Thursday, July 27, 2006

Introduction of FPC

The "Flickers Photo Club" or FPC is an organization of mostly Filipino photographers with a common interest for Photography and one of the biggest online photo-sharing community, Flickr.com. Logically, the website became the catalyst for their online meetings and discussions, and eventually, for the formation of the Club.

Starting as members of that online community and sharing the same passion for photography, a group of avid shutterbugs, in various "discussion threads," then decided to plan photoshoots and meetings so that the members could finally interact on a more personal level. It was in one of their outdoor shoots that the Club name "Flickers Photo Club" was formally adopted by the members who were present at the shoot-meeting.

The Club consists of people from all walks of life, with varied photographic skills, styles and subject interests--some are of the working class with a different profession, with photography as hobby; some are professional photographers, the art as the source of their income. Invariably, this diversity is one of the main reasons why the group have developed versatility in style and concept of shooting, further spiced to professional as well as personal levels by the inherent talent and skill of each member.

Majority of the members are Filipinos based in the Philippines. Some are based outside the Philippines but are connected to and updated about the group's activities and organizational matters online. Membership though is not limited to Filipinos--just about anyone who has a flickr.com account and/or who wants to be connected with the Club is welcome.

Presently, the Club regularly gathers for studio or outdoor shoots, or just to have chit-chat and relax. Of course, discussion is not limited to Photography, although the meetings are purposedly so that each member can enjoy the art of photography more fully, in a company of fellow photographers with kindred spirits.

What is FPC all about?

As was already mentioned, The Club membership is comprised of enthusiasts, semi-professional, and professional photographers who want to: (1) develop and nurture friendly relations with people sharing the same passion; (2) advance his/her photography skills by joining the photo shoots where one learns firsthand from experiences and face-to-face discussions; and (3) express himself or herself without fear of losing a sense of belongingness to a community that advocates free expression and camaraderie.

The group is guided by the values signified in the letters of the acronym "LETS:"

LEARN: Believe that learning in photography is a continuing process. Adopting the "amateur-for-life" attitude, the philosophy that one never comes to know and apply everything there is to know about Photography.

EARN: The Club wants to help its members use their talents to build a career from photography by exposure. Experience always precedes income.

TEAM: The Club functions as a team that strives to keep the field of photography fun, turning up its popularity, helping it to become a socially relevant public forum. The team also works for the Club to reach common goals, three (3) of which are laid out in the preceding paragraphs.

SHARE: As much as we want members to benefit, we also want to give back to our communities and the society, as a whole. As members we also share what we know and what our resources permit.

FPC is open to anyone who are interested to join a serious Photo Club, to share or advance their expertise, to have fun with many activities, to meet new people, and on the whole, to enjoy photography with fellow Photographers.

This blog site will highlight all the projects and activities of FPC, as well as the occassional organizational highlights. It is also for the Club members to share--not only to Club members but also to other readers--what are learned firsthand or otherwise about photography and its related fields of interests.

The blog also aim to share everything about the Club's past and present activities, including the personal opinions of the members about how each photographer could benefit from the learnings of the activities conducted by the Club. Thus, the members will also share tips, tricks, and tweaks, brief workshops (online or otherwise), anecdotal stories and other personal experiences related to the art of Photography.


Visit us at The Flickers Photo Club Flickr Group