About the Club

Our History

The Kingston Photographic Society was formed in 1967 by a small group of photographers who wanted to get together to share ideas and discuss their mutual interest in photography. The club met in the City Park Building on Bagot Street for many years. A newsletter was produced to give members information on upcoming meetings. In January 1975, Dorothy Benson started writing a second page that she called Camera Capers. Her idea was to incorporate such things as “News and Views”, “Helpful Hints”, and activities of our members.

In September of 1975, the club began holding the meetings at 370 King Street West. September 1976 saw more changes to the club. The new constitution had been written and the name changed to “The Kingston Photographic Club”. Meetings were moved to the campus of Queen’s University, except for a short period of time when we met at the Military Communications and Electronics Museum.
In 1973, the club joined the National Association for Photographic Art, now called the Canadian Association for Photographic Art (CAPA). The Club has participated in CAPA competitions; hosted Camera Canada College in 1982 and 1994; and held seminars with noted Canadian Photographers such as Freeman Patterson, Richard Martin (now an honorary member of the KPC), Courtney Milne, Terence Dickinson and Bill Reynolds.

Our Meetings

The Club’s main meetings are held in Dupuis Hall, near the corner of Division Street and Union Street on Queen’s campus, generally on the first and third Monday of each month.
Please note that we concentrate on photographic images and almost never discuss particular cameras or other hardware involved*. If you are a potential member, we cannot guarantee to ‘teach’ you how to use your camera – some self-help, studying and reading is essential and there is a lot of guidance to be found via the ‘Learning’ part of the menu above. Of course, members have many different camera makes and models and if you are new to your camera you are bound to find other members who will willingly give guidance on particular features that you may be unsure about.

= It’s another ‘plus’ for digital cameras – photo clubs in pre-digital days spent an inordinate amount of time discussing the relative merits of different film, lenses, developers, fixers, enlargers etc.
What we can do, gradually, is introduce new photographers to different styles, effects and composition ideas and then discuss the technical issues. Current members range from students to retirees, and from very experienced photographers to novices. We are quite liberal in our interpretation of photography, and encourage experimentation at all stages of the process of making a picture. Categories in our competitions are for Prints, Creative/Experimental, Pictorial and Nature (digital). The club does not ‘compete’ with other clubs except in a very friendly way with an annual ‘multi-club’ meeting. However, as a member club of CAPA, we forward our best work for national competitions. Critique of your images by our judges is optional.

What we do

We aim to provide an environment for members to compare their work through competitions, exhibitions, ‘Show and Tell’ etc.
We challenge members to try new kinds of photography (Themed competitions and challenges)
We provide a place for members to learn more about their hobby (Presentations, website learning, critique)
We have a varied program of speakers, a large annual exhibition, outings, friendly slide and print competitions, a monthly online competition, and perhaps most importantly, the opportunity to discuss your problems and successes with like-minded people.

The Kingston Photographic Club is also a proud member of the Ontario Council of Camera Clubs, (O3C)

Current Executive (2024-25)

President – Heather Jamison
1st Vice President – Judi McFarlane

2nd Vice President (Vacant)
Secretary – Leslie Milbury
Treasurer – Ed Fletcher
Past President – Dennis Bally

Extended Executive (2023-24)