Tehama County Photo Club History

 Founded 2005

In 2004-05, Beth Maxey and Barbara Luzzadder were both on the Tehama County Arts Council Board. They began talking about the possibility of a photo club since Tony, Beth’s husband, was very interested in meeting other photographers. Barbara knew of a local club that had met for some time at the Dept. of Education, but that was no longer active. Beth and Melissa Mendonca also were friends and Melissa was very enthusiastic about organizing a group and knew several photographers who might be interested. From Barbara’s and Melissa’s suggestions, an email list was produced, and Tony and Beth issued an invitation to get together at their home.

The photo club first met on June 29, 2005, with nine local photographers and a couple of guests meeting at the Maxey’s. By November, the group — having grown to more than 20 members — began meeting at the Family Resource Center on Sycamore Street, thanks to Melissa Mendonca, where they continued meeting until 2013.

The name Tehama County Photo Club was formally adopted in November 2005 following hilarious, enthusiastic discussions during meetings. Early on, however, members decided that the club’s primary goal was to provide an avenue for photographers to network with each other through sharing knowledge, participating in club activities, and enjoying social interaction (or, as founding member Danny Rabalais said, “look at pictures and eat snacks”). There were no plans to either charge dues or elect officers, although some members insisted that these were necessary and pushed for it.

The first “coordinator/facilitator” was Tony Maxey, also a founding member. When he stepped down in 2007, Karen Roy Crockett and Vikki Bettman agreed to serve as “Co-Queens.” Bob McConnell came on board in 2008 and assumed the title of club President. He took the title of President to meet the Bank’s club officer requirement to set up an account. He served until December 2016, when he retired. Robert Bird then became the Club Coordinator and continued until September 2020, when he moved out of the area to be with family. Bob McConnell, once again, took on as President. He continues in that role.

The group’s first show was the 2006 Art and Wine Show held in downtown Red Bluff, and later that year, the Tehama County Arts Council Art Walk.

Originally, the group consensus was that members value the group’s informal, unstructured nature, especially through advice, demonstrations, member-led workshops, and sharing of equipment and techniques. This has expanded to include more group shows and exhibits, field trips, and workshops given by non-members. In 2010 the club started the Images from a Glass Eye International Photography Contest with founding members Bob Grace and Barbara Luzzadder, along with McConnell, serving as the Steering Committee.

From the beginning, membership has been open to anyone regardless of skill level, and membership has included people from surrounding counties. The use of the words 'Tehama County' in the club name is not intended to limit or discourage anyone from the surrounding counties from participating.

**Founding Members: Tony and Beth Maxey, Bob Grace, Melissa Mendonca, Danny and Dianne Rabalais, Barbara (and John) Luzzadder, Judi Richins, and Dave Figoni.