“It was being in the right time at the right moment,” said photographer Harcourt Davis of his photograph titled “Playboy Bear,” which is part of a virtual exhibit of the Connecticut Valley Camera Club (CVCC).

Davis, who had traveled to Alaska for inspiration, hit pay dirt with a sleeping bear near the Bering Sea.

“He had picked his head up and was scratching his chin,” said Davis.

With years of practice and instinct, Davis was able to capture by camera the precise moment when, in a reclined position, the bear raised his paw and looked outward.

As someone who has been taking photographs from the age of 12, Davis was able to focus on his camera skills upon retiring as a chief financial officer. He joined the CVCC in 2016.

“The club is a great opportunity for learning, with the presentations that they give, with feedback from the other members, the photo shoots, everything that the club does, it’s an easy way to learn and practice a lot more,” said Davis. “It’s certainly helped me out. My photography has improved quite a bit.”

A testament to his photography skills, “Playboy Bear” was a Nature Class B first place winner in the 2019-’20 Electronic Interclub Competition of the New England Camera Club Council.

Two of Davis’s other photos, “Common Merganser with Chick,” which earned a merit award from the George W. Glennie Memorial Nature Salon, an international all-nature club competition, and “Red Breasted Merganser Dive,” are in the CVCC’s spring exhibit.

A total of 12 photographers, including Davis, took part in the exhibit. They include CVCC Technical Chair Victor Filepp, President Mary Fiorelli, Diane Lindsay, Edward McCaffrey, Marcus Maron, Michael Newborg, Member Chair Dianne Roberts, Exhibits Chair Barbara Sahagan, J. Smith, Photo Shoot Chair Richard Spearrin, and Program Chair Deb Swaney-Jones.

Club members were invited to submit up to six images for consideration in the exhibit. A team reviews these images and makes the final decision on the pieces that are displayed.

This spring, the images are an eclectic mix of different subjects in a variety of locales.

“Our members demonstrate a diverse range of well-honed skills used while traveling abroad, in local nature preserves, parks and communities nearby and across the country,” said Fiorelli. “We encourage learning and self-expression, which is well represented in our latest exhibit.”

With the COVID-19 pandemic, the CVCC has had to make some changes to its operations. In addition to hosting its spring exhibit online instead of matting, framing and hanging their exhibit photographs at the East Lyme Library, the CVCC has moved to virtual e-learning events.

These events, now held by Zoom, give club members and the public an opportunity to learn more about certain camera equipment, software, and shoot locations.

Club members are also invited to participate in a thematic photo shoot exercise, for which the subject is decided upon by Spearrin. For the month of May, members are asked to capture scenes of waterfalls.

“He [Spearrin] provides different locations where social distancing is available and we go as individuals to shoot,” said Swaney-Jones. “We share on our private Facebook page and provide feedback and a little story about our location of choice and why we shot it. It’s a great way to get feedback on exposure, lighting and color.”

The pandemic has altered the activities of the club collectively and those of individual photographers.

“I know the pandemic has certainly cut down my ability to travel,” said Davis.

Earlier this year, Davis canceled a trip to Florida to capture images of birds. He’s also been hampered by Rhode Island’s restrictions on out-of-state visitors, making photographing on this state’s beaches a challenge.

And with an influx of visitors to places like Hammonasset State Park, “it [the pandemic] does limit your ability to find spaces that are a little more solitary,” he said

As a solution, Davis has ventured into preserves and land trust properties. He’s also been inspired just walking out his front door in the springtime.

“There’s always something to get a picture of. The biggest hurdle is letting your imagination run wild,” he says.

In order to improve any photographer’s skills, he suggests “the more you take pictures, the more you learn.”

To view the CVCC’s spring exhibit, visit www.ctvalleycameraclub.smugmug.com and click on 2020 East Lyme Library Exhibition.