March 22-25, 2024 in Mysuru, Karnataka
Hosted by Youth Photographic Society
31st FIP Convention 2024 Report
The 31st FIP Convention 2024 was held at Hotel Rio Meridian, in the Royal City of Mysuru from March 22 to March 25, 2024. In all 165 delegates attended the convention, 155 of whom stayed at the hotel and the remaining attended as ‘Day Delegates’. In total, there were around 200 people in attendance inclusive of guests and support. The three-day extravaganza was indeed packed with activities for the delegates.
Day 1: Delegates started to arrive early on March 22. A Registration Desk was set up to facilitate a smooth check-in. All delegates were provided with a Welcome Kit comprising of a commemorative coffee mug, a folder containing meal coupons, a Delegate ID tag, exclusive FIP and YPS badges, an Event Flow Plan for the three days and a DOs and DONTs for the convention, a notepad and pen. Those who had submitted their pictures for display at the venue received a 12” x 18” canvas print, packed in a tube. In addition, Nikon too provided a Welcome Kit comprising a cap, lens cleaning cloth and a keychain. To carry these memorabilia, delegates were given a backpack with the mascot printed on it in a choice of colours.
A large cutout of the mascot, Gajaraja, at the hotel lobby and the hotel corridors adorned with pictures submitted by the delegates, gave a festive look to the venue.
The delegates assembled at the convention hall for the inauguration in the afternoon. The chief guest for the event was the famous wildlife filmmaker from Karnataka, Mr Krupakar B S, of the Krupakar-Senani duo while the Guest of Honor was Mr Ravikumar S T, President of Mysuru District Journalist Association.
After an invocation and introduction of the Chief Guest and Guest of Honour, Mr Manju Vikas Sastry, President, YPS, spoke of the efforts that went behind the convention and expressed his confidence that the convention would be a memorable one. The dignitaries lit a traditional lamp symbolising the auspicious start of the convention. The Guest of Honour, Mr Ravikumar, in his address, said that he felt proud that this important convention was held in Mysuru. Mri Krupakar and Mr Ravikumar released Glorious Karnataka, a coffee table book containing YPS members’ pictures of Mysuru City, Palace, Dussehra celebrations, Karnataka landscapes, Monuments and Art & Culture. Copies were presented to the Chief Guest, Guest of Honour and Mr Adit Agarwala, President, FIP and Dr Barun Sinha, Hony. Secretary-General, FIP. Mr Ravikumar was felicitated and a memento was presented to him.
Dr Barun K Sinha welcomed the dignitaries and the delegates and delivered his keynote address. He said that he was happy to be in the city where FIP took its roots.
During the inaugural event, Honorary FIP was bestowed on
Mr K S Rajaram, Past President, YPS, for the year 2023 in recognition of his outstanding dedication to the promotion of photography, his expertise in the field, his commitment, contributions, to photographic art.
Mr Adit Agarwala, President, FIP, for the year 2024 in recognition of his exceptional contributions, unwavering dedication to photography and invaluable contributions to FIP.
Also during this event, Honorary YPS was bestowed on five persons in recognition and appreciation of their exceptional contribution towards the promotion of the Art of Photography:
Mr Adit Agarwala, President, FIP for his dedicated service to the fraternity of photographers through his various positions of office.
Mr Ashok Kandimala, Educator and Writer for his dedicated service to the fraternity of photographers through the publication of educational and technical articles, lectures, workshops and classes.
Dr Barun K Sinha, Hony. Secretary-General, FIP, for his dedicated service to the fraternity of photographers through his various positions of office.
Prof M S Harish, Past President, YPS, for his dedicated service to the fraternity of photographers with his mentoring and workshops.
Mr B Lakshminarayana, Past President, YPS, for his dedicated service to the fraternity of photographers with his exceptional administrative skills.
The chief guest, Mr Krupakar who spoke during the occasion emphasised the need for the conservation of forests and urged photographers to play a significant role in it. He gave an example of how a tribal settlement within the confines of a forest was evacuated only to see a commercial venture coming up at the same place a few years later. The chief guest was felicitated on the occasion and a coffee-table book and memento were presented to him.
Mr Adit Agrawala, President, FIP lauded YPS for their efforts in hosting this convention. He also praised its members for the 350+ best club awards that they had earned in the past few years.
Ms Prema Kakade, Secretary, YPS thanked FIP for giving an opportunity to YPS to host the convention. She said the event has gained more significance with the august presence of Mr Krupakar and Mr Ravishankar.
