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About AVCC  

Currently AVCC has approximately 50 members of all ages with both amateur and professional experience from 15 different communities in the greater Metro West area. New members are always welcome.

The camera club meets twice a month from September
through May on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday at 7:30 pm. On the first Wednesday of June, we hold our year-end meeting.

The first meeting of the month usually has some type of an instructional program or a member's pictorial travelogue. Photographers who have presented at the New England Camera Club Council's annual summer conference at UMASS Amherst are often hired by AVCC to do a program. Previous workshops and lectures have been supported by grants from the Hudson Cultural Council.

The second monthly meeting has print and digital competitions with different classes competing against each other for first, second and third place in each level. The individuals who judge for AVCC are from other camera clubs or are professional photographers. They offer critiques to individuals who would like to hear comments about their work. Images are given a point value from 3 to 10 by each judge for a total of 9 to 30 points.

Members accumulate points throughout the year. The individuals with the highest totals in each class are recognized at the year-end banquet in June for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place. At that time, members who have excelled in their class move up to a higher level.

Meetings are free and open to the public. One needs to become a member in order to submit images into competition. Other benefits of membership: newsletter, use of the video library, entry of their work into regional, national and international competitions, and field trips

History
A small group of people, who took an evening photography course at Assabet Valley Regional Vocational High School with Norm Eggert, decided to form the Assabet Valley Camera Club back in 1985. The group initially met in different member's homes, and they competed with color slides projected on a living room wall. Over the years, as the group has grown, they have met at various Hudson venues, the public library and the Unitarian Church. Currently, the camera club meets in the Great Room at the Hudson Senior Center. There are still a few of the charter members involved in the club. As photography has changed, so has the club. AVCC phased out color slide competition over time, added a print category and has embraced digital images.

From time to time the club hosts instructional workshops/tutorial sessions for individuals who would like to learn about some aspect of photography. It could be how to process pictures digitally, how to cut a mat for a print, or any number of photographic topics. The subjects are generated from members' needs and requests for information.

The club encourages members to go on field trips together. Some are one day trips to local venues such as Tower Hill Botanical Gardens. Others might be an overnight trip to Cape Cod

or New Hampshire. Members are also known to do a week-long trip to such places as The Grand Canyon, Nova Scotia, and Yellowstone National Park. Learning in the field provides opportunities for more advanced photographers to mentor those who wish to try something new or who wish to sharpen their skills.

The club offers social aspects as well as learning opportunities. Besides the members sharing an interest in photography, they spend time together at meetings, on field trips and other events such as the annual Holiday Banquet in December and the Year-End Banquet in June. Each year there is a special Photo Ops Day where members can spend a whole Saturday taking pictures. Activities of the day could include photographing still life setups, learning to use a green screen or a light box, or setting up portraits.

AVCC also sponsors a "Scavenger Hunt" each year, where members have a list of ten subjects that they must take within a given timeframe. The submitted images are anonymously judged by all the members of the club. First, Second and Third prizes are given in each subject based on accumulated scores as well as for overall performance across all ten categories.

In addition to the digital and print competition that happens between club members, AVCC also competes with three other clubs in the local area each year based on different digital subjects as well as prints. This is called the "Multi-Screen Competition" and is a contest with Camera Club of Central New England, Nashoba Valley Photo Club and Seven Hills Camera Club. The club with the highest total of points earns bragging rights for a year and the club's name on the trophy.

Assabet Valley Camera Club is a member of the New England Camera Club Council (NECCC) as well as the Photographic Society of America (PSA). As members, the club submits digital images for regional, national and international competition. An individual whose image scores high in these competitions is recognized by these associations with a ribbon for their winning entry. The club receives points for its submitted images and can move up in standing based on performance.

The club has also partnered with The River's Edge Arts Alliance with whom AVCC co-hosts a photographic print exhibit. Members have also exhibited their prints at Nancy’s Air CafeĢ located at the Minuteman Airport in Stow.

Members benefit from the hands-on experiences, from the knowledge presented in programs, and from having their work critiqued. They gain confidence in their abilities as well as sharing camaraderie with others who have a deep love of photography.



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