Join the club

© DAVID SCHENCK

© RUSSELL HYNARD

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© JAMIE BIRD

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© BARRY FREEMAN

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1 I Only Cleaned Them Last Week! by David Schenck A masterful still-life that has echoes of an Old Master.

5 Nightshift by Jamie Bird Challenging light conditions have been well controlled, showing a hive of industry at night.

2 Alley by Russell Hynard Proof that any subject can work – the purple bins lead the eye across the frame.

6 Blue Pebble by Barry Freeman The wonderful textures and patterns of the sand provide an engrossing background.

Club Join the

When was the club founded? On 6 March 1888 a group of keen photographers met to form the first photographic society in Ipswich and one of the first in the country. This year Ipswich & District Photographic Society (IDPS) will be 132 years old.

What does your club offer to new members? IDPS welcomes new members regardless of current knowledge, skill or experience. We all love producing pictures, seeing each other’s work and learning from one another.

As well as our regular club nights we hold practical sessions that allow people to get advice on how to improve their photographs, understand their camera better, learn new skills, or learn about different genres from members with specialist know-how. These sessions are held on a Wednesday evening about six times a year and we have four all-day meetings on a Sunday. For our competitions we have two categories – intermediate and advanced. New members would normally start in the intermediate group (unless they hold a distinction or would prefer to join the advanced group) and when they are ready, they can progress to the advanced group. One of the highlights of the club’s year is when we all come together to present our work to the public in our annual exhibition. This is something new members can be part of and present their photographs to the local community.

© AL SON HANCE

© WENDY MANN

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YOUR PICTURES IN PRINT

7 Collecting Snow for Water by Isabella Knight If Bruegel had had a camera we’re sure he couldn’t have done better!

© ISABELLA KNIGHT

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3 Figures on the Beach by Alison Hance Big skies require space, while the figures give the viewer a real sense of scale.

4 Blacksmiths at Work by Wendy Mann The colours are well rendered to make this an ageless portrait.

Club essentials

Ipswich & District Photographic Society (IDPS) Burlington Baptist Church Centre, London Road, Ipswich, Suff olk IP1 2EZ

Meets Mondays 7.30-9.45pm during September to May Membership £50 a year, junior members £10 Contact secretary@idps.org.uk Website www.idps.org.uk

print competitions and fi ve digital competitions each year plus interclub competitions, speakers and intraclub cup competitions.

Do you invite guest speakers? We have around 12 speakers in our ninemonth active period and they present on a wide variety of subjects from wildlife to street photography. Occasionally one of our own members will be the speaker for the evening. There’s always something to learn and enjoy. We have represented the East Anglia Federation at National competitions and take part every year in the EAF Print and Digital Competitions. We participate in regional events such as Cambridge Digital and St Ives Print interclub competition, as well as the Chelmsford Panel competition which we won again this year. We encourage members who want to gain accreditation and we support them in their quest for recognition by PAGB, RPS, FIAP and BPE.

Do members compete in regional or national competitions? Yes, our club competes in local, regional, national and international competitions. We have ‘virtual’ competitions with Ipswich Camera Club in Australia and with Gibraltar Camera Club. Many of our members compete individually in international salons. How many members do you have? We have 88 members including 10 life members who are no longer active but still follow our work. A typical club night would see approximately 45 in attendance.

the year. These range from a couple of hours to a whole day in a particular location or with a particular focus e.g. night photography. As an example, one of our members arranged a night trip to take pictures of the milky way along our coast. He organised this following an astrophotography presentation he did on one of our Wednesday evening practical sessions.

What are the club’s goals for the future? To grow the club, gain more awards and continue to support our members to take their photography to the next level. We aim to continue being a positive part of the local community and share our work with the public.

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©ALIK GRIFFIN

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