Join the club?
Welcome to TT-kamerat!
TT-kamerat is a club for all students of Tampere University and Tampere University of Applied Sciences who are interested in photography. The club's roots are in the teekkari community of Hervanta campus, but students from all Tampere University campuses and TAMK are welcome!
You do not need any previous photography experience or a camera of your own to get involved. An interest in photography is enough!
At TT-kamerat, you can start photography from scratch or continue your existing hobby with fellow students. New photographers can attend courses and learn from experienced club members. All the club’s photography gear is available for members to borrow, so you can try photography without investing in your own gear.
You can take part in club activities according to your interests and schedule. Membership comes with no obligation to volunteer for anything. You are welcome to focus on your own photography projects, attend courses or enjoy the coffee at the clubroom. The club has a dedicated board that takes care of running its activities!
The membership fee is €5 per academic year. Gear loaning is included in the membership fee once you have accepted the gear loan agreement.
What can you do at TT-kamerat?
Learn photography and start a new hobby
Borrowing the club’s camera gear lets you learn photography on a student budget. The board and experienced members have plenty of advice and tips to share. The clubroom also has an editing computer with Lightroom and Photoshop available for members to use.
Our introductory photography course, held every autumn, is a great place to start.
How to get started: Drop by darkroom-on-duty and tell us what you are interested in.
Try event photography
TT-kamerat photographs student events in Tampere. Usually, two to four photographers attend each photography gig, so a new photographer is never sent out alone. On your first gigs, you can take your time getting a feel for event photography. You can try it with very little photography experience, as the experienced photographers take responsibility for delivering the agreed photos.
Photography gigs are unpaid, but you get to photograph interesting events and can often enjoy volunteer perks provided by the organisers.
How to join your first photography gig:
- Join the event photographers’ group.
- Find the photography gig calendar in the group’s pinned messages and sign up for a gig that interests you.
- Join the gig’s chat group using the link in the calendar. Let the other photographers know that it is your first gig and tell them a little about your photography experience so they can help you.
Try film photography
nterest in film photography keeps growing, and this is reflected in the club’s activities! You can try film photography from scratch: the club has film cameras available to borrow and a separate film developing room for developing, scanning and printing from film. Film is usually available to buy at the clubroom. Developing a roll typically costs around €2, depending on the chemicals used. Our film officer and other film photographers are happy to help you learn the whole process.
How to get started: Message the film officer, attend a film workshop or ask for help in the Official chat.
Make yourself at home with coffee and fellow photographers
On weekdays, the TT-kamerat clubroom is a shared living room for hanging out on campus and studying. All members, new and longstanding, are welcome to drop in whenever the door is open. Coffee and any snacks available are free for members, and energy drinks are available to buy from the fridge. You can easily check whether someone is at the clubroom by sending the /darkroom command to @markkubot on Telegram!
The club organises various events for members throughout the year, including sauna evenings twice a year and photography courses. Events are always announced on the club’s announcements channel.
How to get involved: Follow the club’s announcements channel!
Becoming a member
You can attend a club event or drop by darkroom-on-duty to get to know the club before joining. If you have already decided to join, you can pay the membership fee and complete the membership form beforehand.
How to join:
1. Join the club’s Telegram channels
Join the announcements channel and the TT-kamerat Official chat group.
TT-kamerat tiedotus is the club’s main announcements channel. It includes information about darkroom-on-duty and club events, such as introductory evenings and courses. The Official chat is the main discussion channel for members and an easy way to contact the board. You can ask about joining, request someone to open the clubroom door or get advice on choosing camera gear.
2. Pay the membership fee and complete the membership form
The membership fee is €5 per academic year, payable by MobilePay or bank transfer. Take a screenshot or photo of your payment confirmation, as you will need to upload it with the membership form.
You can also accept the gear loan agreement when completing the membership form. Allow enough time to read the loan terms and instructions carefully.
The membership year follows the academic year and starts in August. Renew your membership by paying the membership fee and completing the membership form again.
3. Visit the clubroom
Complete the joining process by attending a clubroom introduction. A board member will show you around the clubroom, explain the rules and make you a membership card. If you want to borrow gear and have accepted the gear loan agreement, ask for access to the gear loan calendar during your visit.
We recommend coming to our weekly darkroom-on-duty for your first visit. You can find the schedule on the Telegram announcements channel.
If darkroom-on-duty does not fit your schedule, arrange a clubroom introduction with our new member's help officer. You can find their contact details on the board page.
Getting to know the clubroom
Darkroom-on-duty
Darkroom-on-duty is a weekly two-hour session from 16:00 to 18:00 when board members are available at the clubroom. You can drop in to become a member, meet other members or borrow gear for the first time.
Sessions are held once a week during term time, and the weekday changes each month. Check the announcements channel for the next session.
Getting to the clubroom for the first time
The TT-kamerat clubroom, the Darkroom, is located in room SA005 in Skellari, the basement of Sähkötalo on the Hervanta campus. The easiest way in is through the unmarked red exterior door between Sähkötalo and Kampusareena, roughly opposite Kampusareena’s northern side entrance.
Skellari is a separate access area from the rest of the Hervanta campus, so you need separate access rights to enter the basement. When visiting for the first time, ask the board to open the door in the TT-kamerat Official chat, or arrange access with our new member's help officer.
You can find video instructions for the accessible route in the pinned videos on the club’s Instagram account.
Gear loaning
All TT-kamerat photography gear is available to members who have accepted the gear loan agreement, at no additional cost beyond the membership fee. You can also borrow the club’s gear for your own photography. We recommend borrowing for the first time during darkroom-on-duty, when board members can help you record your loan and choose and use a camera.
Before your first loan, make sure that:
- you have paid your membership fee and received your membership card
- you have read, understood and accepted the gear loan agreement
- you have joined the TT-kamerat Official group and the announcements channel
- a board member has given you editing access to the gear loan calendar.
You can get calendar access during darkroom-on-duty or by contacting our new member's help officer. If you did not accept the gear loan agreement on the membership form but would like to do so later, contact the board.
The club manages gear loaning through a shared Google Calendar. During term time, some gear is reserved each week for the club’s event photography activities, marked as EVENT GEAR. Occasionally, all gear is unavailable for loans, marked as ALL GEAR. You can check availability and make a reservation in the gear loan calendar. Detailed instructions and loan terms are provided in the gear loan agreement, which we expect everyone borrowing gear to read carefully.