RIDGEWOOD CAMERA CLUB - MISSION STATEMENT
Ridgewood Camera Club brings together people with a love of photography, where photographers of all levels build friendships, inspire creativity and grow as artists, while fostering artistic and technical development.
OVERVIEW
Established in 1937, Ridgewood Camera Club, one of the largest camera clubs in New Jersey, has been dedicated to the pursuit of photographic excellence since its establishment. The club provides activities for those who wish to share, learn or improve their photographic skills. Our membership represents all levels of photographer from beginner to advanced amateur and professional. Our goal is to increase our knowledge of photography, inspire one another in our photographic activities and, especially, to make new friends.
The Ridgewood Camera Club is a proud member of the New Jersey Federation of Camera Clubs (NJFCC) and an affiliate of the Photographic Society of America (PSA). Visitors and prospective members are always welcome at meetings. Please come join us and share in the adventure!
Some of our members favorite photos
our club values
Advantages of membership
THE WEEKLY UPDATE
Each weekend you will receive an “RCC Weekly Update. The Update lists all the upcoming activities for the following two weeks. In the “This and That” section you'll find a description of the activity with links provided for more details. We also include a “Further Afield” section advising you what is planned over the next few months. The RCC Weekly Update is our primary source of communication to the membership. In addition, the Weekly Update is posted on our Facebook page and on the “RCC Weekly Update” link on the website.
NEW MEMBER RESOURCE — YOUR MENTOR
Shortly after you have registered new member will receive the name and contact information of a Mentor who will help you with any information you may need related to the club. The Mentor may not have all the answers, but he/she will know where to get it.
FIELD TRIPS
Field trips are an opportunity to practice your photography in a group setting with other RCC members. We visit a variety of locations in the tri-state region usually on Saturdays or Sundays. Besides the chance to photograph, field trips are social excursions that let you get to know your fellow RCC members outside the club meetings.
WORKSHOPS
In addition to our regular Wednesday meetings, we also offer in-depth workshops conducted by experts in the field, or our fellow RCC members. These cover a variety of photographic topics intended to help you with the technical as well as aesthetic aspects of photography. The workshops are generally conducted in person, providing a hands-on component. However, we do have workshops that are via “Zoom”. These are recorded and available for later viewing. e.
CREATIVE CHALLENGES
RCC offers project-based “Creative Challenges” each year. Examples of “Creative Challenges are; creating your own website; putting together a body of work around a theme; a shoe-box challenge, where you gather, organize and present your boxes of old family photos.
The projects are announced early in the season, giving members months to develop, refine and present their work. We have informal meetings periodically to discus their projects and help those participating, if they get stuck, or help them with ideas.
COMPETITIONS & PHOTO CONTEST PRO REGISTRATION
Participants are grouped into two groups; Beginner (B) and Advanced (A) levels. All new members will start in the (B) group and eventually become an (A) group member.
The competition subjects range from Pictorial (image content is open), to Nature (narrowly defined content areas), to Assigned Subject (a specific topic) and Print. In an open setting, a qualified judge, generally affiliated with the New Jersey Federation of Camera Clubs (NJFCC), comments on the strengths of the image (the photographer is not identified) and may suggest areas of improvement.
Even if you choose not to compete, watching a competition can be very useful, educational and help you develop your photographic skills.
Our Competition Chairs can help with digital entry issues you may encounter. Our Print Competition Chairperson can provide guidance on preparing for a Print competition
We also participate in NJFCC competitions as well as PSA Interclub competitions. The PSA competitions are managed by our PSA Interclub Chair; NJFCC competition entries are handled by members.
PLACES TO PHOTOGRAPH
We have a document called "places to Photograph' and its a resource for members offering ideas of where to go locally to photograph.
SOCIAL MEDIA
The club offers the following social media sites for the use of its members:
Facebook – We maintain a private Facebook Group for club members to share images, information and engage in discussion on any number of topics (mainly photography). The Facebook page link is found here. Click on the Join Group button to gain access.
Instagram – We have a Ridgewood Camera Club Instagram group for members to post and share https://www.instagram.com/ridgewoodcameraclub/ to join and follow members’ postings.
Flickr – We have a Ridgewood Camera Club Flickr group for members to post and share images. If you have a Flickr account, simply join the Ridgewood Camera Club Group at this link.
We strongly suggest that you sign up for the club’s social media sites to take full advantage of all RCC activities and keep engaged with other members. The links to the Social Media sites are also listed on the RCC Weekly Update as well as the Member section of the club’s website. If you need any assistance, please reach out to the Social Media Chairperson who can help you get started or answer questions you may have.
REBATES
RCC has an affiliation program with B&H Photo for which the club’s earned commission are rebated back to the member. You need to use the merchant’s icon click-through.
IMAGES
A section of the website contains various galleries of club event images (Club Galleries) as well as galleries for members (Member Galleries). Members have the opportunity to place images in their own gallery page and / or add a link to their website.
RCC MEMBER PRIVACY / WEBSITE ACCESS
The RCC website is the hub of club information and the activities we offer. It is our policy to protect members’ personal information.
we’re excited to meet you
The Ridgewood Camera Club would love to have you join us every Wednesday except the except the first Wednesday of the month , September through May. Programs, Workshops and Field Trips are held regularly on a wide variety of subject matter. See the Programs, Workshop and Field Trip pages for detailed information. Programs are conducted during meeting nights while Workshops and Field Trips are conducted at other times. competitions are held for projected images in Pictorial, Nature and Assigned Subject categories, as well as Black and White and Color print competitions.
Online Meetings
Members can obtain the Zoom
meeting link by going to the
RCC Weekly Update.
In-Person Meetings
In person meetings will be held a the Franklin Lakes United Methodist Church. Guests are always welcome!
Calendar of Events
Club meetings will be held virtually via Zoom or in person and indicated on the Calendar as Zoom or FLUMC.
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