1.1 The Society.
1.2 Lancashire
and Cheshire Photographic Union (L&CPU).
1.4 Wirral Photographic Association (WPA).
2. COMPETITIONS
2.1 Portfolios.
2.2 Autumn
and Spring Competitions.
2.3 Annual
Competition and Annual Exhibition.
2.4 Inter-Club Competitions.
3. FACILITIES
3.1 Darkroom.
3.2 Studio Equipment.
3.3 Projection Equipment.
3.4 Digital Photography Equipment.
4.1 Novice and Advanced workers.
1.1 The
Society.
The Society was formed in 1947 when the first meeting took place on 30th October. The inaugural chairman was Mr F Brice. The Society was originally for employees of Shell at the Stanlow Refinery and Thornton Research Centre in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, with meetings in the Shell Club, Whitby, Ellesmere Port.
In 2001, Shell “sold” the Shell Club and it became the Whitby Sports and Social Club. At the same time the photographic society changed its name from the Shell Photographic Society to the Whitby Club Photographic Society. Membership is now open to all. Members of the Whitby Club PS pay an annual subscription to the Society. In addition, they are required to pay an annual subscription to the Whitby Sports & Social Club, because meetings are held in the WS&SC.
Meetings are held every Monday evening, in the President’s lounge in the Whitby Sports and Social Club, throughout the “season” which lasts from September to the following April / May. The dates and times of the meetings together with other information are given in the Syllabus card. Informal meetings are sometimes held during the summer.
The objectives of the society are to promote the use and enjoyment of all aspects of photography for pleasure purposes on an amateur basis. This is achieved, mainly at the meetings, by means of talks, demonstrations and competitions of various kinds. In the last few years this includes all aspects of digital photography.
The Society is managed by a committee selected by members, comprising a Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer and other officers and members. A complete list is given in the Syllabus card.
See our web site http://uk.geocities.com/whitbyclub/
1.2 Lancashire
and Cheshire Photographic Union (L&CPU).
The Whitby Club PS is a member of the Lancashire and Cheshire Photographic Union (L&CPU). This is an amalgam of over 100 photographic clubs in Lancashire and Cheshire. The Union has the same objectives as the clubs and is operated by a committee elected by the club representatives. A major benefit of belonging to the L&CPU is the availability of a register of members who give lectures and demonstrations or are willing to judge other member’s work via competitions etc.
The Union arranges several events and functions such as:-
In addition – folios of prints and slides selected from the Annual Competition are put together and circulated around participating member clubs each year. This is a good way of seeing the great variety of work from members over a wide area.
A quarterly news letter called Focal Points is produced by the L&CPU for the exchange of news and views. See web site http://www.lcpu.org
1.3 Photographic
Alliance of Great Britain (PAGB).
The L&CPU is a member of the PAGB, which amalgamates all of the unions in the British Isles. Each year the PAGB organises a Print & Slide Competition to which the best work selected by the area Unions / Federations is submitted. Trophies are awarded and selected photographs accepted for the PAGB exhibition are displayed at various venues throughout the country so that interested persons can see the best club photography.
1.4 Wirral
Photographic Association (WPA).
Whitby Club PS is a member of the WPA which was formed by clubs in the Wirral to promote photographic events in the area. At present there are 7 clubs in the WPA. Details of WPA events are given in our club Syllabus card and announced at meetings.
Detailed information on Competitions is given in a document “Competition Rules”. However, brief details are given below.
2.1 Portfolios.
The society circulates three portfolios during the season for monochrome prints, colour prints and colour slides. Each folio has up to six “boxes” and contributors submit one entry per box. Each contributor comments on and marks the entries from the other contributors in each box. The winner of each box is the contributor with the highest marks. The overall winner for each folio is the contributor with the highest total marks for the six boxes. Trophies are awarded to the overall winners.
The objective of the portfolios is primarily to allow constructive criticism of member’s photos by other members, in order to develop technique and improve the individual’s photography. The competitive element is secondary but adds interest in the portfolios.
2.2 Autumn
and Spring Competitions.
In October / November a competition is held for Monochrome Prints and Colour Slides, and in February a competition is held for Colour Prints and Colour Slides.
