To Mid North Camera Club members
As your new President, I’d like to wish you all a merry Xmas, good health and a happy and prosperous 2012.
My aim will be to encourage higher turnouts at meetings.
Our club can only improve through regular attendance with as many taking part in competitions and activities as possible.
Friendly discussions, sharing ideas and fun at the same time increases ones knowledge and confidence so that photography can be enjoyed at all levels.
This not only makes it more interesting for everyone but helps to make us think a bit in a creative way and develop skills.
At times last year I observed a limited amount of interest and participation by members and wish to know if it was due to lack of time and opportunity, uninteresting competition subjects, or not enough digital competitions.
We could develop into a more visually oriented group and to this end the purchase of a good quality screen will make viewing of projected images more enjoyable next year.
There may be a case for “open” subjects to be added each month for those who have difficulty getting images to enter in the “set subject classes” and this could be discussed at our next meeting.
As an idea, each month could still have a total of three images submitted by a member but a maximum of two for any one subject and one in the other. With all subjects we could possibly look at having a maximum of one print or none at all if this is favoured.
An open class subject could include an image taken during the last two years as long as it has not been in a competition before.
Our club’s aim is to cater for beginners through to professionals and point and shoot cameras to DSLR’s.
We all have a lot to gain by entering competitions and learning from friendly, constructive and helpful criticism.
The Far North Council Then and Now project appears to have stalled.
As the council sponsored us, we have an obligation to put more effort in and undertake to complete this important project as soon as possible.
To members who have not submitted images, which may be digital, please put your thinking caps on or get family and friends involved for suggestions by looking up their old photos and books to scan images from.
“Then and now” does not necessarily imply old age only, but change as well.
This may be where a building has been replaced or modernized, (woolshed, cowshed, freezing works, factory, house, church, hall, school, railway, airfield, wharf etc) as well as a park, playground, beach area, sports field or road that’s been upgraded.
Your photos could also show where there has been no change at all as it would be of interest to see how little some things have altered over a lengthy period.
While it would help to photograph from the same viewpoint, the main objective is to have images that convey what has happened over a period of time and what has transpired in Upper Northland.
Your committee is there to help you enjoy your membership, so please let us know what you would like and how we can improve the club.
Please contact myself or Coral regarding guest speakers, workshops and fieldtrips you would like provided.
February competition = “ Holidays” in digital format.
Plus, your Then and Now project.
Your feedback is welcome, kind regards,
Doug Dysart
