Halstead and District Photographic Society
In 1957 a small group of friends with a keen interest in photography met in a room at The White Horse public house, now a private house. These informal meetings continued and as a result the Halstead and District Photographic Society was formed. For a time they continued to meet in the same premises, a collection being taken at the end of each meeting to cover the cost of hiring the room. Later the meeting place was changed to the Temperance Hotel in Trinity Street, subsequently to become the Working Mans Club and now converted into flats. At these premises the social life of the club was enhanced by the provision of coffee and biscuits during the evening, a tradition that lives on.
In 1972 the hotel closed and during the next four years meetings were held in the Courtaulds Factory Schoolroom at the rear of Boots the Chemist, the building was later demolished to become Boots car park. In 1976 the club moved to the Community Centre in New Street where it remained for twenty happy years with a rising and then falling membership. After the council modernised the Community Centre fitting a low false ceiling making the viewing of projected slides more difficult to see and increasing the rent, cheaper and more suitable premises were sort. This resulted in a move across the road to the Methodist Church and Schoolroom where the society continues to meet to this day. Membership fell to a low of nineteen but has, with the advent of digital / home printing now increased to thirty-four with several younger members joining.
In addition to meeting every other Thursday between September and April we hold a monthly social evening at the Five Bells Earls Colne where members discuss photography and provide short presentations. Our normal club evenings are a mixture of Lectures, print and projected image competitions (colour and monochrome), practical evenings, audiovisual presentations and inter-club battles with other local clubs. The club was awarded a lottery grant in December 2004 enabling us to purchase a high specification 1400 x 1050 digital projector and start digital projected image competitions from September 2005 and re-launch our biannual audio visual “Colorvue” show in March 2006.
To celebrate our 50th year we awarded “life membership” to our longest serving member and held a print exhibition in Halstead Town Council Offices. Several members hold RPS distinctions and have won awards at EAF exhibitions including the Best Transparency award twice in 1986 and 1989, along with several selector awards. Our first inter club success came at Witham Camera Club in a traditional slide and print competition between ten local clubs 2001, and we have since won the “Quaich” trophy eight times.
In January 2009 “Digital SLR User Magazine” launched a monthly competition for camera clubs with a different theme each month, having led for the first two months we slipped down the order but after ten months we gained a “second runner up certificate” behind Wigan 10 and the winners DAPA (Digital Artists & Photography Associates).
Seven members from the club went along to the presentation evening at Canon HQ near Riegate Surrey. On arrival at the event, club members registered at Canon’s reception and collect their passes. Following an introduction to the evening by Guido Jacobs Marketing Director Canon Consumer Imaging, Canon UK and Ireland, the guest speaker Ben Osborne gave an illustrated talk about how he started as a photographer and his work for the BBC as a stills photographer on Life in the Freezer, Blue Planet, and Planet Earth. The Editor in Chief and Editor of Digital SLR User Magazine then presented the awards.
This was followed by drinks, canapés and the opportunity to touch and try a range of Canon equipment, with expert’s on-hand to offer advice.
Group picture of Halstead receiving certificate is included in the Battle of the Clubs report.