Shutterbugs find a picture-perfect way to develop skills and friendships
By Arnold R. Grahl
Rotary International News -- 11 June 2012
Parrot House at the Columbia Zoo, Columbia, South Carolina, USA.
Photo by Mary Ellis, Rotary Club of Charlotte-South, North Carolina, USA
You don’t have to be skilled with a camera to enjoy Rotary’s newest fellowship, the International Fellowship of Rotarian Photographers.
The fellowship, which was recognized by the RI Board of Directors in January, counts amateur and professional photographers among its members, as well as those who have an appreciation for photography.
“Our group is open to anyone at any skill level, from point-and-shoot beginners to longtime professionals,” says Layne Marshal, a member of the Rotary Club of Campbell River Daybreak, British Columbia, Canada, who chairs the fellowship. “We have 65 members on our membership list in Canada, the United States, Europe, Australia, and India, but that list is probably incomplete.”
Marshal, an amateur photographer, was interested in joining a fellowship where he could meet other Rotarians and sharpen his skills, but found that there wasn’t such a group. After learning that others had attempted to form a photography fellowship, he worked with them to file the appropriate paperwork with RI.
“I certainly did not develop this all on my own,” he stresses.
As a newer group, the fellowship is still developing activities, but it has an online forum for members to share advice, ask and answer questions, or otherwise discuss photography. It is also building a website for members to display their work, receive or offer critiques, and take part in competitions.
“I enjoy the challenges and rewards of capturing a good photograph, which I feel is too often more luck than skill in my case,” Marshal says. “I know there are lots of people out there who are interested in photography and would join an effort to share and learn.”
The photography fellowship, and the Rotarian Jazz Fellowship which became official in September, are among 62 recognized by RI. Fellowships bring Rotarians, their spouses, and Rotaractors together to share common interests, explore new opportunities to serve, have fun, and promote vocational development through friendship. Each June, they are celebrated during Rotary Fellowships Month.
A sampling of other Rotarian fellowships and their upcoming events:
- The International Fellowship of Scouting Rotarians is participating in a jamboree in Denmark, 21-29 July. It will be the largest scout and guide event ever held in Denmark, with about 35,000 participants expected.
- The International Tennis Fellowship of Rotarians is holding its eighth annual world championship in Guarapari, Brazil, on 29 August. Last year’s event in Bol, Croatia, drew more than 100 players.
- The Fellowship Cycling to Serve will hold its annual championship cycling event 7-8 September in La Rochelle, France. The group of cycling enthusiasts also organize and participate in a four-day touring event and several other cycling events every year.
- Members of the International Marathon Fellowship of Rotarians will be running in a marathon in Graz, Austria, on 14 October. The group organizes a marathon event in a different city each year.
View a complete list of Rotary Fellowships.