40 22 February 2020I http://www.amateurphotographer.co.ukI subscribe 0330 333 1113©
STEVEGEARY©
JOHN
COEWhenwastheclubfounded?
Asfaraswecantell,a fewfellowenthusiasts
foundedLeekPhotographicClubin the
1890s.Wearepossiblyoneof theveryearly
clubsstillin existencetoday,andwereoriginally
knownasLeekCameraClub.Weareaffiliated
toMidlandCountiesPhotographicFederation
andthePhotographicAllianceof GreatBritain.Whatdoesyourcluboffertonewmembers?
Newmembersarewelcometojoinanytime.
Weaskthemtocompletea small
questionnairedetailinganyphotographic
experiencetheyhave,theequipmenttheyuse,
andwhattypeof photographytheyare
interestedin sothatwecandeterminehow
besttohelpthemwithanyproblemstheymay
have.Wearenota teachingorganisation,but
forexample,wehelpthosewhoseekit by
invitingthemintoourhomestolearn
Photoshopskillsetc.Oneof ourmembers
regularly offers printing and mounting sessionstoenablememberswhohaven’tthenecessary
equipmenttoenterprintcompetitions.Visitors
arealwayswelcometoo,paying£3on the day.Describea typicalclubevening
Ourclubeveningsstartat 7.30pmpromptwith
a welcomefromourchairmanwhooutlinesthe
evening,makesanyannouncementsand
introducesthespeakerorjudgeasappropriate.
Wehavea variedprogrammefeaturingguest
speakerstalkingaboutandshowinga rangeof
photographictopics,competitionsforboth
printandprojecteddigitalimages(PDI),and
theoccasionalstudioorpracticalevening.Our
membereveningswherememberstalkabout
theirimages,andhowtheyhaveachievedthe
finishedresult,provetobeverypopular.A tea/
coffeeandbiscuitbreakat halftimegivesthe
opportunityformemberstosocialise.Our
chairmanbringstheeveningtoa closewitha
briefsummingupandthankyoutothespeaker
orjudge.Weaimtofinishby9.45pmbutdo
occasionallyrunover.Thisallowspackingup
timesothatwecanvacatetheroom by 10pm.Doyouinviteguestspeakers?
Wedohaveguestspeakers,somearelocal,
othershavetotravela gooddistancetoshow
theirpresentations.It is alwaysinterestingto
hearspeakerstalkaboutandshowtheir
imagesandtheclubcanlearna lotfromthem.
In thewintermonths– January/February– we
trytokeepspeakersandjudgesmorelocal
owingtotheadverseweatherconditions we
sometimesgetin ourarea.Domemberscompetein regionalor
nationalcompetitions?
Theclubis activein enteringregionaland
interclubcompetitions.Theserangefromjust
three local clubs competing, to larger eventsThisactiveclubintheStaffordshiremoorlandsis a hive of creativityClub
Join
theYOUR PICTURES IN PRINTagainst 20 ormoreclubs.Wehavehadrecent
successin theStaffordshirePhotoClubsPDI
competition,competingagainstsomeof the
topclubsin thearea,winningbya narrow
margin.Irrespectiveof thenumberof clubswe
competeagainst,thestandardof workis
alwaysveryhigh.Someof ourmembersalso
enterindividuallyat nationalandinternational
level,salonsandnewspaper/magazine
competitionswithanamountof success.Some
alsoactivelyseekrecognisedaccreditations.Aretripsoroutingsplanned?
Wedonotorganiseanytripsoroutingsassuch.
Membersaremadeawareof anyphotographic
opportunitiesviaemailorwebsite.Weoffer
car-sharing,orjustmeetupat an event in small
groups– thisseemsto work.Doyouhaveanyfunnystories?
Mostclubshavenumerousfunnystories,from
peoplefallingoverandgettingwet,totripods
fallingoverin streamscompletewithcamera
andlens.Ononeoccasion– a dayoutat a
motorcycleracemeeting– oneof our
membershada problemwithhisviewfinder
goingblack.Thenherealisedthatoneof his
‘friends’wasputtingtheirhandin frontof his
lens.Lessonlearnt– keepbotheyesopen!Whataretheclub’sgoalsforthefuture?
Mostclubswantto tryto increasemembership- weallseemto bestruggling.Butvisitorsare
alwayswelcome,paying£3admission.Wewant
to learnfromeachother,makelifelongfriends
andenjoyourenvironmentin allitsgloryandof
course improve and take great photographs.
1 MoultingMountain
HarebyJohnCoe
Agreatsubject,well
observedwithgood
background bokeh.2 ChesilBeachby
SteveGearyThe
foregroundinterestleads
theeyenicelytothe
richly coloured sky.Wanttoseeyourclubfeaturedonthesepages?Drop
us a line for more information at [email protected]12