About Our Club

Don't let the name fool you. We're not so much a camera club as we are a photography club. Our cameras, film and digital, are tools to a purpose. Most of our program meetings are about photography rather than equipment. And with ten monthly competitions each year plus the judging for annual awards, we're clearly interested in what we can do with our tools.

We generally meet twice a month, the first and third Wednesdays, 7:30 pm in the Activity Theatre of Merrill Gardens Retirement Home at 1220 Suey Road, Santa Maria, California. The first Wednesday is a business and program meeting, and the third Wednesday is our photo competition meeting. There are occasional exceptions; contact us if you need to verify a meeting date.

In addition to our meetings, we take day trips, weekend trips and ventures of a week or more to pursue our photographic interests. The results often reveal how we each see same and similar subjects differently. You can see samples of different styles of our members by visiting the Galleries pages.

Officers

Other clubs have officers, so we decided that we should have officers, too. Plus, we wouldn't want the word going around that we're so satisfied with our photography that we don't need officers. We draw the line at bureaucracy, however, and we won't go there.

• President - Charles Barney - cbarney526@comcast.net
• Vice President - Ramona Cashmore
• Secretary - Penni Powell - pennipoo@hotmail.com
• Treasurer - Bill Hood

Movers and Shakers

Ansel Adams compared photography with music, saying that the negative is the score and the print is the performance. So it is with SMCC. The bylaws and officers provide a basis for the operation of our club, but the music comes only because we have so many wonderful people making club activities happen. The following people are the Santa Maria Camera Club. We would be nothing without them.

Committees and Organizers

• Candid Remarks - Frank Lee Speaking
• Competition Points Coordinators - Elaine Calvert and Mary Goodspeed
• Competition Prints Coordinators - Bill Hood, Howard Berry, Bob Parker, Tom Salerno, Roger Hawkins and Steve Pavlak
• Competition Slide Projection - Ed E. Powell
• Competition Digital Projection - Ron Calvert
• Complaint Committee - Malcolm Tents
• Department of Redundancy Department - Thomas T. Thomas
• Directory - Nyla James
• Facilities and Storage - Patty Linane
• Field Trips - Tom Wahweotten and Patti Linane
• Film and Darkroom Repository - Dinah Soars
• Galleon Editor - Mark Hornickle
• Historian - Nyla James
• Judge Recruitment - Susan Pavlak
• Nametags - Nyla James
• Nominations - Steve Pavlak and Dennis Shepard
• PC Police - Ivan Issue and Will Wyne
• Program Recruitment - Ramona Cashmore VP
• Publicity - Ginger Reeves, Nyla James and Dennis Shepard
• Refreshments - Susan Pavlak
• Representative - Mary Goodspeed
• Sign-up Sheets - Marcus Down
• Web Czar - Ed E. Powell - eep@LightPreserve.com

Representatives

• Galleries - Nancy Hall
• Santa Barbara County Arts Commission - Lillian Smith
• Santa Maria Arts Council - Sylvia Gilford
• Santa Maria Library - Ramona Cashmore

Want to Join Us?

Come to a meeting (time and location given above) and we'll get acquainted. Whatever your level of experience, if you're interested in photography you'll probably enjoy our activities and members. Suit and tie not required. No ducks please, and check your weapons at the door.