On my mind …

PSA Journal, July, 2004 by Carol-Ann Rogus

It's the people! Definitely! It's the people. That's my answer. The question: What do you love most about being a PSA member?

For me, at the beginning, it was all the folks I met in the New York area when I became involved in the Cosmopolitan Chapter. That hasn't stopped. At our semi-annual FotoFest jamborees and many field trips, I continue to meet people--some already PSA members, others who join. Then there are those from all over the world who attend the annual PSA conference--some practically every year and others occasionally, when the conference is held in their region. What fun it is to meet people you have read about in the Journal, whose work you have seen in articles or exhibition catalogs, or with whom you have been communicating by e-mail for several years! And then there are those whom I have yet to meet, but have gotten to know by snail mail and e-mail, on PSA business or participating in various activities such as study groups.

There's the wonderful gent I met at the Tucson conference who bought me the most expensive cup of coffee ever, because that kindness caused us to miss the bus for the day's field trip, forcing us to rent a car! There's an English gentleman who I have "known for years" but never met. He wrote me constantly after 9/11, telling me I did not have to reply, that he just wanted me to know that there were people thinking of New Yorkers and other Americans through those incredibly difficult days. I also recall a lovely woman who recognized my name at the Pittsburgh conference. She got too emotional to say how much my PSA Journal article on the World Trade Towers touched her; she couldn't quite get it out--she came over and hugged me instead. I still do not know who she was, but will remember her forever! There's the New Englander who was a fellow member in a slide study group. When I told him via e-mail that another PSA friend and I were planning a brief trip in his area, he and his wife invited us to stay with them to go shooting for a couple of days! I have lots of other stories like these, but you get the idea: the openness, kindness, and generosity of my fellow PSA members has continued to amaze me.

The Society brings together a magical cross section of individuals: Americans as well as citizens from 76 other countries; younger and older; couples and singles; formally educated and not; awesomely talented and less talented; fabulously experienced photographers and those seeking to learn; those well traveled and others who prefer staying close to home; people who get deeply involved in the variety of activities and services and those who maintain a distance. It is a marvelous mix, indeed.

While photography itself is tremendously rewarding, the sharing of this hobby makes it especially worthwhile. In addition to the Society, this sharing might happen in club(s) you join or clubs you visit, in local chapters, as well as in councils and federations.

What we get out of any pursuit is totally dependent on what we put into it. While this is hardly news to most people, I am constantly stunned at the number of people who do little more than receive the monthly Journal, maybe reading it and maybe not even opening it. Those who join PSA--or any organization for that matter--then wait for the benefits to manifest themselves will be eternally disappointed. Those who get active are more likely to stay around, reaping the rewards of new friends, new experiences with those friends, and new learning from them. So, if you live in an area covered by a PSA chapter, inquire about and attend its next activity. Those who belong to PSA-member clubs, inquire about and pursue activities that might be added to your seasonal calendar. Those who do not belong to a PSA-member club, visit one to learn about PSA's varied club-related activities. Regardless of whether you do or do not have access to PSA clubs or chapters, check out the PSA website and consult the Services & Activities section in quarterly issues of the PSA Journal to learn about what activities you might personally join, in an effort to enhance your photographic experiences and welcome more people into your lives. (See pages 36-38.) We can never have too many friends and the friends we make through PSA are especially rewarding!