A new organization named the Maryland Photography Alliance has formed with the goal of helping Maryland based camera clubs and their members by fostering collaboration and sharing of resources. The Alliance consists of 11 clubs so far from across the state. Along with the Silver Spring Camera Club, the other clubs are as follows:
- Arundel Camera Club
- Harford County Photography Group
- Baltimore Camera Club
- Harford Photographic Arts Society
- Bowie-Crofton Camera Club
- Howard County Photographers
- Creative Exposure Baltimore, North Bethesda Camera Club
- Creative Photography Society
- Digital Photography Club of Annapolis
The founder of the Alliance is Steve Sattler. Steve is very involved in several of the clubs on the list above, most notably the Harford County Photography Group and the Creative Photography Society. When I heard from Steve that the Alliance was forming I jumped at the opportunity to get involved and contribute to an organization that would benefit not just one club but a larger group of clubs and the Maryland photographic community. My involvement with the Alliance is primarily to serve as the representative of the SSCC. I am not alone in representing SSCC, Stephanie Banks has agreed to serve as a back-up for voting purposes and has involved herself with several committees within the Alliance. My other responsibilities in the Alliance is to serve as Vice President to Steve as President and work on two other committees.
The benefits of the Alliance to SSCC are many. The short term benefit all SSCC members will see is the 1st Annual Photography Contest. (read more) This will be the largest inter-club contest in Maryland in many years. The winners of the contest, that’s sponsored by Nations Photo Lab, will have the opportunity to exhibit their work in an art gallery. In addition, $700 in prizes will be distributed among the contest winners.
Another short term benefit is a shared Google calendar among all member clubs. This will alert members of clubs of the activities of other clubs. As one place to view activities in a calendar format it will be easier for people to see what SSCC is doing and attend our meetings and field trips. Yes, actual membership in SSCC is important and helps pay for the speakers and judges, but better attendance leads to more vibrant meetings and closer relationships with other photographers. Some of these visitors may even join another club if it suits their needs.
Long term, the Alliance will be inviting a nationally known photographer to keynote an all day seminar and presentation. It will be similar to Nature Visions, but not necessarily devoted to one photographic genre. The details are still being worked out but more information will be coming out soon.
There are many other ideas and initiatives in the works! As the Alliance progresses and volunteers get settled in their roles we’ll be seeing even more benefits soon.
If the Alliance sounds like something you’d like to participate in through a committee chair or membership role talk to me at a meeting or send an email to mdphotoalliance@gmail.com
The website is MDPhotoAlliance.org