Covid has changed the way we live, work and play and to accommodate the restrictions imposed by our Government, Hoylake Photographic Society was forced to close its regular weekly meetings at Newton Village Hall on the Wirral Peninsula and continue online via Zoom.
Zoom has been a godsend during Covid as it's kept the club alive. Temporarily becoming an online photo society has enabled the club by broaden its guest speakers from the North West in person to the whole of the UK and beyond online and we even gained a new member from Canada but there is no substitute for face to face club meetings.
The club's committee have judged that conditions are now safe enough to resume our regular meetings at Newton Village Hall and we have a full program of talks, tutorials and events for the coming season beginning on Friday 16th September through to May 2023. Our meetings start at 7.30pm and finish at 10pm. The club also meets on alternate Wednesdays in the back room of the hall.
In the program are three "Members Nights" on which a club member gives a talk to the club on a subject of their choosing or about their own photography and I'm giving a tutorial and practical demonstration of light painting on Friday 11th November.
Hoylake Photographic Society has always enjoyed a membership of around fifty before and during Covid although only twenty five regularly attended the Zoom meetings suggesting that many didn't like or understand the technology and the age of our membership is predominately over 50 years of age. It will be interesting to see how many club members are ready and willing to return to face to face meetings in the village hall again.
Since Covid struck, my interest and enthusiasm for photography has wilted, and bumping into club member over the past three years, they've all expressed similar feelings. I suppose that's only natural given the circumstances. Getting back to physical meetings at Newton Village Hall must surely give everyone a much welcome lift. The social aspect of club meetings is just as important as the photography itself and new members are always welcome at our meetings with no obligation to join.
