Join Our Club!

New members wanting to join a camera club, particularly if they’ve not belonged to one previously, often feel concerns as to whether they have the photographic ability and knowledge required. They may even be anxious that they will be ‘shown up’ if they can’t produce photos of a sufficiently high enough standard. Further unease may be felt regarding the photographic equipment they currently use, or feel they may require.

Because we understand these concerns we make it clear that all camera types are acceptable. We also ensure that all photos entered into competitions are entered anonymously and names are only disclosed for those entries with the highest scores. But further we have structured our members into three separate groups in order to counter any worries regarding ability and knowledge. We would describe these groupings as follows:

Group 3   This is a beginner’s group.

Most new members with little or no previous experience will start in this group.

They are not obliged to enter any competitions, as they can still learn by attending both the regular meetings as well as the competition evenings.  Should they enter, they will find the constructive assistance offered by the competition judge to be very useful in enabling them to improve their own photography.

Group 3 members who then go on to demonstrate the appropriate ability may be offered a move to Group 2 at the end of a club year.  They are not obliged to accept, and if they feel more comfortable in Group 3 they may remain there.

Group 2   This is an intermediate group.

New members may enter this group if they can reveal a good knowledge of photography when joining and/or they have been a member of a camera club previously and can demonstrate that they have reached the appropriate ability. They are not obliged to enter any particular competition, although they are expected to take an active part in competitions during the year.

Again, members who then go on to demonstrate the appropriate ability may be offered a move to Group 1 at the end of a club year. Other considerations in a move up will also be general attendance and participation in club activities.  Members are not obliged to accept and if they feel more comfortable in Group 2 they may remain there.

It is fair to say that the competition judge will be a little more requiring for this group.


Group 1   This is our advanced group

Members will be capable of demonstrating an ability to take quality photos that are well presented both when digitally displayed and when in printed format.

They are expected to attend meetings regularly and to take an active part in supporting club activities. They are asked to enter all competitions, with non-entry being an exception and they must be prepared to offer friendly, helpful assistance to other members. Should any Group 1 member be unable to commit in the future, they would be expected to volunteer to return to Group 2.

For this group, it is fair to expect the competition judge to be particularly requiring.


Why else would you want to join?

Well, it’s not all about competitions, as helpful as they are. There are a number of other reasons why members may wish to join the camera club:

• They enjoy photography – that’s why we are all here 
• They enjoy the social side of being in a club – with nearly 70 members we guarantee you will get to know other members and make new friends.
• They enjoy sharing and participating in club-type activities such as visiting attractive and interesting local places.
• They want to learn – we run training courses in Portrait Photography and Adobe PhotoShop and Adobe Elements
• We have a separate web site called Member Tips which will give you all kinds of additional practical information on cameras and PhotoShop - password protected, it's available only to members.

So, why not give us a call (Brian on 01953 488 477) or complete our Member Application and we'll call you.

Should you have already made up your mind that you do want to join the club then you can if you wish pay by either credit or debit card.  See our Pay Page for further details.

And who knows, you might even meet someone you already know - have a look here and see if someone from your village or town is already a member.

Caston Camera Club
a Norfolk camera club serving
Watton, Wayland Villages, Breckland, Norfolk.