About us
The Mearns
Located on the North East of Scotland, to the south of Aberdeen, the Howe of the Mearns
spreads from south of Stonehaven to above Brechin and from the
Grampian Mountains until the Garvock Hill stops it from reaching the sea.
The Mearns Camera Club takes its name from this now fertile and prosperous area although the bounds of our membership
spread outside the definition of the area given above, stretching up to Aberdeen and south to Forfar, and
with the sea playing a significant part in our lives and our photography.
In fact, the picture on our website is of Dunnottar Castle, an iconic fortress on its own promontory thrusting
into the North Sea some two miles south of Stonehaven.
The Mearns Camera Club
The Mearns Camera Club is based in the Community Education Centre in Stonehaven. We meet every Monday evening from
September until April at 7.30pm (please refer to the
Syllabus for details). These sessions are a mixture of
presentations from local expert photographers, competitions, coaching sessions and occasionally excursions for some
practical, hands-on photography. During the summer, Club members meet twice-monthly for photography in the early
morning and evening light.
Competitions
The Club runs six monthly
internal competitions each year, with a mix of Open and
specific theme subjects. All these competitions feature
both digital projected image and print sections. Prints for the
print competitions range from those produced in a
chemical darkroom to those produced from digital files
using a printer.
In
addition, the Club has an annual slide
competition, which is for 35mm slides from film only
(with no conversions from digital allowed).
In addition, we compete in the
Grampian Eye against Aberdeen Camera Club, the
Bon Accord Camera Club (in Aberdeen)
Moray, Forres, Banff, Donside, Fraserburgh
and Peterhead Camera Club. We
also compete in the Angus Cup against Brechin
Photographic Society, Carnoustie Camera Club and
Carnoustie YMCA Photo Section.
The Club enters both the projected
image and print championships run by the Scottish
Photographic Federation and the SPF Projected Image and
Print Portfolios. Individual members compete in other
competitions and salons as they arise.
Club Members
The Club has a strong membership ranging in skills from beginners to
professionals. Within the membership, most types of
photographic subject are taken - from landscapes to
nature photography, travel, still-life and portraiture.
The Club welcomes members of any level of skill and does its best to support photographers of all standards.
The range of equipment used by members ranges from
digital to 35mm to medium format.
Club Facilities
The Club has a range of equipment which members are able to book out or work at. These include:
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A Canon 10D camera with a Canon EF 17-40mm f4 lens and Canon 75-300 lens.
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A digital projector.
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A laptop for digital presentations.
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A Gretag Macbeth colour calibration kit.
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A digital darkroom with a Nikon Coolscan 8000 scanner and an Epson 1290 printer.
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Studio lights with stands, reflectors, umbrellas and a flash meter.
Enquiries are welcome and you should contact us using the details on the
'Contact' page of this site.
