Taking photos is a beautiful way to capture the moment and allow individuals to look back on their favorite memories. For those who have always enjoyed taking photos or anyone who is willing to learn more about the art, Seattle University’s photography club is now available for all students on campus.

Joshua Scoggin, a first-year psychology major, Koshin Matsushima, a first-year pre-science major and JP Hill, a first-year business economics major began winter quarter with a determined goal. They were going to create a photography club for all students at Seattle U to take part in and express their love for the art.

Scoggin began his journey in photography when he was 13 and began considering it as art last year. Matsushima took a photography class three years ago in high school which sparked his interest and inspired him to buy a camera and evolve as a photographer. Hill has always loved taking photos and got his first starting camera at the age of ten, he then upgraded to a DSLR at fourteen and has not put the camera down since.

“When I found out Josh liked taking photos, I thought it was perfect, we go out to different places to take photos, and we thought, why don’t we do this with other people that are into photos?” Hill said. “Now we have Koshin and 41 other people who have signed up so far.”

The trio expressed their love for photography by going out and taking photos frequently, visiting camera shops, and attempting to connect with other students who enjoy taking photos. Scoggin and Matsushima were parts of social media group chats for people who enjoyed taking photos, but they felt a lack of authority and willingness from others to go out into the city and explore with their cameras, so the pair and Hill took matters into their own hands.

When beginning this journey, they went to the Center for Student Involvement and they were instructed to go to Connect SU to submit their request. They were also tasked with finding advisors who worked on campus to support the group. They eventually found photography professors Wynne Greenwood and Claire Garoutte to help them with this part of creating the organization.

Scoggin and Matsushima are Co-Presidents and Hill is the Treasurer/Head of Finance for the organization. They have broad and expanding visions for the organization that will take time, but for now, they are content with bringing together as many Seattle U students as possible.

“We want to create a community of photographers at Seattle U by linking together people who love to take photos or want to learn more about photography,” Scoggin said.

The club will have meetings every other week, along with excursions every week where members will go out and explore Seattle together while taking photos. Along with this, the club will also hold one workshop a month so that members can learn more about the art of photography.

In the future, the leadership hopes to work with local galleries to display the students work and getting in contact with local Seattle photographers who can present at the workshops and bring their professional experience to students at Seattle U.

“We are going to have various fundraisers, work with local camera shops and local events to get our photographers more experience within the Seattle community,” Hill said.

Hill’s goal is to work with the community to ensure that students pay little to nothing for photography experience at local events and more.

Alvaro Vazquez, a first-year finance and business analytics major, has a class with Scoggin and signed up as soon as he heard about it. Vazquez had previous experience with photography and thought he could learn more about it through the club. He loved what Scoggin proposed and is eager to join this group of photographers in their journey as a new organization.

“I had a camera a while back and I am interested in getting better at using it,” Vazquez said. “I was curious as to why there wasn’t a photography club and when I met Joshua and when he told me about the club, I thought it was a great opportunity to improve my camera skills.”

The meeting dates are to be determined once most students complete a questionnaire that asks on their preferences for excursion locations, important topics students want to cover, and information on materials/resources to provide for the students. Students can log onto Connect SU and search for the SU Photography club to gain access to the form as well as find them on their social media accounts.

Instagram and Snapchat: su.photoclub

Editors Note: Scoggin and Hill are staff photographers at The Spectator

Myrea may be reached at
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