Welcome to Bishopthorpe Camera Club
There has never been a more exciting time to take photographs. In the digital era more people than ever enjoy taking and sharing their pictures.
Whether you use a mobile phone, digital or film camera for your photography, we provide a friendly, supportive environment where you will find inspiration as well as good company. We welcome photographers of all ages and experience, from beginners to experienced amateurs. Visitors and potential new members may attend any of our Activities and can be sure of a warm reception.
Throughout the pandemic, we held virtual meetings on Zoom and ran Challenges and other activities to keep us in touch and enjoying our photography together. As soon as possible, we re-introduced opportunities for meeting up with other members, including Cuppa & Capture and Photo Walks, and the 2022/23 programme included some in-person meetings in the Studio at York Theatre Royal, as well as continuing with meetings on Zoom. We have been delighted to receive so much positive feedback, both for our external speakers and also for our ‘in house’ presenters. Zoom has allowed us to expand our horizons and benefit from hearing talks from exciting, talented and prestigious photographers from all over the world, whilst our in-person meetings have also reminded us of the enjoyment we get from meeting up with other like-minded members. We have been treated to some truly memorable evenings.
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2023/24 season
In the 2023/24 season, we are increasing the number of in-person meetings within the fortnightly programme, whilst also continuing to run virtual meetings. We are grateful to York Theatre Royal for continuing to allow us to use the ‘Studio Theatre’ to run some of these in-person meetings, providing an excellent space for hosting visiting speakers in a central location. And we’ll be back in Bishopthorpe Village Hall for our first in-person Critique meeting. We will continue to run all our usual other activities, including Cuppa & Capture, Photo Walks, Challenges, Outings and Social Events. Please keep an eye on ‘What’s On‘ for information about talks and other activities. Please contact Julia at secretary@bishopthorpecc.co.uk for more information.
Renewing your membership or joining the Club
Current members are invited to renew their annual subscriptions, and new members are very welcome to join. For more information about the various types of membership, including reduced rates for couples, Zoom-only and those in full time education, and to sign up, please click on the purple ‘Renew or Join the Club’ button below (please also see and follow the helpful information about ‘How to renew or join the Club‘). Any queries about membership should be sent to membership@bishopthorpecc.co.uk.
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UPCOMING EVENTS, ACTIVITIES and REMINDERS
Saturday 2 December, Photo Walk, Victorian Weekend, Robin Hood’s Bay
An opportunity to visit the picturesque fishing village of Robin Hood’s Bay during their annual Victorian themed weekend. The village is a maze of tiny, steep cobbled streets and alleyways with many characterful houses. At low tide there is also the foreshore to explore. Plenty to see and photograph – a walk not to be missed!
Further information here.
Tuesday 5 December: Paul Mitchell, The Seeing Eye
Paul is a creative photographer and graphic designer, and we are delighted to welcome him back to his native Yorkshire. In his talk, ‘The Seeing Eye’, he will take us through the importance of looking beyond the obvious, generating interest by focusing on details, textures and shapes, both in nature and the man-made world. Paul will also explain various creative techniques such as intentional camera movement and multiple exposures through to the use of creative lenses and filters.
Visitors are welcome (£5) and should contact Julia for more information or to book a place.
Monday 11 December: ‘Deck the Halls!’
This year, as we approach Christmas, we have planned a day of festive photography with not one but two social get-togethers, the first at lunchtime from noon at York Theatre Royal and the other from 5 pm at Thor’s Tipi in the Museum Garden. Members are welcome to attend either or both, whichever they prefer or that is more convenient, and partners are also welcome to join us.
The theme for both events is ‘Deck the halls!’. Loads of scope for a varied gallery of images given the vast arrays of brightly festive decorations that will, as always, adorn shops, houses and streets across York in the run-up to Christmas.
Deck the halls! @ noon: Please meet as usual for C&C at 12 noon upstairs at York Theatre Royal. There won’t be a set lunch, but you can choose from what’s on offer at the café.
Deck the halls! @ 5 pm: Our second get-together of the day will in Thor’s Tipi in the Museum Gardens. If you are not able to meet at lunchtime, or would like to do both, then please come along from 5 pm onwards for mulled wine or hot chocolate, and perhaps also a bite to eat from the delicious sounding and varied hot dog menu.
After these events, please submit up to five of your images from these outings by WeTransfer to web@bishopthorpecc.co.uk by midnight on Friday 29 December to give us chance to publish the gallery while it’s still the holiday season. If you can’t make it at all that day, then do send in any images that you take on the festive ‘Deck the halls!’ theme at any time or in any place during that week. The format is exactly the same as for C&C (see Submitting images).
Tuesday 12 December: It’s a Christmas Knockout, 2023
Christmas is coming, and it’s time to look forward to our annual light-hearted knock-out competition.
Members are invited to submit one monochrome and one colour image to digcomp@bishopthorpecc.co.
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Submission deadlines
It’s a Christmas Knockout: Members are invited to submit one monochrome and one colour image to digcomp@bishopthorpecc.co.
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Cuppa and Capture and Photo Walks
Don’t forget to check the What’s On page for upcoming C&C themes and Photo Walk locations.
Don’t forget the social side of Cuppa & Capture too. If you can, do come along and have a cuppa and a chat with fellow members, meeting at 12 noon on the first floor at York Theatre Royal. It’s great to catch up with everyone and the more the merrier. Hopefully the holidays will allow some folk who cannot usually make it to attend too.
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Joining the Club and visitors
New members and visitors are welcome, whether for individual meetings (contact Julia, our secretary) or to join us for a whole season (contact membership@bishopthorpecc.co.uk or click on the purple ‘Renew or Join the Club’ button above).
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New Galleries added:
Please see the the Galleries page for the most recent images:
Annual Digital Image Competition 2023: Man-made; Abstract and Creative; Landscape; Living World; Street; Portraiture
Cuppa & Capture: Somewhere to sit; Odd one out; S is for….; The Devil is in the Detail; Covered; Modern or contemporary; Tales from the riverbank; The Colour Purple; Public Gardens; Bicycles; Shiny; Flowers; Bank Holiday Fun; Shopping; Leading Lines; If you want to get ahead, get a hat; P is for….
Photo Walks: Thorpe Perrow; Pickering; Skipton; Howden; Paddy’s Hole; York Unlocked; Ripley Show; Yorkshire Sculpture Park; York Viking Festival, Whitby Goth Festival, and Knaresborough.
Outings: Bishopthorpe Palace; Christmas Songs and Sayings
MIG (Monochrome Interest Group): Music; Trees; Cities; Pathways
Challenges: Challenge #19: Scenes within a scene; Challenge #18: Telling a story in five images; Challenge #17: Nifty Fifty and Fancy Footwork; Challenge #16: An exhibition of images inspired by York Theatre Royal’s community production, The Coppergate Woman; Challenge #15 Creating a 2022 Photo Calendar, Challenge #14: Shapes, shadows and surfaces (inspired by Serge Najjar’s talk); Challenge #13: Reinventing the Holiday Poster. And for a look back at all ten Challenges of 2020, please see this audio-visual extravaganza, showcasing the amazing images submitted by members in our ‘Challenges #1-10 Review, 2020’.