Everyday stories and memories of a lifetime in Chennai
CHENNAI : Something as simple as hand pumps, people commuting on various modes of transport, and ordinary objects finds place in the photographs displayed at Madras Literary Society. Chennai Weekend Clickers, a photography club based in Chennai, have put together the ninth edition of their annual photo exhibition. It is aimed at showcasing Indian diversity in photographs taken by their members. Photos are exhibited at four locations — Spaces at Besant Nagar, Cholamandal Artist Village at Injambakkam, Madras Literary Society at Nungambakkam, and The Marina Mall at Navalur.
“Our platform provides opportunity for amateurs. The works are categorised as Solo, Instafest and Debut categories. Instafest is a 30-day challenge where each photographer clicks a series of photos of something that catches their attention. The pictures are compiled and displayed on a board under a hashtag suitable to the pattern. Solo is where photographers pick up a theme and go to different places around the country to shoot. Debut is for those exhibiting for the first time. We had to select around 75 out of 275 entries,” said Shanmuga Nathan, member of the photo club.
Chennai Weekend Clickers organises local group walks. It has conducted over 700 walks so far. “This is our ninth year and we’ve come so far. Earlier, people paid attention only to detailing. Nowadays the creativity has improved a lot. People come up with quirky ideas to stand out in a crowd. One of our photographers Naveen Gowtham has taken a 1,000-photo series to capture different kinds of smile. We have a mixed bag of experienced, celebrity and aspiring photographers,” he says.
Photographer Pon Prabakaran has displayed works of wedding ceremonies in rural villages. Dinesh Arun has captured everyday life of people commuting through different modes of transport. Mali Lingeswaran is fascinated by miscellaneous objects like a screw, a lock, and a cylinder. Manikandan’s Maduraiveeran theme is about the folklore festival in Madurai. These are few among the works that are exhibited.
Every year, the group follows a different method of presentation to keep the exhibition innovative. Earlier they used to showcase only at Lalit Kala Akademi. They hope to go one step ahead in 2020 for the 10th year celebration. The event will be held till April 14 in the abovementioned locations.