SMCC featured in Amateur Photographer June 2022
As part of the Club's 70th anniversary celebrations during the summer of 2022, SMCC was featured in Amateur Photographer Magazine. This was the first time a club had been featured twice in the "Join The Club" series,
We were very pleased to be included in the magazine and have reproduced below the text and member photographs that were used.
If you interested in joining South Manchester Camera Club, then please take a look at our dedicated page here, which gives further details, or drop us a line to membership@smcc.org.uk. We'd be happy to welcome you to a meeting.
Amateur Photographer - 14th June 2022
JOIN THE CLUB
This club is planning a variety of special events to celebrate its 70th year.
When was the club founded?
Seventy years ago this month! And we are continuing to follow the intention of our founder, Fred Veal FRPS, FRSA to encourage good friendship through photography.
Discovering Images by Richard Strittmatter - A creative and striking use of a montage-type technique. The brushes placed on top are perfect additions.
What does your club offer new members?
This month new members and old are in for a treat as we celebrate our 70th Anniversary with special events including a gala dinner, a photo shoot at the Haydock races, a visit to a photography exhibition at the Tate Liverpool, and a relaxing Sunday afternoon BBQ.
The Reader by Marie-Claude Quieffin Witcombe - This far from usual approach to a portrait creates an effect which works incredibly well – albeit a little surreal.
Describe a typical club meeting
We meet every Monday evening at 8pm apart from bank holidays. Once a month we invite an independent judge along for our club competition. Members can enter one image into each of the three sections - open DPI, open Print and a theme DPI. Our investment in high-resolution projection is appreciated by speakers and members alike.
Charging Snow Leopard by Colleen Jackson - The behaviour of the snow leopard has been caught at precisely the right moment. A b&w conversion removes all other distractions, too.
Do you invite guest speakers?
Using Zoom during lockdown months has opened the door to fabulous speakers from far afield, but now we aim to invite guest speakers to join us in person on a Monday night.
Vale Dawn by Tom Bowett - An atmospheric shot that makes you feel like you are right there at the water's edge. Beautifully timed with the conditions.
Do members compete in competitions?
Inspired by coming 11th in the FIAP World Cup last December we have just staged our first ever international online exhibition showcasing images not only from members but also from members of clubs across the UK and worldwide, from Helsinki to San Francisco via Dublin and New York. The exhibition can be viewed on our web site.
Despite lockdown, or perhaps even because of lockdown, members have achieved outstanding success in national qualifications and competitions this year. Master Craftsman, Garden Photographer of the Year (Fungus), BPE awards, and EFIAP are just some of the achievements of our members.
We hold 'friendly' battles with other clubs and enjoy competing in PAGB competitions. Our annual print exhibition at The Parsonage, Didsbury is later this month, and other exhibitions at Victoria Baths, Barlow Moor Medical Centre, Croma Restaurant and the Nuffield Centre give our members opportunities to show their work to the public, and to sell the odd print or two!
A Peeling by Ray Grover - A simple yet effective composition which demonstrates that you can find beauty in the most mundane of locations.
How many members do you have?
Rebuilding from a Covid low of just under 80, we normally bubble around 100, with a significant and growing female and younger contingent, which we encourage. Prospective members are very welcome to join us.
Dream Dancer by Florence Talks - A creative use of motion blur adds to the dream-like feel in this composition.
Are any residential trips or outings planned?
Our ventures abroad have been curtailed of late, but we are now preparing to resume our regular trips at home and away. Previously we've been to Morocco, Amsterdam, Istanbul, Paris Photo, Venice Carnival, Rencontres d'Arles, Berlin Festival of Light, Perpignan International Festival of Journalism, Klagenfurt World Body Painting Festival to name but a few. Locally we return time and again to the marvellous photo opportunities offered at Salford Quays and the everchanging cityscape of Manchester itself.
Do you have any funny stories about the club?
Ged often raises a smile, as was the case on a club trip to Venice. Playing the grand piano at breakfast at our hotel, negotiating access to a concert after losing his tickets, or embracing a Star Wars stormtrooper in the Champs-Elysées, Paris.
Namibia by Rebekah Crow - Another wildlife shot that encapsulates just the right moment – the zebras facing the lens was a wise move.
What are the club's goals for the future?
After two years of virtual meetings, we want to rebuild the social backbone of the club and provide a warm and welcoming space for old and new members. Alongside this, we want to focus on rebuilding for the next 70 years, embracing the amazing technological developments in photography and give all our members enjoyable opportunities to improve their photography.
Club essentials
South Manchester Camera Club meets at Didsbury Methodist Church, Sandhurst Road, Didsbury, Manchester M20 5LR
Meets every Monday from 8pm -10pm except on bank holidays.
Membership £34 (£26 Seniors) with £2 weekly levy.
Contact via website
Website www.smcc.org.uk