PSM -1857: Where were you on the evening of Jan 18th?

Photo by Thomas

Ask the 20 plus PSM members who made it to Marina on the evening of 18th Jan, to know what you missed. No, there were no guest speakers, only members talking to each other and discussing frames; there were no PPTs, only nature’s ever changing kaleidoscopic panoramas. No high tea, only samosa and tea. But, in bonding and learning, this outing ranks up there.

First to arrive was Asokan, followed by Seema Swami . Punctuality is not entirely out of fashion, yet – thank God. Sutradhar of the evening, Srikrish, who thought up the programme, shepherded the scattered group through phone calls, showing concern for occasional (temporarily) lost sheep. There was enough to get lost, because, opportunities abound where the crowd is engaged in a variety of actions and transactions - riding the waves, the merry-go-rounds the horses and what have you!

There is something mesmerizing about the sea and the sandy beaches that wash away inhibitions and self consciousness, which is great for candid photography. Add to it the strength of numbers – useful when seeking prior permission for shooting people. We soon found out that the critical mass of a group was very handy while dealing with earnest and duty conscious policemen who think the tripod is some distant cousin of AK 47. The tripod is red rag to them – no point telling them it is the camera that shoots, not the tripod. So, agree with them, then scatter and continue with your shoot...

The long exposure shots were a great learning experience to quite a few. The free exchange of information was founded on camaraderie and a non threatening, non- competing relationship. Prabhakaran – so efficient with his words, you can’t edit out a syllable without losing the sense- was fantastic, as he shared his insight with the eager learners. A pro is one whose knowledge has sublimated to instinct. “It is all judgement”, he confided, and went on to demonstrate it again and again. “Make it 30 seconds and 22”, he told me, soon after he found a couple of crucial buttons on my camera that I didn’t know existed.

For at least five members, K Srinivasan, Srikrish, Rahul, Vadivelu and Sreedharan, the evening was only an appetizer. They went on shooting till 10 pm, reaching their homes safe and with pictures of Napier bridge and the giant wheels in the Island grounds. Such is the lure of the lens.

K Srinivasan echoed common concensus when he said, ”This meeting was different and it was interesting. It gave lot of scope for interaction and quite a few members were helping the members in the shoot. Special thanks to Prabhakaran Sambandam.”

Ramesh S A agrees:”The meeting at the Beach was refreshing and certainly welcome. There was a lot more interaction among members and time for informal discussions and exchange of information. Also we had quite a few members attending. Let’s have many more such outings”

Srikrish, we are ready for more.

Author: Thomas Abraham

Sec. PSM

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