Community Through Coffee and Photography: A Look Into the Savannah Photography Club
Written by Alexa LoSchiavo. Photos by members of the Savannah Photography Club.
If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a photography club is worth a billion conversations. The Savannah Photography Club has become a community: a third place, outside work and home, to meet people who share the same passion for taking pictures. Each meeting gains more and more participants and creates more and more connections. This club offers the welcome opportunity for so many people to gain community, from novice photographers to professional filmmakers. It’s brought people together to share a love of not just photography, but of closely observing the world around them.
The Savannah Photography Club was started in an interesting way…through coffee. The founders and I chat under an awning at the Sulfur Studios gallery, the rain making it hard to have the normal photo walk that happens once a month. But it doesn’t stop the participants— people take photos in the gallery of others talking and chatting and are more than happy to chat with me about their love for the art of photography. If there’s one thing to take away from this club, it’s that people are at the heart of it. Joshua Lindsey, one of the founders, says he noticed the connection between coffee and photography when he was a customer at Perc Coffee (managed by Randall Patrick, another co-founder). Lindsey explains that there’s “such a through-line between photography and coffee shops [pointing out the motifs of watches and the slow process of watching coffee percolate and film develop]”. The surprising connection between coffee and photography led to an idea between Patrick and Lindsey to start a club in Savannah which patronized different coffee shops each month and took walks around each one, taking photos and sharing a love of photography (and coffee). Both Lindsey and Patrick wear matching corduroy hats (in blue and orange, respectively) with an octopus on the front. It’s a subtle note that they’re “in charge,” but it doesn’t feel that way. The club has an air of welcoming energy, inviting all to join and share their love for photos. Since its foundation last November, the club grew from 10 people at the first meeting to now roughly 1,200 followers on Instagram and new people showing up daily. Lindsey and Patrick started this club out of a desire for communication and a wish to share this “unique thing” that bonds everyone. It has become a way to bond with other people. Their goal in starting this club was to create a little community, and everyone in this club has noted that they feel it’s a community worth holding on to.
Zach Waller, club participant, said that this club is the “reason he has friends.” About a year ago, he moved to Savannah and had been working remotely. He identifies as an introvert and says that meeting everyone in the context of photography has taught him a lot about taking photos. He’s working to improve his photography right now and offers to take free photoshoots for anyone who wants it, just for experience. Jalyn Shontee, club participant, said that she’s seen this club become a “familial place almost,” giving people a sense of community in an otherwise lonely time. She started getting back into film after a first date where she brought a film camera and took photos the entire date night. Her husband, Joshua Lindsey (founder) got into film the same way, telling the story of how he took film photos the whole first date and it reignited his love for photography. Jalyn attends the club every once in a while but says that, “Josh commits to his hobbies.” She’s seen this club bring people together and notes that seeing it grow has been a beautiful thing to witness.
Some people were there for the first time, filtering into the gallery or standing in the rain, hoping that the rain clouds would soon let up and they’d get to walk through the Starland District. John, a new club participant, waits outside in his raincoat with a group of photographers. He said that he’s loved photography since he was a child and “liked pictures better than words when he read books.” He’s interested in the art of observation, like so many of the other photographers. Nick Hennig, a club participant since April, stands in the same circle outside and said that his favorite part of the club is when everyone posts their work. Oftentimes people are taking pictures of the same thing but get wildly different pictures, just due to angles. Some photographers show me their favorite works and I notice that a lot of the pictures are of the people of the club. Maybe, this club has taught the art of observation of not just Savannah as a city, but of Savannah’s people and their unique passions which brought them to this club. Another Josh, club participant, said that he likes the “deliberateness” of photography, that it brings a focus or intentionality which allows you to capture something specific.
There’s a focus in this club on community, that a shared common interest can not only bring people together, but also help create inspiration and focus on the people around them more intently. Even in the gallery, there was a sense of community, stemming from a common interest, but ultimately creating a connection that’s embedded in more than photography — a love of intense observation and focus through time.
