About Us
| Committee | Affiliations | Special Interest Groups | History |
Club meetings are held on Monday evenings at the The Brownsword Hall, Pummery Square, Poundbury Dorchester, Dorset DT1 3GW http://www.brownswordhall.org.uk/. There is a lift for easy access to the first floor meeting room and there are accessible toilet facilities on the ground floor.
We run club competitions on open and themed subjects. These are approximately monthly and members are classed into one of two sections: Club (for those new to photography/ Camera Clubs and/or with little competition experience) and Advanced (for those who are more experienced photographers and used to competing).
Arrive from 7.15pm - Meetings start promptly at 7.30 pm and finish around 10pm, with a short interval for tea, coffee and chat. Club nights feature a range of external speakers, competitions, members' evenings and social events. The club also hosts special events and workshops, with some outdoor meetings in the summer. See our programme for more details. Some meetings are currently held online via Zoom.
Annual subscription for the 2022-23 season is £45.00.
List of Officers and Committee Members
| Chairman | Val Brierley LRPS |
| Vice Chairman | Norman Marsh |
| Secretary | Janine Scola |
| Treasurer | Graham Lawrence |
| Membership Secretary | Jane Lee DPAGB EFIAP |
| Programme Secretary | Penny Piddock DPAGB EFIAP |
| Club Competitions Secretary | Malcolm Macnaughtan |
| External Competitions Secretary | Stephen Jones LRPS DPAGB EFIAP dorcamext@gmail.com |
| Exhibitions Secretary | David Whitton |
| WCPF Representative | John Tilsley APAGB DPAGB ARPS |
| Members Representative | Maggie Lawrence |
| Other officers | |
| President | Penny Piddock DPAGB EFIAP |
| Vice-President | Helen Jones ARPS DPAGB |
| Digital Competition Organiser | Chris Parvin |
| Webmaster | Glynn Grylls dorcamweb@gmail.com |
| Contact email (unless stated otherwise) | dorcamclub@gmail.com |
The WCPF and PAGB
The club is affiliated to the Western Counties Photographic Federation (WCPF). See their website for information on events including inter-club competitions and competitions for individual members (see Dates for your Diary). There is also a WCPF Facebook Group that you are welcome to join.
The club is also affiliated to the Photographic Alliance of Great Britain (PAGB) via the WPCF. The PAGB co-ordinates specific activities for photographic clubs in the 15 UK Federations (e.g. Western Counties). The PAGB organises national inter-federation & inter-club competitions and offers distinctions (awards for photographic merit) direct to qualifying club members. Subscribe to the PAGB's regular eNewsletters.
Special Interest Groups
Any club member can set up a Special Interest Group (SIG) or organise a photography outing. If you intend to do so, you must contact the Chair via the Club Gmail in the first instance so that the Committee can work with you to help you publicise your event or group and ensure it runs safely.We currently have the following SIGS:
Distinctions Support Group – run by John Tilsley. This is a self-help/critique group for people from any local Camera Club who wish to work towards Photographic Distinctions awarded by the Royal Photographic Society and the Photographic Alliance of Great Britain.
ICM and Abstract Photography – run by Jane Lee for those club members who are interested in this style of creative work.
Nature Photography – run by Jane Lee as an informal discussion and critique group for our Nature Photographers
’Club’ Section Mentor Group – an informal opportunity for members of our Club Section to get feedback on their work from some of our more experienced photographers.
The Distinctions Support Group has returned to face-to-face meetings. The other groups are currently meeting via Zoom.
We usually have a few outings over the course of the spring and summer as well. Recent visits include Shepton Mallet Jail, Tout Quarry and Cerne Abbas. Any club member can organise an outing. The organiser is responsible for checking permissions with land owners, finding out about parking and other local facilities and for communication. They must also carry out a risk assessment and distribute the personal contact forms produced by the club in case of an emergency. Please contact the Chair via the Club Gmail in the first instance.
Club History
Our club was founded in 1936. Here is a document that records the history of our club - available as a pdf download that is suitable for downloading and printing:- Club History, kindly written and updated by Keith Hooper.
