The PEI Photo Club is a group with the shared interest of photography. During the year, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to learn, attend group events and listen to guest speakers. The club is constantly growing with approximately 50 photographers strong and many more in our open group on Facebook.

Photo Club Membership Info

(Executive)

PEI Photo Club Executive Members 2024-2025

    • President: Phil Matusiewicz
    • Vice President: Ron MacKay
    • Secretary: Lynda Morgan
    • Treasurer: Paul Merriam
    • Presenter Coordination: Debbie Brady & David Weintraub
    • Outings/Challenges Coordination: Louise Lortie
    • Photo Show Coordinator: Elaine Schuller
    • Island Trail Project – Stephen Donaldson

    Contact Us

    Committee Email Addresses:

    Our Constitution

    (Note: Changes to this Constitution were accepted at the AGM, the Sep-2017 meeting)
    PEI Photo Club Constitution  (pdf)

    A Look at the Club’s History complied by Richard Carson on April 2006

    In the beginning there were two PEI Photo Clubs.

    The origins of the first are lost in antiquity. It was in existence in 1950 for sure and I suspect much earlier than that. Some members of note were: David MacDonald, MP for Egmont; Roland Taylor, the founder of Taylor’s Jewellers; Eleanor Lowe, an art teacher at Prince of Wales College; and Bob Donnelly an engineer who worked for the Provincial Government.

    The club held a competition every month at its monthly meeting. Public showings and competitions were held annually. At least two of these were judged by George Wotton a commercial photographer in the City. George has long since retired and spends his time now growing giant pumpkins and squash. There was always a social gathering after the shows.

    The members of the club in those days, the 50’s, did color processing of slides for each other. This was quite a job since it involved from 13 to 15 steps. Print production was restricted to black and white.

    A number of the members had their own labs which they shared with any and all of the membership. There was also a darkroom at the YMCA available to them. The Provincial Health Centre at 188 Prince Street and a lab at the Department of Agriculture on University Avenue were often used.

    Monthly meetings were held at the YMCA. In addition to these meetings were regular field trips.

    This club slowly faded away, unfortunately.

    A new club arose from the ashes in 1982. This club was named the Monday Night Club. The name came from one of the members, Pick Pickles (believe it or not!!). They met, would you believe it, on Monday night. That year they had about 12 – 15 members. The name didn’t last since no one knew what you were talking about if you said you belonged to the Monday Night Club (Sounds like a bunch of bootleggers – author’s comment). So our present name “The PEI Photography Club” was adopted.

    The “pros” like Carmen Paynter of the PEI Photo Lab, Rollie Taylor of Taylor’s Jewellers who sold Minoltas, and George Wotton were a great help to the members in the early years of the new club.

    They met in the beginning at Holland College in a classroom and a few times in their cafeteria. We changed location to the Basilica Rec Center and finally landed at the Charlottetown Fire Hall in 2006.

    Our Annual Show has travelled around a bit as well: from Holland College, the Confederation Court Mall to the Canada Trust Building and now the Arts Guild Building.

    The annual show has had anywhere up to 200 entrants in the last year or two. A number of awards are presented each year in eight different categories, as well as a “best of show” and a “people’s choice”.

    The “best of show” which is the Roland Taylor award, was first won by Marie Smith.

    The Club took on the job of photographing the Red Cross Relay every spring. It was held for many years in Fairview and part of the South Shore and recently out of the Park at Brudenell. The first few years we sold the photos for the Red Cross as a fund raiser.