Frequently Asked Questions

When do you have your meetings?

Our meetings are held on the 2nd Tuesday of every month, except for January (when we have no meeting at all).
Meetings start at 7:00 pm and usually finish around 9:00-9.30 pm.

Where do you have your meetings?

Our meetings are held in the Lions Club, located at 18 Merino Street, Kings Meadows, Launceston. There is ample free parking available.

Map link:  https://goo.gl/maps/U6PBiA4tLGN2

How many members do you currently have?

We currently have 63 active members on our books and we have several new member enquiries every month (correct April 2022).

What is the average age group of your members?

We have members who are in their 30’s and we have members in their 80’s (and all points in between).
We are a motivated and extremely friendly bunch who are all really ‘young at heart’.

Do you cater for all levels of photography?

Yes, we have a wide and varied range of photographers within our ranks ranging from absolute beginners to semi-professionals. We welcome everyone and try our best to offer something that will appeal to all levels.

What is the common format of your meetings?

Our meetings kick-off at 7:00 pm, with our president welcoming any new members and guests, and making any club announcements and presentations.
We then present the slideshows from our most recent ‘seasonal’ photo competitions. These are open’ competitions for Colour and Monochrome digital images. The slideshows include all of the images entered, as well as the judging results and comments made on the placed images.
We then break for tea/coffee & biscuits and a social chat.
We then have our live presentation, usual featuring a prominent Tasmanian photographer or artist.
Our meeting usually close between 9.00 and 9.30 pm.
On the months when there are no competition slideshows, we have a ‘learning/tuition’ segment in lieu of the slideshows and presenter. This segment can sometimes be held away from our usual venue. These are hands-on sessions where members are encouraged to bring their camera along.

Do you have a club newsletter?

We do, it’s entitled ‘What’s On’, and is produced and published monthly by our wonderful; vice president, Rod Oliver. This is a great publication, that keeps members well-informed about the comings and goings around the club. Back issues can be found by clicking here.

Do you offer photographic tuition and advice?

We do, and this subject is also mentioned in a previous question ‘What is the common format of your meetings’.
We have ‘Learning’ and ‘tuition’ sessions presented at every second club meeting, (usually when there is no presenter or any seasonal competition slideshows to display).
These sessions can sometimes be held away from our usual venue at the Lions Club. They are usually hosted by some of our more advanced members but may also include a selected individual from outside of the club. These sessions can often be ‘hand’s On’, so members are encouraged to bring their cameras.
Our ‘more accomplished’ members are always on hand to offer advice and guidance to any members who may need help with a particular aspect of their photography.
We have a very popular ‘Member Resources’ page under the ‘Learn’ tab in this website. This includes numerous video links and documents to assist our members with their photography.
Members can also ask questions and seek advice through our Members Facebook Group.

Do you have presenters at your club meetings?

We try to arrange a good presenter for every second club meeting, although this is not always possible. Our presenters are often renowned Tasmanian photographers or artists. For details on upcoming, (and past) presenters, please refer to the ‘Events’ tab in this website.

Do you have club excursions?

We usually have a couple of excursions every year, taking our members to some of Tasmania’s most iconic photographic locations. In recent years these locations have included; Lake Pedder and Strathgordon in the beautiful Southwest heritage area, Stanley, the Tarkine Drive, Rocky Cape, Cape Grim, Woolnorth and Arthur River in the states northeast. We have visited Corina and the Pieman river on the west coast as well as Maria Island, Bicheno, St Helens and Binalong Bay on Tasmania’s spectacular east coast.

We also have several short half-day or evening excursions during the course of the year. These generally take us to a nearby location, where we can workshop tips and ideas and of course, take photographs as well. Recently we have enjoyed evening strolls around the historical towns of Evandale and Longford as well as several night-sky photoshoots at Four Springs Lake, Evandale and other scenic locations.

For upcoming, (and past) club excursions , please refer to the ‘Events’ tab in this website.

Does the camera club have a Facebook page?

Yes, in fact we have two;
We have a closed-group for our members only: https://www.facebook.com/groups/northerntasmaniacameraclub/
We also have a public group for everyone to enjoy: https://www.facebook.com/groups/145423719717430/

Does the camera club have regular photographic competitions?

We certainly do;
We have four ‘seasonal’ competitions every year. These are intra-club ‘Open Colour’ & ‘Open Monochrome’ photographic competitions, where our members can enter up to three images in each section.
These competitions are often judged by our piers from other camera clubs in either in Australia or overseas.
The members who accrue the highest points total during the course of the year are presented with our Photographer of the Year trophies.
The Colour Photographer of the Year receives the Frank Styant-Brown Memorial Trophy.
The Monochrome Photographer of the Year receives the Florence Perrin Memorial Trophy.

In July we have our End of Season competitions which include;
The John Shepherd Memorial Trophy for Colour or Monochrome digital images displaying a ‘Landscape’ theme.
The Colour Photograph of the Year receives the Fred Smithies Memorial Trophy.
The Monochrome Photograph of the Year receives the Geoff Pattison Memorial Trophy.

In December we have our Christmas Competitions which include:
The Robert Mackrill Memorial Trophy for a small portfolio of colour digital images that display the photographers diversity.
The Dorothy Mackrill Memorial Trophy for a small portfolio of monochrome digital images that display the photographers diversity.
In these, members enter four images in each section that must display different photographic genres.
There is also the Ikin Trophy, that is awarded to the best digital image of a Tasmanian heritage listed building or structure.
And finally, the Centenary’ Trophy, which is ‘relaxed’ competition for images of other club members whilst on official club excursions or events.

Does the camera club compete in any national and international competitions?

Yes we do, our camera club is a regular competitor in both the PSA PID and Nature inter-club tournaments. These events are organised by the Photographic Society of America (PSA) and each involve three separate rounds during a calendar year.
We enter six of our best images in each round, which are then judged and scored by another camera club from a different division. Camera clubs from all over the world take part in this event, which operates on a league table structure over several divisions. The Northern Tasmanian Camera Club currently sits near the top of group B in the PID competition and we are hopeful of progressing to the top group for next season.

Every year we enter the APS Australian Cup, which is a competition between camera clubs throughout Australia.

We have also forged strong bonds with other camera clubs from Australia and all over the world, with whom we share ideas, images and competition judging duties.