THE HISTORY OF THE
EASTERN SUBURBS PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY INC.
The Eastern Suburbs Photographic Society was formed in 1967 at
a time when membership of the Box Hill Camera Club was in
decline. The Chief Photographer at Channel “0” television
station in Nunawading was Peter English, who was provided with
a small budget, courtesy of Channel “0” (now Channel 10) to
organise a photographic society. Peter called an initial public
meeting attended by some 200 interested individuals and so
began ESPS. Among the founding members were the President
(Peter English), the first Treasurer (Charles Rivington) and
Secretary (K. Bell).
The first six years of the club’s life saw the Society meet at Channel
0 studios where members availed themselves of the station’s studio
lighting, sound and other facilities. A move to the C.L. Willis Room
at the Nunawading Civic Centre followed in 1973 where we
remained until 1990. In October 1989 the Society became
incorporated under the Association Incorporation Act 1981 in order
to protect Committee members from personal liability. A move to the
Mitcham Primary School in 1991 was followed by relocation to the
Mitcham Senior Citizens' Centre, 5 Brunswick Rd., Mitcham in
1992, meeting on the 4th Wednesday of each month as it had in the
past.
Originally colour slides and movie film were encouraged but Black
and White prints were the mainstay. Colour prints were introduced
through the 1970's and a Small Print Competition was introduced in
1997. By 2006 the digital age was making major inroads into the
photographic focus of the club, and the emphasis changed rapidly,
moving away from film based photography towards digital
photography and computer processing of images.
In 2007 it was decided to discontinue the slide competitions which
ceased to be a part of the competition program at the end of 2008.
This year was also the first year that digitally projected images
appeared as a distinct competition category. By the following years
(2009) the projected digital image competition was so popular that it
was split into two grades producing as many images as those in the
printed image categories.
Regular workshops and social events have been a part of the annual
syllabus activities since the first field trip in 1967 when members
travelled to Toorourrong Reservoir just north east of Whittlesea.
Various social activities continue to feature as part of the Society’s
activities, and the workshops have evolved with greater emphasis
being placed on the exchange of knowledge and participatory
activities.
Interclub competitions have been an ongoing aspect of the club’s
activities with an April and October “4 Club Competition” being
held, originally between ESPS and the Berwick, Oakleigh and
Waverley clubs. Additional but infrequent interclub competitions
were held separately with Ringwood and Camberwell. In 1971,
Eastern Suburbs associated with Coleraine Camera Club until that
club’s demise in 1980. A similar relationship developed between the
Wendover Camera Club in England which continued until 1999
when Wendover also ceased operation. Another association was
developed with the Stoke Poges Camera Club also in England in
2000. Each competition was evaluated by both an English and an
Australian judge with their comments being sent to the other club on
tape. From 1982 to 1984 the E.S.P.S. liaised with the Camera Club
of Singapore to provide an exchange of slides to show members of
each club examples of the different images produced by the two
clubs. In 1992 a similar arrangement was undertaken with the
London Camera Club, Ontario, Canada. Currently the club has no
outside affiliations outside the 4 club and VAPS structures. With the
collapse of the Oakleigh camera club a replacement was sought, and
in 2008 Maroondah Camera club joined the existing 4 club
competition.
The Society has acquired equipment over the years including twin
dissolve projectors with audio-visual ability, a slide projector, print
display stands and a public address system for speakers and judges.
With the advent of digital photography, this film based equipment
largely became redundant and in 2007 a Digital projector was
purchased, which will be followed in 2009 by two computers and an
LCD screen for demonstrating photographic techniques and digital
imaging skills.
This transition to digital technology placed greater financial strains
on the club, and it became necessary to engage in additional fund-
raising measures in order to fund new equipment. This period
marked a major shift in the club’s direction, and presented new and
interesting challenges. The wide availability of computer based
processing methods enabled many members to engage in
photographic manipulation techniques which had previously been
the domain of only the privileged few. The number of members
shooting with film cameras dwindled rapidly, and by the end of
2008 only a few had not converted to digital. The focus on computer
skills replaced knowledge of traditional darkroom techniques as the
computer became the new “darkroom” of the 21st century.
Since its inception the Society's members have produced thousands
of first class images many of which have been lost over the years
but in 2007 the society celebrated its 40th anniversary and a range of
images from the club’s past were displayed at the 40th anniversary
celebrations. 75 top images from the period 1973 to 2000 have been
recorded onto a compact disc, and the collection continues to grow
due to the ease with which digital images may be stored and
reproduced.
The Society has now had over 600 members pass through its doors,
and with an average membership of around 65 the club continues to
thrive. A new wave of younger, technologically proficient, members
holds great promise for the future. The majority are now connected
to the world electronically which provides greater ease in the lines
of communication between members. The records of the club are
now digitised, replacing the original handwritten records, and the
administrative processes have become far more sophisticated. The
Society has a strong internet presence with its own website through
which potential members can be attracted and images of members
shown to the world. The club also continues with the more
traditional promotional activities, including displays at local
libraries.
Members of the club are encouraged to participate on either the
committee or via one of the various assistant roles which enable
club meetings to operate each month. The views of members are
regularly sought via either “think tanks”, surveys or by generally
feedback which is encouraged. The committee continues to provide
what members are looking for in a photographic club, and to keep
pace with changes in the photographic world. The club attracts a
diverse representation from all walks of life and age groups and has
a good mix of men and women whose photographic talents range
from beginners to those with high levels of proficiency.
ESPS produces a newsletter, "FORMAT", which is published 11
times a year and is free to all members, and also circulated externally
both electronically and via mail. It has its own place in the history of
the club being initially typed onto wax stencils and duplicated on a
Gestetner printer. Peter English edited and typed the newsletter while
the membership took bets on the number of mistakes that might be
found in each edition. In time Channel “0” took over the publishing
process and now it is produced by one of our members using
computer software and professional printers. In keeping with digital
progress the newsletter is also available for download from the
Society’s website. The club continues to maintain its own small
library of photographic books, one of the few clubs to do so.
The Society meets in a large, comfortable and heated hall that has
good supper facilities, clean rest rooms and ample off street parking.
General meetings are held on the fourth Wednesday of each month,
January to November inclusive, at 8.00 pm in the: Mitcham Senior
Citizens Centre, 5 Brunswick Road, Mitcham, 3132. Melway
reference: 48 K9.
The future holds great promise with the likely return of Audio Visual
activities which were largely abandoned with the advent of digital
photography. Increasingly more advanced technological facilities
and an enthusiastic membership will enable better sharing of skills
and a more effective use of computers and other digital accessories.
Any enquiries about this website should be directed to the Webmaster (Bob Thomas) at esps@vicnet.net.au
EXTERNAL LINKS
