During meetings of Ohio University’s Society of Photographic Illustrators (SPI), creativity and collaboration were fostered in a classroom on the second floor of Schoonover. The meetings were relaxed, but the members were driven, energized by their photographic pursuits. That was before the pandemic hit.
Now, SPI meets virtually. The commercial photography organization is adapting its goals to be compatible with an online format, but that doesn’t come without challenges.
“[The goals of the organization are to] bring people together, to learn new techniques, [and to] learn how to take photos in a studio setting,” Akira Jakkson, SPI president and a sophomore studying integrated media, said.
Photography often requires a human element, and with SPI’s members spread out around the country and socially-distant, it is difficult to create this atmosphere.
Despite this, the club is trying to maintain a creative and educational environment online. One way in which they are doing this is with Russell James, SPI’s faculty advisor and a graduate student in the Masters of Fine Arts and Communication Media Arts program.
“Our advisor, Russell James, has been in the photography industry for a long time,” Jakkson said. “He knows a lot, and he's been able to do walkthroughs and tutorials on certain things, like in Photoshop.”
The organization has been recording these tutorials and sending them out to members, making the explanations available at any time. This is a shift from their pre-pandemic programming, but it has allowed SPI members to expand the scope of their knowledge.
“When we were in-person we focused a lot on shooting and getting the picture,” Averey Bell, vice president of SPI and a sophomore studying chemistry on the pre-med track, said. “Now we focus more on post-production: Photoshop, how to create a portfolio and how to market yourself as a photographer.”
Jakkson sees these tutorials as valuable and hopes to incorporate them into meetings when SPI returns to a face-to-face format.
“I think we might do combinations of what we've done in the past, in-person, [with] what we've learned to do during this virtual period,” Jakkson said. “I really like when we do these online tutorials.”
Another struggle SPI has faced with the online meeting format is maintaining membership. However, Bell encourages all interested students to join a meeting.
“We are so happy to have people come join, even if you come for a night,” Bell said. “Then you can test the waters, see if you like it or not. There's no commitment.”
SPI is open to students with all levels of experience, in any major, with every type of equipment. The only requirement is to have an interest in photography.
“We've got several individuals that are just using their phones as cameras,” James said. “And then we have several individuals who are wanting to do this as a profession, so they've purchased really high quality cameras. For us, we really don't focus on those aspects. We're trying to really hit on the basics of photography and giving those opportunities for [members] to experience things outside of the classroom.”
Although the COVID-19 pandemic has brought many changes to the format of SPI’s meetings, the idea at the core of the organization remains the same: to provide a nurturing space for all students to explore photography, specifically, commercial photography.
“It's just a place for people to nerd out with photography,” Jakkson said.
SPI meets bi-weekly on Thursdays via video call. More information can be found on the organization’s Bobcat Connect page.
