Moose Jaw Camera Club (MJCC) will begin its first fall monthly meeting on Monday, Sept. 5 at 7 p.m. at Cosmo Senior Citizen’s Centre. The monthly meetings will be held on every first Monday of the month and will continue through until June 2023.
In 2009, Moose Jaw Camera Club was formed by a group of photographers who worked together to compare their photography work with the hopes of improving their photography skills. Currently, the club has about 50 members.
During the first monthly meeting, MJCC will hold a special presentation on “Competition Worthy Photos” by professional photographer Dan Sigouin. There will be a competition held next June in regards to implementing knowledge into competition worthy photos.
Since 2016, Sigouin has been regularly involved in MJCC. He is a certified judge and Prairie Zone director at the Canadian Association for Photographic Art
There are several professional photographers in the club that help to guide the members.
“I got my first camera when I was about 8-year-old and my dad had a race horse thing,” Stuart Anderson, one of the MJCC board of directors, told the Moose Jaw Express in a phone interview. "I took a photograph of it. It was just a cheap little brownie, 35 mm camera. I got the photograph developed and that was it.”
Now at the age of 81, he said he has been hooked on photography for the last 73 years, a real passion for him. Anderson has been part of this club since 2016 and decided to be part of the planning and development in 2021 as the oldest member in the club.
“I’m far from a professional, but I found it is very invigorating and exiting,” Anderson added. “You don’t need a really great monstrous expensive camera to take photographs; [even] phones nowadays have great ability to get just awesome photographs.
“You don’t need to spend thousands of dollars for a camera with a whole bunch of lenses. If you have a cell phone, that will work well.”
Anderson said that as member, they are entitled to 10 outings to specifics areas, such as, The Western Development Museum, Crooked Trees, and Avonlea Badlands. As well, night photography and painting with light are two specific outings. Several members have framed photos on display that are visible at the Tourism Centre by Mac the Moose, also available for purchase.
Anyone interested in photography can join MJCC, with the first meeting free for anyone to attend.
“Expensive cameras and computer equipment are not required for club membership participation," Anderson said. "Photo club members are encouraged and will be supported in their use of digital and film cameras ranging from simple “point and shoot” devices to complex single lens reflex cameras. Attention to composition, focus, exposure and lighting, photographic methods and techniques are more important than the camera used.”
The adult membership fee is $50 per year, and other residents within the same household can join at a discounted fee of $25 per person. In addition, there is a special discount for student memberships are $30.
For more information visit the club’s website or call Wanda Hudson at 306-631-7400 or Leonard Ber at 306-693-7685.
