The Godalming Photographic Club was formed in March 1980, when a group of friends got together, produced a draft constitution and called a public meeting in the Borough Hall. They explained their hopes and intentions and by the end of the evening 30 people had joined.

At the outset, meetings were once a month, but this was soon increased to three a month and then weekly. The new club joined the Surrey Photographic Federation and entered its inter-club competitions.

Membership increased rapidly to a peak of 67, but later settled down to between 30 and 40. While many – most even - of the members were real beginners in photography, those with some expertise readily helped all to gain better skills.

Competitions, with a judge from outside the club to comment, are seen as a way to increase skills, and several trophies were soon provided as awards for the best work. The premier trophy for the series of internal print competitions is the Founders’ Plate, paid for by the founding group. Each year there is at least one exhibition at which members’ work is on show to the public, and while these are not primarily competitive, a trophy for the best print at the exhibition was donated by the Woolwich Building Society.

With a subscription income, the club was able to have outside lecturers and judges for its competitions. Other club meetings were devoted to ‘The Portfolio’, that is, members’ prints circulated for other members’ comments and then discussed in meeting: informed criticism from fellow photographers is more help than adulation or derision from family and friends! Social events included outings, a Christmas dinner and a summer party. Hints and tips and other ‘news’ were sent to all in a quarterly newsletter.

One major club project was the making of an audio-visual slide show of the local history of Godalming over the years since the invention of photography. With several hundred slides accompanied by commentary and music, the show lasts a couple of hours. It is not surprising that it took several years to put together!

Over the years since its foundation, the club has more than held its own among its peers in the Surrey Federation, for its size, and has won both the print and slide sections of the annual inter-club competition.

In 2001 the Club had a 21st birthday party. All seven of the Chairmen in its history were present, and the first, Barney Gibbens, entertained with a very humourous speech.

Recently the most significant development has been the change to digital printing of photographs by computer. This has simplified colour printing, and the wet chemical processing of prints in a darkroom is now mostly a thing of the past. Increasingly, the photographs themselves are being taken on digital cameras. As photography adapts to such changes, the Club will adapt too.

Ron Head, July 2003