Photography News 79 WEB

SUCCESS + EXHIBITIONS + PERSONAL ACHIEVEMENTS + OUTINGS News Camera club

Lockdown is easing and many of us can go shopping, have a drink and get a haircut, but what does the future look like for camera club meetings and future events? We’llmeet again… orwill we?

Poulton PS Poulton PS’s weekly meetings have continued very successfully in lockdown using Webex and has given members new opportunities for something different including members’ presentations and tutorials on creative editing. Poulton has also set up its own YouTube channel – search Poulton Photographic Society YouTube – for club shows and members have submitted their own AV presentations. poultonps.co.uk Smethwick PS Smethwick PS has been busy with all hands on deck making club activities accessible for members at home. The club switched to online Zoommeetings for members and guests every Thursday. Anyone wanting to join an evening is welcome; guest tickets are available on the club’s website. Early July also saw remote judging of the Midland Salon. With over 8000 contributions, judges are in for some long days and visitors will be in for a treat. All selected images can be viewed online once the results are out and an AV is in preparation. smethwickps.co.uk Cannock PS Cannock PS has continued meeting on Thursday nights via Zoom. Anyone is welcome to join meetings and they are free of charge. The speakers booked from September to December cover a wide range of genres. A few club competitions are also planned. Non-members are welcome to watch and learn from by listening to the judges’ critique, but only members can enter. cannockps.co.uk Isle of Thanet Thanet PS members have been active during lockdown, rising to the monthly challenges set by club chairman, Laura Drury. This year, for its regular summer project, the club is looking for the best from LOCKDOWN, which stands for Leaves, Order, Cooking, Keys, Doorway, Outdoors, Washing and Naughty. The club’s AGM and weekly meetings from September will be held via Zoom and the intention is to return to usual meetings, circumstances permitting, from January 2021. isleofthanetphotographicsociety.co.uk Kingsbridge & District CC South Devon-based Kingsbridge & District Camera Club is a thriving, friendly group with a mixed membership of all ages and backgrounds. Club members have embraced a wide variety of new and alternative internet-based offerings over recent months and the club’s annual exhibition has also been taken online in the hope it will reach a much wider audience. kdcc.org.uk Battle PS Battle PS has remained resilient during lockdown, remaining open at the end of the season, overcoming the disappointment of having to cancel the annual exhibition and have since had a lecture and a competition via Zoom. The vibrant new committee has arranged new competitions to keep members occupied and a schedule is being drawn up for meetings in the autumn. battlephotographicsociety.co.uk

Most clubs close down for the summer but this year physical meetings stopped early and many clubs went to virtual meetings. But with the new season round the corner what are your club’s plans? A few clubs have their own

clubrooms, but most meet in hired venues that might still be closed come September and beyond. Many clubs will have members who are at high risk and treasurers will already be budgeting for a downturn in revenue frommembers not

renewing or cancelled events that might limit future activities. Every club will have its own unique set of circumstances and ways of dealing with what comes next. We’d love to hear of your club’s plans and future strategy, so please

feel free to share and we'll print ideas, concerns and thoughts on these pages. You can send emails to

clubnews@photography-news. co.uk . The deadline for the next issue is Sunday 2 August. Herefordshire PS is 135 years young

Thursday 19 November 2020 will be an evening of celebration for Herefordshire PS as it hits its 135th birthday. Founded in 1885, HPS is one of the country’s oldest surviving photographic societies but is re-setting for the modern age. It continues to grow and develop with the lockdown by offering its members online competitions and critiques via Zoom. It is invigorated by the launch of the club’s new website and newsletter. A new committee has been appointed to drive the club forward and with a programme already confirmed to take it into 2021, HPS has a pretty hectic year ahead of it. herefordshirephotographicsociety.co.uk

Epsom CC is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, having being formed on 12 March 1945. “It was a curious time as the world was still at war,” says current chair, David Zinzan. “We are at a loss to explain why the club was formed during world war two. Do any other clubs have a similar background? The original book of minutes charts the club’s history from that inaugural meeting. The first club president was James Chuter-Ede who became home secretary in August 1945. “The club now has 67 members with a range of ages from teenagers upwards. We had plans to celebrate our milestone, but unfortunately the pandemic has impacted upon these. Undeterred, a photo book is being planned, which will contain images frommembers together with the club’s history and images from its early exhibitions. We are using technology to keep the club running. Technology has changed photography forever but some things stay the same; a sense of comradeship and community.” epsomcc.org.uk EpsomCC enjoys its 75th

RomneyMarshPC andHermanus PS

On 25 June, Romney Marsh PC organised a 40-image competition with the Hermanus Photo Society 8000 miles away in South Africa using Zoom. Hermanus PS won by 344 to 314 points and claimed the top six places. Hermanus club members commented that the judging, by Paul Parkinson LRPS, was done to an exceptional standard. romneymarshphotographic club.co.uk hermanusphoto.co.za

Cumbernauld & Kilsyth PS

Cumbernauld & Kilsyth PS is a small club with 16 members and with lockdown, the club was forced to close. “I was getting bored,” says Kenny McLean, “and reckoned that my club friends might be in a similar situation. I came up with the idea of a Zoom meeting for CKPS after

a couple of weeks and put out the word. This has now grown arms and legs. Instead of our regular Tuesday meeting, we now have three meetings per week - Tuesday, Friday and Sunday.” He adds: “Our club, like many, closes for the summer. However,

under lockdown we have been meeting even more. We have had ten competitions so far and the great thing is that we are all producing more pictures and tackled subjects that we would not normally have shot.” ckps.org.uk

6 Photography News | Issue 79

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