Ken Duquaine
One of the attractions of belonging to a camera club is the opportunity to join other members on field trips to various venues to take photos. One such trip to the Chandler Saturday Market was made by several ladies of the Sun Lakes Camera Club (SLCC) last January. The objective of the trip, according to its organizer, Lois Hammer, was to photograph food in preparation for two different photo competitions. SLCC’s February photo competition included the rotating category of food, while the Arizona Camera Club Council’s (ACCC) rotating category for its Fall 2022 Roundup competition also happens to be food. The ACCC is a federation of 16 Arizona camera clubs whose purpose is to work together on common goals and to share members’ photos through competitions and other activities. Organizations like the ACCC present yet another opportunity for camera club members throughout the state to participate in various activities designed to strengthen their photographic skills as well as the chance to interact with other photography enthusiasts.
On their field trip to the Chandler Saturday Market, the SLCC ladies took photos using both phone cameras and regular camera equipment. Following their exploration of the market and their photo session, the ladies ended their adventure with lunch at the Downtown Chandler Café and Bakery. And so, in addition to having had an enjoyable group outing, they should also be well equipped to enter their photos in two different photo competitions.
SLCC offers its members several opportunities for similar field trips throughout the season. Two upcoming examples are a trip to the Desert Retreat north of Tucson, which has blinds available for photographers to photograph birds and other wildlife native to the area. And again this year, a trip to Picketpost Mountain and/or Oak Flats Campground to photograph the Milky Way is being planned. Last year’s trip to Picketpost Mountain resulted in some very fine photos taken by members and provided a wonderful learning experience for those of us whose prior experience did not include astrophotography.
Field trips such as those described provide our members with unique learning experiences and opportunities for photographing subjects that might not be otherwise available. Additionally, and equally important, these types of shared experiences with like-minded photo enthusiasts provide social experiences that enrich our daily lives.
The Sun Lakes Camera Club meets the first and third Thursdays from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., in the Mirror Room of the Sun Lakes Country Club from October through April. For more information about the SLCC and its activities, call SLCC President Lynn Thompson at 480-734-0040 or Past President Jan Ballard at 602-621-3344, and visit our website at www.sunlakescameraclub.com.