This page provides information for our members, together with general background, legal and regulatory informaiton on the club.
Appraisals
Please note that as general rule hand in date for all competitions and appraisals is three weeks before the competition / appraisal.
Quarterly Image Appraisal Evenings. Your images will be appraised by an experienced photographer and, if necessary, some guidance given as to how the image may be further improved.
The evening is open to both DPIs and prints. DPIs will be shown in the first half of the evening and the prints in the second half. The prints will be displayed during the interval, so everyone can have a look at them before they are appraised. This should help mitigate the viewing issues of prints. We ask that you respect the anonymity of the author by not looking at the rear of the print during this time.
Images will be appraised on their individual merit and not against each other. There will be no winners or losers. In an effort to allow sufficient time for the images to be considered properly, the number of images in each section will be limited to a manageable number. To this end, the following submission rules apply:
Each member may submit up to three prints and three DPIs for each Appraisal. However, it may not be possible to show all three images in any section and will depend on the number submitted overall by the membership.
Below are the rules for submission:
- It is not necessary to give your image a title; in fact, it is discouraged.
- Numbering of DPIs will be as per current Club Rules for the submission of images for competitions, with the addition of your order of priority in the file name. Previously, an image named Tree by John Smith would have been given the file name Tree_John Smith. Now it should be named 01_Tree_John Smith or 02_Tree_John Smith or 03_Tree_John Smith depending on your order of priority. If your image is not titled (which is preferred) then it would be 01_John Smith etc.
Sizing
Please note sizing information has been updated to reflect the capabilities of our projector.
All images are projected in a landscape format that is 1,600 pixels wide and 1,200 pixels high.
Whatever the aspect ratio of the image submitted, the image must fit inside these dimensions so, for example:
- any portrait image should be 1,200 pixels high
- any square image should be 1,200 pixels wide by 1,200 pixels high
- any landscape or letterbox image should be 1,600 pixels wide.
For prints, please add 01,02,03 etc., by your name on the rear of the print (again no title preferred). This may be added in pencil. Please note that there is no separation between colour and mono. Digital copies are not normally required, but from time to time they may be specifically requested. If digital copies of prints are requested, the files should be named like the following example: 01_Tree_John Smith_Print and submitted by email on or before the submission date to bobbishop295@blueyonder.co.uk. Where digital copies are requested the print version of the image will be the only one subject to appraisal.
Images not selected for one Appraisal may be entered in a subsequent Appraisal. If only a proportion of number 02 or 03 images are selected, then priority will be given to those authors whose images were not appraised, in subsequent Appraisal Evenings.
This is a new venture for both the organisers and entrants and whilst we have tried to think of all eventualities, there may be some issues which occur in the light of experience. We will attempt to address these as appropriate. Any observations you have will be considered as we go forward. There will be a review towards the end of the year.
Competitions
Please note that as general rule hand in date for all competitions and appraisals is three weeks before the competition / appraisal.
Darwen Trophy
We start the year with a fun knockout competition for prints only.
Through a number of knockout rounds, images are pitched against each other and the audience decides which is the best. The author of the final winning image is awarded the Darwen Trophy.
Hand in is in advance of the competition (check the programme or check with the Competition Secretary for the date) and members can submit mounted images in colour or monochrome. The limit on numbers entered will be advised in the call for entries. It's a fun evening and all entries are anonymous except for the winning image.
Mono Cup Competition
An annual competition for monochrome DPIs only - which includes sepia, cyanotype and so on.
The images must not have been previously entered into another internal competition within the current club year (not including the Darwen Trophy Knockout competition or the Nailsea Town Council Trophy).
The competition is in two sections:
Open - any member can enter up to three DPIs
Aspiring - a maximum of three DPIs per entrant member. Entrants are restricted to those not gaining a Commended, Highly Commended, Third, Second or First in any club competition in the previous two elapsed years prior to the Mono Cup Competition date.
There is a maximum of four entries per person across the two sections.
