Club Meeting, Vice Chair's Challenge 1 - Tuesday 24th September 2024.

   

The theme at Morpeth Camera Clubs meeting on Tuesday 24th September was ‘My Home', with new Vice
Chairman, Jeremy Cooper, leading the evening. It is customary for the incoming Vice Chairman to set three
challenges, and Jeremy’s themes for this year are ‘My Home’, ‘My Town’, and ‘My County.’ He asked members
to show five images and be prepared to discuss them. Specifically, he wanted them to explain how they took
the images, how they represented ‘My Home’ if they faced any difficulties taking the pictures, and to discuss
any editing done during the process. Sixteen members took up the challenge, submitting a total of 82 images.

        

It was evident that flowers, gardens, books, warm lighting for mood and family pets were all considered to
be an important aspect of their home. Also possessions which evoked memories came to the fore. A model
Art Deco bus station complete with 60’s model buses provided one member a memento of where he came
from originally. A listed cottage with hidden surprises of boarded-over fireplaces which had been lovingly
restored, images of Morpeth which had similarities to and memories of Durham roots, ‘his castle and moat’
was described by a member whose home overlooked Telford Bridge and St George’s church.

                   

We saw images of possessions, which revealed something new about the personality of the owner such as
colourful 1930’s china, African masks, owl images, family portraits, a policeman’s’ helmet, a working model
of a steam engine and libraries with a wide variety of subject matter. Hobbies, such as making preserves,
fruit growing, intricate Bedfordshire lace-making, designing vases made of sea glass, cooking, reading and
even a complete box set of Laurel and Hardy were included. There were stories of a home where cats rule
(of course), a 150-year-old piano named ‘The Boss’ as the author explained that they could only live in a
house which could accommodate it.

  

Images of doorways ajar inviting one inside, views of the garden from inside, informal gardens with flowers
grown from seeds, Hostas, lilies and roses in cosy nooks providing an oasis of tranquility, rockeries, fruit
trees, creatures which make our gardens their home such as butterflies, caterpillars, spiders and surprisingly
a fleeting shot of a Sparrow Hawk. There were garden gnomes, Buddhas, statues of three wise orangutans,
and even included was a 100 year old pet tortoise.

  

It isn't easy to illustrate ones home with only five images so some members had submitted collages of aspects
they consider to be home and some had descriptive and often humorous text included. An image of the home
where he was born held the greatest amount of memory for one member, ‘A happy childhood in a home which
was the centre of his universe.’

  

Each entrant revealed a little-known part of their life and host Jeremy thanked all who took part, he had fun
looking through them and hoped that the challenge had produced good ideas for future work. There were no
prizes, he said, but virtual awards went to all for their originality and story telling quality.

Steph