Welcome to the Orlando Camera Club (OCC) Website; I’m glad you’re here!

Do you ever feel like you are the only one in your circle of friends who likes to stop and take a photo? Are you new to digital photography and are challenged by all the dials, crazy menus, and settings for apertures, shutter speeds, and ISO? Well, friends, that was me 10 years ago until I found the Orlando Camera Club, and my photographic journey began!

I found a community of photographers of all levels willing to share their knowledge. I’m surrounded by other photographers who share my passion. Our club offers many opportunities to help you grow as a photographer, try new techniques, and share your own knowledge with others. One great way to do this is to participate in our club’s field trips, which provide you with interesting new places to explore and exciting subjects to photograph.

I’m proud to say that our club was started 20 years ago by Ken Blye, who is still involved today! In September, he received a Proclamation from Mayor Buddy Dyer commending the Orlando Camera Club for its continuity (2004-2024) and our Community Service to charitable organizations around the Orlando area. Community Service is an essential facet of OCC, and we are happy to provide volunteers to assist these charities in documenting their special events.

We have several opportunities to attend meetings and participate in competitions. The OCC has three monthly meetings and formal and informal competitions.

SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS (SIG): On the 1st Monday of the month, we have a Zoom call for our SIG: Landscape, Nature, People, and Abstract. You can visit each group to see which topic interests you most and attend the field trips planned throughout the year.

COMPETITIONS/MEETINGS: On the 2nd Monday of every other month, we alternate between our formal competition and in-person meetings at the Marks Street Senior Center downtown. Our formal competition is on Zoom. Images are judged in 4 categories: Color A: Advanced, and Color B: Beginners, Creative, and Monochrome. The OCC also has informal competitions where all are welcome to submit 1-2 images, and fellow members can cast up to 2 votes for their favorite photos. The prize for winning an informal competition? Bragging rights and a smile!

GUEST SPEAKERS: The 4th Monday is a Zoom presentation by nationally recognized photographers who share their expertise and insight into their specific style. Zooms have become essential to OCC as our members live all around Central Florida, allowing everyone to participate in our meetings. However, we also encourage attendance at our in-person meetings so we can build a stronger community.

Our primary mission is to educate, celebrate, and support our members. We offer Camera Academy, 2x per year. It is at the Marks Street Senior Center, provided on the 2^nd Monday of the month, one hour before the in-person meeting, which is open to photographers of every level.

CAMERA ACADEMY: Covers four areas: 1) Know Your Camera, 2) The Exposure Triangle, 3) Composition,    4) What we learned.

I would like to congratulate Stephanie Drake on her successful year as President.  I am honored to follow in her footsteps as the next President of the Orlando Camera Club. This will be a challenging and exciting new year for me and the club!

The Orlando Camera Club is where you can become involved in all aspects of photography, improve your skills, and build lasting friendships. Like me, you can come to OCC with little or no knowledge of digital photography and grow with the club in knowledge and experience.

I invite you to browse all the possibilities and great opportunities on our website, and if you like what you see, join in the fun!! My wish is that your photographic journey will be as exciting as mine!

All the Best~

Rita Ritner

OCC, President – 2024-2025