Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1914-01-12
Have a
Camera Club?

II 10 lIlle saying JlaJ 'Ihere is
nothing new under the SUM-" The
charm of novelty is not claimed for
the club idea, which was very popu-
lar in the prehistoric days of the cave
, dwellers, when the club was much
used to enforce obedience and was
considered an effective argument in
debate. Our professional brethren
and sistern often feel the need of
some kind of a club to use on refraC-
tory sitters and slow-pay customers.
Photographers clubs, however, need
not be Of the hardwood variety since
there. are other kinds even more use
full and beneficial-a camera society,
for instance.
This is an age Of organization and
cooperation. Every interest is rep
resented by some kind of an organiz-
alton. Why should the Photographic
art be an exception? The manifold
benefits of a camera club may be
divided into three classes-educa-
tional, financial and social. AS for
education, it is not our intention to
make the Ashland Camera Club
school Of photography, where the ig-
norant may be taught by the wise,
but rather to establish a clearing
house OF Photographic information,
an idea exchange. Each member is
supposed to give others the benefit
of his experience. The veriest tyro
can sometimes give useful hints to
the most expert Photographic virtu-
oso. BY thus pooling our knowledge
and experience each member will
have the benefit of the sum total of
the ideas and information possessed
by the entire club membership. Ex-
perimenting is costly work, especially
in photography. Instead of every in
dividual going to the trouble and ex-
pense Of trying new formula, meth
cd or brand of paper, one member
can make the experiment and report
results to the other members. This
kind of cooperation saves time, tenn
per and money, three commodities or
which the average amateur seldom
has surplus. 1t is expected, of
course, that there will be enough pho
tographic information let loose at
our meetings to enable the casual
kodaker to learn all about the "art
preservative," from squeezing the
bulb to squeegeeing the finished
print. We expect to have a question
box into which we can pour all our
camera troubles and have them treat
ed by specialists. The exchange of
prints will not only enable us to
enlarge our collection of photographs,
but will give us valuable object les
sons in the methods followed by 9TH
ers. Those who are not supersensi-
tive may have their work criticised
by competent judges and learn how
their pictures may be improved. /
The money question is very vital
one with photographers, amateurs as
we'll as professionals. The cost of
materials and accessories deters many,
from indulging their fancy for pho.
| Biography But there are amateurs
who make the camera pay its way.
How this is done will prove an in
teresting subject for discussion BY
pooling our experience we will not
need to spoil so much material in ex-
perimentation. The stimulation of
photography by our society will re-
suit in more business for dealers and
professionals, who will thus have a
financial interest in our society We
may be able to secure permanent
room and other accessories for the
rooms here in Ashland, with dark
room and other accessories for the
free use of members, saving the cost
of providing these things for each
individual.
Society is the happiness of lfe,"
said Shakespeare, and Shake general
ly knew what he was talking about.
The social side of a camera club is
an important one, because we meet
together as much for pleasure as for
business, 'One touch of photography
makes us kin, and fellow feeling
should make us wondrous kind.
Heartless friends and relatives may
jeer at our humble efforts at picture
making and say sarcastic things
about how we might employ our time
to better advantage. For wounds in
flicted in this way there is no balm
equal to the fellowship of kindred
spirits who are riding the same hob
by and who can sympathize with us
in our Photographic aims and aspra-
tions. We come from various walks
In life, differing from each other in
many ways, but with one interest in
common-photography. We, and we
alone, understand the Joy of going
forth armed with a camera, on pic
ture-taking bent, with all the world
and our friends before u.s. the pleas
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