It’s not a novel idea: a group of like-minded people getting together in-person to share stories about their craft, but it can sometimes feel that way. Our monthly Photo Club feels like a new approach in these days full of social media. It’s exciting and more meaningful to meet in person. Part of it comes from being a little sensitive to gatherings after receiving the quarantine-era reboot. There’s also a certain sparkle about it, which comes from the passionate photographers who show up every month.
There are no rules and we welcome any style, but there tends to be something cohesive about what everyone shares in-person in our group. We are traditionalists. We get excited about the basics of photography: the moment and the composition. We respect photography’s power to document society. Also, our photos are wholly St. Louis, regardless if we share a travel pic, because we present that travel pic through the lens of a St. Louisan.
What can a St. Louisan contribute to the street photography genre (which is quite popular in bigger cities)? We talked about this when Josiah McElmurry shared a witty photo from his trip to New York City. Fellow Photo Club member Ryan Stanley said, “try going to events,” and we all nodded. To get the density we typically see in the street photography genre, you would have to go to Mardi Gras or Cinco de Mayo, for example. Density is helpful because it’s easier to get a candid moment. But density isn’t necessary, and we talk about workarounds. Zachary Boss mentions one his favorite photos: a portrait of someone on the sidewalk in the Grand Center Neighborhood. Boss suggested slowing down and talking with people.
Before you go looking for our social media presence… we don’t have one. We think that is necessary to keep the mojo of in-person meetings. Andrew Holman championed this idea. He talks about photography everyday at his shop, STL Vintage Camera. He comes to Photo Club to be inspired and surrounded by like-minded people. Instagram and Facebook don’t provide meaningful interactions. Holman said, “sharing in person can be intimidating, but that’s actually a good thing to work on and overcome. It’s less intimidating when you show work you’re pleased with, and the group motivates me to work harder and try new things.”
“For the past 5 years, I’ve lived across the street from Carondelet Park. It’s a wild place that’s near and dear to me. It’s where birds pit stop on their migration, and where honeysuckle grows crazy until someone with a pickaxe comes by to uproot it. Humans do all sorts of wild stuff here. I love how this photo captures two worlds: the calm dog walker and the alarming street sign – two otherwise uninteresting elements work together to create an interesting photo.” – Jarred Gastreich“This collection of photographs was taken at a celebration of life event for a long-time member of the Delmar drum circle, marking my first experience photographing someone I knew would soon be gone. The gathering was a poignant expression of the community’s love and respect for their elder, who was about to be laid to rest. The central image symbolizes the interconnectedness of the community, where the branches formed through musical expression provide support and comfort during times of transition. My hope is that these photographs convey the music, love, and sense of community that defined this celebration, and that the beat of this beloved elder will continue to resonate.” – Hank Wiseman
At the meetings, some of us point out the intricacies of composition, like how distracting objects encroach on the frame. We also share heartfelt interactions that led up to the moment, like the honor to be asked to photograph a special occasion. Fellow club members respond with empathy and share similar interactions. Some of us have never had this kind of interaction around our photographs before.
Wispy flower petals bend every-which-way in Christa Ollinger’s photograph of a ‘Teddy Bear’ sunflower. I commented that there probably wasn’t a better grouping of pedals on the sunflower. Christa said, “Honestly, if it wasn’t for the meeting, I don’t think I would have necessarily spent the time on my computer going through the editing process, but with that extra push of knowing that I would get to share this in person with others, I stuck with it and found and developed my favorite composition.”
“One week at Tower Grove Farmers Market during the summer, I was drawn to the Urban Buds tent because of the colorful and whimsical arrangements of flowers. My eye (and heart) was particularly drawn to the bright yellow-orange Teddy Bear sunflowers! I treated myself to two of them. They made me feel so happy and joyful. I wanted to celebrate them, so to honor them and the feeling that they brought me, I decided to do a photoshoot of them when I got home that day.” – Crista Ollinger“Whenever I travel for work and have availability to explore, I grab my iPhone and hit the sidewalks. I had thrown on running gear and the first stop was the Lincoln memorial. Whenever I’m in front of daily photographed monument, location, museum, etc., I always seek out moments to contextualize it. These two men delivered fully on this day. This was just one of the many selfies they were taking. This shot captures the light, the enormity of Lincoln, their playfulness, all while serving a Men in Black montage. Such a joy to see and capture.” – Laura Lakhwara“These photos were from lighting tests during a studio session. I build my lighting setup one light at a time. Both of these were taken with a single light with an optical spot attached.” – Edward Whealon“I love how this feels like it could be a very old photograph of the same area. It is my current corner of the world that I captured during a deep fog.” – Aaron Bunse“This photo of my kids pays tribute to their love of Bluey, the TV show. It mimics the Bluey poster where the TV characters are in the same pose looking out their front door on top of a hill. I made this composite photo with a series of images I took and blended them together.” – Jacob Kurtz
Jacob Kurtz works as a video artist, but he always brings a photo-focused perspective to our meetings. He says, “It can be a detriment to an artist to work on an island. I feel like when artists collaborate, share and commune, we and our art grow. I have learned more about our city and current events. Like the loss of a well known building to a fire, or protests.“ That combination of not knowing what to expect, but knowing it’s coming from a place a passion beats any newsfeed algorithm out there.
