A TASTER OF THE NEW SEASON
01st August 2026
Hardly has the club presented the prizes for the season just completed than thoughts are turning to the season to come. For programme secretary, Rob, this is almost old news because he has been working on the new programme for months to line up interesting new speakers, practical opportunities and club competitions as well as any opportunities for contact with other clubs and direct input from members.
The new season begins on Monday 7th September, when current members will be reconvening at 7.30pm in St Joseph’s Hall, Babworth Road, Retford for a resume of the programme we can expect. This is the perfect time for returning members and any prospective new members to come for the first of their three no obligation visits. There will be information about the speakers who have been booked along with the types of photography they will speak about plus the dates of the competitions.
The season’s first two competitions have no theme, and some of the work members have been taking suggest we could be in for a treat. Whether you choose to compete of not, there is much to be learned from the judges’ comments on the submissions put before them. Some of the judges we have access to are also people who compete in bigger competitions.
Our second judge of the season, Vin Scothern, is one whose work can frequently be seen in the big regional exhibition which members can apply for. The club belongs to the North and East Midlands Photographic Federation (NEMPF), and those members who want to enter for the exhibition in early 2027 need to bring their work to the club almost as soon as we return so that it can be handed in. There is always some excitement when the acceptances are announced and some of Retford’s members’ names are on the list.
Members enjoy varied and interesting speakers at some of our meetings, while at others members themselves provide the entertainment and instruction, showing their work; speaking about how and why they took the shots and what they have done later to process them. Among our members, we have specialists in a number of genres, so the evenings when we run a ‘Show and Tell’ and members show their work and enable the audience to see their skills in action are always popular.
These evenings are also a great opportunity for less experienced members to show their work and invite those with more experience to suggest how they might improve all aspects, from composition and approach to the shot through to the processing to make the most of what they capture.
This type of interaction is one good reason to attend club meetings. Another is the social time. Clearly members have a shared interest in their art, and during the refreshment periods friendships are made and information exchanged, be it about particular shots, great places to visit for particular subjects and trips taken in search of that really special image. Sometimes the conversations are sufficiently captivating to make it hard to get everyone back to their seats!
We look forward to returning to our regular Monday night meetings, which for the 2026/2027 season will run from 7th September 2026 and continue until 26th April 2027 with a seasonal break in December / January. All current and former members will be warmly welcomed back and we hope to also welcome some new members. The costs next year will be £35 for annual members plus £4 per person per night. Guests are welcome for £5 a night and have until after their third visit to decide about becoming members.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY KERRY MUSCOTT, LEE DALGLIESH, TOM COULSON AND OTHERS
Full details about the club are on our web site: http://www.retford-photographic.co.uk/ and the new programme for the 2026 – 2027 programme will appear soon. The draft presented at the AGM suggests we have a great new season in prospect.
Meetings are weekly on Mondays at 7.30pm in St Joseph’s Hall, Babworth Road, Retford
The new season begins on Monday 7th September, when current members will be reconvening at 7.30pm in St Joseph’s Hall, Babworth Road, Retford for a resume of the programme we can expect. This is the perfect time for returning members and any prospective new members to come for the first of their three no obligation visits. There will be information about the speakers who have been booked along with the types of photography they will speak about plus the dates of the competitions.
The season’s first two competitions have no theme, and some of the work members have been taking suggest we could be in for a treat. Whether you choose to compete of not, there is much to be learned from the judges’ comments on the submissions put before them. Some of the judges we have access to are also people who compete in bigger competitions.
Our second judge of the season, Vin Scothern, is one whose work can frequently be seen in the big regional exhibition which members can apply for. The club belongs to the North and East Midlands Photographic Federation (NEMPF), and those members who want to enter for the exhibition in early 2027 need to bring their work to the club almost as soon as we return so that it can be handed in. There is always some excitement when the acceptances are announced and some of Retford’s members’ names are on the list.
Members enjoy varied and interesting speakers at some of our meetings, while at others members themselves provide the entertainment and instruction, showing their work; speaking about how and why they took the shots and what they have done later to process them. Among our members, we have specialists in a number of genres, so the evenings when we run a ‘Show and Tell’ and members show their work and enable the audience to see their skills in action are always popular.
These evenings are also a great opportunity for less experienced members to show their work and invite those with more experience to suggest how they might improve all aspects, from composition and approach to the shot through to the processing to make the most of what they capture.
This type of interaction is one good reason to attend club meetings. Another is the social time. Clearly members have a shared interest in their art, and during the refreshment periods friendships are made and information exchanged, be it about particular shots, great places to visit for particular subjects and trips taken in search of that really special image. Sometimes the conversations are sufficiently captivating to make it hard to get everyone back to their seats!
We look forward to returning to our regular Monday night meetings, which for the 2026/2027 season will run from 7th September 2026 and continue until 26th April 2027 with a seasonal break in December / January. All current and former members will be warmly welcomed back and we hope to also welcome some new members. The costs next year will be £35 for annual members plus £4 per person per night. Guests are welcome for £5 a night and have until after their third visit to decide about becoming members.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY KERRY MUSCOTT, LEE DALGLIESH, TOM COULSON AND OTHERS
Full details about the club are on our web site: http://www.retford-photographic.co.uk/ and the new programme for the 2026 – 2027 programme will appear soon. The draft presented at the AGM suggests we have a great new season in prospect.
Meetings are weekly on Mondays at 7.30pm in St Joseph’s Hall, Babworth Road, Retford