,” he says.

Trips before 2020 included more than 10 people. “Now, we only take five people on tours. Trips to Ladakh and Rajasthan have been planned in a couple of weeks,” he says. The club also conducts private, customised photography tours, for those who don’t want to travel with a group.

For details, call 97400 83260 or visit: www.darter.in