Do I need to be an expert photographer? No, you don't. You may never have taken a photo in your life, but you want to? Our emphasis is on fun support and may be just what you're looking for.
Do I need my own camera? Actually, no. We have time-served members we suspect of not owning one. It does make taking pictures simpler though. Mobile phones are fine- in fact they are way ahead of many "dedicated" cameras in what they can do. If you are thinking of buying a dedicated camera, ask for opinions. The members own a wide range of equipment, from cheap to very expensive, of varied makes and formats. Advice is free and you might even pick up a used bargain.
So should I bring my camera every week? Only if you want to, some folk never go anywhere without one, but you won't need to, except on practical some nights when we will be trying something that requires a camera. That will be notified in advance.
So what happens? We have talks on photographic themes. We have competitions and challenges. We look at photographs. We have practical sessions, where we discuss complex technical stuff like remembering to take the lens cap off. There are lots of types of photography, lots of uses for cameras. A visual diary. A record. A creative experience. A work of art. Street photography. Commercial photography. Holiday photography. Glamour. Abstract. You name it. And there's Camera Club Competition Photography.
Do I have to enter competitions? I'm not good enough! Well, nobody has to enter, but the more the merrier. The idea is to get better. The important thing is to learn from what judges have to say- about your work and everyone else's- while not taking criticism too much to heart. Competition photography is a tiny sub-genre of all photography. World class photo journalists and the best commercial photographers might score poorly in club competitions because it's not their thing, but competitions do give a general idea of how to take "good" pictures - ones you will be happy to show people. The idea is to learn and have fun.
I've got my Grandad's box Brownie. Can I use that? There are a few camera club photographers who use film cameras, but the club decided a couple of years ago to stop supporting "wet" photography. The Health & Safety considerations relating to chemicals can be problematic in some circumstances. If you want to use that analogue camera and film, go for it - there's a place here for you. ...which leads us onto computers and software. Whether you use a phone, a compact, a DSLR or mirrorless camera, you will need to store your photos - and probably to edit them- on a computer of some sort. The club has one, with a selection of software for displaying and editing images. One regular topic for talks is the use of photo-editing and cataloguing software.
Do you print your pictures? There are two views about printing. View one is that a photograph is not finished until it has been printed on paper. View two is that this is the 21st century, not the 19th. Most people these days are used to seeing images on a screen of some sort, especially phone camera users. Most of what we see in the club are Digital Projected Images (DPI) ie pictures projected from a computer, via a digital projector. That's one reason we meet in winter; it gets dark early. A big advantage of digital images is they can be shared online .
Is there an age limit? If you are under 16, you would be very welcome but we would ask you are accompanied by a "responsible" adult.
What does it cost? Membership is £50 for the season. This is payable as a one-off payment at the start of the Season in September or in two payments of £25 payable in September and December. We meet for 7 months of the year and usually have about 27 meetings.
What's a typical meeting like? We meet from September through to March, on Tuesdays, from 7:30pm till 9:30pm in Poldrate Granary for members and practical nights or on Zoom for Competitions and Guest Speakers. The syllabus can be found on the homepage http://testhaddingtoncameraclub.org.uk . In person and online meetings are clearly labelled on the syllabus. Poldrate Mill is part of the Bridge Centre , down near the river in Haddington. Revised February 2026