One of the benefits of Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens membership is the opportunity to sign up for the Photography Club, now starting its second year. And the photo club brings benefits of its own, including a chance to sign up early for special workshops. Gardens members may join the photo club online at www.mainegardens.org or by calling 207-633-4333, ext. 101; Gardens memberships are also available online or by phone.

The $35 fee to join the Photography Club entitles members to 7 a.m. entry to the Gardens the second and fourth Tuesday of each month from May to October, when early-morning light and quiet lend themselves to beautiful photos.

Club members also have access to a Flickr group to share images and are eligible to submit their work for a late-summer exhibit of color macrophotography in the Education Center. On the mornings the club members come in early, there’s coffee and helpful information, such as what areas and plants are at their very best. At the end of the season, the Gardens will present a breakfast for photo club members.

A new benefit this year is the opportunity to sign up early for several valuable photography classes. Registration for the following workshops is open to Photography Club members now. On May 1, the public may sign up for any of these programs in which there are still openings.

On Tuesday, June 25,from 8 a.m.-2 p.m., nationally known photographer Jessica Archer will present “Mastering Manual Mode.” The class will explore the many settings of DSLR (digital single-lens reflex) cameras, includingmetering, composition, basic macro shooting, and adjusting for different lighting conditions and effects. This workshop is ideal for those who are newer to the world of digital photography and want to learn how to create photos of greater technical quality. Archer will give a presentation in the Bosarge Family Education Center and then take the group to different areas of the Gardens to practice specific skills. Those attending the class should bring a DSLR camera, memory card, spare batteries, tripod and notebook. The price for this six-hour workshop is $70 for members and $85 for nonmembers.

On Tuesday, July 9, from 8 a.m.-2 pm. Amity Beane, the Gardens staff member who manages the Photography Club, will present “Flickr A-Z.”  Using the big screen in the Education Center, she will demonstrate to those new to the popular online photo management system known as Flikr and to social media sharing how to rescue all those photos that may be languishing on their hard drive. From creating a pro account to uploading, tagging, organizing, sharing, printing, and copyrighting images, this class is a way to learn how to use a very good tool and bring a sense of order to hard-won shots. The fee is $60 for members and $75 for non-members. Class members should bring their laptop, preferably with a lot of pictures saved on it..

Then on Tuesday, September 25, from 9 a.m.-3 p.m., renowned photographer Bill Cullina will present “After the Shutter Closes.”In this six-hour class for all levels, the Gardens’ executive director will share tips and tricks for what to do after the picture has been taken. He’ll show how to name, store, and process digital images using Adobe™ Photoshop Elements. He’ll also discuss color adjustments, digital sharpening, processing HDR images, and other useful techniques. Class members should bring their laptop with sample images and have Adobe Photoshop Elements or CS5 or above already installed. The fee for this workshop in the Education Center is $75 for members and $90 for non-members.

Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, on Barters Island Road in Boothbay, is open from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily. For more information, visit www.mainegardens.org, or call 207-633-4333, ext. 101.