A new photography club, The Shutter Wing, was established on Hofstra University’s campus this past October. The Shutter Wing aims to provide new opportunities for student photographers.

The Shutter Wing was created by Aaron Gutterman, senior theater arts major. Gutterman reached out to fellow student photographers over the summer to create an executive board for the club, seeing the lack of existing organizations for photographers on campus.
Jessica Angelucci, senior filmmaking major, is the vice president of The Shutter Wing. Angelucci expressed excitement for the club’s creation, citing her love for the art form.

“I thought [the club] was a great idea because I really love photography, and I was surprised that the school did not have a photography club already,” Angelucci said.

Angelucci explained the process of establishing The Shutter Wing as an official club at Hofstra.

“We created an e-board, figured out our club’s constitution and everything we wanted to stand for,” Angelucci said. “We talked to the school and our advisor and were able to make the club a reality, which was really exciting.”

Brooklyn Mercer, a sophomore dance major, is the treasurer of The Shutter Wing.

“Our e-board kind of has one person from each department which is nice so we can have different collaborations,” Mercer said.

Mercer joined Shutter Wing’s executive board because it provides her the opportunity to combine her two passions.

“I love photography, and I love getting to photograph dance,” Mercer said. “Giving the dance department an opportunity to get more photos was really important to me.”

The Shutter Wing hopes to collaborate with other organizations on campus to offer students the opportunity to have both professional and fun images of themselves and events.

“We want to do photo shoot events and have a photobooth that people can come take pictures in,” Angelucci said. “We did that once for the drama club, and we want to do it more often – maybe a headshot event to help people have professional headshots for their LinkedIn.”

In addition to providing new photography opportunities to other organizations at Hofstra, members of The Shutter Wing can also gain valuable experience from joining the club.

“There will be masterclasses, so definitely more knowledge of photography and being able to build a portfolio and have a safe space to share your work,” Mercer said.

The opportunity to build a portfolio can be helpful to students interested in integrating photography with their career. Angelucci expressed the importance of having a photography club available to students on campus.

“I think we definitely need a community of photographers here because I didn’t know any prior to the club,” Angelucci said. “I want people to have a group of friends that they can rely on and learn with together.”

The Shutter Wing is actively looking for new members and can be found on Instagram
@theshutterwing, GetInvolvedHU and GroupMe.