“We gave out plaques to winning photographers in three different categories, including most points accumulated, best photograph of the year in each of those categories, overall photograph of the year and overall points winner,” club president Kim Bates said.
For competitions, the club arranges for professional photographers to come each month and critique each photograph that has been submitted for judging. The judge then gives criticism and decides the winner for each category, which allows members to earn points by where they place in the rankings.
The Cherokee Photography Club, founded in 2004, is a social organization dedicated to enhancing and enriching the photographic experience for camera enthusiasts in the area.
The club currently has 131 members.
Bates, also a founder of the organization, said the club is a lot of fun for local photographers.
“We do field trips, at least one per month, and their often close to home,” he said, noting that the club has also gone to Costa Rica and many major cities throughout the past year.
The club came about after Bates decided to take a few photography courses at Kennesaw State University as a refresher, he said.
“I got to be good friends with some of my instructors, and we talked a little about clubs,” Bates said, adding that there was a need for a club closer to where he lives in Canton.
“We had our first meeting in September 2004 and had 42 people show up,” he said.
The club still has about 12 of its original members.
“It’s getting bigger and better every year,” Bates said.
As a community-based organization, Bates said it was also important for the group to give back. The club donated $500 to the Cherokee Arts Center, where they have many of their meetings, as well as a $150 donation to MUST Ministries to help with their work in the community.
“We want to make sure we can help out all we can,” said Bates, who is also on the executive board for the arts center.
Bates said interest in his club comes from the accessibility of all types of photography equipment that makes everyone feel like they can be a photographer.
“There are cameras in almost everyone’s home, including cellphone cameras,” he said. “The interest has grown exponentially with the aspect of availability.”
However, as far as experience goes, Bates said the group has a range of skill levels.
“We have members who are novices and some who are professionals and all levels in between,” he said. “Most people are looking at it as something to do for a hobby, although it has actually helped some of us develop more of a career out of it.”
Bates, like many other club members, has been able to have a prolific freelance career that originated from the club. He has photographed everything from events to magazine covers and photojournalistic work. Currently, he has more than 50 works displayed at the Cherokee County Airport.
Photography has become a second career for Bates, alongside Bates Building Materials and Home Specialties, a building supply company he co-owns with his brother.
“With the housing market in such poor condition, I’ve been able to help sustain myself with my photography,” Bates said.
As for this year’s big winners, Bob Meadows of Marietta won Photo of the Year for “Salt Life,” a surfside photograph taken on St. George Island, Fla.
“It was taken at sunset when I was walking down on the beach,” Meadows said. “I like that you can see the beach, the waves and the sunset.”
Meadows has been involved with the club for about two years, though he was an original member in 2004 but lived too far away to participate.
“I like the competition and having a good social group with the same interest,” Meadows said. “We all speak the same language.”
He added that the different theme assigned by the club each month makes him shoot more often and get more involved with his passion.
Meadows has been a photographer since the early ’70s, beginning in high school when he took pictures for his high school newspaper.
“I’ve always just liked being on the creative side of things and the club is a great outlet for that,” he said.
Carole Dubuc-Ohlemueller not only won in the monochromatic print category for “The Grass Is Always Greener.” She also won Photographer of the Year.
“I feel very blessed and excited,” Dubuc-Ohlemueller said of her win.
She has only been involved in the club since March.
“A lot of people were teasing me and said, ‘Maybe you need a three-month break next year,’” she said, noting that she missed the first two months of gaining points.
Dubuc-Ohlemueller said she and her husband, Bill Ohlemueller, joined the club to get more experience and practice.
“The workshops where you can learn new things, the field trips, the fellowship… it’s all helped me to learn and grow,” she said.
Though she worked in the corporate communications field for 21 years, Dubuc-Ohlemueller rediscovered her passion for photography after retirement. She credits learning how to process and print film in college for inspiring her passion.
Dubuc-Ohlemueller’s winning photo, “The Grass Is Always Greener,” features a black-and-white picture of a horse at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, N.C.
“I love taking photos of nature—animals, landscape, flowers,” she said.
Her photography company, Pro Photos Designs, has been her new project for the past year and a half. She typically takes fine art photos, personal pictures of children and pets and also documents works of art for professional artists.
For more information about Cherokee Photography Club, visit www.CherokeePC.org.
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