Following their own success in adopting Zoom to continue and expand their club meetings during the pandemic, the North Shore Photographic Society (NSPS Vancouver) invited several B.C. and Yukon camera clubs to an initial meeting to share their success and encourage other clubs to consider similar strategies.
Club participation at the monthly meetings grew during the summer of 2020 and it wasn’t long before the idea of joint-club presentations was suggested. A task force was struck and the foundation of the BC/ Yukon Inter-Club Speaker Series evolved.
The Victoria Camera Club (VCC) already had experience in presenting Zoom sessions to their large membership and offered to host these Zoom presentations. CAPA Pacific Zone Director Lynda Miller provided funds to upgrade VCC’s Zoom licence for larger audiences.
Details were resolved on how this speaker series would be funded between the clubs to provide honorariums to the featured photographers. It was also agreed that presenters for this series be prominent Canadian photographers. To date, 27 camera clubs representing about 1,400 members across B.C. and the Yukon are participating.
With a club meeting schedule already established, the Victoria Camera Club suggested the first speaker in the series be Richard Martin. More than 700 club members registered for Martin’s presentation “Visual Rhythm: Lines & Curves,” which he presented live from Ontario.
Throughout his presentation, his photographs demonstrated his unique vision, a personal style characterised by a strong sense of composition, colour and the use of light. Each photograph is a study in composition, as he will view the subject from all angles and perspectives. He likes to combine his architectural love of geometry, pattern and texture with a painter’s sensitivity to colour, light and composition.
In early January 2021, our second speaker in the series featured acclaimed wildlife photographer Jeffrey Wu, presented by the Sunshine Coast Camera Club. Jeffrey was able to provide live commentary from his safari location in Masai Mari National Reserve in Kenya, while his photo slides were presented locally to maintain excellent image quality to the 600 registrants. Based on his theme of “How to tell a Nature Story” Jeffrey amazed the audience with stunning images of African wildlife across a diverse array of visual settings. Be it fur or feathers, Jeffrey has a deep knowledge and understanding of animal behaviour such that he can likely predict what will happen next and be ready to capture that split-second of action or that feeling of deep emotion.
Working under a variety of different lighting conditions, he demonstrated different techniques for different situations. Sharing insights on technique, camera equipment and settings, his presentation was both educational and inspiring. Jeffrey’s approach to wildlife photography is to push it to the next level. Not content with mostly sedentary subjects, he aims to convey more meaning to his photos by getting as close as possible to capture facial expressions. Landscapes across the savannah also provide him with opportunities to reflect on the vastness of the terrain, while capturing wildlife against threatening skies or against stunning sunsets.
Feedback from many of the attendees at the two sessions strongly indicate this speaker series should be continued beyond what is already planned. Laura Letinsky and George Barr are the two upcoming speakers who will be presenting in March and May 2021.
Phil Cunnington,
President , Sunshine Coast Camera Club
