Pickerington photography club for pros and amateurs

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From seasoned professionals to preteen aspirants, a new club in and around Pickerington is offering the photographically inclined more opportunities to shoot and display.

The Fairfield County Photography Club formed in March 2015 after Pickerington resident Robyn Skowronski put up posts on Nextdoor and the Facebook page of her neighborhood, Fox Glen, to see if anyone nearby shared her passion for photography. A few people showed up at that first meeting, and the club’s membership has grown as its monthly meetings have continued.

Skowronski, the club’s president, moved to Pickerington in 2009 from Bloomingdale, Ind., when her husband, Mitch, was transferred.

She quickly found herself missing the photography club she’d been part of in Bloomingdale. She had joined in 2006 – having taken a strong interest in photography, she had been saving for “a real camera,” she says, when Mitch surprised her with one – and had gotten used to exchanging wisdom with its 150 members.

“People were just so forthcoming with training and teaching,” Skowronski says.

Eventually, Mitch suggested that she just start her own club. A year and a half later, it’s up to 38 members.

The club’s mission is to give shutterbugs across the country the chance to share knowledge, ideas and examples. These efforts are facilitated at monthly meetings as well as group outings and leader-facilitated breakout sessions.

Cityscapes, night scenes, nature scenes and macrophotography are among the disciplines practiced and explained by members.

Training is an important part of the club’s goals, but volunteerism is another top priority. Members often volunteer their photo-taking services – sometimes for small happenings such as parties and senior photos, sometimes for large community events such as Relay for Life of 256, Color of Hope 5K, the Pickerington Labor Day Parade and a benefit for a family that had premature twin boys.

“Our mission is to give back to the community,” Skowronski says. “We try whenever possible to give back.”

The club offered Mark Johnson of Pickerington the opportunity to put his own photography skills to use. Johnson, now vice president of the club, has a background in art and attended the Columbus College of Art and Design, but had put his artistic side on the back burner to raise a family. Now, though, his children are old enough to be independent, and when Johnson saw Skowronski’s post on Nextdoor, he attended the club’s second meeting.

“It has really gotten me back into photography,” he says.

Since joining, Johnson has had the chance to teach some classes on basics, as well as on night photography, which is one of his favorite styles.

“Night photography is a little trickier than daytime photography, but it creates beautiful images,” he says.

The club also has a youth group with three members: a 16-year-old, an 11-year-old and a 6-year-old, the latter of whom joined in September.

After being thoroughly impressed with club members’ skill levels, Skowronski decided to seek out a space where their work could be displayed. She soon connected with the Griffin Gallery at Creekside in Gahanna, and though her intent was just to have members’ work up for one night only, gallery owner Lew Griffin found the work appealing enough to offer the club more time.

“He was so amazed by the work that we submitted that he said, ‘I want you to stay in the gallery for (longer),’” says Skowronski.

That first show took place this past April, with the intention that another show would be held every six months or so in addition to the work that’s displayed on an ongoing basis.

The collaboration with Griffin Gallery has helped illustrate for Skowronski how far the club’s less-experienced members have come in such a short time.

“It’s so exciting to see our members grow,” she says. “I’m talking about people who were (initially) afraid to use their cameras … getting super excited about showing in the gallery.”

With that goal accomplished, Skowronski has set her sights on putting together a book of members’ work and, eventually, opening a gallery for the club in Olde Pickerington Village.

More shots by members can be seen at the club’s Facebook page. Those interested in joining can learn more at the above page or by attending one of the club’s meetings, which are held at 7 p.m. the first Tuesday of each month at Peace United Methodist Church.

Garth Bishop is managing editor. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.

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