Zone V Camera Club Sees Red – 30 years of Photographic Excellence

 

Zone V Camera Club Sees Red – 30 years of Photographic Excellence 

Why should such a storied camera club be seeing red?

Why not?  Red is probably one of the most expressive colors.  It is used to express quite a number of emotions.  Love immediately comes to mind.  Anger is also tied to the color.  Perhaps both these associations come from red being the color of blood.  Given that, one may even make a point that red equals life itself. Red is used when one need s to make a point as in STOP!
Red finds its way into much symbolism.  When the red portion of the Philippine flag is on top, it means the country is at war.  This was clear during the EDSA uprising of 1986.  Red is also associated with speed.  Red is the favorite color for sports cars, particularly those from Ferrari.
For their 30th anniversary exhibit, the Zone Five Camera Club has chosen to see red.  Combining their eye for composition with the technology available, the resulting images bring out the power of red.  Black and White photographs are given a red element creating a striking statement drawing the viewer into a new way of looking at things.  As the tools available to photographers improve, the possible variations are only limited by the imagination.
The title of the exhibit probably says it all. Zone Five sees red.  But they are not angry.  Not at all.  They are just seeing red.  They hope you see red as well.  Zone Five Sees Red:  an exhibit of black and white images with a splash of red runs from April 26, 2008 thru May 4,2008 at the Digital Exchange, Glorietta 3, Ayala center, Makati.
ZONE FIVE TURNS 30: a Pearl of a Club Celebrates its Pearl Anniversary
The Zone Five Camera Club (ZVCC) is celebrating 30 years of excellence in the art of photography and imaging.  The ZVCC is a fiercely independent club of photographers coming various professions and callings all united with the ideal of building on their passion of photography as an art form.
It was in March of 1978 when a group of photo enthusiasts first met and called themselves the Zone Five Camera Club.  The name they chose may have brought about some confusion.  It was inspired by Ansel Adams’ zoning exposure system and not from any zone of the city or the country.  In fact, the club is not limited by any region and has members coming from all parts of the city.  The club has even studied the possibility of having on-line entries to its contests from members residing abroad.
The club’s main objective is to provide a venue for the development of photography as a legitimate art form.  This is achieved through monthly photo contests that aim to challenge the members to view the world with a fresh, new perspective. By looking for different interpretations on the themes presented the club members hone their skills and ability to conceptualize the images they present for judging.  Zone Fivers are also presented with the opportunity to  make the most of the various media used in photography.  Be it colored prints, black and white prints, or projected images, the club’s members develop their sense of what works best for each type of contest.
This methodology has proven itself successful as Zone Five members are consistent winners in both local and international photo contests. Foremost of these is the prestigious Canon Asia Pacific Photo Contest, an annual competition where Zone V club members made it to the winners’ circle with unprecedented back-to-back Grand Prize awards in 1992, 1993, 1994. Zone V members have also joined and won top awards and citations in other national photo competitions. In  Kodak’s “Shoot-A-Fiesta” in 2000 and 2001 club members took  the grand and second places respectively.  In various On-The-Spot photo contests organized by the FPPF like the YKL’s Pahiyas Photo contests, Agfa’s Penagbenga Festival for instance; in the annual Art Association of the Philippines competitions; and in other international contests as well, like the Asian/Pacific Cultural Centre for UNESCO’s “The Joy of Sports” photo-competition in 2003. In photo contests organized by the FPPF to support regional tourism, ZVCC has also excelled.  On the spot contests held in Taal, in Puerto Princesa, Lipa, and other cities have been dominated by Zone Five entrants.
ZVCC has also joined in the production of  coffee table books.  When a  series of coffee table books were produced on the cities of Quezon City, Pasay, Manila and Makati, the members of Zone Five jumped at the chance to further their craft.  All the books were successful and have long been sold out.
Perhaps the most public aspect of the ZVCC is its annual year-end exhibit.  Throughout the years the club has been able to mount displays in some of the most prominent shopping centers throughout the metropolis.  The club has consistently outdone itself with exhibits on themes ranging from classic to experimental and slightly bizarre.  The 2001 exhibit “Pinagmulan: Pagbabalik-tanaw sa ating pinagmulan”  presented a twist on rural life. In 2003, the club  featured “The Different Shades of Zone Five”,  showcasing black and white images paying homage to the master of black and white photography, Ansel Adams, whose legacy continues to inspire the membership of this camera club.  In 2004 the club had the “In Your Face” show where the members presented a more abstract view of the world with macro photography as the focus.  Perhaps the most ambitious exhibit to date was the 2006 exhibit entitled “Wide”.  An all-panorama exhibit with images reaching up to 5 feet in width, the show served notice that traditional size boundaries of photography are no longer applicable, at least not to Zone Fivers.
For most of the members of the club, the most memorable activity remains the on-the-spot contest or more familiarly the OTS.  Limited to club members (and spouses on occasion) it is a chance for Zone Five to just go out and have fun as photographers in a different environment.     Through the years the club has found itself in the various sites around the country and metro manila as well. The manila Zoo, nayong Filipino (the original one),Corregidor,  intramuros, and many others have been subjected to the lenses of the ZVCC.  So have Subic Bay, Baguio, Banawe, Sagada, Bacolod, Mindoro, mulanay, Real, villa Escudero, Tagaytay, Taal, and the list goes on.  The OTS  offers the newer members a chance to observe the more experienced photographers in action.  In 2007, Zone Five history was made with the first foreign OTS.  Taking advantage of a special sale on airfare, 14 zone fivers made their way to Macau.  As more discount carriers spring up in the region, it is likely that the foreign OTS will become a regular fixture in the club’s activities.
Through all the activities, the photo shoots, the contests, and the traveling, what stands out most in Zone Five is the camaraderie.  After thirty years the same ideals for which the club was formed still exist. The interest and enthusiasm of today’s current members, towards the improvement of their craft, become more intense as each year passes. In the pursuit of winning photographs, members resort to creative interpretation of the subjects and innovation in approaches, ultimately learning to be more discriminate in technical and artistic values.  But Zone Five goes beyond all this.  Lifelong friendships have been formed and some romances have blossomed.  Zone Five is more than just a club, it is a family.  May it stay that way for at least another 30 years.