Hill Country Photography Club

08/19/2026

Don't forget our meeting tomorrow when Mike Davis will share his story and images of wildlife in his neighborhood. Here's one of his exceptional images.
© Mike Davis

08/07/2026

Our eighth meeting of 2026 will be Thursday, August the 20th at 7PM. Come early to visit and share with your fellow photographers. Our program will feature one of our members, Mike Davis. Learn more about him below:

Program: Let's Take a Walk with Mike Davis

Mike is perhaps the most disciplined photographer in our club. His daily routine takes him around the lakes at Plum Creek in Kyle, Texas. He will share with us some of the wonders he sees as he makes his rounds. Photographing the world of his neighborhood has become essential to Mike since he retired 10 years ago. His practice reminds us that showing up is important. "f/8 and be there" is an expression popularly used by photographers to indicate the importance of taking the opportunity for a picture rather than being too concerned about using the best technique. Mike “is there” every day. He says, “I enjoy photographing a diverse group of subjects that catch my eye as I walk about.” Welcome to Mike’s world. While he has educational and professional achievements, his favorite title is "PAW-PAW."

Meeting Agenda

6:30 Set up and social time.

7:00 Welcome and Member News

7:10 Quote of the Month

7:15 Announcements

7:30 Program – “Let’s Take a Walk”

8:15 Member Photo Share (Theme: People)

Meetings are on the 3rd Thursday of each month at The First Lutheran Church, 130 Holland Street, San Marcos, Texas 78666

Yearly Dues Annual dues are set at $12 and may be paid using PayPal, check, or cash (correct change please).

Jim Philpott Hill Country Photography Club

07/07/2026

Please join us for our July meeting next Thursday, July 16. The meeting begins at 7:00, but come at 6:30 to visit while we get set up.

Our program will feature guest photographer Camille Wheeler discussing her project, “The Souls of Sixth Street.” Here's more about the project and Camille:

"The Souls of Sixth Street is a documentary project examining the wildly divergent intersections that create a one-of-a-kind community on Austin’s most storied thoroughfare. More than a decade ago, in February 2016, I began photographing the unhoused population of Sixth Street and downtown Austin. As I formed closer connections with people living on the street, I came to understand that I was documenting layers of community, poverty, estrangement, and addiction in relation to the everyday workings of East Sixth, a National Register historic district.

The street features the mundane and the intoxicating: The trucks making deliveries to businesses. The musicians lugging their gear into bars. The door guys enticing customers to come inside for live music and drinks. The party and comedy club crowds packing the sidewalks.

On this unpredictable landscape, I continue to shape my view of Sixth through the relationships I have built with those experiencing chronic homelessness. I have lost friends to heat stroke, cancer, gunshot wounds, and drug overdoses. On the street, I carry ci******es, cash, and Narcan. Off the street, I spend time in hospitals and at nursing homes with folks I know, sometimes serving as an emergency contact for individuals who have lost touch with their families.

Over the past few years, I have made it my mission to photograph the before and after on Sixth, a place facing certain and drastic change because of major redevelopment that is well under way.

My project is deeply personal. I routinely meet new people. And I regularly return to individuals I know, photographing them time and again and documenting the changes of life and the markers of stress and aging that I know my friends must also surely see in me.

Camille Wheeler is a veteran journalist with a diverse background in newspaper and magazine writing, reporting, and editing. Her career includes a lengthy stay at the Austin American-Statesman and a subsequent tenure at Texas Co-op Power magazine as staff writer and associate editor.

Wheeler began a serious pursuit of photojournalism in 2014. Two years later, she launched her current project: the documentation of the unhoused community in downtown Austin and on historic East Sixth Street. There, Wheeler has become an advocate for those experiencing homelessness as she documents the juxtaposition of community and poverty. Her work may be found on Instagram, , and on her website at www.camillejwheeler.com."

Meeting Agenda

6:30 Set up and social time.

