Navigating through the grassy fields of Aldrich Park or the sandy beaches of Crescent Bay, a group of UC Irvine students frequently aims to take the perfect shot with cameras in hand. Connected through their shared interest in photography, the Anteater Photography Club (APC) provides students with an outlet to hone their photography skills in their signature weekend events — photo walks.
“I think that what’s really valuable about these photo walks is, first of all, the fact that we have them almost every week,” APC Treasurer Kaitlyn Ley told New University. “I think the casual environment of these photo walks is really beneficial since people don’t feel as much pressure to necessarily take good photos — they can just enjoy the experience and practice their photography along the way.”
Beyond photo walks, the club also hosts occasional weekend events. Visits to the Getty Center or Orange County Museum of Art encourage students to learn more about photography and practice their skills in unique ways, according to APC Digital Media Chair Lillian Yao.
“Usually, around twice a year, we have events where we rent out a photo studio and we have studio lights set up with backdrops and whatnot,” Yao told New University. “We use this studio event as an opportunity to experiment with lighting, and then people get to use that as a chance to dress up and just get [to] take cool pictures of their friends and have cool pictures taken of them by their friends.”
APC’s roots date back to before the COVID-19 pandemic and has since grown to 50-70 consistently returning members. In recent years, the club focused on balancing its expansion while maintaining the organization’s original spirit of inclusivity, community and sociability, APC Vice President Yvonne Phan said.
“I would say that we kind of kept that original spirit or energy of being very casual, being very quirky,” Phan told New University. “There’s obviously different people with different skill levels, but I think overall, it’s more of a social club, we just happen to have cameras on us. It’s not just a photography club.”
APC’s role as a social club is among the most distinctive features of the organization, as the group’s values of community and inclusion enable it to welcome members of all backgrounds, APC Event Coordinator Danielle Bui said.
“It’s really hard to get your foot in the door with certain organizations since a lot of them have cliques, especially when you join, like me, mid year during winter quarter,” Bui told New University. “A lot of clubs have family systems with bigs and little, but because APC doesn’t have any of that it doesn’t feel like you’re inserting yourself into a club that’s already established, it feels more like you’re just joining a friend group where everyone will be your friend.”
Moving forward into the spring quarter, APC intends to focus on its photo walks while also incorporating club-favorite events, such as photo studio shoots, according to APC President Mikel Sanchez. The club also intends to provide more ways for students to showcase their work to the broader UCI community.
“I find value in showing something, especially with art that’s physical,” Sanchez told New University. “[Showing] something that can be celebrated in person and that can be celebrated with people in a physical space, especially since our club is, as we’ve all said, a very social and connected club … so I feel like that’s why I find value in trying to find these opportunities to exhibit the students’ work.”
Skyller Liu is a Features Intern for the winter 2025 quarter. He can be reached at skyllerl@uci.edu.
Edited by Kaelyn Kwon.
