OVERVIEW
The Dallas Camera Club (DCC) was organized in 1934 by 52 printmakers meeting twice a month to improve their photographic skills. Color slides were added, presumably in the 1940’s, and color print competition was added in 1970. In 1998, images from digital files were first accepted into DCC competitions. In 2005, slides were combined with projected digital images to create the projected images category. Slides were eliminated in 2008, so club activities are now focused on color prints, monochrome prints and digital projected images.
The objective of the club is “the mutual entertainment and education of its members in all forms of amateur photographic art.” The DCC hosts contests and events including monthly competitions, field trips, workshops, programs of general interest, an Annual Awards Banquet and an annual competition with the Fort Worth Camera Club. The DCC emphasizes intra-club competition as a learning process. Importance is placed on helping the beginner, or new member, feel at ease, ask questions, learn and participate.
Numerous club members have become recognized locally, nationally and internationally through exhibits, and awards in newspapers, magazines and other competitions.
The DCC is a member of the Photographic Society of America (PSA) and the Gulf States Camera Club Council (GSCCC). Additional information about these organizations can be found on their websites. DCC members have served as officers for both PSA and GSCCC.
MEMBERSHIP
Membership is open to anyone interested in photography. Club dues must be paid prior to entering any DCC competition. Individual membership for a year is $60. Annual membership for a full-time student is $35. If a spouse occasionally attends meeting and functions, and does not compete, they need not join the club, and of course, are always welcome. The club’s fiscal year is April 1 to March 31.
Guests of members may attend club meetings, field trips and other functions but will not be able to enter images in competitions or field trip slide shows.
MEETINGS
The DCC meets on the second and forth Tuesdays of each month. Guests are always welcome. Programs are announced in the newsletter and on the DCC website.
Competitions are held 10 months out of each year with images being submitted at the first meeting of the month starting in May and ending with February. The results of the judging are presented at the first meeting of the month following submission. During the meeting, an outside judge comments on the previous month’s entries.
The forth Tuesday meeting is dedicated to special programs featuring outside speakers, or club members, presenting on a wide range of photography related topics.
Training classes on topics of general interest are often held prior to most meetings and generally start at 6:15. They are announced at the meetings and in the newsletter.
WEBSITE
The club maintains this website which will always have the most current rules, schedules, definitions, etc. The website provides membership information, competition guidelines, membership directory, newsletters, calendar of field trips and competition topics, image gallery, FAQs and a forum to discuss techniques, equipment and other photography subjects.
NEWSLETTER
The club publishes a monthly newsletter, Thru the Lens. The newsletter contains articles about photography, members, club activities, programs and competition results. Newsletters may be found in the Newsletter section of the website.
COMPETITIONS
The club sponsors and participates in a variety of competitions for its membership. These competitions provide an opportunity to have others outside of the club view and comment on one’s images. Please see the Competition section of the website for more details about competitions.
FIELD TRIPS
Field trips are scheduled throughout the year to provide photo opportunities and allow club members to exchange photographic information and ideas. See our Field Trip page for more details. Field trips also allow club members to socialize and become better acquainted with each other. An audio-visual (A-V) presentation is prepared after each field trip by one of the participants and shown at a future meeting. Images submitted for the field trip A-V presentations should adhere to the guidelines for preparing projected images for monthly competitions. Instructions for preparing A-V images are available on our Preparing Competition Images page.
Training
Training is offered before meetings and on-line via zoom. Training is available for all skill levels.
POTPOURRI NIGHT
In addition to the field trip audio-visual (A-V) presentations, each year members are encouraged to present their work in themed A-V shows on DCC Potpourri Night. These popular shows are presented at the first meeting in May and allow members to present their images in a story-telling format with sound.
ANNUAL AWARDS BANQUET
The DCC holds an Annual Awards Banquet at the first meeting in April. Outside judges select the best prints and projected images from the year’s monthly competitions. Awards are also given to the members who earned the highest total points in each class and category during the club year. Other club awards and installation of new officers complete this social event. See End of Year Competitions for results and Year End Competition Archive for past year results.