Teaneck Camera Club takes a walk on the wild side

GARFIELD — The members of the Teaneck Camera Club went on a wildlife safari in the suburbs on Sunday.

The Wildlife Conservation Center, devoted to the preservation of bats and other exotic wildlife, and the camera club, devoted to the preservation of photography as an art form, teamed up for an event designed to benefit both. The photographers got a rare chance for closeups with exotic animals such as African Sulcata tortoises and Indian flying fox fruit bats, and the conservation center is hoping the resulting images will teach others about the need to protect wildlife.

Camera club members snapped away at snakes, geckos and a monkey-tailed skink, all while comparing shutter speeds, lenses and lighting.

Members said being able to shoot to their heart's content, and compare notes with other photography enthusiasts, is the reason they belong to the club.

"When we go on a trip with the group, no one has to worry that someone will ask them why they keep taking pictures of the same lampost," said club President Rachel Katic. "Other people will take one picture and move on. Photographers will spend 20 minutes on a rusty nail."

Joseph D'Angeli, founder of the Wildlife Conservation Center, said he plans to display photos from the shoot on his walls and website to promote the center's message of wildlife conservation. On Sunday, he set up a miniature habitat on a table at the center where the tortoises, a gecko and other creatures could roam, and the photographers could have a chance to shoot them outside of their glass cages.

"Animals in the wild are more difficult to film," D'Angeli said, noting they are harder to spot and less likely to stand still.

No cellphones, please

The Teaneck Camera Club has been meeting since 1943 and is the second-oldest camera club in New Jersey. Only the Raritan Photography Club, established in 1929, predates it.

Club members range in age from 12 to over 80, but even the members who began taking pictures in the era of the Brownie box camera have embraced the digital age of photography. All of the 17 photographers at the event Sunday were shooting with digital cameras.

But don't ask them if a cellphone can do just as good a job.

"Don't even talk about iPhones," Katic said. "That's not even a real camera."

Cellphones, past President Tom Babish said, can't provide the image detail or resolution to support quality enlargements of the pictures.

The club hosts photo competitions and gallery shows. In March, members will show their work at the gallery at bergenPAC in Englewood, with an opening reception March 10.

Sean Jamar, 44, of Lodi, a member for about 10 years, said the club has helped him grow from being scared to enter his work in competitions to winning freelance jobs as a photographer.

Laura Downs-Buma of Teaneck said she joined the club after taking a trip to Morocco and becoming interested in travel photography.

"It's a good way to go to workshops and talk to other photographers. I've learned how to do different techniques," she said.

CONSERVATION CENTER: New, expanded wildlife center opens in Garfield

LASTING IMPRESSIONS: Our favorite photos of 2017

WATCH: How kids playing in a Paterson pool made a lasting impression on a photographer

The club meets every Tuesday from September through June at 8 p.m at the Richard Rodda Recreation Center in Teaneck.

The club has about 80 members and is seeking new members.

Email: verdon@northjersey.com