After a tea break, Mr Girish Mayachari held a workshop on Glassware and Smoke photography which had a very enthusiastic delegate attendance. He dwelt on the brightfield and darkfield techniques used in glassware photography to give some very unique images. Soon after this session, lines of delegates were seen at the set-ups for glassware photography, some of whom stayed way beyond midnight.
Day 2: Early morning of Day Two was an outing. Delegates were given a choice to go to Chennakeshava Temple in Somanathapura, about an hour’s drive from the venue or to Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary, Karnataka’s largest bird sanctuary, about half an hour’s drive from the venue. 37 delegates opted for Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary while the remaining went to Chennakeshava Temple. Buses were arranged for delegates to these places.
The Tourism Department of Karnataka provided a luxury bus, free of cost on all three days and Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation provided two buses at a concessional rate for delegates to commute to out-door shoots. Karnataka Forest Department had partnered with YPS and waived the camera fees at Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary while Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), who is the custodian of Chennakeshava Temple had deputed their representative for assistance at the temple. A sumptuous picnic breakfast was served at both places before the delegates headed back to the venue, a highly satisfied lot. Delegates enjoyed sugarcane juice on their way back from Chennakeshava Temple.
Upon return to the venue, delegates could continue shooting glassware and smoke photography at the multiple setups. Many of them took turns to shoot before and after freshening up.
Post lunch, Mr Dipin, (IM-0005) a Canon representative gave a brief talk about their latest cameras following which, Mr Girish Mayachari took the stage once again to demonstrate the postprocessing of smoke and glassware photography as it would lend itself to some unique designs and patterns. This session was very well attended.
FIP’s AGM was held after tea. Dr Barun Sinha chaired the AGM at the end of which, it was time to elect the host for the 32nd FIP Convention in 2026. Art Photography Foundation, Mumbai, the sole bidder, was awarded to host this convention.
FIP presented the Best Club awards of 38th FIP Inter club contest 2023: 1st Award went to YPS, Bengaluru, the 2nd Award to Full Frame Photo Club, Mumbai and the 3rd Award to Photographic Association of Coochbehar. FIP Inter club contest award was received by Ms Anitha Mysore, YPS Director and Interclub Representative and Mr Venkatesh B S, YPS Salon Group Lead.
YPS, Bengaluru was presented with ESFIPC (Distinguished Services to FIP by a Corporate Club) distinction for their outstanding achievement in promoting photography as an art, far and wide through their club. It was indeed a great honour for YPS to receive this award. Mr Vikas Sastry, President and Ms Prema Kakade, Secretary, received this award on behalf of YPS.
It was great honour and pride that ESFIP (Distinguished Service to Federation of Indian Photography) distinction was bestowed by FIP upon two Office Bearers of YPS:
Mr Manju Vikas Sastry Veedhuluri, President
Ms Prema Kakade, Secretary
Delegates who had earned various FIAP distinctions for the year 2023 were presented with their certificates by Dr Barun K Sinha and Mr Adit Agarwala. Distinctions ranged from AFIAP to EFIAP Diamond 2. About 25 delegates were given their certificates.
FIP presented service awards to their members. Twenty of them were honoured with mementoes in recognition of the outstanding services rendered to FIP for the year 2023-24. Each recipient had demonstrated unwavering dedication and made significant contributions to FIP, enriching it in countless ways.
Two books were released on the occasion:
Eternal Episode by Susanta Banerjee
Grains to Pixels by Samir Sarkar
FIP distributed mementoes (Blue Sapphire) to YPS volunteers who had worked tirelessly for the success of the convention. Ms Husna Khot presented a short vote of thanks.
Though it was not the conclusion of the convention, the valedictory function was scheduled on the second day for the convenience of photography of the Mysuru palace which is lit only on Sundays. YPS’s executive committee were invited to the dias and Ms Prema Kakade in her vote of thanks, thanked FIP President, Mr Adit Agarwala and FIP Hony. Secretary-General, Dr Barun Sinha for the opportunity to host the prestigious event for the third time. She thanked the various sponsors and partners, people who lent external support, the workshop mentor, Mr Girish Mayachari and all the volunteers who had contributed extensively to the success of the convention.
A coffee table book containing delegates’ pictures was released on this occasion and a copy was presented to the President and Hony. Secretary-General of FIP.
Mementoes were presented to Mr Basavaraj Mayachari of ASI, the F&BManager, Mr Harish and the chef, Mr Shrinivas of Rio Meridian. Later mementos were distributed to Smt Asha Nath, Room Division Manager and the entire staff of Rio Meridian.
