Irvine Camera Club run a popular and vibrant Facebook group for our members and anyone with an interest in the club. To keep everyone’s photographic juices flowing we set weekly themes and invite group members to submit images that fit the theme. At the end of the week, committee member Colin Duffy, will choose his own personal favourite and the photographer responsible will be awarded a Chocolate Orange at the next club meeting. It’s all just a little bit of fun, but it does get us out taking photographs or at least browsing through our back catalogues.
Themes are wide and varied and often lead in interesting and sometimes quite questionable interpretations. A few weeks ago Colin set the theme of “abandoned” and our intrepid members did not fail to impress with a fantastic range of subjects and styles submitted to the group over the following week. With everything from castles to shopping trollies we were served up images showing abandonment not just from our local area but also from much further afield.
Although there is often much humour in many of the photographs, there are several that evoke a sense of lost opportunity and sadness is what has been lost. The casual discarding of items, for instant dumped shopping trollies, remind us of the lack of respect that some of our community have the environment. The heart can also be warmed by the rescue of previously abandoned things, not least Andrew Winter’s dog Gemma who was rescued from by him from Battersea Dog’s Home.
Derelict buildings are often a magnet for photographers although of course extreme caution is always required when exploring such locations. Permission should always be sought. There is no doubting the drama and atmosphere that can be created in a carefully taken and processed image of an abandoned castle or stately home. The ghosts of the past are often palpable in the photographs.
I hope you enjoy looking through some of the interesting work produced by our members on this theme. Over the winter I will be bringing you more of their creative images on the other tasks we have set them. In the meantime if you are interested in getting involved with our thriving camera club you can find all our details at www.irvinecc.co.uk. Until next week, take care and enjoy the light!
