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ALPHA Camera Club: Unity Through Passion
What does 25 years mean in the life of a Camera Club?

When you mention the year 1986 to most Filipinos, the first thing that comes to mind is the historic EDSA revolution. EDSA and 1986 were important parts in Filipinos’ lives. But for ALPHA Camera Club, 1986 signals something special. For ALPHA, is the landmark, the beginning of what would be a longstanding organization of people who share a deep passion for photography and perhaps so much more. During the same year EDSA happened, Tony Raval and a few of his colleagues established what would be the backbone of this organization.

ALPHA or Association of Lovers of Photography and the Arts began only as an avenue for hobbyist photographers to practice their newfound passion in the craft. Primarily dubbing themselves as the Palpak Camera Club—a tongue-in-cheek name to laugh at the the group’s failure in taking good photos—the group gathered together in the Fuji YKL photography hub in Hidalgo, Quiapo to discuss and learn from each other whatever techniques they can do to improve their photography skills. The name Palpak was eventually changed to ALPHA to dispel the negative connotation that the word Palpak (Filipino slang for failure or mistake) implies. Joe Sarmiento, one of then-Board of Directors of FPPF (Federation of Philippine Photographers Foundation), was the one
who suggested to the group to adopt this new name.

And if we are to take on clichés, the rest is history.

But of course history does not stop in the establishment of a group. History takes its course: sharpens, culminates and polishes. The young photo enthusiasts who gathered in 1986 are not too young anymore. Ka Tony Raval, one of the pioneer members of the group, has passed away. Some of the young hobbyists who started the group are now professional photographers, with many accolades and achievements under their belts. Certainly 25 years is a long time since ALPHA began and what 25 years have done in the lives of this group of people.

The important question now is: what is 25 years in the life of ALPHA Camera Club? The easiest way to do this is to count the many achievements of the group: Five Photoworld Cup (PWC) Camera Club of the Year. The group garnered its first three wins in 1996, 1997, and 1998. Then again, ALPHA won this coveted cup in 2009 and 2010. Considering the number of FPPF-member camera clubs competing for this prestigious cup, garnering five cups is not a bad feat for a camera club. Several members of the group have consistently placed in the PWC Top 10 Photographers of the Year like Dewey Sergio, one of the group’s founding members, and Cris Cleofas, to name a few. Up to now, ALPHA is still an active affiliate of the Association of Philippine Camera Clubs, an arm of the FPPF.

Several photography exhibits also go under the belt of achievements of this group. In 2000, the group has successfully displayed its first photo exhibit entitled ‘Exhibit One’ at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. In April 2004, its second major show ‘Nostalgia: Laguna, Images of the Past, Captured at the Present,’ a series of monochrome photographs, was presented in a month-long exhibit at The Alcove, Filipino Heritage Library. ‘Celebrating Twenty’ is the group’s third major exhibit; it was made to commemorate the group’s 20 years in the industry. cting the very best of their travel photographs. Two of the group’s most recent exhibits were showcased at the Fort Santiago Chamber entitled ‘Biyaheng Norte’ and ‘Images of Independence,’ in June 2008 and June 2009 respectively.

Another noteworthy achievement of ALPHA is that it has survived the transition from film photography to digital photography, an important shift in this craft. Most, if not all, of its members have embraced this switch and are now mastering the art of this new technique. Young photographers must understand that this film to digital shift is a decisive turning point in the lives of photography as a craft. Young digital photographers must understand that this shift was not an effortless one as many struggled to adopt this new method. This period was a serious down time for the group. This was the period between the 1998 cup and the 2009 cup—an eleven year drought in the group’s achievements.

Most importantly, those 25 years have cultivated this group into the solid organization that they are now. The friendships and camaraderie that the group has formed with each other surpass ordinary professional relationships. How many camera clubs can proudly claim that they are bonded as a group? Perhaps many can do so but ALPHA Camera Club has that unique quality that makes you feel like their members treat each other much more than a colleague. The members treat each other more than friends who enjoy the same passion; the members treat each other like family with the same concern and same criticism as a blood relation. This unity, this sense of family, is the formula that makes ALPHA Camera Club last a solid 25 years.

While have some gone to pursue other passions, most of the group stayed intact. Some have passed away like Tony Raval and Rene Ledesma new ones like Sylvester Raval, grandson to the pioneer Tony Raval, Jonathan Cayaon, Joy Ganaden, and Paul del Rosario have arisen to take over and continue to give pride to the association.

Certainly, 25 Years is a long time and those 25 years have transformed this group to the solid organization that they are now.