By Leann Walker

“Are we there yet? How much longer? I am BORED!” These are all common phrases heard by most parents on any car trip longer than 30 minutes. While we commonly think that this is something that only children do, at a recent camera club meeting I felt like I was in that car with some of my fellow photographers. Phrases of “I hate winter… my images are so bland, It’s too cold outside; there’s nothing for me to photograph, I’m so tired of shooting the same old stuff!” These comments took me back to the days of creatively entertaining my three daughters on a road trip. I felt like there had to be a way to be creative and inspire others during a magical time of year – Christmas.

While obviously not my creation, an internet search revealed a 365 photo-a-day project as well as a photo of the month project. These projects presented a topic or subject to be captured each day and received a new subject the next day. The subjects presented were so simple or so common and with very little creative thought; I felt like our new members were craving knowledge as well as inspiration. Armed with a slew of ideas from different photo-a-day programs, my plan was born. I decided to create and implement the “31 Days of Christmas.” With input from the board of directors and Camera Club President, Helga Skinner the project came to life. Each day was to be a different theme. There were no rules, except to be creative and look at the topic through the eyes of a photographer. The topics were very broad such as “together” or “looking up” to allow maximum creative exploration but there were also educational topics such as bokeh (intentionally adding blur to a background or image), macros or close-ups, landscapes and reflections.

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By Sheila Rich

I am a novice photographer and I enjoy being a member of the Cookeville Camera Club. I have learned a lot from other members who are eager to share their expertise.

Photography can be an expensive undertaking, be it as a hobby or a profession. For me it is a hobby and not an expensive one because I have an entry level DSL camera and no special lens. I feel challenged to take pictures that have unusual lighting, vivid colors, and contrasting textures and I find my camera to be quite adequate.

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By Tom Morack

I’ve had a camera several years now. I sometimes haven’t touched it for several weeks at a time. Eventually, I realized my pictures all looked the same. I wanted to make my images look better, but I didn’t know how. What to do? I joined the Cookeville Camera Club earlier this year. The club meets monthly in Cookeville. The members have widely varied photography skills, from beginners to master photographers, so I fit right in. Everyone in the club is generous with their time and more than willing to answer questions from newcomers like me.

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By Helga Skinner

It’s funny how one can see things one day, and never give it another thought until the next time around. My relationship with the milkweed developed that way.

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by Kathy Krant

I first attended a meeting of the Cookeville Camera Club in 2013. Eagerness to meet new people with similar interests, and owning a digital camera that I never really got around to learning, were my motivations. From my first visit, I was encouraged to join classes and attend photo events with other members where we shared ideas and learned ways to improve our photographic skills.

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By Terrie VanCuren

When I moved away from my family in south eastern Ohio, and came here to Tennessee I found this area to be the most beautiful and enchanting place. I wanted to share it with my friends and family back home, so I went out with my little camera and did my best to capture some of that beauty and send it back to them so they could see just why I fell in love with this area. I shared my photos with anyone and everyone. Over time folks started telling me that I had an eye for it or that I was able to show them something in a way they hadn’t seen before. It made me feel proud and I loved it so I just kept on.

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By Sheila Rich

I joined the Cookeville Camera Club three years ago and it opened up a whole new world for me. I had purchased a new camera and didn’t understand what it could do, but the club had a class that helped immensely. Most of the class participants had DSLR (digital single-lens reflex) cameras and I didn’t, but the members were very eager and willing to help me with my particular low-end camera. There continues to be an attitude of helping other members improve their photography, whether it be lighting, composition, or editing. This has been invaluable to me as the owner-designer of a small web design company.

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By Wanda Krack

In Tennessee, the snowfalls we have yearly can usually be counted on one hand. What better way to capture snow than with the camera? Continue reading →