Who are we? Gosforth Camera Club was founded in 1949 and is currently one of the biggest clubs in the region with over 70 paid-up members. We are affiliated to the Northern Counties Photographic Federation (NCPF) and through that group to the Photographic Alliance of Great Britain (PAGB). The club is run by an elected committee of members who give their time voluntarily.
Why do we meet? The ethos of the club is that regardless of anyone’s experience, we can all learn from each other. We all have the chance to show our photographs on members’ nights and/or in competitions but there is no compulsion to do so if all you want to do is come and see what other members have been up to with their cameras and to enjoy socialising with like-minded folk. Whilst there is naturally a healthy and friendly rivalry on competition nights, members are always happy to share their expertise and techniques with each other and particularly with those who are newer to photography. Our members have a wide range of interests in different genres of photography.
What goes on? The club meets at 7.30pm on Tuesday evenings from September to April in the Duke of Wellington Pub, Kenton Lane, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE3 3BQ. Meetings usually last until about 8.45-9.15 and are followed by a chance for informal chats in the meeting room upstairs and/or over a drink in the pub. The programme has a mix of presentations by members or external speakers, competitions (print and digital), members’ nights and occasional social occasions. In addition there are organised outings, either locally or at a distance and during the summer recess we hold training courses in various aspects of photography (eg portraits, flash photography, etc).
During the pandemic we had to suspend meeting in the pub and are ran weekly meetings (also on Tuesdays at 7.30pm) over Zoom. These Zoom meetings were very successful with at least 40 members “attending” each week. We have gone back to meeting in the pub now, and are still using speakers from all over the world by also sharing the big screen with our zoom contingent - so far this hybrid pattern is working reasonably well. Outings have also re-started. Whilst sharing a group chat over zoom was actually quite successful and fun, meeting face to face is even better.
Our exhibitions: Prior to covid we held exhibitions of prints in Newcastle City Library. Lockdowns moved that to Youtube, and our publicly available ‘slideshow’ videos can be found by searching YouTube for Gosforth Camera Club, or using the following links:
2021 exhibition: https://tinyurl.com/gccexhibition
2022 exhibition: https://youtu.be/pOwGVnDzS0o
How much does it cost? The current membership fee is £35 for a year (which includes a£2 donation to our charity of the year) but prospective members are very welcome to attend 3 meetings without joining. Paid-up members have access to the members-only area of this website in addition to all club activities.
How do I find out more? For more information please explore the rest of this website, and/or email our friendly club secretary at gcc1photo@gmail.com.