South Reading Camera Club: Content / About Us

Welcome to the club!

Joining any new organisation can be a bit daunting, so you might find these background notes of interest.

History

Our club was originally formed by like-minded souls in 1954 (we think), when a few enthusiasts started meeting in each others’ homes to discuss and pursue their common interest in photography.

Over time the club grew from the original handful of enthusiasts, and assisted by the gradual reduction of costs in equipment and film, grew until during the boom years of the 60s / 70s we had over 70 members.

Some of the original members are still with the club, which may be some kind of record!

In recent years there has been a good deal of interest in the digital revolution within the hobby of photography. This resulted in the club applying to The Lottery Fund under their ‘Awards For All’ scheme, which was for the purpose of funding towards digital equipment. It is pleasing that we were indeed successful in this application. This success will further cement the clubs future and encourage new members to join our ranks.

What we do

The backbone of the club is, essentially, the winter seasons’ programme, which can be split into two elements - The ‘entertainments’ (in the broadest sense) and competitions.

The Members Evenings programme consists of just over half visiting speakers/ talks and the balance is made up from competitions of various types (see later).

Visiting speakers / lectures.

Our Programme Secretary has the hardest job on the committee - his task is to locate and book an interesting, and as varied as possible, selection of speakers to fill the spaces in the programme.

We try as a club to provide a mix of instruction and practical evenings, to help give inspiration and encouragement, so you will see a mix of expert talks, studio and travelogue-type material in the programme.

Competitions

Possibly the greatest mystery to anyone new to club photography!

Anyone looking at a camera club programme may wonder why there are so many - or indeed any at all.

The main purpose of competitions is simple - to encourage people to take more and better pictures.

It also, of course, encourages people to show work which would otherwise hide in a cupboard. To ensure fairness we invite an outside judge (an individual of known photographic skills, but more of this later) to assess the work.

Members are encouraged to enter as many competitions as possible .

Click here to read more about our competitions.

If you have any questions regarding other aspects of the club please feel free to contact us.