Two of the exhibits at the Infinity display of photographs: Vibrant images

It was a love for photography that drew them together in 2003. Two years later, Infinity has many an award and accolade under its collective belt.

Testimony to these amateurs' skills is their first exhibition, on till Tuesday at Gaganendra Pradarshashala. As the 70-odd photographs will prove, the 11-member group has good reason to be proud.

About 1,000 visitors pouring in every day has exceeded the expectations of the group. But the images speak for themselves. Sand dunes in the desert, panoramic sunsets, cityscapes of Calcutta, snow-laden mountainsides, portraits and more, in black-and-white and glorious technicolour, some even digitally tweaked to lend it a mystic quality.

The photographs are a tribute to the diversity in this country, culturally, ethnically and environmentally. The exhibition is also a reflection of the photographers themselves, the youngest merely 21 years old, the eldest 60. Some members of Infinity are businessmen, others are in service. It is their passion that binds them together.

'We meet every Friday, to discuss and analyse our images, talk about photography and generally indulge in our love for this hobby,' smiles secretary Subhasish Banerjee, 37. 'Sometimes, we go out in the city together in groups, with our cameras. We try to go out of town at least once a month. During special festivals and on occasions like Durga puja and Id, we are, of course, clicking away.'

Not often is it possible to get all 11 members together at one go. But the unity in the diversity of their work is evident from the exhibition. The photographs are all selected by the members themselves. Some occasionally do practise photography for commercial and professional purposes, but mostly, it's an ardent hobby.

Like in the case of Ganguly, and Sharmistha Sen, the only woman in the group. The 43-year-old is the subject of some of the photographs, dressed traditionally as a Bangali bou. It was the man behind the camera, Gopal Ganguly, who put a Nikkon in her hand. And she was hooked from the first click, last July. The Reserve Bank of India employee has eight varied photographs in the exhibition.

The group also diligently enters members' works in international competitions, most of them reaping some reward. Eight of their photographs are part of a permanent display in an international archive in Spain. Ganguly's moving image of an old lady's wrinkled hand reminiscently running over a faded black-and-white image of her younger self won high honour in Serbia.

Infinity's aim is to make the exhibition a bi-annual affair. For now, though, they're happy doing what they love most ' just heading out towards the horizon, camera in hand.