JOIN THE CLUB: In the picture

By John Van Klaveren
THE LINE between amateur and professional photographer is blurring as digital technology levels the playing field.
It has certainly made a difference to the increased memberships of camera clubs.
Bellarine Camera Club president Darren Humphrey said numbers had grown steadily to more than 40 keen snappers.
“We started with four or five in July 2009, so there are a lot of keen photographers around the Bellarine,” Darren said.
“Most of us wanted a local club instead of driving into Geelong, so we set up a Bellarine club based at Springdale Neighbour-hood Centre so we’re central to the peninsula.
“We pride ourselves on being open and friendly and we normally have a visitor or new member each meeting.
“We aim to provide a positive environment for members to learn about photography and develop their skills through competitions and presentations by local professional photographers.
“We have members with various photographic interests and at all skill levels.”
Bellarine Camera Club has meetings on the first and third Monday of the month, offering a range of activities.
World-renowned underwater photographer Andrew Newton was a recent guest speaker.
“Andrew is a local and he showed us some of the amazing fish and fauna he has photographed in our own Port Phillip Bay,” Darren explained.
“It opened up a new world for some of our photographers.”
The club runs regular displays of member’s photos as well as competitions, both with external judges and in-club peer judging.
Entries are both printed and digital, with competitions now regularly attracting up to 70 images.
“We ran our first Easter display last year and that has become an annual event,” Darren said.
The club had now accumulated a catalogue of local scenic shots as well as sports photography, landscapes and portraits.
“It’s a valuable asset for the club and can inspire photographers to improve their work,” Darren said.
The club is part of a three-way annual competition with Corio Bay and Colac camera clubs.
“We’re still finding our feet in the interclub scene but Bellarine members won a first place in the electronic images category and third in the large print section recently,” Darren said.
“Next year is our turn to host, so it’ll be all stops out to win in 2013.”
Darren said prospective members could contact membership secretary Roger Northam on 0419 254 525 or northam25@bigpond.com for more information.