Shooting Spree

Though Photosensitive is firm about membership,most groups are free and you can join online. That’s how businessman Vikas Malhotra found out about Delhibirdpix,a forum of nature photographers and birdwatchers. “We visit bird havens like the Okhla Bird Sanctuary,Yamuna Diversity Park and Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary and then we wait patiently for birds to return to their favourite perch,” he says. Members have varying levels of experience,enabling newcomers to get tips from seniors. Trehan says he has come a long way,thanks to the feedback from other DFC members. “I learnt how to portray a mood,to observe light falling over a face,” he says. The online membership of most groups reaches a hundred,though around 30 people turn up for offline meets.

Abhishek Baxi,who heads a photowalking group (www.photowalking.in),says that every time the group comes together,the selection of pictures is an eye-opener. “Different people look at the same object from different perspectives; so we broaden our own vision,” says Baxi,who uses a regular point-and-shoot camera. Photo walks are for about two hours each and end with a round of coffee or lunch during which each image is dissected.

Rathika Ramasamy was a computer engineer when she joined Delhibirdpix. “I had always been interested in photography,but it was only when members of my group praised my images that I thought of it as a possible second profession,” she says. Now,a well-known name in nature and travel photography,she readily provides tips for budding shooters in her group.

Being part of a group also makes excursions and exhibitions more pocket-friendly,say members. Prominent city photographer Sanjay Nanda,convenor of Photosenstive,adds that the group holds regular indoor meetings at his Indipix Gallery. “Members hold slideshows of their images. We also host film shows of classics like Kurosawa’s where we can see how the masters use colour and form. Next month,there will be a public exhibition by a few members,” he says. Soumya Parker,a 20-year-old student of fashion communication at NIFT,has enrolled at a workshop organised by Photosensitive. “We meet practically every weekend,generally for early morning shoots or film shows in the evenings. In between scrutinising each other’s pictures we’ve ended up becoming great friends,” she says. Clearly,a group that shoots together,stays together.

Contact
Photosensitive: 41704334
DFC: 9811677500
Delhibirdpix: 9811684099
Photowalking.in: 9871127378