IN-FOCUS PHOTOGRAPHY CLUB

by
Maryann Miller

A long time ago, Winnsboro had a photography club, but people got busy, interest dwindled, and the club faded away. Last year, Jim Dyson decided to start another club. He is a professional photographer who has recently opened a studio in Winnsboro, and there's not much he enjoys more than talking about pictures and picture taking with people of a like interest. "My wife has been listening to me all these years, and she's tired of it," he joked. "I needed to find some people who really do care about lighting, focus, composition and all the other elements that go into getting a great shot."

In-Focus Photography Club formed last March after Jim put a small ad in the newspaper asking if anyone was interested in such a group. He received six responses for that first meeting, and the group has grown to 22 members now. In honor of their anniversary, the club has an exhibit up at the Trails Country Center for the Arts until the end of March, showcasing a wide variety of styles and subjects.

Not all the club members are professionals, nor have they all been taking pictures as long as Jim has. For instance, Lexi King (below R) just started last November. She said she always had an interest in taking pictures - for all of her twelve years - but she never had a camera. "then my grandmother gave me one last fall," Lexi said. "And this has opened a whole new world to me. One day you're driving down a road and it's just a road. The next day you see all kinds of things that would make a great photograph."

Lexi said she would like to pursue photography professionally and hopes to work on the yearbook staff next year at school. Her grandmother is Sherri McAlexander, (L) who is also very new as a photographer. "I just started in October," she said. "Like Lexi, I always had an interest, but just didn't do anything about it. Then I met Lloyd Moody and he encouraged me to follow my interest. He's given me some tips about composition and lighting, but otherwise left me alone to develop in my own way."

Lloyd, (below L) who shoots only in black and white, learned his craft from award-winning photographer, George Hitz. "I only use film and available light," he added. "Nothing can get any simpler than that."

Not that he has anything against digital photography or tools such as Photoshop, he just prefers the old-fashioned approach. In fact, he does not even own a personal computer and has no plans to get one. "So don't bother to look for me on Facebook," he joked.

Lloyd owns Moody Design & Fabrication in Oak Grove, just south of Winnsboro.

The day the exhibit opened, there was a reception for the photographers, and most of the club members showed up, including George and LaVonna Hitz, who are both award-winning photographers. A good many of the club members said they owe their interest in photography to the Hitz's, referring to them as the Grand Masters.

In 2008, the couple received the Trails Country Treasure Award for their contributions to the art of photography and the Winnsboro Community. They are always willing to share their expertise, and LaVonna was kind enough to explain the difference between a snapshot and an artistic photograph, using one of her pictures as an example. "In an artistic photograph you are trying to draw the eye to one point," she said. "A focal point. I lost my focal point in this one by leaving in too much of the sky. I could take a paper cutter to this and make it better."

(L-R: Lavonna, George, Lloyd Moody)

Eluria Holland, (below L) a pharmacy technician at the hospital in Winnsboro, has been taking photographs in her spare time for about eight to ten years. She said she always wanted to paint like Georgia O'Keefe and took some art classes at Texas A&M in Commerce. "I needed another elective one year," she said. "So I took a photography class. Then I took a pottery class, and have been doing both ever since."

Eluria is a Master Gardener, and she likes to take pictures of flowers, but she also likes to take black and white photos of people, and has some stunning portraits in the exhibit. She also has this picture of her dog, Rosco, who is a Chihuahua mix. "I like black and white film a lot," she said. "But four-color digital works well because you can Photoshop."

What was very apparent at the reception was that these people have a lot of fun with their avocation. There was an air of excitement as they talked to visitors about a particular shot and how they got it. Everyone is willing to share his or her expertise to help someone else, and that is one of the purposes of the club, according to Jim Dyson. "I'm really tickled to have a club for anyone who wants to learn."

Part of the learning process for photographers is the same as with any other creative endeavor. Practice, practice, practice. Sherri and Lexi do their practicing together, and they have great fun when they are out scouting for pictures. "We spend a lot of time together and we have a ball," Sherri said. "I'll be driving along and Lexi will shout, 'Stop here.' So I have to stop and do a quick turn around."

Lexi laughed. "I call them Bat stops and Bat turns."

It takes a certain kind of person to stop alongside the road so a companion can take a picture of a post, and that someone could only be another photographer.

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The exhibit is free to the public and can be viewed Tues - Sat from 10-4 at the Trails Country Center For The Arts, 200 Market Street, Winnsboro.