Concluding the valedictory function, Dr Barun Sinha and later Mr Adit Agarwala complimented YPS for how the convention was organised. They said that this was a new benchmark for others to emulate.
Day 3: Day Three of the convention was a day of outings. The day started at 5:30 AM with delegates boarding four buses to Meenakshipura at the backwaters of KRS about an hour’s drive from Rio Meridian. Four sets of folk dance artists performed at these backwaters much to the delight of the delegates. Dance forms included Yakshagana, Veeragaase, Dollu Kunitha and Huli Vesha (tiger dance). The delegates got good pictures with reflections in the water. Later, they were ecstatic with action pictures of dancers jumping high in the air.
After the ‘arranged’ shoot, delegates were free to get the dancers to pose for them, which they were more than happy to do. Many delegates made excellent pictures during this session, which lasted about two and a half hours. Picnic breakfast was served at the site and delegates returned to the hotel, a satisfied lot.
While some delegates continued shooting glassware after their return, others got busy with getting their pictures printed by Ms Vaishali Bhatia: delegates could get one 4” x 6” picture of their choice printed for free, which proved quite a hit.
A quick gathering was called at noon where Participation Certificates and a surprise gift awaited the delegates. A beautiful 6 X 8 inch coffee table book with pictures from delegates was given away to each of the participating delegates as a memento.
Post lunch, it was time to head to the Amba Vilas palace. A short, 15-minute drive away, the incredibly breathtaking palace interior was a delegates’ delight. The private hall or the ‘Ambavilasa’, the Darbar Hall or the ‘Diwan-I-Am’, the octagonal-shaped wedding hall or the Kalyan Mandapa and a staircase were the icing on the cake. Having shot the interiors of the palace, delegates were free to shoot the palace from outside. Being a Sunday, the palace was lit and many delegates formed small groups to shoot the lit-up palace from different perspectives.
Dinner that night had a surprise with the cutting of a cake by FIP President, Mr Adit Agarwala. This brought down the curtains on the 31st FIP convention. Delegates checked out on Day 4 after breakfast. After saying their adieus, delegates left with fond memories with many hoping that it could have been longer. Until the next convention in two years, it was time to sign off.
M S Kakade,
Director, YPS
Testimonials
The seeds for the 31st FIP Convention 2024 were sown at the 30th Convention in Digha, where YPS was the successful bidder. Feedback from some of the delegates of the 2024 Convention is testimony to how the convention was conducted and the everlasting memories that the delegates carried back with them.
The FIP Convention organised by YPS was indeed a great experience. Organising an event of such a magnitude calls for meticulous planning, dedication, confidence, enthusiasm, extraordinary management, and interpersonal relationship skills. All these qualities were amply displayed by the members of the YPS organising committee during the Convention. The Convention also gave me an opportunity to meet well-known names in the photography field. I sincerely thank the organising committee of YPS for making our stay comfortable and living up to the expectations of the delegates. I wish to convey my best wishes to YPS for their future endeavours.
Vaibhav JagusteThough I have been a member of YPS for quite some time, this was the first convention that I attended. The vibes of the conference were amazing. There was quite a bit of learning and loads of fun. Thanks to the FIP and YPS committee for this wonderful opportunity and appreciate all the meticulous planning that was done. Proud to be in YPS.
Poornima BNWe, a small team from Bhubaneswar, carry back some nice memories from the 31st FIP convention at Mysore. It was a terrific and very thoughtful organizing by YPS. We appreciate the attention to detail performed by Prema Madam and Mr Vikash Sastry. We also see a great future for YPS for their yeoman service to the cause of photography. And hats off to FIP for grooming such nice efforts as an umbrella organization
Jugal K DashThanks to the entire YPS team, especially to Mr. Vikas, Mrs. Prema, Mr. Kakade, and Mr. Girish A. for organizing such a wonderful meet with finesse and ensuring everything happens on time! It was a pleasure to meet the delegates. I learnt a lot and will be observing the masters’ works to improve mine. Glad to have been there. Here’s wishing everyone all the best.
Vantika Dixit
Behind the Scene – 31st FIP Convention 2024
The story began in Digha at the 30th FIP Convention in 2022 when YPS was voted in to host the 31st FIP Convention in Karnataka in 2024.
It was of course too early to plan anything other than decide on where to hold it in Karnataka. Personally, for me, Mysuru was my only choice and I was able to convince the executive committee why Mysuru was THE place!
