Photo club clicking on for 48 years

Bengaluru’s Youth Photography Society, active for close to five decades, is winning a string of ‘best club’ awards for the quality of its members’ work

Sustaining an organisation for 48 years is no mean feat; turning it into one of the best in the world is an even bigger achievement.

The Youth Photographic Society (YPS), Bengaluru, was founded in 1971 under the Department of Youth Services and Sports, Government of Karnataka. With about 500 members now, it has been instrumental in producing world-class photo artists from Karnataka by organising exhibitions, workshops and classes.

Salons set standards

The YPS holds the distinction of winning more than 70 Best Club awards within two years, which is a national record.

Best Club awards are conferred on photography clubs acquiring highest points in photography salons — exhibitions of photographic art for public viewing. Points are conferred on the basis of number of pictures selected from a particular club for exhibition, and awards won.

“In-all India salons, more than 500 photography clubs participate from all over the country. But down south, YPS is the only photography club active for 48 years.

The club has many talented photographers in Bengaluru whose images keep getting exhibited and winning prizes nationally and internationally,” says Y Satish, YPS member for 37 years and president for four years.

The club has both experienced and amateur photographers as members. People who already know the intricacies of photography are interested in exhibitions and talks by top photographers.

“Amateurs bring their pictures and we talk about the images, composition, lighting, subject and so on. We give them tips on how to click pictures more creatively,” explains Satish.

Digital era questions

In a digital age, it is important to take prints to understand pictures better.

“We say that if you want to appreciate the quality of the image or the storytelling in it, you have to make a print.

It helps define the quality of your camera lens and your creativity. For this, one must have a decent DSLR; mobile photography is for those who want to be active on social media,” he explains.

Show this weekend

Youth Photographic Society is organising an exhibition, titled ‘Best of the Best’, to display 84 works from members which have bagged acceptances and awards at prestigious salons.

Saturday and Sunday, 10 am to 6 pm, at Karnataka Chithrakala Parishath, Art Complex, Kumara Krupa Road.

From member to president

H Satish, president of the society for four years, joined the organisation 37 years ago to take part in an exhibition in the city. “Since then, I have never missed any classes or programmes that the society conducts. We learn so much more by being together and sharing knowledge,” he says.

He credits the society with helping him achieve the highest distinctions internationally. He has been called to judge many national and international photography competitions.

How does he choose the winning image? “The first and foremost thing I look for is the storytelling, what the picture conveys. Then comes good lighting, good composition and good subject treatment. Photo means light and ‘graphy’ relates to writing; photography means writing with the light. No matter what expertise you have, you can’t be a good photographer unless you understand light,” says Satish.

Youth Photographic Society: Fact file

No criteria for becoming a member, but possessing a camera is an advantage. Any camera, automatic, mobile or DSLR, is fine.

Programmes are held every Saturday at 6.30 pm at Youth Photographic Society, 3rd Floor, State Youth Centre, Nrupathanga Road.

Experts talk on fields like wildlife, advertising and fashion photography. The talks are held on the first and third Saturday of the month. Discussion classes between members are held on the remaining Saturdays.

World acclaim

Here are some YPS members who have won accolades from salons across the world...

Satish H, Digwas Bellemane, Krishna Bhat, C R Satyanarayana, Anitha Mysore, Shreenivas Yenni, Mohammad Arfan Asif, Madhusudhan Srinivasan

Hema Narayanan, Jinesh Prasad, Surya Prakash K S, Udayan Sankar Pal, Sudheendra KP, Pramod Govind Shanbhag, Girish Ananthamurthy, Padmanabha K G, Raghavendra Joshi, Shantaram Holla, Prema Kakade, Amith Bhavikatti, Shreyas Rao and Dinesh Allamaprabhu.

Membership

Want to join the society? Log on to ypsbengaluru.com, fill in the membership form. Membership is free for those between 12 and 18, and Rs 750 per year (+ admission fee Rs 250 for first year) for those above 18. It is not mandatory to attend all classes.