RCPS was founded in 1948.
We are a very warm, friendly and enthusiastic group with a good social, educational and competition programme. We guarantee a warm welcome to any new members, whether you’re an absolute beginner or you’ve won national awards.
When we meet
We meet as a club on Monday nights from September until April:
- From 7pm – coffee & biscuits (cake if we’re lucky)
- 7:30 – official start
- 8:15pm – coffee break
- 9:30 – finish
Over the summer, when we’re not meeting as a club, we continue to get together for coffee at Claro Lounge on a Thursday morning, and at 7pm on the first Monday of every month at the One-Eyed Rat. The summer is a good time to be getting out and photographing, and we also organise a few trips for members to join if they want.
Where we meet
Club meetings are held at St Wilfrid’s Community Centre on Trinity Lane. There’s plenty of parking on the church grounds.
Our programme
Our busy and varied programme includes guest speakers, talks by members, hands-on workshops, activities on the streets of Ripon, and competition judging evenings.
Our annual exhibition
The end of the summer sees our annual RCPS Exhibition. This is open to all RCPS members; whether you’re experienced or a novice, we’d like to have your images! Members can submit up to 6 prints and 4 DPIs. The exhibition takes place at Allhallowgate Methodist Church Hall, in the centre of Ripon. There are prints on boards, as well as running digital displays, and members of the public are invited to vote for their favourite images. Drinks and cakes are available all day, served with a smile.
Our competitions
We run 4 competitions per year, plus our President’s Cup and our Christmas Boys vs Girls informal competition. Points for places accumulate towards each member’s annual total.
Higher competitions and awards
Our society is affiliated to the Yorkshire Photographic Union (YPU) and the Photographic Alliance of Great Britain (PAGB), and we encourage our members to participate in their competitions and exhibitions. Many of our members enter their images for the annual YPU Exhibition, and our club selects images to go forward for the YPU inter-club competition. See RCPS’ performance recently at the YPU Exhibition.
In recent years we’ve won a number of individual and society awards including the YPU Young Photographer of the Year. We also have an increasing number of experienced members who have achieved awards from the PAGB, the Royal Photographic Society (RPS) and The London Salon.
Socials
We’re a friendly group so the social side is important. Social activities include:
- meeting for coffee at Claro Lounge on a Thursday morning (year-round)
- a pot-luck Christmas social with an informal ‘Girls vs Boys’ competition
- an end-of-season social in April, where we meet for a meal and our annual certificate-giving (winners in our competitions)
- various members getting together for informal walks, photo walks, activities etc
What sort of camera and kit do you need?
Some of our members have DSLRs or mirrorless cameras; others just use their smartphones. There is absolutely no snobbery about kit at our club, and smartphone images do well in our competitions. And if you don’t know much about photography yet, or how to use your camera, plenty of members will be happy to help you out.
How to join
- Come along to a club night and ask to sign up, or
- Email us and we’ll get back to you with next steps.
Membership fees are:
- Adult – £45
- Juniors (aged 14-18, accompanied by an adult) – £10
- Visitor’s fee per session – £5
Visitors who subsequently decide to join will have their visitor’s fees for that season deducted from their subscription fee, up to the full value.
Any questions?
Please just get in touch.