North Mundham Exhibition

Our first exhibition of the year, the Advanced Workers’ two day event at North Mundham, got 2018 off to a wonderful start. Iain McGowan calculated that some two thirds of the Club’s members took part in some way to make the exhibition such a success, whether that was as exhibitors, donating cakes, prints and tombola prizes, helping in the kitchen, transporting the stands, publicising the event or stewarding.  While the exhibitors are drawn from the Advance Class, it really is an all-Club affair and as well as the opportunity to show and to see excellent work outside of the competition framework, provides a wonderful social event as old friends get together and Club Members have the time so often missing at regular Club meetings to sit and chat. 

Our guest of honour at the evening meal was Leigh Preston, with Carole his wife. Leigh is is highly respected and much admired photographer, and astute observer of images and an entertaining speaker.  He rounded off our evening with warm and positive comments about the work on show, and after the event had this to say about the exhibition: – 

First of all can I say the exhibition was a revelation – a perfect way to showcase the styles and different aspects of your members work, it had a really personal flavour and did not rely on the competitive element at all. There was so much variety and technical prowess on show , and beyond that some real talent in vision, presentation , ideas and photographic ability at the taking stage.

We all know that pressing the shutter is only half the story , the after-work brings that moment to life. I was also rather impressed by the space each photographer was able to use for display – it allowed the pictures to breath and not be pitched against each other, as happens in normal exhibitions. The emotion in so much of the work was also something so often neglected by ‘competition’ …  your exhibition allowed ‘moments’ movement, soul, and observation to come to the fore, along with timing and narratives.

We appreciated the time Leigh took to really look at our work and to chat to us.  A million thanks to everyone who made the weekend such a success – and make sure you have 28th and 29th April, the Spring Exhibition dates, in your diaries when our Club and Intermediate Class Members come to the fore!

Scenes from the exhibition