About Us

Our club formed around April of 2004. At the Annual Riverside Photo Contest in 2004 some of us there decided it would be great if we had a camera club we could belong to in order to share experiences, skills, and general information about the hobby and its related aspects, such as photo editing, scrap booking, collages, various types of photography and other topics. With the help of Lynne Dahl-Fleming, Monticello Arts Council board member and owner of Design for Print, we were able to get the help of the Arts Council to form our club. Through them, we have were provided a meeting room and assistance as needed. We owe a lot to Lynne for our formation and its continued success. Founding members were Jeanne Marquette, Jean Davids and Lynne Dahl-Fleming.

Our club went through many changes over the years. In January of that 2011, we elected our first club officers after becoming an official non-profit through the state of Minnesota. Dues are $12 annually, or as we like to say "a buck a month". These dues are used for procuring speakers for our meetings. Club direction is guided by its members and officers.

We are a non-profit corporation and our address is: Monticello Camera Club, 1711 Winnebago Street, Big Lake, MN 55309. Bylaws were written and we began collecting annual dues at our May 2011 meeting. Our Annual Meeting is held in May of each year and elections are held at that meeting. In April of 2011 we wrote and unanimously approved our club's bylaws. Included in them is the process we will need to go through to make changes to them.

Each year, prior to 2018, we promoted our club as part of the Monticello Photo Show. While our involvement in the photo show has ended, we will continue on as a vibrant camera club. The variety of experience and knowledge of our membership continues to grow as well. We started with 5 people in 2004. As of 5/1/24 we have around 18 active members. About 10-15 of the members attend any given meeting. Come be a part of our growing club. Feel free to download and print our Monticello Camera Club brochure in PDF format. We accept and encourage members of all ages but require those who are under the age of 18 to get permission from an adult to join. See the Contact Us page for more information on dues and joining.

Our monthly meetings are low key and easy-going. We believe it's a time for sharing photographs and knowledge with others who will be encouraged and inspired to keep taking more photos themselves. All levels of photographers are welcome. If you own a camera and enjoy photography or just a cell phone you are welcome to join us. It's a great way to learn from others and simply to share your work with others who also enjoy shooting photos. Both digital and film cameras, as well as cell phones, are used in our group. On occasion we have club events which may include a photography shoot somewhere local or a visit to an interesting photo-related site or seminar.

Meetings begin at 7:00 pm and generally run until 8:30-9:00 pm See a map of our location, River City Extreme in Monticello, MN, on the Location page.