American photography organizations

Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 27. Chapters: American Society of Media Photographers, Boston Camera Club, Carolina Nature Photographers Association, Center for Fine Art Photography, En Foco, Group f/64, Hallmark Institute of Photography, International Center of Photography, International Photo-Engravers Union of North America, Maine Media Workshops, Mid-West Society for Photographic Education, National Photographic Association of the United States, National Press Photographers Association, New England School of Photography, New York Press Photographers Association, North American Nature Photography Association, Photo-Secession, Photo League, Photo Marketing Association, Professional Photographers of America, The Camera Club of New York, The Image Expedition. Excerpt: The Boston Camera Club is the leading amateur photographic organization serving Boston, Massachusetts and vicinity. Founded in 1881, it offers activities of interest to amateur photographers, particularly digital photography. It meets weekly and is open to the public. Photography was introduced publicly in 1839. For some decades practice was limited largely to professionals because it involved laborious wet-plate processes. Amateur photography in the United States received major impetus in 1880 when Eastman Kodak introduced dry plates ¿ glass plates with dry emulsion that were easier to handle than wet plates. In 1888 Kodak introduced the first flexible roll photographic medium ¿ first paper and soon film ¿ and third-party processing. These innovations brought photography to the masses. Still, camera club photography typically used glass plates until the early 20th century, when the capabilities of film began to approach that of glass. Outside processing of photographs was typically frowned upon in camera clubs until the color photography era. The club known today as the Boston Camera Club was founded October 7, 1881 in Boston, Massachusetts as the Boston Society of Amateur Photographers, and is the second-oldest continuously extant amateur camera club in the United States. The club was founded by F. H. Blair, James M. Codman, W. C. Greenough, A. P. Howard, Lucius L. Hubbard, Frederick Ober and John H. Thurston, with Thurston having the most influential role. At first, temporary officers were elected. The seven men were joined on November 18, 1881 by James F. Babcock (1844¿1897), William T. Brigham, Wilfred A. French and William A. Hovey, at which time permanent officers were elected ¿ Brigham president, Babcock vice president, and French secretary and treasurer. The club first met temporarily in the offices of the Boston Sunday Budget, and then regularly at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, at the time located in Boston. As amateur photography in the United St