About

The Club meetings are held at Jubilee Hall, 52 Smith Street, Macedon, 3440.

The Macedon Ranges Photographic Society commenced as the Woodend Camera Club in 1983. It was founded by local resident Stan Fox and a number of others who where passionate about their photographic art. The Club changed its name in 1994 to what it is known as today and meets at 7pm on the first two Monday’s of the month and through other activities throughout the month.

Club Activities

Activity Details
General Meetings

The Club has two general meetings every month between February and December.

The first meeting is held on the first Monday of the month.  The meeting is held at Jubilee Hall and a $3 entry fee is required.

This meeting usually includes a few of the following (different activities can be held on alternating months):

New members : prior to the official start of the meeting, new members are asked to attend a brief presentation to help familiarize themselves with the Club, Practices and any other relevant information. This generally takes no longer than 15 minutes. It is a worthwhile meeting for new members to help them navigate things that we do within the club such as Cluster, Competitions, Meetings, Walkabouts etc.

General Information : at the start of every meeting any relevant information that has come up since the last meeting that members should be informed about are provided.

Competition Results : every two months we have a competition (see further explanation below). Entries are required by a certain date and then the results are presented at a meeting the following month. This usually involves the Judge giving detailed feedback for each entry.

In-House Displays and Discussions : some months we may have a subject in which members will provide an image or images and then at a meeting they will discuss the image with members, providing details of why the took the picture, technical aspects of the picture, how they edited the picture etc. This provides members with information on different subjects and techniques while being able to provide feedback and discussion.

Presenters : throughout the year we may invite a special guest to give the members a presentation in relation to their careers, photographs, genre of photography etc. These presentations help provide members with useful information in relation to different types of photography, techniques, processes and other such information.

The second general meeting is held on the second Monday of the month and is set aside for the technical aspect of photography.  This is also held at Jubilee Hall and a $3 entry fee is required.
These meetings are to help members with different techniques and ways of processing photographs etc. This may include:

Mini Tech Nights : a quick presentation is provided on a specific techical aspect of photography. Topics such as Printing, Light Painting, Portrait Photography etc are just some of the topics that are covered during the year.

Practical Exercises : either following the presentation mentioned above, or by itself, undertaking practical exercises on a specific technical aspect helps members to learn by doing. These are extremely important to help learn new and different techniques.

Software : there is a lot of different editing software available and occasionally we provide presentations on the most common software used to help members with their post editing.

One Image Three Ways : during the year we will have a technical exercise where members who wish to be involved will supply one photo and then have three photos returned to them. The object of this exercise is to make alterations to the photographs the member receives to enhance them or make them better/different. At the meeting the member will provide the members with information on their observations of the photo, what they have changed and why (i.e. post-production changes). This helps members see things from a different perspective and gives them information on ways to make changes to photographs that they may want to try. Each person sees things from a different perspective and this is evident when one image can be edited in a multitude of ways.

Competition Information : Four times a year there is an externally judged competition. Club members can submit two PRINT and two EDPI in an OPEN category and two PRINT and two EDPI in the SET SUBJECT. Refer to the  program for topics and definitions. There are specific size requirements for both the print and EDPI submission. If you have an Experienced club member card your entries will be scored and contribute to an overall annual aggregate. They are also eligible for achieving a Commended, a Highly Commended or a Winner status. If you have joined as a Novice club member you may still enter the competition and you will receive the same useful feedback from the judges however your images do not get scored. Typically a club member changes from Novice to Experienced after they have entered a year of competition or have received any of the awards.

For the In-House and Competition entries: Prints can be brought to the designated due date (a general meeting night as per calendar). Both EDPI and a digital version of the print image are uploaded via the club website.

Guest Judges : We endeavour to get highly experienced judges to review and provide feedback on our key competitions during the year: April, June. August, October and our End Of Year competition in December (often a panel of three judges)

Walkabouts Generally held once a month – check calendar for dates. These are held in a variety of locations, generally on a Saturday or Sunday around the third weekend of the month. These walkabouts are to encourage members to get out and about with their cameras. Technical help is available from the more experienced members. Members are encouraged to attend to extend their photography knowledge and experience. Sometimes we stop for a lunch and/or coffee depending on the area we are visiting.
Overnight Walkabouts
At various times during the year. Overnight walkabouts are also a possibility to take in outer Victoria and beyond. It is also a great way to get to know your fellow members and space permitting invitations are extended for MRPS member’s partners that may wish to attend*.

*Partner attendance:  Space permitting MRPS members partners are invited to attend the MRPS overnight walkabouts as follows:
– Partners must be with an accompanying MRPS member.
– Any associated costs, entry fees, meals, accommodation etc is the responsibility of the inviting MRPS member.
– Complete an attendance and disclaimer form

Venues attended can have entry fees but there are no charges to the club itself. Any club member may attend

Workshops Held at various times during the year These can be half or full day workshops dependant on the topic. The location is often at the club house but this will vary if there topics require alternatives. There is usually a small charge to attend these sessions (generally $10-20 approx) to cover additional room hire, equipment, models, handouts, etc.
AGM Out AGM is held in August each year and there is plenty of opportunity for anyone interested, in taking part in the running of the club in an official capacity. If you don’t wish to be an official there are plenty of other opportunities to take part and help the club in other ways. If you are interested, please advise a Committee member. Generally the Committee meets once per month but roles don’t necessarily take up a lot of time. Even a general committee member can be helpful to the club.
VAPS The Victorian Association of Photographic Societies oversees all the camera clubs in Victoria. They host several events each year.
VAPS Convention: a weekend conference which club members may attend. There is a mix of lectures, workshops and outings. This event could be hosted by any of the camera clubs around Victoria and is a great way to social and visit other parts of the country.
VAPS Interclub: At the convention all the camera club submit previously selected images to be judged at a state level.
Quad Comp This is an annual competition between the photography clubs from Bendigo, Castlemaine, Maryborough and ourselves. The club preselects prints and EDPI entries that are judged together with the other club entries. Each club takes a turn in hosting the event.
Other Interclub image exchanges The club takes part in an image exchange and friendly review and critique with other club from in and outside Victoria. In recent years we have had exchanges with the Te Awamutu camera club in New Zealand and another one with Port Macquarie camera club.

So if you love photography, and would like to join in on the fun, whether you are a complete novice or a fully fledged professional, we would love to hear from you. Interested in Membership? Go to the membership page for all the details

 

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