A cup is awarded for each section.
Living World
Please note: this year there will be no print section in this competition. The DPI, however, will be split in two parts: one section for fauna and one section for flora. Images for either cup can be colour or black and white and members can enter two images for each section.
Sheila Briggs Trophy
Nature was the favourite subject matter of Sheila Briggs, one of the club's founder members, who donated this trophy. The Sheila Briggs Trophy will now be for DPIs depicting fauna only. This can include wild, captive, working or domestic animals.
There is no limit on where or when the images have been taken.
The images must not have been previously entered into another internal competition within the club (not including the Darwen Trophy Knockout competition or the Nailsea Town Council Trophy).
Animals include but are not necessarily restricted to: reptiles, mammals, birds, plants, fish and other sea creatures, organisms. The only stipulation is that they must be alive (e.g. no stuffed animals or road kill). The image can portray a living creature within a larger scene or just a small macro part, but must be the main subject matter. Humans can be part of the image, but must not form the main subject (e.g. jockeys, ploughmen, shepherds).
Dick Drake Challenge Cup
Dick Drake, also a founder member of the club, was the first Chairman. This cup was historically for prints only, but as a trial for this year, we will make this for DPIs depicting flora only.
Flora can include things like plants, flowers, grasses, trees, fungi, moss. They must be 'living' (ie in the place where they grow) rather than cut or removed from their habitation.
A pure landscape or seascape is not in keeping with the subject matter; a 'living subject' should form the focal point within the scene, such as a prominent tree, straws occupying a large part of the foreground, a mushroom in the undergrowth etc.
Post Processing – applying to both sections. The Living World Competition is not subject to the restrictions of the normally accepted rules for 'nature' that apply in many other competitions and as such, alterations are permitted.
- Cloning out distractions is permitted.
- Subjects do not have to be pin sharp, but can show movement where appropriate.
The competition is judged by an external judge - hand in date to be determined.
Nailsea Town Council Trophy
This fun competition takes place on the evening of the AGM and the hand in date is on the night.
Members are asked to mount six images of their choice presented in a single 40cm x 50cm mount. Images may be any size within the mount and may be colour, monochrome, or a combination of the two.
To ensure that entries are anonymous during the judging process, the member's name should not be shown on the front or back of the mount board and for this reason entry is limited to members attending the AGM in person.
Voting is by secret ballot of the members present at the AGM and all entries remain anonymous except for the winning panel.
Print and DPI of the year
This externally judged competition takes place towards the end of the year - please check the programme for hand in date.
Members may enter up to two prints (either colour or monochrome) and up to two DPIs.
Competition Rules
All competitions are open to club members only.
Photographers must own the copyright of every element of the image – Clip Art, Copyright Free material and Fractals are not acceptable.
Prints and DPIs must be prepared and identified in accordance with the guidelines provided elsewhere on the club website.
Naming & Sizing
This section applies to competitions; please see above for Appraisals.
Naming
All submitted DPI files need to be <[title]_[author] For example: Vixen and Cubs_Jane Jones. On occasion, a judge will request digital copies of prints. These should be named in the same way. All prints need to have the Title and Author on the reverse of the print.
Sizing - DPI (and DPI fo Prints)
Please note sizing information has been updated to reflect the capabilities of our projector.
The club's requirements relating to sizing and presentation of DPIs (digitally projected images) are to ensure that the quality of the images projected is the best that it can possibly be. The club's projector is colour calibrated and the quality of projected images will be optimised when image files are presented at the correct size and in the correct colour space.
All images are projected in a landscape format that is 1,600 pixels wide and 1,200 pixels high.
Whatever the aspect ratio of the image submitted, the image must fit inside these dimensions so, for example:
- any portrait image should be 1,200 pixels high
- any square image should be 1,200 pixels wide by 1,200 pixels high
- any landscape or letterbox image should be 1,600 pixels wide.
Images should be submitted in sRGB and 8 bits per channel as high quality JPGs.
