Join the club

This friendly club will celebrate its 60th anniversary next year

When was the club founded?

The club held its first meeting on 27 February 1961. In 2011 we celebrated our 50th anniversary with a sold- out talk by Joe Cornish.

What does your club offer to new members?

A friendly welcome, advice if it’s wanted, a chance to share photos and chat. Our membership covers a wide range of experience, age and kit. This past season, subjects discussed in the meetings have included wildlife, street, astro, time-lapse, infrared, motion and travel photography.

Describe a typical club meeting

People chat beforehand (from 7pm), and get a drink (alcoholic or non) from the bar. For talks, the guest or member speakers present their photos for about 45 minutes either side of a 10-minute break (more chat and coffee/tea). Internal competitions are often two themes, one per half, with prints for one and projected images for the other. Or we’ll have a workshop with several stations where members set up objects to photograph with various techniques. Throughout the coronavirus pandemic we are holding Zoom meetings, which have proved very successful worldwide.

Do members compete in regional or national competitions?

Some do, and some submit their work to magazines. One member was awarded third place for Assistance Dogs in the Kennel Club’s Dog Photographer of the Year in 2019. Others

have had acceptances in international club exhibitions, such as The Smethwick International Exhibition of Photography. And at least one has been published in Amateur Photographer, Outdoor Photography and other magazines. Another has sold images for book covers. The Group participates in the Chilterns Association of Camera Clubs (CACC) Rosebowl competition each season, plus the other CACC competitions each spring.

How many members do you have? At the moment we have about 40.

Do you invite guest speakers? Yes, from the CACC or local experts and professionals. We like to provide variety and cover a range of subjects and techniques.

Are any residential trips or outings planned? We tend to have had ad hoc outings in recent years, as there’s usually a core group that are the main outing attendees. Groups of members have taken trips to the Black Country Museum and a Festival of Transport, for instance.

What are the club’s goals for the future? The club will continue along the same lines of sharing photos and inspirations, with talks both external and internal, workshops and competitions, including stimulating themes. We are happy to welcome new members at any time. We’re also collaborating with other Kidlington groups in how we can use our photographs in the community.

1 One Eye Open by John Hutchison A creative crop to achieve a slightly abstract image of the flamingo’s vibrant feathers. 1

6 Warehouse Dash by Ric Gillams Proof positive that even a rather mundane place such as a warehouse can provide interesting subject matter. 6

2 Hank by Phil Kemp What a fantastic character study – a face that no doubt could tell a story or two. You could look at this for hours. 2

5 5 Edinburgh Castle Piper by Joy Rawlins By creating the mono background Joy has made the figure of the piper ‘pop’ with life in the foreground.

3 Kelpie by Kim Benson The varying degrees of light and colour do not make this an easy capture but Kim has succeeded with flying colours

7 Largo by Melissa Bastin A wonderfully cool, calm and collected portrait. The eyes really do have it. 7

4 4 Fountains Abbey Vaulted Cloisters by Peter Greenway Architectural shots are often very well suited to mono conversions, and this is no exception.