Our Clubs

The year was 1938, and a young John D. Hesselbein plied his trade as a street photographer. At the age of 24, John felt there was a need to create a club for like minded people interested in the art of photography in Johnstown. This idea propelled him to hold an organizational meeting of local camera buffs in November of 1938. The new alliance would be known as the Johnstown Camera Club. The stated aim of the organization was "the enjoyment, mastery, and furtherance of photography through cooperation, effort, and good fellowship."

Interest in the new society was good, and on January 22nd, 1940, the club produced its first public exhibition of 100 photographs at the Franklin Street Methodist Church. That first showing was the foundation of the club's traditional "members only" exhibition, which continues unto this day.

Despite all of the radical changes that the world of photography has experienced over the years, the Greater Johnstown Camera Club remains an effervescent force for area photographers in the twenty-first Century. Its members, who hail from both Johnstown and the surrounding areas, come from all walks of life and all professions. Among the current member, one finds physicians, judges, computer professionals, human services professionals, artists, and teachers, as well as students and retired people. The photographic skill levels among its members vary from beginning hobbyist to polished professional, and embrace all stages in between. The one common denominator among this diverse group of people is a love of photography.

​In November of 2018, the Greater Johnstown Camera Club celebrated eighty years of members sharing creative possibilities. It remains a vibrant force in the community's arts scene and maintains a strong advocacy for photographic excellence in both the Johnstown area and Cambria County.