South Reading Camera Club: Content / Competition Evenings

Q: Why so many competitions?
A: Primarily because they all serve a slightly different purpose.

The main competitions are:

1. The Quarterly Competitions
For the Chazey Cup (Monochrome prints), Eddie Palmer cup (Colour prints) , Chiltern Cup (Slides).

There are, surprisingly enough, eight of these! But in two sections - a quarterly slide and a quarterly print competition.

You are permitted to enter 3 slides per quarterly (total of 12 slides) in the slide section, and 3 prints per quarterly (total of 12 prints per quarterly, colour or monochrome) in the print section. See note on marking / trophies below.

2. Club Annual Trophy

This consists of a panel of 3 prints or slides, shown side by side, to have a common theme of the photographers’ choice.

3. Goulding Trophy
(For the Goulding silver salver )

A slide only competition. Again requiring a set of three images to be projected together on the specific theme of the photographers’ interpretation of ‘Country life or Countryside’ - in memory of a late member, but also because it is one of our favourite subjects!

4. ‘Shoot a theme’(Judged by club )

A challenge - to produce a panel of prints, ‘enprint’ or thereabouts, mounted on one board, from one film (or card!) of a subject of your choice.

5. Audiovisual evening
(For the Ron Povey Sound & Slide cup )

Slide/ sound presentations from members.

Notes on judging (and judges!)

Those new to club photography may be amused/ confused/ bemused by the passing of ‘judgement’ on their work. A judges’ job is to assess the work of members on grounds of quality and skill based on his experience and balanced against the range of material presented to him on the evening.

Judges are usually, but not always, fellow amateurs who have many years experience, and have often gained qualifications from the Royal Photographic Society and other bodies. They will award individual images marks (usually out of 20 ). The marks then being added to give a total (where appropriate) at the end of the season.

They all have one fatal flaw - they are human, which means you may not always agree with what they say - but that’s part of the fun of club competitions.

If you have any questions regarding other aspects of the club please feel free to ask any of the members - they’re the ones looking slightly less nervous!