Within the media of art are multiple styles, genres and systems. Paintings can be created digitally or by hand and musicians can create a sound from an instrument or a computer. Photography is no different. 
Through Louisiana Photographic Society, artists are given the opportunity to pick up multiple tips and procedures to enhance their photography capabilities and learn about photographic media they never dreamed possible. 
The origins of the society are uncertain. David Arbour, president of LPS, said he knows the club is more than 60 years old only because he ran into members of a local golf club who remembered the society from six decades prior. 
The goal of the society is to advance and promote the art of photography within the community. The group has grown to approximately 180 people who range in photography skills and knowledge. Arbour said there are so many photography techniques and terms to learn that most members view the society as a “continual learning experience.”
Each month, LPS changes its theme to focus on a specific field and style of photography such as photojournalism or showing motion through still images. The group also invites experts of photography forms to teach classes on new methods of editing or how to take photographs from difficult angles. 
Yearly dues and applications are collected once a year, and members are expected to provide their own photography equipment. However, Arbour said buying equipment doesn’t always mean acquiring the most expensive camera or lens. A few LPS members take pictures solely on their smartphones. While this may not be seen as professional, Arbour said he sees the potential for great art that can come from a palm-sized device.
“I was always impressed with the things that could be done by observing life,” Arbour said. “Any lens can be a medium to do that.”
Aside from monthly meetings and informational classes, LPS also travels to locations in Louisiana and Mississippi to take pictures of underappreciated or unexplored places in those areas.
Ken Wilson, field trip coordinator for LPS, books most of the trips for the society and said the trips are what bring the group together. The members ride together and share photography tips and tricks to capture the best images possible. To capture life in motion they attend events like the LSU Rural Life Museum’s “Harvest Days” event, Civil War reenactments and festivals such as Festival International and the Baton Rouge Blues Festival.
Recently, LPS took a trip to a sugar cane factory and discovered the lengthy process it takes to harvest the Louisiana cash crop. Arbour said it was at that point he realized the society had become more than an opportunity for good photos.
“We’ve lived here all our lives and there’s still a lot we don’t know about our own area,” Arbour said. “The society has grown to be a place to learn a little more about our history and rich culture.”
After the members return from a trip, they will take their photos into post-processing to adjust colors and brightness. While many of the photos are for personal gratification, the society takes a few of its photos and places them in Baton Rouge area exhibits.
The group held an exhibit called “Light Up Louisiana” in the Louisiana Old State Capitol building earlier this month. On Sunday, the society will open another exhibit in the East Baton Rouge Parish main library.
Occasionally, LPS members’ photos will be published in newspapers or featured in websites, but Arbour said the society is not a group of freelance photographers. He enforced that the photographs members take are for personal satisfaction and to showcase the talents they’ve picked up. 
“People learn how to see things from a creative perspective in our club,” Arbour said. “It’s one thing to take a picture, but it’s another to clearly capture an emotion or story.” 
You can reach Joshua Jackson on Twitter @Joshua_Jackson_.

Gallery • 4 Photos

Raegan Labat

Louisiana Photo Society members (left to right) Ken Wilson, Stephanie Ross, and David Arbour sit during a club fieldtrip at the LSU Rural Life Museum Sunday, September 26, 2014.