MORTON PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY (Published Mar 2007)
No one is 100% sure when Morton Photographic Society was first formed, like so many clubs the earliest years were unrecorded and it is not until 1964/5 that formal records appear.
Information garnered from founder members indicates that the initial meeting probably took place in 1962 as an informal get together of half a dozen interested photographers primarily living to the West of Carlisle. Although the City already had a camera club of long standing it was felt at that time that local photography could benefit from a friendly "rival" club.
The initial meeting took place in Morton Community Centre in the West of Carlisle from which the Society took its name. The Centre is based in the former home of the Chance family who donated the house and its associated parkland to Carlisle for the benefit of the community.
Being based in such a centre is of great benefit to the Society as it gives ready access to café, meeting rooms, darkroom and importantly bar facilities.
The Society membership has, in common with many other clubs, fluctuated widely in recent years, peaking at over 65 and currently around 40. The impact of digital photography has benefited the Society in that new members have joined in recent seasons determined to try and understand how to work with "Photoshop" in its various forms. The programme tries to reflect this interest with instructional evenings and short courses run by members. Traditional material photographers are now very much in the minority to the extent that slide competitions have this season been dropped due to a lack of entries however print entries are running at a record level with a healthy interest in monochrome as well as colour. By accessing external funding to run a series of short community photographic courses the Society has acquired a digital projector which is essential for a primarily digital membership.
The Society season runs from the beginning of September through to the middle of April meeting on Thursday nights. Society members have always had a reputation for good humour none more so than the late Fen Kennedy who could always be relied upon to gently heckle visiting judges and speakers. Geoff Clewlow is perhaps the longest continual serving member having been in the Society and on the management board of the Community Centre for over three decades. Morton also owes a great debt of gratitude to the current chairman Larry Graham who has over the years held the Society together when no other volunteers could be found and whose enthusiasm encourages others to play a part.
Outside of the season the Secretary Joan Hadley has organised visits to promising photographic venues such as the Edinburgh Festival and Tanfield Railway and foreign trips, most recently to the Black Forest. Next year it is hoped to organise a long weekend visit to the Bristol Balloon Festival just to ensure that all competition entries look the same for the 2007/2008 season.
Richard Speirs