Indian Social Club to spread awareness of photography in schools

A new photography group organised under the Indian Social Club is aiming to conduct workshops in schools and colleges to spread awareness of the various aspects of photography among students.

The Indian Social Club Photography Group (ISCPG) will be officially inaugurated by India’s Ambassador to the Sultanate of Oman, Munu Mahawar, on Friday, 2 August, at the Indian Embassy auditorium.

The inaugural function will be followed by an exhibition of photographs. The exhibition will showcase the beauty of Oman’s landscapes and its amazing culture. The display has a collection of 49 pictures clicked by 49 different photographers to honour the 49th year of the blessed Renaissance.

Speaking to Times of Oman, P Dharmendran, a committee member of the new group, said, “We as a group of photographers were very passionate about sharing our art and our subject with those who wanted to know more about this in Oman, and so we wanted to set up workshops and seminars in schools and colleges, but we were unable to do that on our own.

“Now that we are under the Indian Social Club, we have that ability to provide assistance to those who wish it,” he added. “A lot of young photographers in Oman have previously approached us for training, but of course, we were limited in our official capacity. Now, we can do that and point them in the direction of people who could be able to help them. We will definitely help those who come to us with any questions on photography.

“If you want to become a professional in this field, it is only natural that you will have doubts and look to others in your field to help you, so we can definitely arrange that,” added Dharmendran. “If you are following photography as a passion or as your hobby, we are definitely happy to help you out in that aspect as well, because we have many talented photographers who specialise in different areas of photography, so anyone is welcome to work with or learn from us.”

The idea of the ISCPG came as a continuation of the activities of a group known as Friday Shoot Out (FSO) Muscat which is one of the most active photography groups within the Sultanate. The group has more than 350 active contributors and has a passionate social media following of over 4000 online members. During the last seven years, FSO Muscat has successfully conducted over 250 events around Oman, exploring more than 75 different locations in its weekly photo walks, besides successfully organising photography workshops, large scale exhibitions, online competitions and publication of a coffee table book.

The underlying objective of FSO Muscat was not only to collectively improve photography skills of its participants but also to occupy people on the weekends, a meet and greet for like-minded photography enthusiasts and have fun while exploring the beauty of the Sultanate of Oman and beyond. Now, these ideals will continue to guide the activities of ISCPG.

As part of the inauguration, ISCPG will also conduct a Basic Photography Workshop at 3.00pm on 2 August. The workshop will be conducted by experts from the group will be free for interested participants.

“When I undertake photography, it acts as an escape and allows me to focus just on getting that one perfect photo,” Dharmendran, who is himself a photographer, said. “We are now looking to organise workshops in schools and colleges to spread awareness and handle any questions that the youth may have about photography. There are some really talented young Omanis and expats here who take some very good photos.

He added: “When you take that photo, it sometimes acts as a stress-buster, because you forget everything else and are focused on getting that one shot. Oman has a lot of great landscapes for people to photograph, from the deserts of Sharqiyah to the mountains of Jabal Akhdar. Right now, you have the Khareef festival in Salalah and so many iconic landmarks in Muscat so it is definitely a great place for photographers.”