"Town Dock Promenade." This photo of a very familiar location in Port Washington was taken by Photography Club of Long Island (PCLI) member Tom Colligan on a recent lazy summer day as part of an on-going monthly series of photos by PCLI members.

Thousands of visitors yearly enjoy the sights of Manhasset Bay, as well as glorious sunsets, along the Promenade that, after extensive renovations five years ago, is now part of the Bay Walk. Our popular Town Dock was built in 1910 and originally included a bathing pavilion. Today it draws visitors by boat from many areas of the world that use its five transit moorings, while the generous parking area holds close to 200 cars. Annually it hosts a Snapper Derby, Harborfest, the Blessing of the Fleet, a Farmers Market every Saturday morning from June through October, and numerous hopeful fishermen on a daily basis. Back in the late 1930s the Town Dock was the North American terminus for Pan American World Airways and British Imperial Airways flying boats operating across the Atlantic.

Colligan considered himself an "one and off" photographer all his life until he joined the PCLI in 2001. When digital photography came into full swing these past few years he switched from film, becoming fascinated by this revolutionary change in photography, discovering that he could shoot hundreds of images a day, using a high memory card, allowing him to discard sub-par images on the spot or in his computer after downloading images from the camera. He began with a 5 megapixel consumer camera and has now added a Canon 20D 8 megapixel SLR with the capability of taking action images at five frames per second of his grandchildren's sporting events as well as other sports activities. Colligan's photographs have been displayed at the Port Washington Public Library and at the Northwinds Coffee and Tea Company Gallery.

The PCLI holds two or three meetings each month between September and June, in either the Community Chest Building (Harold E. Mertz Community Center), 382 Main Street, Port Washington, or in the Lapham Meeting Room (auditorium) of the Port Washington Public Library, 1 Library Dr., Port Washington, featuring critiques, speakers and members' nights. Anyone interested in photography, or desiring to learn about this fascinating craft, is invited to join.