The Sunny 16 Camera Club is full of people who love photography. For some in the club it is their profession, for others it’s an incredible hobby, but for all of us it’s our passion.
The club has been meeting on the second Tuesday of every month for many years. We meet at the Presbyterian Church on the corner ofState and 10th in downtown Bowling Green from 7pm-9pm. Our
membership ranges from a 12-year-old up to 80+ years of age.
Members have a variety of photography interests: some members enjoy shooting landscapes or waterfalls. Others prefer wildlife with a special emphasis on birds. Macro photography is also very popular, where you get very close to your subject – think insects or flowers. Then there is Astrophotography, where we wait until it is completely dark outside. Once dark, preferably out in the country away from the lights of the city, you can photograph the stars, the moon, the Milky Way, or some deep space objects light years away.
Portrait Photography is another area of interest that includes weddings, babies, families, seniors, etc. in a studio or on location.
Over the years, our club has taken lots of trips, either day trips or overnight, to some pretty cool places. We have gone to Reelfoot Lake to look for eagles, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Jenny Wiley
State Park, Seymour, Indiana for Sandhill Cranes and Land Between the Lakes for hummingbirds.
Before joining the Sunny 16 Club, I had a misconception that it was necessary to travel to some distant location to find something interesting to photograph. Boy, was I wrong! Through people sharing in the club about locations, I have discovered that Bowling Green and Warren County are full of things to photograph. Wildlife possibilities are endless, including a variety of birds that either live here year ‘round or migrate through.
The landscape possibilities are abundant, such as the beautiful WKU campus, the Baker Arboretum, Lost River Cave, and all the farmlandthroughout the county. We are also very fortunate to have Mammoth
Cave National Park so nearby.
There are several of us in the club that will regularly travel to other places all over Kentucky, Tennessee, or Indiana to photograph birds that are moving through the area. Winter gets such a bad rap, but for wildlife photographers it’s one of the best times of the year.
MONTHLY MEETINGS
There is usually an educational component to our meetings. This is a great way for us to become better photographers. We may have a guest speaker, or watch an instructional video on topics such as techniques in Lightroom or Photoshop, tips on the technical and creative aspects of photography. Some meetings include hands-on activities like a photo walk around downtown Bowling Green, a Scavenger Hunt, practice using studio light, and model shoots.
There are several members who are great photography teachers! They are great about sharing their knowledge with the group. The members are always ready to help beginning photographers learn
more about their cameras and how to get off that Automatic setting! There is always something to learn even for the more experienced members.
Every month there are Photography Challenges where members can submit their photos to be shown to the club. Some of the 2022Challenges are Food-ography, Black & White, Still Life, and Your Best Friend. There is an Open Category as well, where you can submit twophotos of your choice to be shown at the meeting.
As members, we are also given the chance to exhibit our work. We regularly do shows at the Bob Kirby Library, the Smiths Grove Library and at The Presbyterian Church fellowship hall/gallery. These exhibits
have led to sales for several of the members.
There are also going to be Educational/Hands-On meetings scheduled at various times throughout the year. They will cover topics such asdrones, model shoots, intro to shooting videos, and even a field trip to
the Nashville Zoo.
UPCOMING APRIL 12 MEETING
We have a real treat coming up at our April meeting as Nashville-based professional photographer Wade Payne will be our guest speaker.
Wade independently contracts for the Associated Press, Reuters, USA Today and many more. His work has been published in SportsIllustrated, ESPN the Magazine, the Washington Post and other publications around the world.
This should be an incredible program. If you are interested in photography and are curious about the Sunny 16 Camera Club, come join us on April 12.
The Sunny 16 Club is full of really great people who would be willing to help you develop into a better photographer. Deep friendships havebeen made through this club. So please come check us out and see
what this club is all about.
-by Julie Barrick
