New Naperville Photography Meetup Group Reaches 100 Members in First Month

NAPERVILLE, IL - The newly formed Naperville Photography Meetup Group is gathering steam, attracting 100 members in the first month and headed for their biggest outing yet.

"I was going out at dawn and dusk to take pictures by myself, so I thought there might be a few others who would want to join me," said Bruce Jones, amateur photographer and founder of the group. "I launched the Naperville Photography Meetup on Nov. 26 and had more than 100 members by Christmas! Anyone who opened a new camera this year is invited to join us to learn how to use it well."

Nearly fifty people are expected to attend their next meeting, which will be held this Sat., Jan. 3 from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. The event will be a black and white photo challenge in downtown Naperville.

Meetup is the world's largest network of local groups and provides the online opportunity for anyone to join or organize face-to-face meetings with those of similar interests. The site, Naperville Photography Meetup (http://www.napervillephotographer.com) , invites photographers, from beginners to experts, to hone their skills at various venues around Naperville. Jones schedules the outings at different times of day to capture different lighting. He plans the outings several times a month, with sizeable groups of joining him each time to capture images of places like 5th Avenue Station, downtown, the Riverwalk and the Forest Preserves. The group has also met for classroom style sessions where members can exchange ideas, learn camera basics and hold Q&A sessions.

Jones is CEO of a Naperville web design firm called Design & Promote and attributes the rapid population of the group to the attractiveness of the Meetup site itself. "I put together the site like we do for our clients, with an engaging main image, lots of valuable content and strategic search engine optimization," he said. "Also, we have a place for members to post their photos, which everyone appreciates."

For more information about the group, including an upcoming calendar of meetings, see the Naperville Photography Meetup group page.