Florida Center for Creative Photography

The Florida Center for Creative Photography is THE HOME of FREE photography and Lightroom classes. FCCP offer over 100 FREE, in-person classes every year. Classes are offered most Monday and Thursday nights and Saturday and Sunday mornings.

Join NOW for FREE and register for our next series of FREE  Beginning Photography CLASSES starting  January 4, 2020. 

Link for Registration for first Beginning Photography class of 2020.

FREE Adobe Lightroom Classes start Summer of 2020. 

Link for Registration for first Adobe Photoshop class.

Registration for all the FREE classes are OPEN. Seating is limited, register now so you don’t get left behind.     

It's said that a photo is worth a 1,000 words.  So let me save you a lot of reading and me a lot of typing.  If these are the types of photos you want to learn how to make, then the Florida Center for Creative Photography is the group for you!

There are a lot of Photography Groups that are FCCP wannabes. But none have the history of FCCP, founded in January of 2003 at the Dunedin Fine Art Center. None have leaders with the credentials of FCCP (working and retired pro's, working and retired photography teachers). Don't get fooled by other groups, that just started a few weeks, months or a year or two ago. Join the group with the best leaders, FREE classes and the most opportunites to make photographs.

FCCP is FREE to join and their are no mandatory dues or limited time, or trial memberships. Join FCCP today and get started having fun and improving your photographs!

FCCP is FREE to join and their are no mandatory dues or limited time, trial memberships. Join FCCP today and get started having fun and improving your photographs!

The Florida Center for Creative Photography (FCCP), with over 7,400 members here and in our Facebook Group, is the largest photography related organization in the Greater Tampa Bay area.  We have over 400 photography related activities already planned and on our calendar for 2019.  Join the fun group that promises to take your photography to new levels.

Since 2003, FCCP has served as a voice for the photography community of the Florida Gulf Coast. Whether you are a photographer, a collector, a student, or are just interested in new trends in photography, FCCP is the home for you. Join the FCCP community today!

Are there any rules?  Well, not really, except have fun and do some learning.  We don't keep attendance, we don't punish you or kick you out for missing an event, we love kids and encourage them to come to all our activities, we don't require you to post an actual photo of yourself to join (heck pick your favorite photo, we don't care) and we don't require you to attend an event right away.

FCCP is the fun group that is truly open to everyone with an interest in photography and a desire to learn.

FCCP members range in ages from 13 to 96 and include people just starting out in photography and photographers with 50 or more years of experience.  Everyone, with all levels of interest and experience, is welcome at all of our events.  Our organization is family friendly and children are welcome at almost all the events.  After all, what better way for the next generation to get exposed to photography?

What kind of places do you go to on the PhotoWalks? We have on average 4 to 5 PhotoWalks, field trips, per week. We've been to many of the Pinellas County Parks, Hillsborough County Parks and many city parks. Destinations include Lowry Park Zoo, MacDill Airfest, Bok Tower, Heritage Village, Florida Botanical Gardens, Sarasota Classic Car Museum, Florida Gulf Coast Railroad Museum, Brooksville Raid Civil War reenactment, Kennedy Space Center - Shuttle Launch, Village of the Artists - Bradenton, Florida Aquarium, American Victory Ship - Tampa, and hundreds of other great locations.

So what's it like going on a PhotoWalk with a 100 other Photographers?  Well, we wouldn't know, because our PhotoWalks generally have 10 photographers or less.  Because we offer so many opportunities, photographers get to pick and choose the types of walks, classes and workshops that interest them.  Check out our Upcoming and Past Events and you'll see a great photographer/member to leader ratio.  We even do PhotoWalks for just two or three members, no cliquishness or last minute cancellations here (except for dangerous weather, your safety always comes first with FCCP).

Are all the PhotoWalks elaborate or expensive?  No, most of our PhotoWalks are to local parks and area destinations.  Most parks are free as well as the Street Photography we do in places like Tarpon Springs, Gulf Port, Ybor City, Clearwater Beach and area Farmer's Markets.  A few charge for parking, but most are absolutely free for all members.  We get to practice macro, portraiture, landscape, wildlife, bird photography, HDR, B&W and so much more.

What other kinds of events and activities do you do?  FCCP has free weekly morning meetings every Tuesday and Wednesday mornings  We meet at the Independent in Tampa and O'Keefe's Family Restaurant in Clearwater for Coffee and snacks.  Our Wednesday Lunch Bunch meets for lunch at local area restaurants to talk photography, computers or whatever the hot topic of the day is.

How come you charge for a few of your classes when many clubs don't charge?  FCCP has many free learning opportunities, not just one or two per month.  Every Wednesday morning, every Tuesday morning, you'll have an opportunity ask questions and get answer from "real" teachers, not a couple of guys sitting around that got their photo education from reading a book or watching a Nation Geographic video/.

Every Monday night there is a free Adobe Lightroom workshop and every Tuesday evening there is a free photography discussion/class.  These free educational opportunities allow you to get "real" answers to your photography, computer and software questions.

