St. Mary’s County, MD — The St. Mary’s County Camera club is on a mission to inspire photography hobbyists and provide a place for them to exchange knowledge and improve their art.
The club started out simply twenty-one years ago, Jim and Joanna Macaulay were avid photographers who’d moved from Pennsylvania where they belonged to an active photography club.
Missing the camaraderie of other photographers, they decided to start their own small group. When over 40 people turned up for the first meeting, it was clear that they were onto something.
The Camera Club offers many activities to inspire members and improve their skills, including photo critiques, competitions, workshops, lectures, demonstrations and field trips. You can check out a gallery of some of their competitions by clicking here.
They meet twice per month, except when holidays or the St. Mary’s County Fair intervene, generally on the first and second Thursday of each month.
Photo by club founder Joanna Macauley
As part of their mission to encourage photography in the county, the club assumed leadership of St. Mary’s County Fair Photography Department.
Under the direction of club member Al Scheungrab, the club provides volunteers to check in, judge, and hang entries for display.
If you’d like to learn more about the Camera Club, you can check out a meeting on Thursday, September 5 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the old Patuxent Naval Air Museum (the building behind the new museum) at 22156 Three Notch Rd in Lexington Park.
Bring 3 digital images on an SD card or USB flash drive that you would like to have reviewed for suggestions to improve, or just sit back and listen.
Visitors welcome to participate for free. For more information, email at smccc1998@gmail.com or see the September calendar at www.smccc.org.
The St. Mary’s County Camera Club will not meet on September 12 for a photo competition, as the next week it will be sponsoring the public Photography Department competition at the St. Mary’s County Fair. The Club invites visitors to come see them at the county fairgrounds on Wednesday, September 18.
