We’ve all seen a photograph that’s moved us.
Chances are the person who took that photo put some serious work into getting it just right.
In tonight’s Sightseeing in Northern Michigan, a group that encourages aspiring photographers to capture breathtaking images.
“In a lot of cases, photography is not viewed as art and so our mission is to really step up our work,” says Charlevoix Photography Club founder Mike Schlitt.
In a world where nearly everyone has a camera on their phone, the perception of photography as art may have fallen by the wayside: enter the Charlevoix Photography Club.
“One of the key things about our club is the sharing of our talents. We have a wide range of photographers in our club,” says Mike. “We all are sharing our information. It’s really great for someone new who’s coming into our club to go out on one of our shoots together and be able to stand next to someone who’s been doing it a long time and learn some of the secrets of what they do.”
The group is making their art available to the public through a program called "The Featured Artist Club" where area business give a wall to the club to display their work.
“For many of us, we couldn’t afford or we’re not able to have our own galleries so this allows us to have our work up. We’re recognized by several of these establishments within our town,” explains Mike.
Like at Munson Healthcare Charlevoix Hospital.
“We were hanging some artwork last night and it was after hours so some visitors were coming through. We probably had a dozen people stop and look and make comments and say how much they enjoyed it,” says photo club member Carol Greenslade. “It’s a very rewarding feeling and it’s a great thing for the Charlevoix Photography club.”
The library’s also getting in on the art.
“We think this is a win-win for all. It’s a win for the establishment to have new and fine art switched on their wall every three months. It’s great for the artists to be featured on the wall and it’s also a nice plug for our photography club,” explains Mike.
And if you’d like to join the club, they’d love to have you.
“What makes our club so special is the great people that we have and our photographers willing to give back,” says Mike.
“It’s really nice to show what a wonderful place we live in, because we don’t get the recognition we deserve from other states and other areas, so we’re trying to get the word out that Michigan is a great place to live and see, and there’s any number of amazing places to take photographs. We’ve got so many opportunities,” says Carol.
Mike adds, “We meet a lot of wonderful people along the way and it is very exciting when you go out and capture that world class image.”
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