ACTIVITIES OFFERED THROUGH KPC:
- GUEST SPEAKERS: Our year-end survey clearly identified that a majority of KPC members really enjoyed the Guest Speaker presentations. The KPC Executive strives to find quality speakers to present to the membership on wide range of photographic topic areas. A positive outcome of pandemic restrictions is our discovery of our access to a much wider pool of speakers who offer excellent presentations via Zoom. The KPC Executive has decided to include several Zoom speakers during the 2023-24 season.
- CLUB SPONSORED LEARNING ACTIVITIES: Some meetings are devoted to conducting learning activities led by one or more KPC members. They include, but are not limited to, activities such as Print Critique nights, Station Night, Photographic Learning Series, You Be the Judge, etc. These meetings tend to be more interactive and allow members to critique, discuss and share ideas and techniques. The more common learning activities are described more fully below.
- PRINT CRITIQUE NIGHT: Print critique nights are a popular learning activity. Members are advised to bring in 1-4 of their images relating to a pre-determined genre or topic. At the meeting, members meet in small group and view and critique the images that each member has brought to the meeting. It is a great way to get both positive and constructive feedback on your images. Facilitators at each table ensure that the feedback remains helpful and constructive.
- STATION NIGHT: Once a year, a number of “stations” are set up in a gym or similar venue. Stations may include water droplets; floral arrangements, macro-subjects, portraits, etc. Attending members bring their camera equipment, flashes and tripods and spend the whole evening experimenting with different settings and techniques. It is also a great opportunity for sharing information on techniques and settings.
- PHOTOGRAPHIC LEARNING SERIES: The intent of this activity is to promote learning in specific topic areas and to provide opportunities for sharing knowledge and experience between Club members. Specific topic areas may include various editing techniques, how to prepare a member presentation, etc.
- YOU BE THE JUDGE: This can be a great learning activity for both competitive and non-competitive members. The activity involves viewing a selection of images, judging each image’s merit against criteria normally associated with a “good photograph,” and assigning a score. The “real learning” takes place during the subsequent discussions between members as they articulate what they saw as the strengths and deficits of different images.
- CLUB COMPETITIONS: KPC conducts 3 Club Competitions per year. For each competition, there are four entry categories- Print, Nature, Creative/Experimental and Pictorial (the Print category was suspended during the pandemic.) Each member can enter a maximum of 4 images per competition. A member can enter all images into one category or spread the four images out over multiple categories. Competition rules.
All entries are submitted through the Club Website. You must be a current, paid-up KPC member and registered on the website in order to participate. Two weeks following the closing of each competition, a “Results Night” meeting is held where attendees get to view the amazing images submitted by fellow Club members and listen to judges’ critiques. Images in each category placing 1st, 2nd and 3rd are identified (along with any Honourable Mentions.)
- ONLINE COMPETITIONS: There are 5 monthly themes throughout the year. The 5 monthly “themes” for the up-coming year are revealed in June. Participating members can submit one image for each monthly themed competition via the KPC website. Online Competition rules.
You must be a current, paid-up KPC member and registered on the website in order to participate. The Online Coordinator sends the images off for judging and emails each member’s individual results and judges’ comments approximately 3 weeks later. Whereas the Club Competition results are more public, the online competitions provide members an opportunity to compete knowing that individual scores will remain private. At the end of the year, the Online Coordinator tabulates each member’s best 4 monthly competitions (the lowest monthly score is dropped.) At the Awards Night celebrations, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners are announced for the Online Competition.
- CAPA COMPETITIONS: KPC is a Club member of the Canadian Association For Photographic Art (CAPA.) As such, KPC is entitled to make Club entries to various CAPA competitions (usually held once or twice monthly.) Entry into this level of competition means you are testing your photographic talents against photographers from across Canada. Results and images are presented at one of the KPC meetings. You must be a current, paid-up KPC member and registered on the website in order to participate.
- UPPING OUR GAME: This initiative is aimed at helping KPC members create and edit higher quality submissions for Club and CAPA competitions. Initial efforts were towards offering each other “editing” critiques that would make stronger submissions. Since its initial inception, goals have expanded into discussions and activities of various strategies and techniques for actually creating stronger images in-camera.
- MULTI-CLUB COMPETITION: Once a year, in October, Photographic Clubs from Napanee, Perth, Brockville and Kingston hold a multi-club competition. One of the Clubs is the host club and identifies a geographic area within which photographs must be taken. Images are submitted, judged and results communicated. You must be a current, paid-up KPC member and registered on the website in order to participate.
- MONTHLY OUTINGS: Once per month our Outings Coordinator identifies a “theme” and “location” for a photographic adventure. Outings are normally held on Saturday mornings. Locations are normally within Kingston or immediate area. Interested members congregate at the identified meeting place, last minute instructions are communicated and then members are off on their photographic adventure. Each member can submit a specified number of photos via the KPC website. The Outings Coordinator uses those images to put together a slideshow that is then shown at a subsequent KPC meeting. This activity is another opportunity to socialize with fellow photographers.
- MEMBER PRESENTATIONS: This activity provides an opportunity for members to show other KPC members a selection of images from a recent vacation, a specific genre of interest, a specific portfolio or project, etc. Presentations do not have to be Hollywood productions. Simply selecting 10-15 images and talking about them will work just fine. Interested members need only to contact the Program Director or President and express an interest in making a presentation. Help and advice is available to help you create your presentation.
- AWARDS NIGHT: At the end of the season (normally early May), KPC holds an Awards Night. Pre-pandemic, members would meet at a specified location and enjoy a meal and celebrate the photographic accomplishments of KPC members. A number of slideshows provides entertainment and another chance to view some of the amazing images created by KPC members. First, second and third place Award Winners in the various categories are revealed.
- SUPPORT: There are many experienced photographers in KPC. They would be very willing to help new photographers by listening to your questions and offering some guidance or advice. Let one of the Executive members know you need help and they will partner you with a more experienced member.
Well, if you have made it this far in this article, it should be quite apparent that there are a LOT of activities to meet the needs of photography enthusiasts.
Let the Kingston Photographic Club fulfill your photographic needs.