Guatemala Photo Club Celebrates 59 Years

Club Fotográfico de Guatemala: Capturing the Beauty of Guatemala for 59 Years

Cazando peces (Richard Gándara)

In May of 1957, Ricardo Mata gathered a group of friends together to share their love of photography and founded the Club Fotográfico de Guatemala.

Fifty-nine years later the club, for many, is considered a Guatemalan institution. From one generation to the next, long-time members and newcomers meet on the last Thursday of every month at the Museo Ixchel in Guatemala City.

Amanecer en el tanque (Luis Toledo)

Tono Valdes, current club president explains, “We all have the same interest; we talk about cameras, trending techniques, share and critique photography and organize workshops.”

“Some of the Club’s accomplishments include winning an award from the world’s best photographic magazine, creating the National Photographic Hall along with INGUAT, the creation of the Teen Photography Contest, active use of traditional printing methods (film), field trip courses and most importantly, the addition of photographic images to our national register by members of our club.”

Poquito mija… (Edwin Bran)

Rooted in the values and visions of Ricardo Mata (1934-2012), who went on to become a preeminent Guatemalan photographer both nationally and internationally, club members continue to prove that though a picture may be worth a thousand words, a great photographer can produce an image that goes beyond words.

Tango en el Arrabal (Richard Gándara)

Contact information: email: info@clubfotografico.org
web: clubfotografico.org   FB/ Club fotografico de Guatemala

REVUE article by Tono Valdes