Picture this

What a splendid idea! Wish I’d thought of it years ago.

I’m talking about the new camera club launched by The Oban Times for local photographers – amateurs like me as well as professionals – to showcase their work (or dodgy efforts, in my case).

The thinking behind the project was beautifully simple: when you have an area as scenically stunning as ours, let’s provide a platform where keen local photographers can showcase their work. As I said: wish I’d thought of it years ago.

There are evidently many of you out there who agree with me: only established on May 11, I think, the club already had close to 50 members when I applied to join on Sunday May 14. A highly enthusiastic response, in my opinion.

Now, I’ll be upfront in agreeing that a number of the members are staff from The Oban Times – or ex-staff such as me and the kenspeckle Ellis Butcher – but a little foresight would surely suggest media people would naturally be drawn in.

Oban Times head of online content Brian Hossack said: “We are blessed with such incredible scenery and setting in and around Oban, and our new group will be the perfect way to show that off.

“People can take images on top-of-the-range cameras or use their phones; it is not about being an expert, it is all about giving everyone a chance to be a photographer for a day.

“We’ve been really encouraged by the response so far and I would invite anyone who is interested in photography to get involved.”

So I joined, of course, and I look forward to see how it develops.

To sign up, go to Oban Times Camera Club on Facebook.