On Monday 4th October, the long ‘summer break’ which had lasted since March 2020 finally came to an end with almost 30 returning members and two guests meeting to hear what the season has in store for Retford and District Photographic Society (RDPS).
The venue, St Joseph’s Church Hall in Retford, is large with plenty of room to space out seating. President Alan Dibbo opened the evening by warmly welcoming everyone and talking through the COVID-safe requirements which the group have drawn up.
Speaker finder, Jane Brownley, then spoke about the programme she has drawn up for the season until December. Not all speakers are yet happy to visit to speak in person and Jane has had particular difficulty finding qualified judges for their competitions. Most will not handle prints at the present time and as this means RDPS cannot hold print competitions, there is a change in store. There is normally a class for Digitally Projected Images (DPIs), but this year this will be expanded to two classes – one for colour and one for monochrome. This year, each member will be allowed to enter three images in each class.
Jane summarised the speakers she has booked, and it sounds like an interesting and varied programme. They will be talking about landscape photography, equine photography – a new subject for RDPS – and portraiture, which may also have a practical element.
Jane then invited her husband, Neil, to speak about a planned return trip in March 2022 to Kirkcudbright in southern Scotland. Hides on the site are each specifically set up to enable close quarters photography of different species. During the private booking, members will be able to stay as long as they wish in their chosen hide. In addition, there is a nearby opportunity to photograph
Retford & District Photographic Societyred kites at a feeding station.
Jane then spoke about the club trip to the National Centre for Birds of Prey at Helmsley, Yorkshire in July 2020, when limited travel was possible. The Centre works to educate visitors, but it also plays an important role in conservation and rehabilitation. Jane is planning a further trip to this lovely venue next year. There is sure to be an enthusiastic take up from those who remember the hooded vulture, the lanner falcon, the Asian brown wood owl, the African sea eagle and the crested seriema.
With so much to look forward to, it feels good to be back to meeting again. RDPS look forward to more former members going along and warmly welcome them – and any visitors who want to see what they are missing. There is a nightly fee of £4.00 for up to three visits before a commitment to join.
For more information or to contact RDPS, please visit www.retford-photographic.co.uk.
