A picture ? as the cliché¤ saying goes ? is worth a thousand words. That is one reason I can't use pictures in my review, since it would irrevocably exceed the word limit. But the A P Photography Club doesn't have any such constraints. They merrily use still photographs of every shape and color to aesthetically portray their never-ending fascination with the world around them. And this being their 48th year of continued existence, I would say they are exceedingly good at it.
The Club is, at its very essence, a forum for story-telling. Every picture displayed here is an epic in its own right. Be it one of nature, a portrait or part of a sequence, each one has an immense depth that at once grabs your attention and holds it there. The palpable tension in every tendon as the tiger cautiously and meticulously stalks its prey, the hint of silent laughter on a nubile young girl's face, the vibrant play of colors on a spring flower as a butterfly lands on its petals... each picture tells its tale to the vigilant listener.
The Club meets once every month, on the second Saturday, at the
Chaitanya Vidyalaya School premises in the Lower Tank Bund area. They have discussions, competitions, exhibitions and workshops amongst themselves and for beginners, inviting loads of distinguished photographers from all over the country. They even have exchange programs with the
Alliance Francaise and the American Consulate for these workshops. The French are famous for their artistically done nudes, so there's already one incentive for checking this place out. Apart from all this, they conduct national competitions regularly and 3 month courses for beginners to initiate them into the world of photography.
With some very distinguished members of the profession, loads of enthusiasts and hobbyists and life long students of photography, the club gives you a whole new paradigm of life.