Southwest Iowa photo club featured as August artist

The Shutterbugs of Southwest Iowa was formed by a handful of photography enthusiats in January of 2009 and will be the August featured artist at the Creston: Arts Gallery.

The topics of the photos on display will be as varied as the people who took them. To name a few, visitors to the gallery can expect to see light painting, flowers and candid shots of daily life.

“I like a lot of different topics,” said club member Debra Loudon. “Kind of the odd things, rustic things – a single flower, some bricks that are laid out – just whatever catches my eye. People aren’t my specialty. I prefer non-moving objects. I can see the beauty in a fence post and the way that the barbed wire is laid out around it, or a door latch or an old doorknob, or an old car or pickup. Windmills. I can never pass up a windmill or an old barn. Just whatever I see that just kind of hits my eye, that just might be that unusual thing that you never see again.”

At one point, the club boasted a membership of nearly 100 people, but over time members have moved and two have died in the past year. There are about 20 active club members from all over southwest Iowa, including Mount Ayr, Corning, Adair and Winterset.

Annette Pingree, a member of the club, said she would like to see the club grow again. The new year for the club starts soon, but people can join anytime.

“Starting this year, our membership is going to run from September through the summer,” Pingree said. “That’s when the North Central Camera Club Council begins their [year] also, and we’re kind of governed under them now. It’s kind of our fiscal year.”

Membership dues for the club are only $20 and there is no special equipment or experience required to join, only the desire to learn how to take a better photograph.

“We embrace both film and digital photographers,” Pingree said. “Our mission statement is ‘To provide education and activities for those interested in photography through programs, camera instruction, photographic field trips, photo critique and photo competition.’”

Loudon said she started her photographic journey with a simple point and shoot camera, but even her current camera is not a large extravagant piece of equipment. Her current outfit is a $500 digital single reflex lens camera similar to what can be purchased at Wal-Mart.

Members try to meet on the first and third Thursday of each month. Throughout the year, the club holds workshops, what they call “hands-on” meetings, in which members learn about different techniques or tips for improving their skills as photographers.

Loudon, who considers herself a hobbyist, said she has learned a lot since she joined the club, but added there’s still so much more she can learn.

“It takes a long time, even years, to hone photography skills to be at a professional level because there is so very much to learn about photography,” Loudon said. “Practice. Practice. Practice. And educating yourself by asking questions, researching, reading books, journals, any outlet to learn more is a huge benefit.”

There will be an artist reception 6-8 p.m. Friday at the Creston: Arts Gallery. Refreshments will be served, and visitors will have an opportunity to meet with some of the photographers whose work will be on display.

“The one thing I like to get across with these photo exhibits is that the public can see what a good photo is,” Loudon said. “There’s so many people out there that don’t know what to look for in a good photo and I think that’s very, very important. We have some really talented photographers in our club.”

For more information on the club, visit the Southwest Iowa Shutterbugs Facebook page or message Loudon for specific information.