Since 1884, The Camera Club of New York has been a forum to explore

photography Photography is the art, application, and practice of creating durable images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is emplo ...

. Though the Club was created by well-to-do 'gentlemen' photography enthusiasts seeking a refuge from the mass popularization of the medium in the 1880s, it accepted its first woman as a member, Miss Elizabeth A. Slade, in 1887, only four years after its inception, and later came to accept new ideas and new approaches to the medium. Over the years the Club helped launch revolutionary new approaches to photography and nurture many photographers who later became giants in the field.

Alfred Stieglitz Alfred Stieglitz (January 1, 1864 – July 13, 1946) was an American photographer and modern art promoter who was instrumental over his 50-year career in making photography an accepted art form. In addition to his photography, Stieglitz was kno ...

used the Club as a forum and venue to convince a still skeptical public that photography was an art worthy of comparison to painting. Later, as the medium matured, the Club was again the place where the new " straight photography" approach would emerge.

Paul Strand Paul Strand (October 16, 1890 – March 31, 1976) was an American photographer and filmmaker who, along with fellow modernist photographers like Alfred Stieglitz and Edward Weston, helped establish photography as an art form in the 20th century ...

, who joined the Camera Club at 17, was introduced to a camera at the Club that had a right-angle viewfinder, allowing one to photograph people unaware. Strand used this camera to produce some of his most memorable images on the streets of New York, including Blind Woman and Wall Street. The Camera Club was also an important place to hear about new advances in photography. For instance, X-Ray photography was demonstrated there in 1898 and the

Autochrome Lumière The Autochrome Lumière was an early color photography process patented in 1903 by the Lumière brothers in France and first marketed in 1907. Autochrome was an additive color "mosaic screen plate" process. It was the principal color photogr ...

process, an early form of color photography, in 1909. In 1930 Willard D. Morgan first introduced the new

Leica camera Leica Camera AG () is a German company that manufactures cameras, optical lenses, photographic lenses, binoculars, rifle scopes and microscopes. The company was founded by Ernst Leitz in 1869 (Ernst Leitz Wetzlar), in Wetzlar, Germany. ...

to Club members. Among the important lectures held at the Club were Aero Photography by

Edward Steichen Edward Jean Steichen (March 27, 1879 – March 25, 1973) was a Luxembourgish American photographer, painter, and curator, renowned as one of the most prolific and influential figures in the history of photography. Steichen was credited with tr ...

in 1921 and The Life and Work of

Eugène Atget Eugène Atget (; 12 February 1857 – 4 August 1927) was a French '' flâneur'' and a pioneer of documentary photography, noted for his determination to document all of the architecture and street scenes of Paris before their disappearance to m ...

Berenice Abbott Berenice Alice Abbott (July 17, 1898 – December 9, 1991) was an American photographer best known for her portraits of between-the-wars 20th century cultural figures, New York City photographs of architecture and urban design of the 1930s, and ...

in 1931. Later, Richard Avedon lectured on fashion Photography in 1949. Today, the Camera Club continues to function as an important resource for photography. The club offers classes in basic camera and darkroom skills, which help nurture and create new pioneers of photography and workspaces for established and emerging photographers. Lectures and exhibits are an important part of the club's program. Since 1999 such important photographers as Eugene Richards,

Nigel Parry Nigel Parry is a New York-based photographer of celebrities, who started his career in London in 1987 and moved to New York in 1994. His work has been seen in magazine features, such as ''Elle'', ''InStyle'', ''Vanity Fair'', '' Men's Health'' and ...

, Duane Michals,

Oliver Weber Oliver Weber (born 7 September 1970 in Munich, West Germany) is a German photographer, Physician and Professor of Visual arts. Currently he lives and works on the Canary Island of La Gomera. His specialty areas are reportage, portrait and what ...

Andres Serrano Andres Serrano (born August 15, 1950) is an American photographer and artist. His work, often considered transgressive art, includes photos of corpses and uses feces and bodily fluids. His ''Piss Christ'' (1987) is a red-tinged photograph of a c ...

, Eddie Adams,

Ryan Foerster Ryan Foerster (born 1983) is a Canadian visual artist recognized for his ‘zines, photographs, videos, and sculptural installations which frequently incorporate found objects, salvaged materials, and natural elements. The artist’s reuse of disc ...

, and

Henry Horenstein Henry Horenstein (born 1947) is an American artist, photographer, filmmaker and educator. He is the author of over 35 books, including a series of instructional textbooks. Life and work He studied history at the University of Chicago and earned ...

have exhibited and lectured at the club. The Camera Club of New York is located at 126 Baxter Street, New York, NY 10013.

References

External links

* * Wingfield, Valerie
Camera Club of New York records, 1889-1983''.
New York Public Library, July 1993. {{DEFAULTSORT:Camera Club of New York, the American photography organizations Clubs and societies in New York City Arts organizations based in New York City Photography organizations established in the 19th century Arts organizations established in 1884 1884 establishments in New York (state)