Mysuru is:
- Heritage city with many places of interest for photography
- Less traffic makes commute within the city less time-consuming and unstressful
- Proximity to diverse locales (wildlife, hill station, heritage, etc.) which delegates could benefit from pre and post-convention
- Excellent rail/road connectivity to Bengaluru
- Cost-effective hotels
With the first step taken, we put it on the back burner and went ahead with our day-to-day club activities.
It was only in May 2023, that some of us in the executive committee did a recce to Mysuru, to finalize the venue (hotel). Three recces helped finalize the outdoor locales and plans for the smooth conduct of the convention.
YPS has the tradition of all work being done by the executive committee, sub-committee members and volunteers. No work has been outsourced until now. I am proud to say that Manju Vikas Sastry V (LM-250), Madhu Kakade (IM-0142) and I took the lead for the convention. We created the website with the banner designed by Hardik P Shah (LM-299). The Convention Registration on the YPS Website was launched on October 31, 2023, with an early bird offer.
This was probably the first FIP convention where the registration (and payment) was fully online. It was the techie geeks, Vikas and Hardik who designed the complex registration form with so many permutations and combinations. In probably another first, the registration form had a field asking the applicant to suggest the name of his/her roommate as the rooms were twin-sharing. Girish Ananthamurthy (LM-249) was meticulous in scrutinizing the registration forms and updating data on the drive. Thanks to all these efforts, the registration of delegates at the hotel was a breeze!
A WhatsApp Group of delegates helped not only in easy communication but also in answering queries, developing camaraderie and keeping spirits high. The creation of this group was a major factor in each delegate befriending 164 other fellow photographers!
With our minds on a 24×7 drive, it suddenly dawned upon us to have a mascot for the event! This went on to be another first for the FIP conventions. A tusker was chosen as it is Karnataka’s State Animal. It was now over to Niladri Sreenivasa S V Bhattar (IM-0702) to design a cute baby elephant with a camera. He, along with Chethan Rao Mane (IM-0486), conjured up the mascot! The mascot was launched online on January 13, 2024. The FIP working committee team and all delegates who had registered until then were invited to this online launch. It was a much-guarded secret until this launch and took all attendees by surprise.
As the date of the convention drew closer, we got busy contacting potential sponsors. Scores of emails were sent and then Vikas, Madhu and I met them in person which indeed turned out to be a herculean task. In the end, it was fruitful and YPS expresses its gratitude to the various sponsors who helped in making this event a huge success it turned out to be:
- M/s KeyTerns, our travel partner
- M/s BookMyLens, who provided lenses on hire at discounted rates
- M/s Canon, for setting up a service camp
- M/s Nikon, for setting up a service camp and giving a goodie bag to every delegate
- Karnataka Forest Department (KFD), for waiving camera fees at Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary on all days of the convention
- Karnataka Tourism Department for providing a luxury bus free of cost on all 3 days
- Mr T Prabhakar for 3 KSRTC buses at a best package possible, for commute to outdoor shoots
- M/s Redington for printing a 20×14 inch book for the chief guest ‘Glorious Karnataka’ containing YPS members’ pictures on Mysore Palace, Dussehra celebration in Mysuru and other themes. They also printed a 6×8 inch coffee table book for every delegate, containing pictures submitted by them for display at the venue.
- M/s Technova for 12×18 inch canvas prints for the delegates’ goodie bag and the same sized prints on non-tear paper for display of delegates’ framed pictures at the venue, A4 size coffee table books ‘Glorious Karnataka’ for the chief guests, FIP and YPS
- Archeological Survey of India (ASI) for arranging guide services and all other assistance for a good opportunity to shoot at Chennakeshava Temple at Somanathapura
Our sincere gratitude to
- Mr Prasanna Venkatesh G (LM-217) for connecting us to Mr Jayakumar who helped with the venue, Rio Meridian and arrangements for the visit to Mysuru Palace
- Mr Suryaprakash KA (LM-180) for assistance in connecting with Archeological Survey of India (ASI) and the Chief Guest and Guest of Honor
- Mr Prem Kumar for identifying Meenakshipura for the outdoor shoot
- Mr Shivu for local assistance and arranging folk artists for the shoot in Meenakshipura on the backwaters of KRS
Deciding on the content of the ‘Goodie Bag’ was the next challenge. Vikas’s long list of contacts came in handy here and a set of backpack, customized mug with the mascot printed on it, badges, a folder with ‘Event Flow Plan’, ‘Delegate Information’, Food Coupons and Delegate Name Tag, all designed by Chethan were added. Those delegates who had submitted their pictures, got a 12 x18 inch canvas print of their picture neatly packed in a cardboard tube. All delegates received a beautiful 6×8 inch coffee-table book of pictures submitted by them for display at the venue which came as a pleasant surprise and icing on the cake!
