Bradford Photographic Society

2nd September sees the start of the 2010–11 Bradford Photographic programme, and this one promises to be the best one yet. Not only does the year kick off with a techniques night, but this will be a theme for every first Thursday of the month.

This year also sees us celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Society, and there a plans afoot to celebrate this event in style at the Town Hall with the Lord Mayor, so why not join and be involved in what will be a very exciting time for all members, old and new.

There will, of course, be the normal variety of evenings to look forward to, including guest speakers, competitions, and social gatherings, to entice you along. Full details will soon be available in the Coming Soon section of the site.

Look forward to seeing you Thursday 2nd!

Kath, Andy, Kenn and I enjoyed a day out in Hartlepool on the final day of the Tall Ships event. With Kath driving, we headed north, in heavy showers, and had an uneventful clear journey. Fortunately, the rain had stopped by the time we reached the park-and-ride, and the sun was shining on us. I was very embarassed  to discover that I'd left the pre-paid parking voucher at home, and I had to pay again! I have been assured that I can get a refund.

We got straight on a bus and were dropped off near the marina. We spent quite a bit of time here, taking considerable interest in a very rusty old boat - only a camera club group could home in on a decaying ship, amongst such spectacular sea-faring vessels! We then wandered round to the tall ships village, looking out for a good vantage point to view the ships leaving port. We had taken packed lunches with us, as we had expected hordes of people to turn up, but it was surprisingly quieter than expected.

As we continued on towards the shore we came across a huge mountain of scrap metal, which caused another flurry of cameras, before we resumed course. We had to negotiate a barbed wire fence before finding a sandy hillock to sit on, where we waited patiently for the ships to sail. This vantage point afforded good views, but was far from ideal, as the sand was neither stable nor comfortable. Before long, the showers started, and the wet sand was now sticking to everything.

Shortly after the rain began, the first of the ships sailed past, and this became a pattern - every time a ship was about to leave the rain would start falling, and it was quite heavy at times. Anyway, we all kept smiling through it, and made the best of the occasion, continuing to take lots of pictures, with brollies aloft. The ships were spectacular, but after several heavy showers had left us feeling wet and cold, we decided not to stay for the parade of ships in the evening. As we wandered back, a song was playing "You can see forever on a clear day..."

In spite of the poor weather in the afternoon, we really enjoyed the day, and were pleased with the photo opportunities. I even managed to find a butterfly to photograph.

"Schools Out For Summer" - were the lyrics sung by Alice Cooper on one of his better known hits and though this is not technically correct for the society, our syllabus has ended for 2009/2010 and will not begin again until September for the 2010/2011 season.

The season has seen many things, some very interesting speakers, great images and close competition between members and clubs in varying competitions.  We won the Ossett battle but, having won the Interclub last year, managed to come only 4th this year.

We have seen an influx of new members following a huge improvement to this website, many thanks to Keith Nuttall for all his great work here and in many other aspects of the society over the year, and a presence on local radio, BCB Community radio @ 106.6fm.

So, you may be asking what happens over the summer period well fear not fellow photographic enthusiasts for we will be meeting up for various photographic events throughout the summer and these will be in the coming soon part of the website.

So if you fancy joining us, contact us by clicking on the link in the top right of the website and say hello.  We look forward to hearing from you.