We recently asked Amateur Photographer readers and followers to vote for their favourite photography community groups. After thousands of votes, our winner, Urban Photographers Club, was revealed last week at the prestigious AP Awards in association with MPB. Founded in August 2022 by photographer Jovis Leigh Howieson, Urban Photographers Club is an inclusive, free photography community open to all levels. The group is dedicated to a wide variety of genres, including but not limited to, street, documentary, portraits, travel, architecture, urban landscape and photojournalism.
They offer and provide in-person and online opportunities to communicate and connect with like-minded photographers. This includes social meet-ups, photo walks, photo trips, workshops, a book club, learning & development support, feedback and critique sessions, competitions and more.
Beyond regular events, the club produces exhibitions and publishes collaborative photobooks, giving members meaningful platforms to showcase their work. Urban Photographers Club is entirely community-driven and volunteer-led forming a creative collective shaped by its own members.
Every initiative is powered by generosity, collaboration and a shared commitment to helping one another grow. It’s shaped by the people who show up, contribute, support and believe in it. At its heart, UPC is simply photographers supporting photographers building something meaningful together.
With almost 700 members in their Discord community, photographers span all levels, from beginners to working photographers, creating a generous peer-learning culture. Members can join the free UPC Discord server to access event information, discussion, learning, and critique.
Jovis said, ‘Winning Community of the Year feels incredibly humbling. When I started Urban Photographers Club, I simply wanted to create a friendly space where people felt welcome, supported and inspired to keep photographing.
‘To be recognised by the wider photography industry in this way is something truly special. This recognition doesn’t belong to me alone, it belongs to every member who has shown up, shared their work, volunteered their time and supported one another. The award feels like a celebration of all of us, and a reminder of what can happen when people come together with generosity and a shared love for photography.’
The next UPC exhibition URBAN LIVES will be on display at The Handbag Factory, London, from 28 January until 1 February 2027.
Join the Urban Photographers Club community:
Instagram: @urbanphotographersclub
Website: www.urbanphotographersclub.com
Discord server: https://bit.ly/UPCdiscord
Substack: https://substack.com/@urbanphotographersclub
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