The UNC Wilmington Photography Club, which features opportunities like working in the campus dark room and conducting art critiques, hopes to continue successful events this year.

Joining the UNCW Photography Club does not require professional photography skills. Anyone with an interest in photography can become a member. The organization provides an opportunity for students with no experience in photography to learn effective photo-taking skills. In addition, it allows students who have experience in photography to hone their skills.

Senior Kristen Hutchinson serves as president of the organization.

“You don’t have to have a camera. You can have a phone or anything,” Hutchinson said. “It’s for anybody who likes photography.”

The club holds many events. For example, workshops occur at various times throughout each semester. These workshops give useful tips and critiques to members of the club or anyone who chooses to attend. Additionally, the club holds contests on both Facebook and Instagram, creating a campus-wide contest called Big Picture. The club aims to be laid back and fun.

“We hang out and take pictures,” Hutchinson said. “We try to keep it a hang-out type of club. Anybody on campus can get involved.”

Like other clubs on campus, a large part of the Photography Club consists of meeting new people, making friends and creating lifelong memories.

Lindsey Koch, dark room manager, particularly enjoys going on trips to take photographs.

“All of the people in the club are awesome,” dark room manager Lindsey Koch said. “Some of the trips that we have taken have been the best memories of my college career.”

The aspects that make the club unique include the dark room. Two student managers, Lindsey Koch and Erin Meyer, run the dark room. They help students develop negatives and produce pictures. Students have the opportunity to take advantage of the dark room, allowing them to be a part of the picture-making process.

“I think it’s exciting to see when someone first learns to develop the film,” Koch said. “They get really into it.”

Developing negatives and pictures gives an exclusive, hands-on experience that, otherwise, students could not experience without the Photography Club resources. In order to be a part of the Photography Club and to use these resources, a due of $10 is required.

“People don’t typically develop negatives,” Meyer said. “That’s why I like developing the negatives. A lot of people don’t have the resources. People want to see the photo immediately rather than develop it themselves.”

People prefer having their pictures developed right away rather than taking the time to personally develop them. This makes dark rooms exceptional; only a select number of people choose to use them. The photographs developed in the dark room include a wide variety—landscapes, portraits, and even photos taken for fun.

“I like that you are in charge of how the photo goes. It’s all your own,” Meyer said. “This process takes an hour, maybe. You put more effort and work into it. It’s more involved than just sitting on a computer.”

When students become members of the photography club, they gain access to the chemicals used to develop negatives. Furthermore, as a goal of the photography club, the dark room managers try to make the dark room a fun, laid-back environment.

“It’s really fun to tell ghost stories in here when all of the lights are out,” Meyer said. “Being in the small, dark room, it freaks people out to tell ghost stories.”

The Photography Club, which includes the dark room, is open to any UNCW student, providing them with a fun, enriching learning experience.