Through the president's viewfinder - declining Photographic Society of America membership - column

Through The President's Viewfinder

For many of us, the phrase "quality of life" calls to mind, not only tangible factors such as water and air, but also intangible factors--in particular the contributions photography makes to our lives, and the organizations that help to make those contributions possible. There is evidence, from our diminished pride in those organizations, that they are not doing well.

Loss of pride in our photographic organizations parallels the trend toward instant-everything, including photographic education and devices that "take the work out of photography." It would be short-sighted to blame diminshed organizational pride on this trend alone. But it needs to be emphasized that pride, if no longer the photograph itself, cannot be developed without work.

We grow as photographers as we work to gain new skills, as we learn to better see and make use of the rich imagery in the world around us. We also grow as photographers as we participate in the growth of others, and in the growth of those organizations whose goals merit our allegiance. When we grow as photographers and help our organizations to grow, we then grow in pride. Conversely, when as individuals we cease to grow and cease helping others to grow, that pride wanes.

The well-being of our photographic organizations mirrors the growth or stagnation, the enthusiasm or apathy, of their members. Those who feel these organizations are no longer making worthwhile contributions need to look closely, not only at the organizations but also within themselves, to see what may be lacking.

Consider PSA and our individual roles within it, especially our roles in helping it to grow. We hear much, these days, about the fact that PSA's membership numbers are declining, and therefore that we ought to be putting all of our efforts and resources into getting new members. But very little is said about the fact that PSA's membership has been declining steadily over the past 14 years. Still less is said about the fact that, despite the decline in total numbers, we enroll, at the current rate, about 800 new members each year.

PSA's declining numbers should not cause us to diminish our efforts in its behalf. Nor, in continuing the effort to find a workable solution to the numbers problem, can we afford to ignore the lessons from PSA's own past: applying quick-fix solutions, especially to problems we but dimly understand, has no lasting positive impact except to deplete vital resources. If we really want to increase our numbers on a consistent basis, we need a much clearer perception of the underlying factors than we now have. That requires a membership that both understands and supports the time and dollars that must be invested in the task.

PSA is a complex organization, one whose very operating structure often proves to be its weakest part. Management has made changes in that structure periodically through the years, some of which have been beneficial. But a number of major operational problems have yet to be addressed. Developing an efficient structure that is, at the same time, managable within the legal, financial and practical constraints placed upon it is not a goal that can be easily or quickly achieved. Nor will it be achieved without a number of false starts. Its development requires, among other elements, a membership whose pride in PSA remains firmly in place, even amidst the often imperfect strivings of those who bear the management responsibility.

Nor will operational changes, by themselves, do all that needs to be done. There will be many challenges for PSA to face in the days and years ahead, and difficult decisions will have to be made along the way. If PSA is to grow to meet those challenges, it will need the enthusiasm, the vitality, the growingness of all of its members--the more experienced members passing these qualities on to the newer ones.

In the final analysis, the contributions to photography that PSA has helped to make possible, which have enriched so many lives, did not depend as much on sheer numbers as on the spirit of the members themselves. Nothing of that truth has changed. More important, even, than the splendid purposes set forth in PSA's Constitution are those members who continue to share their photographic skills with others and who, at every opportunity and in every difficult time, affirm their pride in PSA.

Such members are more valuable than mere numbers can ever suggest. With them in mind, I see PSA as an organization whose best and brightest history still awaits the writing.

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