YPS Salons

Distinguished Jury

Section Name	Jury 1	Jury 2	Jury 3
COLOR	MR ARJUN HAARITH	MR GURDAS DUA	MR SAURABH BHATTACHARYYA
MONOCHROME	MR GURDAS DUA	MR LAKSHMINARAYAN A G	MR SAURABH BHATTACHARYYA
NATURE	DR PRAMOD GOVIND SHANBHAG	MR RATNAJIT CHOUDHURY	MR VINAY PARELKAR
TRAVEL	MR GURDAS DUA	MR PADMANABHA K G	MR SAURABH BHATTACHARYYA

MR PADMANABHA K G

AFIP, EFIAP

K.G. Padmanabha, an ex-banker, began photography as a hobby during his college days, over 30 years ago. His passion was ignited after winning 1st place in an All India Photography Competition by Konica Film Roll Company. Inspired by veteran photographers like Sri B. Srinivasa Sri, Raja Gopal, and H. Satish of YPS Bangalore, he pursued trekking and photography in the Himalayas and Western Ghats, undertaking 36 high-altitude treks and 300+ trips in the Western Ghats.

Padmanabha’s expertise in landscape photography has earned him national and international distinctions, including EFIP and Master of Light, with awards in salons worldwide. His most cherished moment was receiving the Best Landscape Award from actor Sri Vishnuvardhan under YPS Bangalore's auspices. He has also traveled extensively to Iceland, Norway, Scotland, Switzerland, the Arctic Ocean, Tanzania, and Masai Mara for landscape and wildlife photography.

Notably, his landscape photo of Kudremukh was selected among 7,000 entries in an international competition by a leading corporate in Coimbatore. Padmanabha credits YPS Bangalore for guiding and supporting his remarkable journey in photography.

MR LAKSHMINARAYAN A G

EFIAP. FFIP. Hon. PESGSPC. GPA.PESGSPC

FIP Member ID : LM 013347

A.G.Lakshminarayan started his photographic journey in 1972 and learnt photography from the world famous pictorial photographer late Dr. D.V.Rao. He is a specialist in creative photography, macro and bird photography. A specialist in photoshop, he conducted many digital post processing workshops for beginners and advanced photographers.

He concentrated only in the creative sections of international salons and got 69 awards and over 600 acceptances. His works were exhibited all over the world. He had been a judge in many Salons and contributed articles to many reputed Kannada magazines.

MR RATNAJIT CHOUDHURY

MPSA, EFIAP, FFIP, GAPU, GPU CR3, GPU VIP1, GPU Aphrodite, WPAI Silver, Hon. CPE, Hon. AvTvISO, Hon. PMP, Hon. CPE, Hon. WPAI, ES. CPE, SESAP, A. CPE, ECAS, E. CPE

Ratnajit Choudhury is professionally a Government Auditor under the establishment of O/o the C&AG of India, New Delhi and presently posted in the O/o the Accountant General (Audit), Assam, Guwahati as well as he is associated with Photography Club of Assam (PCA) as Life Member. He is a passionate photographer of Assam and has been involved with this passion since his childhood from the year 1984. His work has been exhibited in over 60 countries and published in numerous journals, and he has served as a juror in many national and international competitions, earning photographic distinctions from international organizations like FIAP, PSA, FIP and the Wildlife Photography Association of India. In 2021, he completed an Advanced Photo Travel course with PSA, followed by a digital journalism course with Reuters in 2022. Over the years, he has received more than 300 national and international awards and he strives to capture a wide range of subjects, from people and wildlife to festivals, sports, and photojournalism, with the goal of telling meaningful stories through each image.

MR SAURABH BHATTACHARYYA

ARPS, EFIAP/d2, SPSA, EPSA, FICS, GPU-Crown 3/Hermes, c*MoL, GAPU, HIUP, E.AAFR, FFIP

Saurabh Bhattacharya is associated with the Research & Technology department of a renowned paint company and has a deep passion for playing with colors.

His journey in photography began in 2004 with his admission to the Photographic Association of Dum Dum, Kolkata. He achieved his first Salon acceptance in 2008 and has since garnered over 3,000 international acceptances from 87 countries. He holds photographic distinctions from all eight international bodies, a testament to his dedication and skill.

Photography has provided him with a stress-free life and continually inspires him to think outside the box.

