The newly formed Blackjack Camera Club is off to a successful start, with 20 members from Gunnedah and the local area.
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One of the founding members, Nicky Bronkhorst, said the group had already been on a number of outings in the area, such as Mullibah Lagoon and the Waterways Wildlife Park.
“The club is going amazingly well,” she said.
“I can’t believe we have accomplished so much and we haven’t even had our first official meeting yet.”
Mrs Bronkhorst said the club’s first meeting would be held on Tuesday, May 26, at 7pm at Gunnedah Community College, with the theme of Australiana. Local photographer Simone Carlyon will be the guest speaker on the evening and will judge the club’s monthly photo competition in June – themed portraits.
Mrs Bronkhorst said the club would benefit from the knowledge of local professional photographers and hoped that many would be willing to share this with them.
“I am hoping that we will get enough support to keep members enthusiastic and make learning fun,” she said.
The club has a website and a members-only Facebook page.
“Our website is mostly for formal meetings, guest speakers and also allows a blog format if people have taken some time out to do something interesting and they want to share it,” Mrs Bronkhorst said.
“We are using our Facebook page to organise impromptu gatherings... or even sharing our thoughts and what we have learned with each other.
“If someone wants to explore a new setting like the Gwydir Wetlands, it becomes an impromptu road trip and a few good laughs later.
“It gives you that excuse to actually get your camera out.”
Member Nick Clark said joining the club had given him “new-found inspiration” to start using his camera again and apply the knowledge he learnt from a course with local professional photographer Paul Mathews.
“My initial interest has been sports photography but after seeing lots of images by different photographers over the last week of the milky way and star trails, I set myself a challenge,” he said.
“I decided to refine my skills in the backyard before progressing any further. I chose a ladder for the foreground to make the image more interesting and in line with the concept of ‘reaching’ for the stars.”
Mrs Bronkhorst said the club is all about collaboration, with members sharing tips on camera settings and ways to improve their photography.
“I am amazed and thrilled at the participation and joy members seems to be deriving
from the Blackjack Camera Club community,” she said.
“I’ve had people say they absolutely love it.”
Despite the constant work of organising behind the scenes, Mrs Bronkhorst said she was excited and happy that the club had been so well supported.
“I think it’s going to keep growing,” she said.
Club meetings are held on the last Tuesday of each month at 7pm at the Gunnedah Community College.
For more information, visit www.blackjackcameraclub.com, email blackjackcameraclub@outlook.com or call Nicky Bronkhorst on 6742 5630 or 0477 459 126.