Entries are handed in about two weeks in advance of the actual competition evening. This allows the judge (normally from the L&CPU) time to consider the entries at leisure.
On the competition evening the judge is a guest at the club where he / she comments on the entries and announces the winners. Merit certificates are presented to the award winners.
Members benefit from the constructive and helpful criticism and comments of the guest judge who is an experienced photographer.
2.3 Annual
Competition and Annual Exhibition.
The Annual Competition is the main competition of the season. Members are invited to enter prints and slides into several separate sections in various classes (eg. Open Subjects, Portraits, Natural History, Set Subjects). Some of the competitions are for Novices. Guest judges from the L&CPU (or sometimes from the North Wales Federation) assess the merits of the entries, and for each section, select the winner and award merit certificates.
The Annual Exhibition, held in early April, is the highlight and culmination of the season. At the Annual Exhibition, held in the ballroom of the Whitby Sports and Social club, the prints are displayed, and on the evening of the Exhibition the slides are projected and the trophies and merit certificates are presented.
In addition to members’ entries, the Exhibition includes inter-club competitions for panels of six prints and six slides submitted by invited clubs. Trophies are awarded for the winners of the print and slide panels.
All trophies, both club and inter-club are held by the winners for one year.
A complete list of the trophies competed for in the Annual Competition is given in the “Competition Rules” and also in the Syllabus card.
A plaque (held for one year) is awarded to the “Photographer of the Year”. This is the member who gains the most points in the season from portfolios, competitions and the Annual Competition.
Following the Annual Exhibition, selected member’s prints and slides are selected for submitting to the L&CPU Annual Competition, which has a closing date of the last Saturday in April.
2.4 Inter-Club
Competitions.
The Society engages in inter-club competitions for prints and slides against other local clubs. The dates and venues of inter-club events are given in the Syllabus card. The print and slide entries are chosen by the Competition Secretary (with the help of other committee members from prints and slides retained from the Annual Exhibition – see section 5 of the Competition Rules).
3. FACILITIES
3.1 Darkroom.
The Society has the exclusive use and control of a fully equipped darkroom in a cellar in the Whitby Sports and Social Club. All equipment necessary to develop films and produce prints in both monochrome and colour is available. Only chemicals and paper need to be supplied by the user.
Use of the darkroom is arranged via the Darkroom Steward whose name and telephone number are given in the Syllabus card.
Experienced members of the Society are available for darkroom tuition by arrangement.
3.2 Studio
Equipment.
The Society owns extensive equipment for “Studio” photography. This includes complete lighting set-ups using both tungsten or flash lighting. Various backgrounds are available.
During the season two “Portrait Evenings” are usually included in the programme (see Syllabus card). On these evenings members are given help if required to arrange lighting for portrait photography. Private sessions using the club equipment can be arranged.
3.3 Projection
Equipment.
The Society owns two slide projectors together with various screens and projector stands etc. These are normally used on club evenings etc but can be used privately by members by arrangement. The Society also owns a cassette player and a CD player with loud-speakers for use on club evenings.
3.4
Digital Photography Equipment.
In 2006 the Society was awarded a grant to purchase various items of digital photography equipment. This included a laptop computer with software and a digital projector. This allows the Society to project digital images at meetings. It also allows training of members in digital manipulation.
The Society does not own a digital camera. However, many if not most members, have their own digital cameras (also computers, film scanners, flatbed scanners, ink jet printers) so the majority of prints produced in the society are digitally produced. Digital images are fully accepted into all competitions together with traditional darkroom images.
4. GRADING
4.1 Novice and Advanced workers.
The Society recognises the difficulties experienced by some members in competing against experienced photographers. Accordingly members are graded into Novice and Advanced workers.
Two competitions of the Annual Exhibition are for Novice workers only. Depending on the number of Novice workers, separate competitions for Novice workers may be included in the November and February competitions. All other competitions are “Open” competitions for both Novice and Advanced workers. Novice workers receive additional points (toward promotion to Advanced worker and for Photographer of the Year award) if they achieve an award in an Open competition.
Promotion from Novice to Advanced worker is either by a points system, details of which are given in the “Competition Rules”, or by recommendation of the committee.
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