Focused Newsletter March 2023

2023 is off to a pretty good start. Feedback from clubs is that meetings held thus far have been very well supported, with entries and attendances getting back to pre-covid numbers. Please remember to be kind to your judges and aim to keep entries to around 100 max.

2023 AGM news

The AGM was well attended. The addition of a guest speaker, Peter Knights, added something to the evening. Peter, a motorsport photographer, gave us an insight into his journey and had several enquiries immediately after the meeting about attending club nights to share his story again, which is a testament to the quality of the presentation.

The Management Committee announced at the AGM that it would re-introduce a modest membership and sliding scale capitation fee, replacing the flat fee of last year. Whilst the Mullins Fund is an important part of our operations it cannot and should not fund the day-to-day operations of SAPF. That has to come from the membership, and then that self-sufficiency allows the Mullins Fund to invest in services to the members to enhance the benefits of being a SAPF member. We believe the new fee structure will allow this to happen and will, in the longer term, come back to benefit you, the club members. The Mullins Fund will continue to fund the Liability Insurance to member clubs, a direct and tangible benefit.

Workshops

Workshops are looking very different this year, taking on a more hands-on/in-the-field approach. The first one of these, a Nature Photography session hosted by Amanda Luker, filled very quickly, and more similar style sessions are in the planning. Please check sapf.org.au for more information.

Growing your membership

Clubs are always seeking ways to grow themselves and attract new members. One way that regional clubs can do this is by partnering with their local Show Society to assist with the Photography Section of local shows.

For example, South Coast Camera Club is the Convenor of both the Port Elliot and Yankalilla Shows and appoints people from its committee to then fulfil that role. It works well and gives the club excellent exposure to the general public. There are 45 country shows in SA each year, so there will be one near you somewhere, and if you’re not already involved, perhaps a conversation may be beneficial to all parties. These shows also have a regional structure which provides a pathway for entrants' work to be seen on a broader scale should the entrant choose to participate.

Wildlife Photographer of the Year

The Friends of the Botanic Gardens is hosting the Natural History Museum of London Wildlife Photographer of the Year (WPOTY) Exhibition in September of ‘23 and have again invited SAPF members to a closed private viewing, as they did last year, but also have approached SAPF to run a Competition, for photographs (Print Only) taken in SA’s Botanic Gardens, with the finalists to be displayed with the WPOTY exhibition and the winner announced at that private showing event. This is a very special opportunity to have your work, should you be a finalist, shown alongside an International Exhibition in a high-profile setting. More information will be released about this in the near future on sapf.org.au and our Facebook page.

Other news

The other bit of equally exciting news is that SAPF is investigating holding a National Competition for Projected Photographs in conjunction with the Edwardstown Photography Club National, and again, more information will be at sapf.org,au. (Do you see a pattern developing here)?

Yes, we want to enhance the use of our Website and Facebook facilities, and if you have information about your club’s activities or functions that you want to be known, please get them to either Robert Dettman, our webmaster or Cathy Cates, our Facebook page manager (see contact addresses at side).

Our Annual Exhibition planning will be completed by the end of March, after which the details will be available on the website, Again, refer to the website https://www.sapf.org.au/new-page-4 for all the information you will need. It’s our 60th exhibition, and it is special.

Don’t forget the West Coast weekend on March 24 -25 ... it promises to be a great weekend. See you there.

Grant