The Photography Club has taken photos for events such as the BSA Ebony Ball and LASA x CCE Carnaval.
Photo courtesy of the USF Photography Club
By Julia Ferrara
Photography is more than just lighting and composition, it’s an art form that can serve as a tool for community building, which the University of South Florida St. Peterburg’s newest club is using it for.
Started by president Alexa Smith, co-vice presidents Chloe Reverendo and Kenzie Dao, secretary, Lilli Lohmann and treasurer Elise Prophete.
The USF Photography Club was created to bring together photographers of all type of experience and skills.
Smith, a freshman digital communication and multimedia journalism major, got into photography in middle school after taking a few classes.
She started her own photography business taking portraits and knew she wanted to continue taking photos once she got to college.
“I will definitely continue it as a career,” Smith said. “Since my major is journalism, I’d like to incorporate that into my career as well.”
For Reverendo, a freshman health sciences major, photography is more of a hobby. She also got her start in middle school and took an AP class in high school, which taught her the more technical side of photography.
“I think I’ve always loved photography, and we have people in my family that do photography,” Reverendo said.
Smith (right) and Reverendo (left) serve as the president and co-vice president of the club. Photo courtesy of the USF Photography Club.
The two, along with the rest of the executive board, want to create community through photography.
“I want to help people expand in their creative abilities and give people feedback as well,” Smith said. “If they’re unsure or not confident in their photos, I want to have a community of people to uplift each other and support each other.”
Reverendo said that skill doesn’t matter to them — they just want people to come out and try something new, and the club gives students the space to do that.
“People who want to build careers out of it, they can learn how to take better photos and how to [create] a portfolio, or even ask advice from, now, an entrepreneur,” Reverendo said referring to Smith.
Reverendo said that the club also wants to give students the chance to see the city.
“We can take [students] around St. Pete, let them get to know the city that they’re living in, so you’re not just attending school, but actually being part of the community,” Reverendo said.
So far, the club has covered several events, such as Ebony Ball, hosted by the Black Student Association (BSA) and Carnaval, hosted by the Latin American Student Associate (LASA) and the Caribbean Culture Exchange (CCE).
They also took headshots for another new club on campus, the Musical Theatre Club.
Smith shared that they have had many other clubs and organizations reach out to them for coverage and collaborations.
“I think that’s really big for us,” Smith said.
“Our goal is to eventually help open these opportunities to our members, so they can actually get real experience through the events,” Reverendo told The Crow’s Nest.
Before even hosting their first general interest meeting, Smith shared that they’ve heard a lot of students talking about the club.
With the lack of photography classes at this campus, students often don’t have an opportunity to gain some hands-on experience and pick up new skills.
Smith hopes that by next semester they can host a few of their own events, such as photography showcases, contests and photo walks to build more campus engagement and grow their club.
Reverendo echoed this sentiment and added that getting involved is incredibly important to the college experience.
“I feel like being a part of clubs really helps you grow as a person… and makes you a more well-rounded person,” Reverendo said.
The club’s first official meeting was held on March 11. Students who are interested in joining aren’t required to have equipment of their own, but the club will not be supplying cameras.
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Written by: Julia Ferrara on March 24, 2026.on March 23, 2026.