“Be there,” is almost always step number one in advice given to photographers. It’s true that some events would be unbeknownst to many people if it weren’t for documentarians like Richard Reilly. After Photo Club one day, we talked about his availability to photograph all the protests. He understands where I am in life and kindly shares that his kids are grown up and out of the house. These moments help guide my photography. I’m less jealous of his ability to be there, and I start thinking, “what can I do with what I have?”
“I took this photo in late February or early March of 2024 right after I had discovered that the roof over the nave of St. Augustine had collapsed, probably due to high winds. This was just two weeks or so before the third and final catastrophic fire that brought about the demolition of the church (the spire stands for the time being). A friend and I went back a day or so before the fire and collected broken fragments of stained glass window from the rubble inside the church. It probably wasn’t a great idea to be inside of there right after a roof collapse, but we did it anyway! I have a cool collage of stained glass that I arranged into a design that now hangs in a window in my kitchen, and colored light shines through it in the evening, reminding me of my favorite church in St. Louis. I sort of knew that day as I climbed over the rubble, and when I took this photo, that the end was coming soon for this church, and that it would be gone forever in the coming months. I was right, sadly, and my friend came back and photographed it on fire the next night.” – Chris Naffziger“This is from a rally in The Grove on June 1st. LGTBQ+ activists were marching in support of Palestine and against the Boeing sponsorship of Downtown Pride – as it was seen as complicity with the genocide in Gaza. In this particular image I saturated the color to bring out some detail on the rainbow we were all seeing.” – Richard Reilly“This is a color shot from Circus Flora that I’m excited about. The best part of shooting the circus is that I have a great lighting person. I waited for the spotlight to hit somebody in the right moment. This is it! It helped to spend time with the crew and the horses because I could anticipate their moment. I was there multiple days a week from April till the end of June. My time commitment helped build trust with the cast and crew. They knew who I was and I knew who they were. This is one of 45,000 photos that took. Yes, there is a book coming and it’s almost ready to share.” – Ryan Stanley
Of course, meaningful photography does not rely on newsworthy events. I begged Michael Lamb for a print after he coyly shared his photo of smashed tomatoes taken in the alley behind Soulard Farmers Market. This type of “ready-made” image seem so simple at first glance. It’s like Duchamp putting a toilet on a pedestal, yet it’s also easy on the eyes and allows you to stare at it and ponder everything it has to say. There’s little time to do that during photo club because everyone takes turns chiming in with their thoughts. That’s why I wanted to take it home with me.
What started as a bunch of acquaintances from social media, has grown to an engaging group of friends-of-friends. Since meeting monthly for over a year, it’s starting to feel like a big influence in my own photography. The online photography landscape is in dire need of a new platform and I think that helps keep our in-person group going strong. If you would like to join us at Clements Bar each month, call me at 636-352-5666 and we will talk about sharing photos.
“Not much thought was behind it when I snapped the shutter, other than the sunlight was really bringing those colors and textures to life. In hindsight, I’m sure I could say something about waste in modern society or whatever, but that would require a whole essay.” – Michael Lamb“This photo was taken while I was on a photo walk with a friend. The camera is a strange swing-lens panoramic camera called a Panon that I was testing. When I saw the shoe, I figured, “why not?” There’s no viewfinder on these cameras, so there’s always a little post processing.” – Andrew Holman
Jarred is known for his photography that promotes culture in St. Louis. He frequently contributed to Riverfront Times and other newspapers. For the past decade, he has been working full time to help St. Louisans find better employment.
