USER GROUPS 

The Photography Club of Sun City has several user groups to further our “Friends Helping Friends” objective. The user groups meet members’ specific needs and are open to all members with no additional charge, except for studio materials when used. These like-minded people share information and experience regarding equipment, techniques, and post-processing.

Black and White
Black and white has long been a favorite medium of fine art photographers due to the emphasis on space, form, line, and texture. In this interest group, we critique the works of 20th and 21st century black and white photographers as well as discuss our own photographic works. 4th Thursday 1-3 p.m. Contact Doug Scott, deraildh2@aol.com for information.

Canon – R Mirrorless
This is a forum for Canon mirrorless camera users to learn and share their knowledge about the capabilities of Canon mirrorless cameras, lenses, and accessories. Field trips are also planned. We meet the 3rd Monday of every month at 1:00 PM. Contact John Burrack, john.burrack@me.com for information.

Register: PCSC Canon R-Usergroup Contact List 

CLIC (Creative Learning Insights Community)
To create a community of photographers who want to explore their craft through creative discovery, experimentation, post processing and peer review. Camera or cell phone users who have taken at least Photography Fundamentals 100 will benefit more from this user group. It will be helpful if you have experience with settings beyond auto and some post processing. At each meeting, we’ll go through submitted images and all group members will be expected and encouraged to provide constructive feedback to the photographer, suitable to their skill set level. 4th Monday 2-4 pm. Contact Dale Methven, dalemethven@aol.com for information.

Critique User Group
Led by Rich Matheny, this group offers members an opportunity to share their photographs, receive constructive feedback, and learn from one another. Members are encouraged to submit two images of any subject each month and participate in the discussion. We meet the 3rd Friday of each month from 2–4 p.m. in the Photography Studio. Email JPG images to critiquepcschh@gmail.com by Thursday evening before the meeting.

Before emailing, please rename each image file to include your name and the photo’s title—for example: Sophia-Pretty Boy 1.jpg. Your name and title must appear in the filename itself, not just in the email.

Contact Rich Matheny at richardmatheny1@gmail.com for information.

Composition User Group
This group is designed as a next step for Fundamentals students and other non-experts. The focus is on good composition, not monthly competition themes. Critiques of assignments and/or shooting expeditions may be included. 2nd Thursday 1-3 p.m. Contact Dale Methven, dalemethven@aol.com for information.

Lightroom User Group
This group is designed especially for members who are intermediate to advance Lightroom and Lightroom Classic users.  Features include advanced topics, hand-on editing sessions, fun editing challenges, creative projects and opportunities for members to share tips and present techniques to the group.  An active Lightroom subscription is recommended. We meet the 3rd Thursday of each month starting September 2026 from 1:00 – 3:00 in the studio.  Send an email to Marshall Ponzi (marshall.ponzi@gmail.com) to be added to the emailing list.  

Lumix
The Lumix User group will no longer meet monthly. We will continue to offer help and guidance as requested and may resume our popular field trips in the spring of 2025. For help with your Lumix, please feel free to contact Bob Kampwirth (630) 258-0924 or Freddi Hoffmann (860) 841-8586.

Nikon 
This is a forum for Nikon camera users to learn and share their knowledge about the capabilities of Nikon  cameras of all types, lenses, and accessories. Field trips are also planned. We meet the 2nd Friday of every month at 10:30 AM in the Photography studio. No meetings June-August.  Contact Bob Seltzer robertseltzer6378@gmail.com for information.

Phone Camera
We focus on various functions of Phone Cameras. This is an informal forum for Phone Camera users to learn and also share their knowledge about the capabilities of their camera. The group determines topics of interest for future meetings. Plan to share a photo taken with your phone with the group. This group meets on ZOOM on the first Wednesday of every month at 1:30 p.m. Contact Sue Flynn at sueparkerflynn@gmail.com to be added to the group email list.

Sony – Mirrorless

The Sony mirrorless camera user group was formed to give photographers using Sony mirrorless camera equipment a place to share and increase their knowledge. The group meets every 4th Thursday from 10 AM to Noon in the studio. In addition to the studio meetings, there are planned local field trips. 

Contact Everett Denning, etdenning@gmail.com or Stan Holz, saholz@icloud.com for information and to get on our mailing list.

Photo Fundamentals Users Group
This group is designed especially for members who are new to photography or just beginning to explore our monthly competitions. The Photo Fundamentals Users Group (PFUG) offers a welcoming, supportive, and fun environment where participants can learn to see and evaluate photographic art – both in their own images and in the work of others.  Whether you shoot with a DSLR full of lenses or the camera on your phone, this group is all about the photographs you create and the stories they tell.
Send an email to Tom Mills (millstom73@gmail.com) with PFUG in the title line to be added to the emailing list.  

Visionaries in Photography (VIP) 
VIP is a group dedicated to exploring and appreciating photography as an art form by drawing inspiration from renowned photographers. Members actively contribute by presenting their favorite photographers, fostering discussion and creative exchange. The group meets via Zoom every third Wednesday of the month at 7 PM. Contact Shashi Cooduvalli (shashi323@gmail.com) or Dale Methven (dalemethven@aol.com) for further details.