EagleTribune.com, North Andover, MA

Some people would have called them collectibles. Musumeci saw art.

She rented the bottles, took them back to her studio and created a still life that's been causing jaws to drop across the Merrimack Valley.

The photo is being used to promote the Merrimack Valley Camera Club's show, "Celebrating the Joy of Photography," at the Buttonwoods Museum in Haverhill. The exhibit features 150 works.

"It worked out," said Musumeci, a 10-year veteran of the club and a professional photographer.

The show is the club's first in almost a decade. Excitement surrounding it has been high, said member Mary Lawrence of Plaistow, N.H., also a professional photographer.

"It shows how many great photographers we have in the club," said Lawrence, a member for about nine years.

While the club meets every Wednesday for educational workshops, critiquing and competitions, shows haven't been a priority in the past.

"Mostly, people got wrapped up in typical club competitions," said club treasurer and professional photographer Donald Toothaker of Bradford. "Time is always the rarest of commodities for anybody."

But an influx of new members in the last few years is a driving force behind the exhibit.

"It's really getting a new lease on life," said Bart Navarro of Andover, a mechanical engineer and four-year club member.

Though the club claims 100 professionals and amateurs, only about 35 members submitted photos for the show, which will travel to the Memorial Hall Library in Andover, the Essex Art Center in Lawrence, and Art in the Park by the Andovers Artist Guild.

"I always say a photographer is a frustrated artist - it's nice to show people what we do," Navarro said.

The show will change slightly from place to place; due to space restrictions not all photos will make it to every location. Also, members may submit new photos.

Images depict scenes from the sands of the Mojave Desert to the marble-strewn ruins of Rome.

Some pictures revel in simplicity, like the study of concrete stairs in black-and-white, and a color saturated vine growing near a window. Other images are manipulated. A few photos get up-close-and-personal, showing something like the inner workings of a lily, while others step back and show off the expansive Boston skyline.

Club members already have started to plan future exhibitions.

"It's really taken on a life of its own now," Lawrence said. "Which is fun and exciting."

If you go:

What: "Celebrating the Joy of Photography"

When: Through Sept. 1, Tuesdays through Sundays,10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Where: Buttonwoods Museum, 240 Water St., Haverhill

How : Admission is free. Framed images available for sale. For more, call 978-374-4626 or e-mail blangenau@haverhillhistory.org.

About the Merrimack Valley Camera Club:

* Started more than 50 years ago

* Open to novice and advanced photographers.

* Has about 100 members ranging in age from 20 to 70 from throughout the Merrimack Valley.

* Meets Wednesday evenings, September through June, at the Trinitarian Congregational Church on Elm Street in North Andover.

* Always looking for new members. Costs $45 to join for the year. E-mail mvcameraclub@yahoo.com for more information.

* For more information visit www.mvcameraclub.org.