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About the Christchurch Photographic Society

Meetings

Meetings are every Wednesday at 8pm, throughout the year from late January to early December.

Venue

Riccarton Community Church, 44 Elizabeth Street, Riccarton, Christchurch.

Programme

A comprehensive annual programme incorporates a combination of competitions, guest speakers and instructional evenings (click here for more information).

Competitions

There are a wide range of Print and Projected Image competitions to enter, including the following:

• C Grade (C Grade members only) – two per year,
• Open Category in both Prints and Projected Images – six competitions for each of prints and projected images,
• Natural History – two per year,
• Set Subject – one per year (subject chosen each year),
• Landscape – one per year,
• Portrait – one per year,
• Photojournalism – one per year.
(click here for more information)

Entries

These competitions close about one month before judging. Entries are handed in on a designated closing date at the club. The club competition secretary refers all images to a judge, who then judges the images, comments via tape or in person on the night.

Entries are placed into three categories – not accepted, accepted or honours.

Workshops

Once a month (at 7.15pm, prior to the weekly meeting), an experienced member will conduct a workshop. This is followed up two weeks later when members are encouraged to show the results of their efforts after attending the workshop.

At least four times a year after a specific workshop the following weekend (usually a Sunday) there is a field trip/workshop.

There are a number of tutors assigned to attend the field trip/workshops and one-on-one tuition is given to members who attend.

These are very popular within the club and members new to photography gain considerable confidence and learn a lot when they attend these trips.

(Click here for more information)

Critique Sessions

Three times a year, several experienced members are available prior to our weekly meeting (7.15pm) to informally critique your work. Constructive comments are made and your questions can be answered about how to improve your photography.

Field Trips

Each month there is a field trip (usually on a Sunday) to somewhere reasonably close to Christchurch. These are well attended and are an opportunity to get to know members and learn more from each other in the field (click here for more information)

Notice Board

The board displays a variety of notices and special offers available to members, it also holds results of competitions and aggregate scores and notice of upcoming events that may be of interest.

Discounts

Membership to the Society also entitles members to discounts at a number of photographic retailers and film processors throughout the country.

Supper

Supper is available each night after meetings. This is an ideal opportunity to chat and view the notice board.

Grades

There are three grades within the Society (for competition purposes) – A, B and C. New members are automatically C Grade (unless a portfolio is submitted to the Selection and Grading Committee for grading purposes).

Each member's progress on the Open competitions is recorded throughout the year and if the member's level meets the criteria set out in the Societies Competition Rules, s/he progresses to a higher grade.

Honours

The Photographic Society of New Zealand (PSNZ) Honours Board meets annually (usually in Feb) to consider submissions for 'Letters' from photographers nationwide. This is recognition of a photographers ability. There are three levels of Honours – Licentiateship, Associateship and Fellowship.

Those applying for a Licentiateship need not belong to PSNZ, but must be a financial member of an affiliated Society or Club (such as CPS). Those wishing to apply for an Associateship must be an individual financial member of PSNZ and those seeking a Fellowship must first hold an Associateship (or equivalent qualification – as per PSNZ Honours Board Rules).

Interclub Activities

CPS regularly invites other clubs to attend its meetings and vice versa. There are also interclub competitions held each year, such as the National Salon Interclub competition and the Regional Convention annual Salons.

CPS members participate actively in these salons.

New Members

CPS is attracting a large number of new members.

Click here to view some of our newest members and learn a little about them.

Newsletter

Members of CPS are kept up to date by a regular Newsletter titled 'viewfinder' which is posted on the website on the first of each month (except January).

This can be downloaded in Adobe Acrobat format and printed off, if required as an A4 page. A minimum of two pages is produced each month.

Members are also encouraged to contribute articles that may be of interest to others.

Websites

Many photographic Clubs and Societies now have their own websites we have provided links to some of them (click here for more information)

Final Night

The last event in the CPS year is always the 'Final Night'. This is a night not to miss! All photographs that have received acceptances or honours in CPS competitions throughout the year are displayed and are re-judged to determine the overall Champion photographs for the year.

Members from all of the Regional Clubs and Societies are invited to attend this Gala evening.