“Our focus is really on having fun,” said Joan Tilton, club president. “There's every skill level and what makes us unbelievably fabulous ... is that everybody helps one another.”
The club was formed in the 1980s and started as a casual group of photographers that would meet up to take photos on film, she said. In 2009, the club started holding an annual contest for its 20 to 30 members. Now, the club is made up of 156 photographers of all skill levels, Tilton said.
The annual contest has turned into a large exhibition with professional judges that has taken place at the Glade Cultural Center since 2019. Ten winners in each category get their photos displayed at the Glade for the night of the exhibition.
“[The Glade] is a fabulous vehicle for us to show our art in a really nice, well-lit, neutral background. The acoustics are nice there,” said Kathy Craven, public relations chair for the club. ”We get people that come and stay the whole night. We have others that just come and specifically look at the photographs then leave.”
In addition to the exhibition, The Glade also hosts the club’s monthly meetings.
Tilton got into photography while working for an energy company in the 1980s.
“They needed a photographer for their athletic center so I did that for a few years and then there was a huge decline in oil so I got laid off, but in the meantime, I got bit by the bug,” she said.
In 2014, Tilton quit her job to pursue photography full-time.
“We love photography to be our creative outlet. It's not too often that we can walk by something that's beautiful or pretty or part of nature is a big thing and not photograph it,” she said. “You know, we have to do it ... my favorite photo is the next one I’m going to take.”
The club takes field trips, workshops and photo walks and volunteers its services within the community. Members can also request to discuss specific topics.
“The big thing with the club that I take away is there's a lot of support for whatever level you're at— whether it's beginner or you're on the professional end, there's support on both sides, and everybody seems to be willing to give that support which makes it really wonderful,” Craven said.
Glade Cultural Center (meeting location)
2000 Woodlands Parkway, The Woodlands
936-442-7727
www.thewoodlandsphotographyclub.com
Hours: The club meets monthly at 6:30 p.m. on the second or third Wednesday of the month.
