Who are we? Gosforth Camera Club was founded in 1949 and is currently one of the biggest clubs in the region with over 60 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: one aspect of this is our annual Summer School usually held during June and July and covering topics which members have requested. 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 kept the club going over Zoom, which proved remarkably successful. We therefore now run most meetings in a hybrid fashion, transmitting them from the pub over Zoom. This means that if, for one reason or another, a member is unable to get to the pub they can still join in via Zoom from anywhere in the world. Nothing is quite as nice as meeting in person but Zoom is a good compromise when this isn't possible. It also allows us to have some presentations and judging sessions from experts far away - even occasionally from a different continent!
Our exhibitions: Prior to covid we held annual exhibitions of prints in Newcastle City Library. Lockdowns moved that to Youtube, and proved so successful that Youtube is now our usual method. 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
2023 Exhibition:https://youtu.be/1CLGZXIlEjg
2024 Exhibition:https://youtu.be/bRaipiyQg3Q
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 gosforthcameraclub@hotmail.com