About Us

We are a group of photography enthusiasts, from professionals to beginners, united by our passion for the art and craft of photography. Some of us shoot with cellphones, others with the latest and greatest from Nikon, Canon, Olympus, and Sony. We extend a warm welcome to all who share in the joy of photography and encourage visitors and guests to join us in discovering the art of writing with light.

Since the club’s founding in 1951, one of our primary commitments has been to educating our guests and members about virtually every aspect of photography. Through our varied programs, we hope participants can advance their skills in all aspects of picture making from learning about useful in-the-field techniques, such as macro photography, focus stacking, and exposure blending, to post-processing in Lightroom, Photoshop, and other processing software and plugins. From time to time, we also host field trips, which give our members the chance to perfect their skills and to learn from fellow members,

In addition, we offer monthly competitions, and the chance to share with our members experiences, expertise, ideas, and promising photo locations. Whether you are a beginner investigating a new interest, an advanced amateur improving your skills, or an established professional looking for new challenges, you will be in good company and enjoying the camaraderie of one of the oldest and best-attended clubs in Connecticut.

The Charter Oak Photographic Society meets three times a month from September to May (excluding December). Each month we meet in person on the second Monday of the month for a workshop devoted for learning new post-processing skills or techniques to use in the field; on the third Monday we meet online for a judged, members-only competition of our images; and on the fourth Monday we gather online for a general meeting with a speaker giving a presentation on some aspect of photography, with topics ranging from photographing backyard birds to travel photography, moonlit photography, minimalist macro photography and much more.

Since our general meetings are online, we are able to host presenters from around the country. Our in-person meetings are held at the First Baptist Church of West Hartford, 90 North Main Street, West Hartford, CT.