GIVE US YOUR SUGGESTIONS & FEEDBACK ABOUT THE SITE
We will send you an E-mail every time there is a new article in your favorite section. Sign-Up For ALERTS.

TGP Choice

Why (and How) You Should Start a Camera Club by Len Taubman Camera clubs are a great resource for you, your neighbors, and friends to all advance your photographic skill Article rating: 8.67

I am retired and have been interested in photography for the past 40 years. Since retiring I have taught digital photography and Photoshop part-time at a local college. Also, people have been asking me questions about cameras, computers and their peripherals in the new digital revolution. I live in one of those gated communities with about 5000 residents. So, one day I had the brilliant idea to start a Photography Club to help fledgling shooters and aspiring wanabees to perfect their picture taking and enhance their printed products.

It is relatively easy to set up meetings in my community. We have a wonderful club house that seats 250 people which has an excellent projector and screen. There is also a newsletter and bulletin boards at each of the gates into the community. If we did not have this facility, I could have used the county library with all the same equipment.

Over the summer an article was published in the newsletter to give the date and time of the first meeting in September.  In the meantime I went to various web sites of magazines, camera clubs, and Google to get some insight as how to start and run a club of this type. There was nothing available to use as a guide. Even speaking to other club presidents did not provide much guidance. What to do... what to do.

Ah, I knew... sit down and make a list of anything I thought was required. So I started:

Location: That was taken care of with the club house.
Presentation Equipment: The club projector, screen, and a good laptop which I had.
Publicity: Newsletter and gate signs. Also, there was a community email broadcast.
Officers: President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, Membership Chair, Program Chair, Refreshment Chair, and Webmaster.
Schedule: Fourth Monday of the month at 6:45 P.M. to 9:00 P.M.
Dues: $15 per family per year for refreshments and material-subject to change if needed.

On September 1st the club was introduced to the community. Before the first meeting forty-eight people signed up. We are now up to around one hundred members. At that time I requested volunteers for the Officer positions. I did not realize how important the Program Chair was until he started getting speakers for each meeting. That cut down on the amount of talks I had to prepare.

Here are some of our programs:

Basic Photography, Digital Photography, Photoshop Elements and CS3, correcting problem photographs, color management, physical and electronic framing, getting photos from the camera and scanner into the computer, sharing photos.

Guest speakers: Professional photographer (Portrait Photography), Staples Representative (Available equipment), Pro Show Gold user, Wedding photography, and Nature photography.

WHY START A PHOTOGRAPHY CLUB? BECAUSE IT IS FUN!!

FIRE AWAY
By Len Taubman

Since I live in Williamsburg, Virginia, I spend quite a bit of time in Colonial Williamsburg. The photo opportunities are wonderful and endless. They are particularly good when there is a re-enactment taking place. I was lucky enough to be there when a British rifle company was demonstrating the art of firing muskets. See the picture below:

Unfortunately, because I could not get any closer, the barrier rope was in the picture. Thank goodness for Photoshop. I was able to remove the rope completely. This was done with the aid of the STAMP TOOL and a BRUSH TOOL.

See below for the final picture I was able to produce:

^ Back to top

	Yes the photo clubs are fun I have been a member of the PGNS for the past 25 years and still learning all about photography. Posted by: Hubert Boudreau Sep 23, 2008 @ 7:42 PM EST
	Very good article,very informative and KISS for older persons like me....Jerry Posted by: Jerry Marano Sep 24, 2008 @ 7:13 AM EST
	Too bad we live so far away (NY). I'd join the club in a heartbeat. Posted by: Donna Morelli Sep 24, 2008 @ 8:22 PM EST
	im not satisfied Posted by: hazel Asenas Sep 24, 2008 @ 11:45 PM EST
	i need to know more about how to gre a good result in picture Posted by: hazel Asenas Sep 24, 2008 @ 11:47 PM EST
	i want to join the club Posted by: hazel Asenas Sep 24, 2008 @ 11:48 PM EST
	very intyerisying . very oonstructive Posted by: john spangler Sep 25, 2008 @ 12:32 PM EST
	very intyerisying . very oonstructive Posted by: john spangler Sep 25, 2008 @ 12:33 PM EST
	Thanks for sharing, Len! We are in the process of starting our first Photo Club here in Homer, Alaska. We are waiting until the snow flies before having our first meeting since so many here are still outside fishing, gardening and stuff. Soon, though, we will be up and running! Liked your ideas alot and plan on implementing some right away, too. Again, thanks for the info. And yep, the REAL reason for our club isn't just to fight cabin fever - IT'S TO HAVE FUN! Posted by: Terry Sep 26, 2008 @ 11:32 PM EST
	This is a fantatstic article. I am sending it on to my new location home owner asociation for those that want to set up a photography club. I am a novice with a digital camera and I am sure that I would learn to use the full power of my camera by attending such a photography club. Posted by: dwrobel Oct 5, 2008 @ 11:59 AM EST
	Need to explain further. Posted by: kombizz Oct 26, 2008 @ 2:2 PM EST

* Your Name:
* Email address:
	(Enter the code shown)
	(Your e-mail address will not show on the site and is used so that we can contact you back if needed)
* Your Comment about this article::
	Include me in the TGP Monthly Newsletter