Jim Keller

Interviewed September 2006
By: Eric Schoch

In 1976 the US celebrated its Bicentennial, Jimmy Carter was elected President, IU won the NCAA basketball tournament, Canon unveiled its AE-1 camera, and Jim Keller joined the Photo Venture Camera Club. He's been here ever since.

More than that, he's served as president for three consecutive years, and spent another six years or so as program chair. Now he's working as the club's treasurer.

"The club provides a family style support system," he says. "It's a chance to see friends, and to keep learning."

It's also a chance for Jim to keep teaching, and getting club members enthused about new aspects of photography. Recently he organized a group purchase (with a discount, of course!) of low-cost Holga medium format cameras. Then at a later meeting he walked the club through the basics of film developing.

Jim got started with photography in college at Purdue when a roommate with an SLR took him to the dorm's darkroom, "and that hooked me."

Although Jim has a Canon Digital Rebel these days, he still enjoys shooting black and white film, wondering how good the latent images are on that plastic strip, and developing the film himself to see what emerges. It's more exciting than checking the histogram on the back of a digital camera, he says.

Jim, his wife Linda and their two teenage daughters, Katelin and Allison, live just west of Carmel. He works in the logistics department for Firestone Building Products Division.

But on most Thursday evenings you'll find him at Photo Venture Camera Club, showing some of his latest pictures, answering questions, or just enjoying some genial conversation.

Next time you see him, make sure you take a moment to say hi!