On Tuesday, June 2 the Owen Sound Camera Club had their final meeting of the 2014-15 season. With just over 30 people in attendance, OSCC President Greg McMillan presented the club with member submissions of their two favourite photos of the season dating back to July 2014, and with 52 images, this was the largest collection of submissions for any theme all season.
Greg started a new tradition for the club with regard to pictures submitted throughout the season called “President’s Choice”. He went through all of the submissions for all of the themes and selected his favourite image, the one image that he felt best fit the theme it was in and was a great image overall.
After much deliberation, the first President’s Choice image is Michelle Galbraith’s high key submission from last September’s “High Key Low Key” theme where high key is an overall bright image and low key is a darker image. Congratulations Michelle!
Greg gave a speech about what he learned in his two years as president and what changes he observed in the club. The following is a transcript of his speech:
I will soon complete my second tenure as President of the Owen Sound Camera Club. It’s a position that I am proud to have held for the past two seasons as well as during the club’s 50th anniversary season in 2006-07. Next season will be my tenth as a member and in a mere ten years I’ve witnessed a lot of change. When I joined, film was still widely used by many of the members but the digital era was well on its way and it was coming fast.
I don’t profess to be a natural leader but two years ago when Lynn made the decision to step down after spending a few years in this seat, I was willing to take on the leadership role and do my best. Recently, the OSCC has enjoyed a great amount of growth in a rather short period of time, so much so that we had to move from our cozy comfort of Foto Art to the more spacious New Life Centre. With this growth comes growing pains, and I willingly admit I’ve had my share of these pains, and maybe even caused a few.
I wanted to be a good presenter and make it look like I knew what I was doing while chairing the meetings because quite frankly, I’m not a great speaker; I mean look at me, I have to read everything I say. I thought the best way to do that would be to put together some really cool presentations and make everything look as professional as I could. The feedback has been quite positive so I am thankful for that and I can honestly say I was glad to do it. I just hope I was able to camouflage my rough edges a little bit in the process.
Part of the growing pains for the club was to find ways to better organize the structure of the Executive. This club has an incredible team of people who all share a common desire to make it the best camera club around. They come from different walks of life and all possess different traits of experience, in life as well as photography, and I can’t thank them enough for all the support they’ve given me over the last two years.
There were some bumps in the road, I won’t deny that. Leading the Executive has taught me a number of things from sharing responsibilities to making better decisions. I feel I’ve become a better OSCC member and in some ways, a better person.
The club will be celebrating their 60th anniversary next season and that’s exciting. As near as I can tell, we’re the longest running photography club north of Toronto. The club has seen countless changes over the years, be it in technology, members, or the way things work in its culture, and I’m sure we’ll see a number of changes going forward. I hope to see the culture of the club evolve to one that continues to attract new people as well as satisfy the needs of those who are here now. There are times when it will seem like a tall order, but I have a lot of confidence in the membership body.
I will continue to support this fine club, and help out when and in any way I can. I will continue to learn from this club because it’s always been my belief that learning about photography is what makes up the foundation of any camera club. But what stands out to me as the biggest take away from being part of this club is the friendships I’ve fostered over the years.
When I stepped into my first OSCC meeting, I was a little late arriving, but Bert Reket greeted at the door with a smile. I honestly don’t remember how we grew closer, but I’m a man and we don’t remember stuff like that. In any case, we got to know each other, and I got to know Lynn and a lot of other folks too who share my interest in photography. Randy and I have been friends for over thirty years now, but that don’t make us old… just sayin. We’ve also shared an interest in photography – on and off – over those thirty years. I was so glad to see him join the club because he has a great deal of experience in a club oriented culture and brings with him some very fresh ideas.
I would like to close by once again thanking the Executive for all their support and to the whole membership body for sharing their wonderful images, knowledge, and experience with the club. I know we will continue to grow, hopefully in numbers, but at least in experience in the years to come. Photography is a continuously changing medium and that gives us a perpetual opportunity to learn new things along the way.
I read an anonymous quote recently that said, “I always thought good photos were like jokes – if you had to explain it, it just isn’t that good.” I can honestly say the photos I’ve seen from members of the Owen Sound Camera Club haven’t required much explanation. Thanks.
This was Greg’s last meeting as President and going forward, Randy O’Hara will take the wheel and steer the club into the future. As Greg mentioned in his speech, Randy has a lot of experience from his involvement in a variety of clubs and is a very motivated guy with a lot of fresh, new ideas. Next season should be an exciting one for sure.
Summer is fast approaching and with summer comes travelling, vacations, and just enjoying the great outdoors. It also brings many photo opportunities. The Owen Sound Camera Club would like to wish you a safe summer and look forward to seeing those vacation snapshots. Feel free to post them on our Facebook Page and to our Flickr Group.
See you in September!
A new exhibit is up at the Full Spectrum Gallery (located in the back of Foto Art). During the months of May and June the Gallery features the work of long-time Camera Club member Lynn Reket. Titled “Small Wonders,” Lynn takes us on a tour of some of the amazing little things found in regular backyards.
There is no greater service than to do a service for others. At times it seems overwhelming for me, but as I interact with you, it makes it all very worthwhile. It is the respect I have for our membership and for the Executive that has allowed me to accept the role as your President.
Owen Sound Camera Club 