Jeff taught photography for 4 years at Montana State University and for 5 years at the Dunedin Fine Art Center.  He has 5 decades of photography experience he wants to share with you.  You spent a lot of money on your camera outfit, so spend just a little on your education and learn from the best.

I've been to other photo classes and workshops and they're packed.  There's no opportunity to ask questions or even talk to the instructor. The classes have a great instructor to student ratio. We limit class sizes to 20 or less and some of the advanced classes are limited to as few as 5 students.  Most of the other local clubs offer few educational opportunities and when they do, the classes are huge or fill up so quickly few members can register.  Our classes aren't just offered once or twice a year, but repeat on a regular schedule.  You'll have the chance to learn at your pace and have a wide range of classes, such as HDR, Beginning and Advanced Photo classes, B&W, Infrared, Lightroom, Photoshop, Photoshop Elements and much, much more.  New classes, Bootcamps, workshops, In-the-Field Mini Workshops and webinars are being added all the time.

What if I can't make it to a class or workshop? Try our Webinars and Webcasts.  We're the only local photo group that offers classes over the internet and via email.  You get live interaction with the instructors and students with the convenience of being at your home, or even your office.  We've even had students take webinars in their pajamas, how cool is that?

It's cool going out and shooting and learning all this stuff, but what do I do with all the thousands of photos I'll have? I'm glad you asked, because FCCP has a strong commitment to you and our community by getting your photographs publicly displayed.  We have an ongoing, permanent display of our members photos in several local community organization buildings.

We also offer our members several additional opportunities throughout the year, to display their work as well.  More chance to show your work means more chances to get exposure and recognition for the great photos you'll be taking. Heck, you may even sell a few along the way.

Want to learn more, or even help out? Great, we have a committee of over 25 members that oversee all of our exhibits and gallery shows and they welcome any help they can get.

So far, so good, but what's the catch, what is all this going to cost me? Most all of our activities are FREE.  In fact over 95% are free.  The PhotoWalks, social activities, even some of the classes, workshops and webinars are free.  Sure, you have to pay your own admission fees when we go to places like the zoo, aquarium and others, but we get great group rates that saves us bucks in the long run.

What's all the stuff about Dues, FCCP Supporters and Basic Members? The dues are optional and will get you great discounts and perks.  FCCP Supporters get free camera and sensor cleanings (that alone will pay for your membership and more), discounts on classes, workshops and webinars the rest of the year.  FCCP Members get some great perks from merchants (like B&H Photo and Adorama), discounts on software (Adobe, NIK, OnOne, Topaz Labs and Photomatix), discounts on lens rentals and much more.  Come to a PhotoWalk or meeting and ask one of the leaders for more details.  Basic Members aren't totally left out, they get some cool perks as well, but hey it's free.

So who organizes this stuff, leads the PhotoWalks and teaches the classes? Jeff Donald, the guy in the photo over to the left, organizes the group.  But he's not superman, though sometimes he thinks so, he's got the help of a bunch of great Co-Organizers, Assistant Organizers and Volunteers.  They help with the PhotoWalks, Webcasts, website, and they even teach a few classes or workshops.

But Jeff is the main guy.  He's got over 30 years experience in photo retail, teaching, computers and photography.  He's taught at Montana State University, the Dunedin Fine Art Center and the Digital Photo Academy, he's worked for national companies like Apple Computer and Ritz Camera, and owned his own business, IMPACT Video Productions.  If you get a chance ask him over a beer about his travels to Africa, the Philippines, and other cool places (really cool places like Churchill Manitoba, the Polar Bear Capitol of the World).

Jeez, is he like 100 years old or something? No, he just looks it, he's only 62.

Ok, so what happens next? Watch the video and get a feel for what the group is like.  Ted, he's an Assistant Organizer, put the video together and he's got some other great videos on the site as well. When you're ready, click the Join button in the upper right.  In a day or two Jeff or one of the Assistants will email you a getting started kit.  But the rest is up to you.  Sign up for an upcoming PhotoWalk (the partial list is below the video and to the right) and get out and take some pictures. RSVP for a class or webinar, or go to the New Member Mixer, there are two every month and they're free.

So what if I want to learn more about the group? You've gotten this far, so go ahead and click the button, you know you want to.  Check out some of the links below or better yet come to one of the many PhotoWalks and get a real feel for the fun you're going to have as a member of FCCP.

See all the activities class, workshops, webinars and PhotoWalks on our calendar.

See our leadership team here and if you have a skill to share or just want to help out, send Jeff an email.

Learn more about FCCP Supporters here.

See our New Member FAQ here.

Learn more about our Sponsors and Perks here.

Learn more about PhotoWalks here.

Learn about our Image Critiques and Portfolio Reviews here.

Still undecided, give Jeff a call or an email. He's always happy to discuss photography, cameras and FCCP.

Are you still not convinced?  Read what over 300 of our Members are saying about FCCP.

OK, since you've come this far, check out some more our recent photos made on FCCP PhotoWalks.