Camera club member takes an award

Dungannon and Cookstown Camera Club member Dympna Heagney has received a prestigious award.

The local photographer received her PDI award from NIPA President Vittorio Silvestri during a recent event.

Meanwhile Newtownabbey and L’Derry will be the centre of the amateur photographic scene in the province over the next two weekends and will be busy times for local camera clubs within the Northern Ireland Photographic Association (NIPA).

This incoming Friday 17th and Saturday 18th February sees the NIPA Audio Visual (AV) festival take place at the Courtyard Theatre, Ballyearl, 585 Doagh Road, Newtownabbey BT36 5RZ. Guest Judge, Colin Balls, FRPS APAGB, will be tasked with finding the top AV’s in both the NIPA AV Championship and the All Ireland Competition. Entries from both NIPA and Irish Photographic Federation (IPF) club members will be judged.

This Friday evening, starting at 7.15pm will include AV shows of International standard including a show by Colin titled “ 80 degrees North – The High Arctic – scenery and wildlife around Svalbard Islands”. This Saturday, starting at 2pm, will include the main competition judging sessions, presentation of entries followed by the awards presentations. The festival has an exclusive Novice Section along with Special categories e.g. Best Photography or Best Northern Ireland Theme.

The following Saturday afternoon (25th February) sees Foyle Camera Club, Pilots Row Camera Club and Strabane Camera Club team up to host the fourth round of the Calumet supported NIPA inter-club competition series, where 27 member clubs compete with Monochrome prints, Colour print and Projected Digital Images (PDIs), starting at 2pm at Pilots Row Community Centre, Rossville St, L’Derry BT48 6LP. The adjudication of over 350 images will see the panel of three eminent judges comment on the images. Adjudications, like this one, are free to attend. Anyone with an interest in amateur photography is welcome to come and find out more about their local clubs and the camera club scene. Information on all the NIPA member clubs, results to date, competition details and samples of the images from the different clubs and competitions are all available on the NIPA Website www.niphoto.co.uk.

Queens University of Belfast Camera Club hosted a superb round 3 adjudication recently at Riddel Hall, Stranmillis, Belfast. After that event, Finaghy based Catchlight CC leads the inter-club championship with Christian Brothers PPU CC from Antrim Rd Belfast a close second. Bangor and North Down CC are only two points behind in third with Central Photographic Association (CPA) fourth and Banbridge CC in fifth. Round 4 host clubs Pilots Row and Strabane CC are jointly tied in their bid to get into the top ten overall so this Saturdays adjudication will be of major interest to the clubs in the North West of the province.

Anyone who wishes to attend the 21 & 22 May NIPA 50th year celebration lecture and workshop, for the 50th anniversary dinner, or a photographic practical afternoon should visit the updated NIPA website to book their tickets. On 23rd March, the Public Records Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) and NIPA will exhibit a special set of ‘historic’ images selected from the 50 years of NIPA competitions. All club members are welcome to the evening starting at 6.30pm until 8.45pm. Full information of both events is available on the NIPA Website www.niphoto.co.uk.

In the lead up to the 50th celebrations, any club that wishes to nominate someone for a NIPA recognition award should do so to the NIPA Secretary by 23 February.

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