Photography Guild
Another visible branch of the Conservatory, the Photography Guild encourages and promotes the art of photography in Bosque County and beyond. The guild also serves as an outlet for the area’s many professional and amateur photographers. Each March, the club plays host to Viewpoint, an annual judged photography competition for professionals, amateurs and students. Awards are presented in several categories, with the entries being displayed for a month at the Conservatory. The Photography Guild maintains its own permanent collection in the Photography Gallery, located on the second floor of the building. Featured there are rotating exhibits, winners from Viewpoint competitions, and special lectures and workshops on the art of photography.
The photography guild was founded in the mid-1980's. It serves as a venue to promote fine art photography. Members share their art work and experiences with other members. Sharing work is an excellent vehicle to improve one's photographic skills through critical review by ones peers. Technical information is freely exchanged to help fellow members become better photographers.
The organization offers the community a valuable resource for viewing photography. A permanent collection of photographs is on display on the second floor of The Conservatory. This collection represents photographs purchased by the Guild and personal favorites of current members. The Viewpoint show held in the spring of each year is a juried exhibit attracting fine works of art from all over the state of Texas and has recently been opened for entries nationwide. It has been a successful event and one many residents of the area look forward to seeing each year.
Concurrent with the Viewpoint show are three other exhibits, the Bosque County Photography Show (open to any Bosque County resident or Bosque Conservatory member) and the Bosque County Student Exhibit (open to all ages of students in Bosque County). The Digital Photography Show is open to any resident of Bosque County. In addition, special exhibits are arranged by the club throughout the year. It is a goal of the organization to sponsor several exhibits per year.
The club sponsors group outings to photograph sites in the area. Future programs are becoming organized as educational programs. Some examples of these programs include viewing video tapes of famous photographers, presentations by professional photographers as guest speakers, discussions and slide shows showing examples of well known photographers and their influences on fine art photography.
