LOVELAND, Colo.—With digital photography, anyone’s computer can transform into a darkroom. And the art of photography has spread with more widely accessible equipment and photo sharing sites on the Internet.
Some members of the Loveland Photographic Society attribute its growth from 40 members in December 2006 to 162 members today, in part, to digital photography.
“It’s made photography easier,” said renowned photographer Jim Digby of Loveland, a member of the club that draws photo enthusiasts from around the region.
“There’s an immediacy we didn’t have with film.”
At first, Digby was reluctant to hang up his manual camera, film and darkroom full of chemicals. Now, an expert in turning photos into modern art with computer software, Digby is glad he made the switch.
“I enjoy photography even more now,” he said.
Digby also enjoys getting together with other photographers of all levels—professionals such as himself to amateurs—and with different specialties through the Loveland Photographic Society.
Now one of the largest photography groups in the state, the Loveland society was formed in 1956 as the Loveland Camera Club.
Recent new leadership, including vice president Don Reilly and secretary Patty Stauder, and their enthusiasm has boosted attendance at monthly meetings and membership in the group, Digby said.
The society offers a wide variety of speakers at its monthly meetings covering topics such as lighting and what computer best fits photographic needs.
“There is so much to learn,” said Stauder. “You don’t need the experience, you just need the love of photography.”
Members of the group also break out into smaller cohorts with different focuses, such as shooting portraits, capturing landscapes and taking pictures underwater.
Loveland resident Nancy Abrahams, a retired teacher, and about a dozen other photographers meet once a month to share tips and experiences of taking pictures underwater.
“It’s a completely different ball game than doing it on land because you’re moving, the water is moving and the creatures are moving,” said Abrahams.
She became hooked on underwater photography after she rented an underwater camera on a trip to Australia years ago.
“It’s a whole different world underwater,” Abrahams said. “It’s very peaceful.”
While the underwater habitat attracted Abrahams, capturing once-in-a-lifetime memories of children hooked Stauder.
“I enjoy photographs of children, taking pictures of them when they discover something new,” she said.
“I love to look at life through the viewfinder.”
And with digital photography, one can see what was captured immediately, then later enhance or even change the final image on the computer.
Reilly added, “You’re limited only by imagination—and that seems to be unlimited.”
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