There is a group of people in Sedona and the Verde Valley who like to go out and shoot things — with a camera.

The Sedona Camera Club has about 63 members who get together for a meeting once a month to share their love for photography. They also share their work, knowledge and skills.

“We also share about what works, available software or about a new place to take photos,” incoming club print chairman Wayne Johnson said.

The club was founded in 1952 as the Oak Creek Canyon Camera Club. Over the years, the club grew and the name changed. Membership includes photographers from Sedona, the Village of Oak Creek, Cottonwood and the Verde Valley.

“Our membership is a pretty good representation, and we’re always open to new members,” Johnson said.

The club has evolved right along with the technology. Until a few years ago, all of the cameras used film. Today, everyone in the club uses digital photography.

“No more darkrooms or waiting on a lab. Everything is done on the computer,” Johnson said.

Having a camera club in the Sedona area just seems natural. With its majestic, colorful landscape it’s a photographer’s paradise, incoming director and webmaster Roger Kiel said.

Activities include monthly meetings, field trips and workshops, along with monthly competitions for those who care to enter. The prints or digital images are judged on interest, composition and technique.

“Although we have competitions, nobody is competitive. The judging provides a learning experience. We also have a presentation related to photography,” Kiel said.

The club plans two to three field trips a year, with one large trip in the spring. They have gone to Death Valley, Zion National Park, the Grand Escalante Staircase in Utah and Peach Springs near the Grand Canyon.

The club also sponsors half-day and whole-day local shoots.

“Our club focuses mainly on landscapes so we tend to do landscape photography, but we do all types of subjects,” Kiel said.

His favorite photograph for this year is of a young, American Indian woman taking tickets at Lower Antelope Canyon near Page.

Johnson’s favorite photograph was a shot of an osprey making a catch in the river as it flew skyward with a large, razorback sucker in its talons.

“Everything clicked. It doesn’t always work that way,” Johnson said as he brought the photograph out to show.

Bird photography is Johnson’s favorite field. Sitting at his dining room table and looking into the backyard through the large windows, it is evident with the many bird feeders there.

“The first winter we moved here there was about one inch of snow. The dog barked and I looked out to see a bobcat come walking across with a rabbit in its mouth,” Johnson said. “There is always something to shoot — even out your kitchen window.”

Kiel talked about another snow photo opportunity. A quail was walking across the yard, seemingly determined not to take wing, and the snow was flying away from its chest.

Each year the club’s photography is on display at the Sedona and Cottonwood public libraries.

The Sedona Camera Club meets the last Monday of each month September through May at the Sedona United Methodist Church, 110 Indian Cliffs Road at 7 p.m. The doors open at 6:30 p.m. Dues are $20 a year for a single membership and $30 for a couple. Visitors are welcome.

New members are also welcome.

“We’d like more young people. We try to accommodate for those who still work or go to school as much as we can,” Johnson said.