Top flight: Alton Camera Club

Alton Camera Club’s talented members are ready and waiting to help you perfect your techniques to capture the winter world around you.

hink you could take a striking image like this one of Jed Thornley’s? Entitled I’m Coming For You, it certainly looks as if the impressive bird of prey is coming directly at you and earned him full marks in a competition run by Alton Camera Club.

Jed was one of six members scoring 10 points and gaining glowing praise from judge Kev Sandall. Other members to achieve top marks were Clive Chater, Barry Clark, Steve Gregory, Steve Kirby and Tony Cole.

The camera club which formed in 1957 has a wide variety of members, young and old, novice to experienced and male and female. Every evening is something different, explains club publicity manager Kristin Barnett, herself a recent member of the club. She says: “I can confidently say that I have been welcomed with open arms. Everybody is extremely friendly. There is a huge variant of experience within the group and everyone is more than willing to help and give advice to beginners.”

And advice frequently comes from outside the group too, as Kristin explains: “We often have external visitors come in and give talks on various subjects related to photography. We also have practical sessions where we have the opportunity to put our new knowledge to the test.”

The competition from which the image here comes was taken as part of the PDI (projected digital image) contest, but the club also runs print competitions, AV (audio visual) and themed competitions.

Displaying the variety of subjects the group covers with its competitions, Kristin added: “Our latest themed competition was song titles and we were required to find a photo that portrayed a song title.”

Competitions also give artists an opportunity to go into external competitions against other clubs. Members also enjoy a variety of field trips which recently included a visit to Stourhead, fireworks and a walk around town for beginners to get to grips with using a camera.

Alton Camera Club welcomes new members to its meetings at Holybourne Village Hall on Wednesdays at 7.30pm. New members can join for just £25 in the new year.