Whether you're a novice shutterbug with questions about the craft, or an experienced photographer looking for like-minded people to click with, the Shuswap Photo Arts Club may be what you're looking for.
For almost 60 years, the Shuswap Photo Arts Club (originally the Salmon Arm Camera Club) has provided a space where people can share and learn from personal experiences, find inspiration and further develop their abilities behind the lens.
Adam Clarke joined the club after moving to the Shuswap from the Lower Mainland a year ago.
"For me, it was I didn't know anybody in the area so it was a way to connect with like-minded people as well, in terms of being a creative, learning some new things, so I found that useful," said Clarke, who admits being a club member has at times been humbling, opening for himself and other members a window to experiment with techniques outside their comfort zones.
"I know I was humbled, I came into it thinking I know a lot about photography," said Clarke, whose primary focus had been nature and landscape photography. "So I knew quite a bit about that鈥� but then coming in I was definitely humbled when they brought out the studio lights. 'I have no idea how this stuff works!' So I find that鈥檚 quite interesting.
"It鈥檚 taking you out of your comfort zone and trying things you might have scoffed at before鈥� I ended up investing in a little bit of flashwork because I was really interested in what was there and I definitely wouldn鈥檛 have got that if I wasn鈥檛 part of the club."
Clarke said he's found fellow club members to be non-judgmental and very supportive. For example, when sharing an image for feedback, instead of a "critique," members may offer suggestions, "different ideas for a particular image."
"You might suggest doing a particular change in how they edited it, or if you have some ideas about, ok, you blew out your highlights here, and here are some ideas on how you might bring those highlights back in," said Clarke. "Stuff like that I find with the club is very supportive鈥� I think that鈥檚 a really good thing."
The club also is open to the sharing of new ideas, as well as covering the basics of photography as needed.
"How does ISO actually work, well, we can touch on that," offered Clarke. "Or how does changing your shutter speed and utilizing your shutter speed, how does that change the feel of a photo? For example, with moving water, if you have a fast shutter speed you鈥檙e going to catch all of the detail in that water; whereas if you have a slow shutter speed you鈥檙e going to make that appear nice and silky smooth, and how that actually works. That鈥檚 the sort of stuff we can definitely teach people if they want to learn it."
The club is in the process of planning for outings to give members a chance to experiment with what they've learned.
As the club is focused more on concepts and how gear is used than the gear itself, Clarke said anything from a film camera to an early 2000's digital camera to a cell phone will do.
"That鈥檚 what I think is cool about it, you don鈥檛 have to have professional gear to come and join," said Clarke.
An annual membership fee of $60 goes towards the cost of renting space at the 5th Avenue 50Plus Activity Centre, learning materials and some presentations.
For more information about the club, visit shuswapphotoarts.com.