7:00 Welcome and Member News

7:10 Quote of the Month

7:15 Announcements

7:30 Program – “The Souls of Sixth Street”

8:15 Member Photo Share: Plants

Meetings are on the 3rd Thursday of each month at The First Lutheran Church, 130 Holland Street, San Marcos, Texas 78666

Yearly Dues Annual dues are set at $12 and may be paid using PayPal, check, or cash (correct change please).
Link to PayPal on Membership page: https://hcphotoclub.org/membership/

Jim Philpott, President

07/04/2026

Wishing everyone a safe and Happy 4th of July!

06/28/2026

Have you ever had to resize your work for a BIG print? I had one resized to 4' x 8', but I didn't have to do the upsizing. This article takes you through the steps to get a good final oversized image. I found it interesting.

Chris Burkard prints landscape work at sizes that can reach up to 4'x8'. Large format print preparation at that scale carries more weight than camera choice, because pixel data has to expand far beyond its original resolution without breaking down into softness or visible noise. A print that size be...

06/22/2026

TODAY IS THE FINAL DAY TO ENTER THE NATURESCAPES PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST - MIDNIGHT!!

The unique beauty of the natural areas within San Marcos inspired the first Naturescapes Photography Contest. The contest includes photographs taken in greenspaces and natural areas throughout Hays, Blanco, Comal, Guadalupe, Caldwell, and Travis Counties.

06/18/2026

Don't miss tonight's meeting with our guest speaker Claire Porter. She will share images and stories of her passion of photographing horses.

Her work can be found in regional and national galleries and on her website
https://claireporterphotography.com/

Naturescapes Photography Contest is approaching fast. Details for entries and deadlines can be found at https: naturescapes.hcphotoclub.org. Pay attention to the rules and deadlines. Entry deadline is June 22nd.

_https://naturescapes.hcphotoclub.org/

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Agenda
6:30 Set up and social time.
7:00 Welcome and Member News
7:10 Quote of the Month
7:15 Announcements
7:30 Program: “Equine Photography in the Wild”
8:15 Member Photo Share
______________________________________________
HCPC meetings are on the 3rd Thursday of each month at The First Lutheran Church, 130 Holland Street, San Marcos, Texas 78666

Our annual dues are set at $12 and may be paid using PayPal, check, or cash (correct change please).
Jim Philpott, President

© Claire Porter

06/15/2026

Happy Flag Day!! And the clock is ticking for Naturescapes entries due no later than next Monday, June 22. Link can be found on HCPC website.
(Caldwell County Courthouse - Lockhart)

06/09/2026

Please join us for our sixth meeting of 2026 will be Thursday, June 18th at 7PM. Come early to visit and share with your fellow photographers.

Program – “Equine Photography in the Wild” by Claire Porter

Claire Porter lives in the Texas Hill Country, southwest of Austin, Texas.

She received a BFA from Southern Methodist University focusing on Photography, Painting and Etching. She is passionate about creating emotional equine photographs, photographing horses in all the western states, Canada, Tunisia, France and Spain. Her fine art images evoke the elegance, power and grace of the majestic Equus. And she has collected stories along with these images. Claire wants the viewer to feel something about these amazing animals, touching the heart and soul. In addition to traditional prints, she has produced images printed on scarves and wearable art.

Her work can be found in regional and national galleries and on her website

https://claireporterphotography.com/

Naturescapes Photography Contest is approaching fast. Details for entries and deadlines can be found at https: naturescapes.hcphotoclub.org. Pay attention to the rules and deadlines. Entry deadline is June 22nd.
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Agenda

6:30 Set up and social time.

7:00 Welcome and Member News

7:10 Quote of the Month

7:15 Announcements

7:30 Program: “Equine Photography in the Wild”

8:15 Member Photo Share

______________________________________________

HCPC meetings are on the 3rd Thursday of each month at The First Lutheran Church, 130 Holland Street, San Marcos, Texas 78666

Yearly Dues -
Our annual dues are set at $12 and may be paid using PayPal, check, or cash (correct change please).

Jim Philpott, President

05/18/2026

Reminder: Meeting this Thursday, May 21. If you are sending in food themed photos for our Photo Share, here is the correct email address for sending your 2 images: [email protected]