A quarter century of local photography celebrated
By Myles Hodnett
(From The Orcadian dated January 17, 2002)

There are due to be more than 100 photographs in Orkney Camera Club's 25th anniversary exhibition which opens on Saturday, January 19 at the Orkney Museum.

Norseman Garage by Bob Moore

In the winter of 1976 a group of people met in the South Ronaldsay home of Mr John Cartmel-Crossley, drawn together by the same interest – photography.

That meeting laid down the foundations of Orkney Camera Club who celebrate their 25th anniversary this week with an exhibition at the Orkney Museum in Kirkwall.

The club’s survival is described as a “little bit of a miracle” by Fraser Dixon, one of the three founding members still playing an active part today.

“There are clubs that have failed after a dozen years and somehow we have kept going,” he says.

The other stalwarts who have been with the club practically from day one are Tim Wright and Bert Baikie, while others have come and gone.

Mr Cartmel-Crossley is a professional artist and now lives in Northumberland while another enthusiast Colin Johnston, the club’s first president, now lives in Aberdeenshire.

The Shop by Dennis Walls

“Interest proved to be keen,” recalls Mr Baikie, “and so a formal club was set up with Colin as president, John as secretary, and his wife Janice as treasurer. Much help and advice was given by committee members of the relatively new camera club from Dingwall.

“I can still remember gazing in awe at some of the breathtaking slides shown by Bob Hunter on one of his visits. Most of us wondered if we would ever achieve such perfection.”

Membership has fluctuated during the past quarter century up to a high of 37 and currently stands at around 20. The club are now wanting to see an influx of younger members to ensure it continues to flourish for the next 25 years.

“A lot of people join a camera club to learn how to take photographs, but as photographs have become more computerised, people are getting acceptable results without knowing about photography because the camera is doing all the thinking for them,” explains Mr Dixon.

Notre Dame Sacre Coeur by Ian Hourston

“What we are trying to do is to get people to take more than just a photograph. A photograph can be a snapshot, but it can also make you want to look at it time and again and look at the world in a different way and make you think.”

The club meet every other Wednesday night between September and April in the Kirkwall Guide Hut, and themes are given for members to work on during the rest of the year for the annual competitions. The current competition, for example, has four categories, On the Water, Music, Low Light and Silver.

Although many of the members use SLR cameras, the club, which next meets on January 23, welcomes all formats, including compact and digital photographs.

Fares Please by Colin Johnston

“As long as people are producing pictures, we do not mind how they are doing it,” adds Mr Dixon, who says colour prints are now just as popular as slides, and more so nowadays than black and white prints.

The club, he says, is not equipment orientated and plenty of competitions have been won by photographs taken by a simple compact.

“Nobody should be frightened of the club because nobody is going to sneer at everybody because they do not have the latest in camera technology – most of us would doubt the latest in camera technology.”

Membership of the club involves plenty of exchanges and competitions with other clubs from the south. Workshops and teaching sessions are also held as well as the club’s own in-house competitions.

Anyone interested in joining the club should just turn up at the next meeting.

Young Leverets by Michael Moar

“We would not like it to fade out,” stresses Mr Dixon. “We would like it to develop with new members and ideas. I think a new generation of computer literate digital photographers would be a great way for the club to develop. If the club is to thrive, I suspect it is good to go forward but I do not think we are going to get rid of photography through light and chemicals.”

Mr Baikie sums up: “We of the old brigade need to be pushed into the background by a vibrant, forward looking committee, full of new and innovative ideas, to take the club into the next quarter century.