Chethan Rao Mane was, in fact, the brain (and the hand) behind the many creatives that one could see right from the hotel entrance to the delegates participation certificates. He spent many sleepless nights working on these creatives.
Hardik designed the picture title cards and attractive personalized creatives for delegates to flaunt on Social Media.
Rajasimha Satyanarayana (LM-328) was the designer of both the beautiful coffee-table books, Glorious Karnataka and Delegates’ Pictures Book.
Digwas Bellemane (LM-242) proved to be the ever helpful bridge between YPS and FIP. Thanks to him for also helping curate the pictures and making them print ready.
On D-Day minus one (March 21, 2024), four cars packed with items for the convention left for Mysuru in the wee hours. At the venue, help poured in from many volunteers making the task of setting up the venue a breeze. Chethan, Deepak VC, Digwas, Girish Mayachari (LM-301), Kashinath VS (LM-058), Prakash BV (LM-228), Raghav G (JA-0033), Rakesh VC (LM-255), Shashank HR (IM-0435) and Vaishali Bhatia (IM-0307) along with Vikas, Madhu, Girish Ananthamurthy and I from the executive committee put up the framed pictures and ‘assembled’ the goodie bags. The mood was festive and work was a lot of fun with light-hearted banter amongst us! Late in the evening, we were joined by the FIP committee members.
On the D-Day (March 22, 2024), delegates started arriving early and a Registration Desk was set-up which was manned by Girish. He was ably assisted in the task by Kaashinath and many volunteers. Nikon too presented the delegates with their own Goodie Bag. Madhu coordinated with the hotel desk for the allocation of rooms. Delegates arrived throughout the day and Girish Ananthamurthy and team managed the registration very well.
Smoke and Glassware Photography Workshops by Girish Mayachari was a big hit with delegates constantly trying their hand at it in their spare time.
Another star attraction of the event was the free printing of one postcard-sized picture of the delegates’ choice inserted in an attractive cardboard frame. Vaishali Bhatia had volunteered to bring her portable photo printer and manage this printing. In fact many delegates had extra prints done at a nominal cost.
Kudos to Poornima BN (IM-0135) for rendition of the Invocation and Anitha Mysore’s (LM-272) well prepared compèring at the Inaugural function. Thanks to Shreyas Rao (LM-293) for preparing the citation of all Honorary YPS awardees.
On the day of the outing to Somanathapura Temple, one of the delegates had a severe backache that made it difficult for him to even get up and walk. We assessed his condition and decided to take him to a hospital. As the buses were about to leave, I asked Hardik who readily sacrificed the Somanathapura outing, called an ambulance and accompanied the delegate to the hospital. Fortunately, his condition did not warrant admission and he was sent back after treatment.
Credit to the brothers duo Deepak VC and Rakesh VC for covering the videography and photography of the event respectively. Both were extremely cooperative and were always the real behind-the-scenes men. Many delegates were seen asking Rakesh to take his/her pictures.
A special mention about the local do-all boy, Shashank HR (IM-0435). He was ever willing to help with whatever was needed at any time of day, night or even the wee hours.
Feedback from the delegates and members of the FIP working committee alike was overwhelming and some of them are published elsewhere in the report about the convention.
It was time to bid farewell to the delegates on Day 4 (March 24, 2024) many of them were homeward bound, but some chose to explore the many interesting places around Mysuru.
With so many volunteers lending a helping hand in making the convention a huge success. The executive committee is deeply indebted to all volunteers for their immense contribution in the resounding success of the 31st FIP Convention which has set a benchmark for the ones to be organized hereafter.
On the whole, the YPS Executive Committee’s goal of making this the best-organized convention ever was achieved. My heartfelt thanks to the indefatigable Vikas Sastry and Madhu Kakade for their extraordinary work in every step of the way.
Bagging the ESFIPC (Excellence Service FIP Corporate Club) award at the convention, from the Federation of Indian Photography, YPS has yet again added another feather to its cap! Hip Hip Hurrah!
Prema Kakade (LM-300)
ESFIP, EFIAP, EFIP, cMoL, E.CPE, GPA.PESGSPC, Hon.PESGSPC, Hon.CPE
Secretary, YPS