Member Spotlight: Erica Reade

Today we speak with the Founding Director of Camera of the Month Club, Erica Reade.

Tell us a little about the beginnings of Camera of the Month Club, and what inspired you to start CMC? 

Great question — in 2014, I was getting more and more serious about my photography but also feeling isolated and lost in my direction. I looked at a few clubs online but nothing felt like a good fit, and I couldn't fathom going back to school and going into more debt. So I thought about what I was seeking; a group of photographers who shot a variety of formats, that could get together once a month to share work, offer support and develop a shared sense of purpose. At the time, I was also excited about the idea of having monthly camera experiments and photo assignments, so the name Camera of the Month Club was born. For example, one month a Polaroid assignment, one month digital one, and so on. At least, that was the idea at the time.

I put an ad on meetup.com and our first informal meeting was at bar in the Lower East Side in September. I put a Polaroid camera on the table so people could find me, and to my delight, about nine people showed up. There was so much excitement about the idea and so many friendly faces, I knew I was onto something. I reached out to SohoPhoto Gallery the next week to be able to rent their space to hold our meetings, and our first official meeting and critique was October 2014. And the rest is history, as they say.

How has the collective changed and grown over the years? 

We were about 8-9 members for the first year and those original five became co-directors with me, including Marko, Mark, Huguette, Kim and Sal. We held our first show in October 2015, the show was packed, and that set off a wildfire of interest in the club in terms of people joining CMC. Within a couple of years, our meetings sometimes topped 40 people and we had to split the critique groups in two. We decided to change our focus to supporting members to develop and improve their longer-term projects, regardless of where they were in their journey and career, and whatever format they were using. We began having two shows a year, one as a member showcase and one that was thematic. We also decided collectively that monthly camera assignments were too limiting and not realistic for everyone.

The most obvious recent change has been moving CMC to Zoom since March 2020 when the Pandemic hit, with some in-person socially distant photo meet-ups happening as well. We started a new Zoom meeting series, Tutorial Tuesdays, to offer mini-workshops and inspirational discussions, including how to improve your website, what to charge, and how to stay creative during the quarantine and improve your social media presence. We encourage both members and Directors to lead these Tutorials and so far they’ve been great. We also launched a new social media format, showcasing each of our members and their work, thanks to Taranita one of our new directors. And finally, in late 2020, with so many former directors having moved out of NY or onto different projects, we welcomed three new board directors, including Carlos, Taranita, and Alastair to join myself and Huguette.

Throughout these six years, the core mission has stayed the same: to be a supportive, safe and inclusive photo community for photographers at all levels.

What is one of your favorite CMC memories?

I can't say I have just one favorite memory because I have so many, but I love each and every one of our group shows. So much work and planning goes into them, so much excitement is generated, and the energy in the room the night of the openings is palpable. For some members, it's their first experience being in a show and it's been really wonderful to watch their sense of confidence in their work grow the longer they're a part of the group, and the more they take part of shows. There is something really special about seeing our work hanging on the walls of a gallery, and I can’t wait for our next event.

More recently, all the ways we have stayed connected throughout this pandemic with our What’sApp group, our socially distant meet-ups and our Zooms holds a special place in my heart as well. Our sense of community has deepened, and I’m so proud of that. On a personal level, sometimes I take a step back and think about how far we have come since that first meeting at a bar in 2014 to today six years later, and I get a little emotional at how much we have grown as a collective, and what a special community this really is. We are a photo family and I’m so grateful for everyone in this group and humbled by everyone’s dedication and participation.

What are your goals for the group in a post-Covid world?

On a safety and logistical level, I'm so eager for in-person meetings to resume, as well as an in-person group shows. I miss talking and laughing with everyone, our after-meeting drinks, our collective work to make shows happen. I'd also really like to see more publications writing about CMC as a collective, and to see more individual members have their work recognized and published as well. Finally, I’d like us to organize a weekend retreat, for photo tutorials and workshops once it is safe to do so. Otherwise, I’d like to continue to deepen our commitment to ensuring this is an inclusive, diverse group of photographers, supporting each other’s long-term projects through critique, and acting as a place where members can learn from each other.

Finally, tell us about your photo series here.

The photos below are from my series Beach Lovers. I’ve been documenting couples at the beaches of NY since 2015, and it’s truly one of my favorite things to do. I love seeing all the ways couples express their intimacy and show affection to each other in obvious and subtle ways, and in such a public setting. I’m a huge romantic and beach bum, and this series is the marriage of both of these. Right now, I am working on my first book of this series, and I’m hoping to have it published by the end of the year.

Thank you!