MR VINAY PARELKAR

ARPS, AFIAP, FFIP

Mr. Parelkar has an industrious career spanning over 35 years of Advertising, Industrial Photography & Corporate Film making. His clientele includes National Geographic Channel, India’s premier advertising agencies such as O & M and Lintas, MNC’s like Mahindra & Mahindra and Larsen & Toubro, and education institutes like National Institutes of Design(NID). He also founded Vineye Photo School, Mumbai through which 5000+ students from all over the globe mastered photography over 17 years.

During his long Photographic Career, Mr. Parelkar had worked with leaders of the industry like Wilas Bhende and Sharad Devare. He had won several awards and laurels during his career. He won Gold Medal from a six month competition held by PSA. He held an one-man Photo Exhibition at Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai. He has been invited as Jury Member in several National and International Salons.

Mr. Parelkar was elected to FIP Working Committee from 2005 to 2016.

DR PRAMOD GOVIND SHANBHAG

ARPS MPSA EFIAP/D1 MFIP(N)

Dr. Pramod, born on 22 September 1947 in Honavar, coastal Karnataka, holds the following professional qualifications: MBBS from KMC, Hubli in 1971, and DCH from KEM Hospital in 1974. He commenced his private practice in a rural area in 1975, and since 1981, he has been practicing in Bangalore.

From a young age, Dr. Pramod has been captivated by nature and wildlife, drawing inspiration from magazines like Life, Times, and National Geographic found in his college library. His journey into photography started in 1992 when he and a friend began learning under the guidance of Mr. Perumal, an esteemed figure in nature photography. Since 2014, he has passionately pursued photography as a hobby and has actively participated in national and international photo competitions. As a testament to his talent, he has received over 7000 acceptances and has been honored with 1200 awards. Recently, he has developed a keen interest in street photography.

Dr. Pramod's extensive travels have taken him to various remote locations, exploring the wonders of the natural world.

MR ARJUN HAARITH

AFIP

Arjun Haarith hails from the garden city of India, Bangalore, and works as a Senior Software Engineer on Adobe's Lightroom team.

His passion for photography was kindled at an early age and honed through regular outings with H. Satish, a renowned wildlife photographer and former President of YPS (Youth Photographic Society). These experiences helped him master the art of photography. Arjun began exploring nature photography during his college years (2007-2008) and has since diversified into other genres, including travel, pictorial, astrophotography, and more.

An avid traveler, Arjun loves discovering new places and documenting his journeys through beautifully crafted blogs. His blog site http://arjunhaarith.blogspot.in boasts over 40 entries, offering vivid descriptions of destinations, practical tips on accommodations, must-visit spots, and stunning travel photography. A passionate trekker, Arjun has also scaled numerous peaks in the Himalayas and the Western Ghats, capturing the breathtaking beauty of these regions.

In the world of competitive photography, Arjun has over 1,500 acceptances from national and international salons, and has garnered more than 250 awards at both levels. His work has also been recognized with Honorable Mentions in prestigious photography contests such as Maria Luisa (Spain) and DJMPC.

Arjun's photographs have been featured in esteemed publications like Sanctuary Asia and showcased in calendars, books, and digital platforms, including Nat Geo India, BBC Earth, and Nat Geo Traveller.

Explore his visual journey on Instagram: www.instagram.com/arjun_haarith.

MR GURDAS DUA

FIIPC, FBAF, AFIP, Hon. FPASP, Hon. GMSAP, Hon. Hon. ADCC, BVVWHO - Master, IIPC Platinum, PSG Gold

Gurdas Dua, FIIPC, FBAF, AFIP, Hon. FPASP, Hon. GMSAP, Hon. ADCC, is an internationally celebrated photographer whose creative journey began in 1989. With a strong dedication to education, a wealth of accolades, and a significant portfolio of published works, he has earned recognition from esteemed global, local, and government organizations. As the Founder-Director of LENS MAESTRO GROUP, he fosters skill development and global recognition for photographers worldwide.

Gurdas has served as a jury member for prestigious competitions, including HIPA (Dubai), Dodho Magazine (Spain), FIAP World Cup, and the Photographic Society of America contests, among others. He is a five-time National Award winner (Ministry of Information Broadcasting & Ministry of Tribal Affairs, India) and was listed among the Top 30 global exhibitors by National Geographic in 2008. His notable awards include the Epson Color Imaging Award (Japan, 2004) and the Gujarat State Lalit Kala Akademi Award (2005).

His work, with over 1,000 exhibitions and 100 awards, has been featured in global publications like Global Photographic Union Magazine (Greece) and Smart Photography. Notable articles include “Get-Set-Go for Travel Photography” (2015) and “How to Modify a Portrait to Photogenic” (2019).