By Sarah Kuper
What started as a night school class became a lifelong hobby for amateur photographer Ken Gables.
Now president of the Shades Valley Camera Club, Gables says photography gives him a creative outlet he doesn’t get from his day job as a physical therapist.
The Shades Valley Camera Club isn’t just a casual meet-up of photography enthusiasts. The club was established in 1954 and met twice a month at the Homewood Public Library until recently, when the club switched to gathering at the Vestavia Hills Public Library.
“We started to need more electronics and equipment as photography changed. The Vestavia library is just a little newer,” he said.
Gables emphasizes that the camera club is open to anyone, at any skill level.
“It’s a hobbyist club – not a professional guild. We are learners.”
Currently, the club has 114 members. The first meeting of the month is always a contest of some kind.
Gables said people submit their photos in a series of categories and the club brings in a professional to judge.
Winners get exposure through the club’s website and they may go on to enter other area contests.
Categories include color, black and white, scenic prints and artistic prints.
“The photography style is pretty conservative, nothing too edgy. I’d say we are ‘family friendly,’” Gables said.
For his work, Gables enjoys landscape photography.
“I especially like scenes with some sort of moving water,” he said.
Gables has entered his work in contests and exhibited in small venues. He has taken his photographs to art shows and fairs in the area.
The Shades Valley Camera Club usually brings a speaker or hosts a workshop during its second meeting of the month.
On Feb. 18, internationally known wildlife and nature photographer Tom Ulrich will be speaking at the Library in the Forest in Vestavia Hills.
Gables said it isn’t the first time Ulrich has spoken to the group.
“He is a friend of one of our members and he is kind enough to come talk with us about once a year,” Gables said.
Though the club is open to anyone, Gables does say there seems to be a “type” when it comes to the Shades Valley Camera Club.
“You might think that it is a 50-70 year-olds man club. But it is just that young people have more diverse priorities. As people approach retirement, they are looking for a late-in-life outlet for travels and creativity,” he said.
For more information on the Shades Valley Camera Club, visit shadesvalleycameraclub.com.
