The Group of Ten Photography Club, the name sparked interest. Do you only have ten members? No. We were a group of ten people who, of course , had a strong interest in photography, we were taking, what else photography classes through our local Cypress Hills College. We learned as much from each other as we did through the classes. Each person seemed to have their own area of expertise, As time went on we realized that our days as class mates were numbered but we still wanted to get together and share our love of photography. So the club was started.
In southern Saskatchewan you have to travel. Our nearest club would have been Moose Jaw, a very active club themselves but we felt our best option was to start our own club. We chose a central location, Limerick, and the members come from a one hundred kilometer radius. The club has grown since we started in August 2005 from the originating ten to well over 20.
Our remote location has not limited us in attracting well known photographers to speak at our meetings or give workshops. The guest speaker for our first meeting was Kevin Dunn. Kevin's unique style intrigues our members. His advice - "don't get in a rut". We had just learned the rules and Kevin's photographic style told us to break them. Lesson number one - You don't have to follow all the rules to achieve a prize winning image.
Richard McDowell and Amy Sayer, of Red Leaf Studio, two world class photographers shared their knowledge of portraiture and lighting with our club members. Their style of instruction was relaxed yet extremely professional and educational. They shared information about their award winning style unhesitatingly.
The Group of Ten Photography Club is again hosting our annual show and competition at the Shurniak Art Gallery in Assiniboia, Saskatchewan, April 22nd to May 4th, 2008. We hope this will attract even more interest and club members.
We have found that we learn something from every person who walks into our club meetings. It may be the cheapest but best place to have images printed to instruction on focal length. And to think we are just getting started. In this age of the digital revolution there is no end to learning...but then there never is.