Information for current and prospective members.
Annual membership is;
Individual - $35.00/year,
Couples - $50.00/year,
Fees cover the hall hire, suppers and newsletters, plus access to club resources - the library, video projector, monitor calibration tool and dSLR sensor cleaner.
Part-year fees are also available.
At the beginning of each year, the committee sets the yearly programme of set themes. This is a subject-specific monthly competition where members submit images for judging based on the theme subject. We ask that any post-processing be kept to a low level - cropping, basic corrections, tidying of blemishes are all acceptable. Club members may submit two images for each monthly theme.
The set themes run for the months March to October inclusive. The February meeting is our first of the year and also our AGM - we have informal look at members images taken over the Christmas break. The AGM is being moved to November this year so no theme for that month. For the December meeting members choose a theme subject of their own and submit a collection of at least 6 images based on their chosen theme, which is judged on the night.
The monthly set theme images are sent away to a PSNZ standard judge who will critique the images and award a grade from Non-Acceptance through Acceptance, Merit, and Highly Commended to the highest grade: Honours. An award for the highest scoring photographer will be made at the end of year.
At each meeting we also have a separate Open competition. There is no restriction to either subject nor degree of post-processing in Open images. Members may submit along 1 digital prints each meeting March to November inclusive, plus one print in March, June and September that has been matted, for critique. These are also sent away to a PSNZ standard judge who will critique the images and award a grade. A separate end of year will be made to the winner of the Open competition.
For 2010 the Matamata Camera Club has instigated a 'Photographer Of the Year'. This is based on the monthly set theme competition where the images will be judged by a PSNZ recognised judge, and points awarded for each image.
To encourage participation, for EACH IMAGE submitted, a point will be awarded for entering. Then points will be awarded as follows:
Acceptance - 2 points,
Merit - 3 points,
Highly Commended - 4 points,
Honours - 5 points.
Whoever accumulates the most points by the end of year wins!
The Theme and Open sections will have their own competitions and awards at the End Of Year. The Photographer Of The Year will be awarded to the person with the highest combined points from both the Set Theme and open competitions.
Members may submit up to two digital images each month for the set theme. Images must be submitted as a digital file, resized to a maximum of 1024px wide by 768px high, and be received by the Secretary no later than 5pm on the Monday before each meeting. Images may be emailed (preferred) or delivered by CD or USB drive.
Your digital image files are to be anmed with an appropriate title plus your initials so we can identify the photographer later i.e. sunset_over_raglan_cp.jpg.
The email address for submitting the digital theme images is photos@matamatacameraclub.org. The subject line of your email should include both the month and the theme subject of the theme submission. Please send Theme and Open images as separate emails with Theme or Open clearly stated in the email's subject line.
Open prints are to be bought along to the meeting, matted, and with the image title and photographers initials printed on the back of the matte. The maximum matte size is 50 x 40 cm / print size 14 x 11 inches, but we normally accept a print size of 12 x 8 inces (or A4) to keep your costs down.
The Sixways is an annual interclub photographic competition held between Cambridge, Matamata, Rotorua, Taupo, Te Awamutu and South Waikato Camera Clubs. Each club has a turn to host the Sixways.
Images are submitted usually early May to the hosting club for judging, and all the clubs get together for a social day and presentation of the results on the first Sunday of July.
"I think the best pictures are often on the edges of any situation, I don't find photographing the situation nearly as interesting as photographing the edges."
- William Albert Allard, "The Photographic Essay"