The digital camera has inspired many people into the field of photography and has probably been a source of frustration to many of their friends :-)

I have often witnessed this: A group of friends are hanging out together. The budding photographer in them, sees something beautiful when everyone else has ignored it. He attempts to capture the moment but struggles to find the right angle, the right frame or sometimes the right camera setting. If the pressure of losing the moment wasn’t enough, the friends pitch in to add some more by trying to hurry him up. The result… a missed opportunity.

I had been in this situation a few times myself, and was looking to hangout with a bunch of people who are also crazy about photography. This is when I stumbled upon the Bangalore Weekend Shoots flickr community. They are a bunch of shutterbugs who meet every weekend to shoot at interesting places in and around Bangalore. The community is open and people are welcome to join them on any weekend.

Memory Lane – from the early morning Nandi Hills shoot

I have joined them on two occasions in the past, once to the Malleshwaram flower market and then to an early morning shoot at Nandi Hills and its been awesome fun. We had beginners, experts and professionals, all shooting together. In fact, Vivek M one of the authors on this blog also takes active part in the group and has been a source for some really awesome snaps.

Sprinkles of Light – from the Malleshwaram flower market shoot

Nuts – from the Malleshwaram flower market shoot

Some observations about the group:
– They share an awesome attitude towards photography and people.
– They love street photography and love shooting at markets across Bangalore.
– They have mastered the art of waking up early in the morning :-)

I am yet to learn a lot in terms of composition, processing, framing, etc. from these guys and what better place than flickr to have a community like this.