What are we like?

Being a camera club, the thing that binds us together is a common interest in photography, and the practice of photography. That goes without saying. But this alone doesn’t tell you very much about the kind of people we are, or give you any way to assess whether Horndean Camera Club is somewhere that you would feel at home.

There are many camera clubs and photographic societies in the south of England, and many of them achieve a very high level of photographic excellence. Unfortunately, all too often, this is realised in an atmosphere of stuffy formality.

There are also many clubs that are a pleasure to visit because the air of friendliness and informality that they exude makes the experience a joy. However, this comradeship often eats away at the competitive edge that produces the best photographic work.

So, then, it is a question of balance. Here at Horndean we believe that we have found the secret, and it can best be expressed thus: “We take our photography seriously, without taking ourselves seriously at the same time”.

If your interest in photography is just beginning, please don’t be daunted by the high standards that we strive to achieve. We have members with all levels of experience, and you can rest assured that you will fit right in whatever your own ability. We have a wealth of knowledge and skill in our club, and we are most happy to share this with those starting out on the road.

Starting with the 2009/10 season we have, regrettably, ceased to work with film; it is sad to see an era pass in which many of us served our apprenticeship but we have embraced the new digital technology with great enthusiasm and, together, have gathered a wealth of expertise. So you won’t find a better place to advance your own photographic skills.

Of course, with the spread of digital photography we are attracting new members who have been photographers for many years, but have had their enthusiasm rekindled by the new technology. To these people we say ‘Welcome! Come in and show us what you can do.’

What do we do?

Firstly (and to many, most importantly) there are our internal league and external competitions. Where we compete within the club, against each other, and externally, against other clubs.These are where we test our technique and get objective comment on our work from external judges.

Secondly, we have talks and demonstrations by visiting speakers. This often takes the form of a presentation of their photographic work, which can be inspiring, and stops us becoming too parochial. If we only measure ourselves against the best in the club, then we will probably never exceed that standard.

Lastly, we have talks and additional training sessions provided by members of the club itself. We call these ‘Home Evenings’ and they give us a good chance to capitalise on the wealth of knowledge that there is in HCC. It is a truism that these ‘home spun’ evenings are among the best in the programme.