The PSK holds at least one photo exhibition of the works of its members every year. This year, 29 participants took part in the exhibition held at the Arts Council
FORMERLY, the International Photographic Society was founded in 1980 by a group of expatriate amateur photographers with the aim to stimulate photography into innovative, creative and artistic work. Later, the society was reorganized into a more professional organization with a set of by-laws, rules and regulations and on May 30, 1993, the name was formally changed to the Photo Society of Karachi with Daanish Tapal as its President.
The PSK objective is to provide free-lance photographers an opportunity to meet, share and upgrade knowledge of the art of photography through regular monthly meetings, photo contests, safaris, workshops, seminars and to develop the spirit of camaraderie among its members by establishing and maintaining a photography club.
To achieve this, regular monthly meetings are held every last Thursday of the month along with a thematic photo contest where entries are exhibited, judged and results announced. Group outings are also organized where members visit a pre-selected spot within or outside the city for photo shoots. During regular monthly meetings, members are invited to show some of their prints and transparencies and ask others to comment or criticise on composition and technical aspects. This exercise helps participants learn from their mistakes and gain confidence.
The PSK holds at least one photo exhibition of the works of its members every year. This year, at their ninth, some 29 participants took part in the exhibition held from June 10-12 at the Arts Council. Notable among them were the works of Farah Mahbub who teaches photography at the Indus Valley of Art and Architecture, Daanish Tapal and Saqlain Haider, both of whom have worked extensively in Mubarak Village; Meraj Siddiqui whose works comprise the ‘sandwich’ technology of merging two images in one frame, Arshad Ghori, Emmanuel Sohrab and Rashid Jamal-ud-din, among others.
“Although themes are difficult to maintain, the society tries to have a singular exhibition theme which can be quite a daunting task since not all photographers’ best pieces of work are limited to the same subject,” says Daanish Tapal.
He says that photography has not been able to win the patronage it deserves or receives in other parts of the world, due to which being a photographer in Pakistan is not a very financially viable option, unless extensive commercialization is involved.
The PSK membership is open to amateurs, professional or free-lance photographers who share a passion for taking splendid images.
The PSK holds at least one photo exhibition of the works of its members every year. This year, 29 participants took part in the exhibition held at the Arts Council 