Sizing - Prints
All prints are to be mounted in 500mm by 400mm mounts. The size and position of the print within the mount is entirely up to the author. It is worth noting that a judge may consider the mount part of the overall submission. Marked mounts, damaged mounts or poor quality mounts may have a negative impact on a score or rating from a judge.
Committee
The committee runs the club on behalf of the members and is elected / re-elected at the AGM. Current members are:
| Chairman: Grete Howard | Email: chairman@backwellcamera.club |  |
| Secretary: Anna Dagger | Email: secretary@backwellcamera.club |  |
| Treasurer: Tracey Thomas | Email: treasurer@backwellcamera.club |  |
| Programme Secretary: Cynthia Miller | Email: progsec@backwellcamera.club |  |
| Competition and Web Secretary: Al Ritchie | Email: webmaster@backwellcamera.club or compsec@backwellcamera.club as appropriate. |  |
| Membership Secretary: Lyn Gowler | Email: membership@backwellcamera.club |  |
| Media Manger: Mike West | Email: media@backwellcamera.club |  |
| WI Hall Liaison: Bernard Yeo | Email: wi-hall@backwellcamera.club |  |
Constitution
Please note this is a provisional / updated version of our rules
- The Club shall be known as Backwell Camera Club.
- The object of the Club shall be to advance proficiency in the art of photography and friendship amongst its members.
- All interested in photography shall be eligible for membership except for children and young adults under the age of 18 unless accompanied, at all times, by a parent/carer.
- The annual subscription and door levies shall be proposed by the committee and approved by the members at a General Meeting.
- Visitors and guests are welcomed and those interested will be encouraged to join the club. These visits can be to any of the club’s activities.
- The Club will be run by a committee consisting of the below The Officers and Committee shall have the power to co-opt further members. Five shall form a quorum.
- Chairman
- Secretary
- Treasurer
- Membership Secretary
- Competition Secretary
- Programme Secretary
- plus up to 3 Committee members
- Committee members shall be elected at the AGM, or at a special meeting called in accordance with Rule 10.
- Candidates to each election shall be proposed by one member and seconded by another. A vote shall then be taken.
- A Statement of Accounts shall be prepared and presented at the Annual General Meeting. A non-committee member /independent examiner shall be elected annually, to verify the Accounts
- Special meetings may be requested in writing signed by five Club members, stating the objective and sent to the Secretary at least 15 days before the date of the proposed meeting. No other business than that for which the meeting was called may be transacted.
- In the event of the dissolution of the Club, any assets remaining shall be handed over to a photographic organisation e.g. WCPF or RPS as approved by 3/4 of the members remaining.
- No alteration or addition to these rules may be made except at an Annual General Meeting or at a special meeting called in accordance with Rule 10.
External Links
Below are links to the websites of other organisations that you may find useful. All links open in a new window.
Western Counties Photographic Federation
Backwell Camera Club is a member of this organisation which covers the South West of England. Visit their site for details of WCPF events and contact information for other WCPF camera clubs.
The Photographic Alliance of Great Britain
Co-ordinates specific activities for photographic clubs in England, Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland through geographical regions known as Federations and also gives awards for photographic merit. The WCPF is one of the federations forming the PAGB.
Federation Internationale de l'Art Photographique
(International Federation of Photographic Art)
An international federation which affiliates as ordinary members the national associations of photography. Its purpose is the promotion of photographic art. The PAGB is one of the national associations belonging to FIAP.
The Royal Photographic Society
Aims to promote excellence in the art and science of photography. Membership is by individual subscription. Gives awards for photographic merit.
The Film and Video Institute
This organisation supports film and audio visual production and events and supplies copyright and performance licences.
To show audio visual presentations in public, Club members should use Royalty Free Music or obtain the 3 licences available in the IAC scheme.
AI PRM
AI PRM is an organisation providing services and solutions for AI plus education around AI. This is a short and relevant intro to AI and photography.
Many thanks to Cassie for this helpful link.