Jerry Adams had never imagined himself as a photographer.

But after several months of shooting familiar Lawrence locales with a disposable, point-and-shoot camera, he’s starting to change his mind.

“I really wasn’t interested in this to begin with,” he says. “It was something I decided to do to kill time. Even during it, I didn’t like it that much. But seeing some of the shots I got, this could be a good hobby.”

Adams recently completed a 10-month photography program through the Lawrence-Douglas County Housing Authority. His photos, as well as works by six other men, will go on display starting tonight at Babcock Place, 1700 Mass. The opening reception runs from 4 p.m.-5:30 p.m.

The group was called the WAMS BQO Photography Group, named after the first initials of the last names of the participants. It was funded through a $900 grant from the Lawrence Arts Commission.

Carrie Lindsey, director of the housing authority’s resident services office, says the subsidized housing organization has organized support groups for men and women in the past, and has a women’s writing group. But this is the first time it’s offered an arts-related program for men.

“This seemed like a good way to explore their creative side without having to paint or something like that,” she says.

The seven-member group has met intermittently since May. Mike Yoder, a Journal-World photographer, offered advice on the basics of photography.

Group members were encouraged to fan out into the community for their photos.

Ned Quintanilla, a fence-builder, decided to focus the camera on his 7-year-old son, Demontay.

“He’s getting older,” Quintanilla says. “He’s playing ball and stuff.”

He’s hoping his new skills can help document his son’s childhood.

“It’s not an expensive hobby to get into,” he says. “Pictures you can’t replace. It’s the reason why when you hear about fires, and people gather up their family photos first.”

One of Quintanilla’s photos showed an artistic flair: He shot the bridge crossing the Kansas River, but at an angle that made the bridge appear crooked.

Joseph Williams took a more practical approach to some of his photos, documenting a family reunion in Mississippi.

“I never really thought about picture-taking,” he says. “I was looking for something to do. It could turn into a hobby.”

Meanwhile, the photos Adams has in the exhibit include a shot of downtown graffiti, a low-level perspective on one of the Jayhawks on Parade and a photo of the statue at the Lawrence Visitor Information Center.

“I got some exercise and some fresh air,” he says. “I did a lot of walking around.”

Steve Cowen, family services director for the housing authority, says the WAMS BQO Photography Group served a social role that went beyond photographs.

“A lot of these guys have other issues,” Cowen says. “This gave them a chance to get together and talk.”

Cowen admits he had to contact each of the members personally to get them involved.

“I really think they liked it more than they thought they would,” he says. “To hold up a photo they’d taken and talk about why you took it, for some of these guys is something they needed.”

Yoder says he hopes he passed on some of his passion for photography to a new group of shutterbugs.

“What I hope is that all these guys found some new way of expressing themselves and possibly gained some self-confidence in their efforts at photography, whether trying to create art or just in documenting their family and environment,” he says. “I really enjoyed seeing what they each found worthy of photographing.”