Sidmouth Photographic Club(SPC) was established in 1937 and is a thriving group with over 60 members, meeting weekly on Wednesdays between 7.30pm and 9.30pm at All Saints Church Hall.

SPC members enjoy a varied programme of speakers, workshops, photo walks and trips. For example, in September 2023 their annual Shoot Sidmouth event, which combines photography and socialising, took place. The date coincided with Storm Agnes, which provided some wonderful photographic opportunities for the 20 club members who braved the elements.

Brian Sherlow, Chair of Sidmouth Photographic Club said: “The club has a real diversity of members, ranging from beginners to highly experienced photographers and from those who use phone cameras to those with high-end kit. Everyone’s welcome and we enjoy sharing our experiences and learning from each other. Recent speakers have covered editing, portrait photography and taking photographs in graveyards! We’re always keen to welcome new members.”

Jo Hawes, PR Officer for the club, said: “SPC runs four Special Interest Groups (SIGs) which are free for our members to join and are effectively clubs-within-a-club, aimed at helping members focus on particular areas of interest. One of these is the Outdoor SIG, for lovers of landscape, nature and wildlife photography. This group has taken 10 trips to locations such as Lyme Regis and Abbotsbury since forming in March 2023.”

The club holds regular photographic competitions, which are adjudicated by independent experts, and there are also opportunities to enter inter-club competitions.

External Competition Secretary Karen Brindley said: “Twelve of us recently joined a trip to Birmingham for three days of street photography. It was enjoyable to be part of the group, support each other and have fun taking photos. I've been a member of other clubs and SPC is definitely the most dynamic. It's also very friendly and sociable.” Seven more trips are planned for the summer months this year, including London, Gloucester and Glastonbury - these are in addition to the SIG monthly field trips.

Member David Green enjoys landscape, seascape and architectural photography. He said: “I've learned so much from being a member, it's inspiring, stimulating and fun.”

The Herald runs a monthly double-page spread of the images produced by the talented members of SPC. You can drop in to any meeting at All Saints for a flavour of the club's activities, for £2 a visit. Full membership is £54, less if joining midway through the season.

For more information check out www.sidmouthphotoclub.org