On the first Monday of each month we hold our members’ photo competition. A professional photographer is hired to come in and view all the entries (both prints and slides); he or she will critique each picture and assign a grade of A, B or C. Ultimately a Slide of the Month will be chosen. At the end of each Club year (in June) a year-end competition will be held where anyone who has participated in one of the monthly competitions may resubmit pictures for the year-end award.
One Monday each month we welcome a professional photographer to the Club to show and discuss a selection from his or her body of work. These are some of the most interesting meetings ever. The variety of subject matter and the different techniques are fascinating, informative and inspiring.
Some Monday meetings are set aside for members to show their own work just for the fun of it - apart from the competitions. Sometimes these shows revolve around an assigned theme, but often it’s whatever selection the photographer want to show from their own portfolio. Again, individual photographers’ varying interests, styles and techniques show through. Most of our members are avid travelers, so we see lots wonderful, exotic photos of foreign lands, as well as from around the USA.
Studio workshops are scheduled on a monthly basis, usually on the first Sunday of each month. The workshops stress a particular style or photographic technique, such as lighting, portraits, hand-coloring B&W prints, etc. The session may be led by a professional photographer or by one of our hightly proficient Club members. Models may be hired for portraiture; additional equipment may be rented; a fee may be charged.
The Club arranges many, many field trips each year. Some are day-trips to photographic sights around the city or neighboring areas; others are weekend trips to picturesque places along the east coast. Twice a year the Club travels to far away places, usually for about two weeks. Some of these trips have been to the Oregon Coast, Florida, the deserts of southwestern USA, Maine, the Canadian Rockies, Belize and Iceland. Plans for next year’s trip to Trinidad & Tobago are already in progress. Our leader always gets the best affordable rates for the faraway trips. If you prefer to stay closer to home, you can opt for the weekend trips to Buck’s County Pennsylvania, the Fingerlakes, and other nearby locales.
Of course, we find plenty of good material right in our own backyard during any of the many local field trips around New York City.
Some of our photographers like to discuss their work with their peers, in a smaller, more intimate setting than our competitions. Such critique sessions occur several time each month, usually at the home of a member. These critiques have proven to be very popular and useful learning sessions.
The Club has been featured in photo exhibits around the city. Many of our members also exhibit their work independently, often winning awards. You can view our online exhibit of members' photographic work by clicking the Exhibitions menu link.
The Club hosts two special dinners, and our yearly Christmas-Hannukah holiday party. We celebrate summer's end, with our Labor Day picnic, at the home of one of our members. All of our social events revolve around really great food!