Open Evening

A good turn out on Thursday; an opportunity to catch up with old friends and to meet some new ones.  

Whilst Mike, Donald and others were busy displaying some of the great photos produced by club members last year,  Jan readied the cash box to take subscriptions, and another group manned the kitchen, setting up trays of sandwiches, snacks and beverages to welcome in the new season.  Meanwhile I tried, but not quite successfully, to arrange the chairs informally so that the audience would face neither in one direction nor in random directions.  It didn’t matter, of course, people moved them all anyway.

After we had all had a good chat, President John welcomed the group.

Susannah then explained syllabus and the different types of events covered:

• Competitions - an overview of what they are and how they are run.

• Away nights - attending other clubs’ venues

• Workshops - practical events to try out specific genres and techniques

• External speakers - often showing retrospectives of their portfolios

• Internal speakers - on a variety of technical and creative subjects

• GDPU (Glasgow District Photographic Union) ties

• 4 way competition - annual event for local clubs

• Fun nights - quizzes, games, etc.

• Members challenge - have a go at a novel photographic area

After tea, Margot recalled her history in the club.  Apparently she joined in a year when John was President, though that didn’t narrow it down much.  Possibly 2006.  Anyway, she managed to convey her enjoyment as a club member and former president, meeting lots of people, improving her skills and generally contributing to the life and spirit of the club.

Margot reflected on how she likes to incorporate living subjects in her photos but often finds it difficult to locate a suitable old man, pregnant woman, child, dog or bird of prey to be her “victim” at just the right moment.  Such are the trials we amateur photographers face!

I’m really looking forward to seeing you all in the coming weeks as the season starts in earnest.