Good morning all. A passionate response indeed to this new initiative of mine to bring together all those who are passionate about photography. As you might have noticed already, each member of this group holds equally responsible role for a steady growth and sustained knowledge share process. This is a thread started to share my experience as a passionate photographer. Let me take this opportunity to briefly introduce the volunteers:

Mr. Ahmed Kutty is a well known Press Photographer working with Gulf News in UAE. Photo journalism is not an easy task and those who read newspapers with interest will straightaway notice his photos even if there is no name mentioned below it. We are now blessed to share his creative collection through Face Book.

Mr. K K Moidu is film critic, an active blogger and established journalist working for Gulf Today. His reviews are popular amongst the film industry and the fans.

Mr. R Vijayan is an ardent supporter of creativity. More than that he has a great heart to say always a few words of encouragement or constructive criticism whenever he observes a creativity happening. Upcoming singer Rashmi Vijayan is his daughter.

Adur Pradeep is a well known journalist working for Khaleej Times. Famous for his sports reviews and write ups, he carries a no nonsense approach and his own bold style of constructive criticism. A comment or observation to be passed with a few words of encouragement will never miss from his side.

Sujit Sukumaran is an established Toast Master in UAE. Add a very good writer, a professional Resume Maker, a promoter of vegetarianism and Indian culture along with a ‘no physical or personal difficulties can hold me from moving on in my life attitude’; you will get a picture of Sujit.

Dr. Rajah Balakrishna is well known amongst Photography enthusiast in the Middle East. A living encyclopaedia of the subject, his experience that will be shared here in this group will be a bounty for all those passionate photographers to share with.

Rajashree Menon – my loving wife. Very creative in mind and dedicated to her profession as a Software Quality Assurance and Project Manager, finds time to check the quality points of my numerous creative pursuits. A spelling here, or grammar there or a stroke missed at another place will never be missed.

Last but not the least – Ramesh Menon – this humble me. Take a few minutes, visit my profile and also visit Photo Speaks, Letters to the Editor, Mind Speaks, No News, Achievements sections of my blogs and you will get to know me.

Welcome all the above volunteers and equally welcome yourself to this wonderful group we have.

My passion for photography started many years ago, when my father returned from Bombay to start his pharmaceutical business in Kerala. In his collection were some excellent books on photography published by Kodak with whom he was working then. I read them as many times as I could during my school days but a dream of getting hold of a camera of my own came many years after that. Imagine how lucky the present generation children are. The points noted from those readings remained strongly and will share that book with you all when I return from my holidays in India. This is the result of an important aspect of collecting and preserving valuables which I have maintained from my childhood.

Well, I hope you enjoyed today’s passionate photographic thoughts. Now, its time to move on from passion to profession. See you tomorrow and I humbly request you to start uploading your collection of photos as suggested in the theme for this summer. Please also upload links to your photo albums at the links section.

Develop the photographer in you, slowly groom yourself to click without inhibition and come out with a photo that speaks life around you.

God Bless and have a passionate photography day ahead.

Ramesh Menon