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Camera club provides shutterbugs with camaraderie, chances to learn

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Photo by Shannon Schaapveld

Chicago's Buckingham Fountain and skyline

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Photo by Lad Vrany

This photo was taken at the 2008 Southern Wisconsin Air Show.

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Photo by Rich Fletcher

Photo called Lexington Spring

JANESVILLE — Lad Vrany was in his backyard garden photographing bumblebees and flowers when a humming bird moth came into focus.

As the humming sound of its narrow wings vibrated close by, Vrany quietly angled the lens of his digital camera to avoid scaring away the moth. The image he captured with an action-freezing high shutter speed is "pretty good," he said.

"The wings are slightly blurred, but the body is in focus and sharp, and the flower is in focus, too," he said.

But he thinks he can improve upon the image.

"That's part of photography—to try and make a better picture the next time," he said.

Vrany said he photographs his wife Nancy's flower garden every year as a record for her so she knows what she planted and where. The added bonus is Nancy's fellow garden club members wanting to buy some of Vrany's garden pictures.

"I have sold some of my stuff," he said.

Vrany, 77, describes himself as a serious amateur photographer. He's the oldest member of the Janesville Camera Club, which in more than 30 years has attracted shutterbugs of all ages and backgrounds.

Take, for instance, Shannon Schaapveld, who was attending a program on macro photography at the Hedberg Public Library when speaker Ken Tapp mentioned he was a member of the Janesville Camera Club.

Schaapveld said she's lived in Janesville nearly all of life and never knew such a group existed. But after attending her first meeting three years ago, she now leads the 40-member local club that meets twice a month September through May.

Appeal

"There's always more you can learn and teach people about photography," Schaapveld said.

She graduated from the Hallmark Institute of Photography in Massachusetts and is a product photographer for NASCO, Fort Atkinson.

Vrany has been active with the club off and on since the early 1980s to stay current with the rapidly changing technology of photography.

"I join to benefit from other people's experience. Some are really gung-ho on the computer, and I learn from them," he said.

Club Vice President Rich Fletcher joined the club to be with people he could learn from and to be with others with the same interest.

"It's a warm, friendly environment to learn and make new friends," said the 39-year-old Janesville man.

Educational

The intent of the club is to discuss photography and teach people new things, Schaapveld said.

"It's a way to meet others in the community who have a similar interest," she said.

The club participates in the annual Tallman Arts Festival, is featured in a month-long exhibit at the local library, gets involved in the Wisconsin Print Circuit competition, hosts a model shoot every spring and sponsors two print competitions that involve critiques.

"In the past, our club members have at least won first and second place every year," Schaapveld said of the circuit competition that includes other camera clubs throughout the state.

Competitions give members—from hobbyists to those who make a living with their cameras—new ideas and the opportunity to see other people's work, Schaapveld said.

During semimonthly meetings, guest speakers—sometimes club members—present a program on a topic that interests them or on what other members might find interesting, Schaapveld said.

"We still have people in the club who shoot film, although most people do shoot digital. We also try to talk about different software that are free and do a pretty good job," she said.

Fletcher spoke last year on travel photography when he explained how to pack your camera and how he captured the images he shared.

Vrany created a PowerPoint presentation on how to use photographs to make business cards.

But what Schaapveld has found most helpful through club membership is meeting other people in the community.

"I'm always wanting to photograph something and can always contact other club members to come with. When you go with someone else, you'll maybe see a different perspective. And if you don't feel comfortable shooting something, you can take someone who knows more than you so they can help you if you have questions."