Enchanted Lens Camera Club
Enjoy Photography with Our Club Activities and Members
Liam DeBonis
October’s Exhibition Theme: Minimalism
I started my photographic journey when my brother came back from college with a Yashica SLR (single lens reflex … you know, the kind with a removable lens). This thing looked complicated with the lens, the numbers, the dials and a seemingly secret compartment for film. Around the same time, I visited an uncle who had a darkroom in his home and I was hooked.
By the end of high school, I’d owned a number of cameras, shot for my school’s papers and yearbook, and had even transformed one of my bathrooms into a darkroom (Thank goodness for my flexible parents and sister). My senior year I scored a job with a custom photo lab before I left for college.
Since then, I’ve always had a camera, but developing film was an expense hard to justify for a college and then grad student. Digital photography has made this all much easier. Even with this, printing is still an art with techniques that must be learned – just like exposure and composition. Now, decades older and still chasing light and shadows, every capture still feels like a gift nature gives to me.
As a day job, I’m a prescribing psychologist with roughly 35 years under my belt, providing medication management for a rural mental health center in the middle of New Mexico. The connection between my job and photographic work can be summarized by a quote from David Alan Harvey: “Don’t shoot what it looks like, shoot what it feels like.”
To see my photography, please visit my website at www.johncourtneyfineartphotography.com
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Club Activities
Monthly Speaker
Monthly Photo Exhibition & Critique
For members only, your images will be critiqued and ribbons awarded by an experienced professional photographer or an advanced club member.
Casual Critique (TBD)
Mid-Week Marauders
We meet once or twice a month at a photographically interesting spot. Very enjoyable. and a;lso a way to learn from others. Sometimes we go to lunch after the shoot and that is icing on the cake.
Mentorship (Monthly)
Join us for a monthly members only opportunity to improve your photography! For the beginner and the experienced photographer, our programs have something for everyone.
Our Meetings
Join us in September 2022 as we begin activities for our new 2022-2023 club year. We will have various types of meetings which include in-person meetings at the Jewish Community Center (JCC), hybrid/Zoom meetings, and Zoom only meetings. Our monthly speaker and exhibition meetings are held at JCC. Mid-Week Marauders are monthly outings. Mentorship meetings are held monthly.
To request information about attending any of our meetings, click at the bottom of this page to request more information.
Yearly membership dues are $50.00 for individuals and $75.00 for couples.
Anyone interested in the practice of photography is eligible for membership.
Membership entitles you to:
- Mentorship and Workshops
- Monthly Local Photo Outings
- Monthly Exhibition and Photo Critique
- Communicating with Members via our Email List
- Portfolio Project Participation
Schedule for 2022—2023
Monthly Speakers
September 1st
(Zoom Meeting only @ 7 PM)
Speaker: Susan Seibert
Topic: Photos from the Field
October 6th
(JCC/Hybrid Meeting @ 6:30pm)
Speaker: Liam DeBonis
Topic: How Photography Saved My Life: Finding Purpose in Photojournalism
November 3rd
(JCC/Hybrid Meeting @ 6:30pm)
Speaker: Larry Gunn
Topic: TBD
December 1st
(Zoom Meeting only @ 7 PM)
Speaker: David Swindler
Topic: TBD
January 5th
(Zoom Meeting only @ 7 PM)
Speaker: Colleen Minuik
Topic: TBD
February 2nd
(Zoom Meeting only @ 7 PM)
Speaker: Sue Forbes
Topic: TBD
March 2nd
Speaker: TBD
Topic: TBD
April 6th
Speaker: TBD
Topic: TBD
May 4th
Speaker: TBD
Topic: TBD
June 1st
(JCC In-Person Meeting only @ 6:30pm)
Speakers: Maria Baca/Helen Johnson
Topic: Portfolio Project Showcase Presentation
Exhibition Judges
(Members only)
September 15th
(JCC/Hybrid Meeting @ 6:30pm)
Judges: Rozanne and Todd Hakala
Assigned Topic: T Stands for … the main subject in the image needs to start with
the letter T.
October 20th
Judge: John Courtney
Assigned Topic: Minimalism
Simplicity of Composition, a single visual
point of interest. Use of empty space, and separation of the subject from other elements
in the image.
November 17th
Judge: Kirk West
Assigned Topic: TBD
December 15th
Judge: Judy Beard and Jim Collar
Assigned Topic: TBD
January 19th
Judge: TBD
Assigned TBD
February 16th
Judge: TBD
Assigned Topic: TBD
March 16th
Judge: TBD
Assigned Topic: TBD
April 20th
Judge: Greg Basco
Assigned Topic: TBD
Mentorship Topics
(Members only)
September 20th
(Zoom Meeting only @ 7 PM)
Mentor: Sara Leikin
Topic: Introduction to ELCC and Photographing the Balloon Fiesta!
October 11th
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November 8th
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December 6th
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January 10th
Mentor:
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February 7th
Mentor:
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March 7th
Mentor:
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April 11th
Mentor:
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May 9th
Mentor:
Topic: