FORMED in 1956 as the Christian Brothers' Camera Club, CB Camera Club in North Belfast has been dedicated to the promotion and enjoyment of photography ever since.
Whether it be digital, film, or DPI, the club strives to encourage the best that its members and their cameras can produce and instil in enthusiastic amateurs the incentive to create their 'perfect image'.
CB is one of the top camera clubs operating and competing in the North. Last season the CB won the Black and White Print competition. They believe they have the expertise and the dedication to achieve the highest standards in today’s competitive and rapidly-changing photography environment.
The club meet weekly every Thursday night at 8pm in St Malachy's Old Boys on the Antrim Road.
Like so many clubs and organisations, CB Camera Club was impacted badly during the worst of the Covid-19 pandemic, with meetings unable to take place.
Club Secretary Gary Johnston said: "The club was suspended. We couldn’t meet because of the regulations and everything else.
"We set up Zoom meetings to try and keep everyone together on a Thursday night. We also set up a WhatsApp group for everyone to keep in touch.
"We also came up with the idea of capturing images of the lockdown and getting a book published.
"But some people were not able to come on Zoom. It involves new skills and some of our members just could not use it. Zoom is no way for people to meet but we stuck with it and operated as best as we could.
"We still ran our competitions via Zoom but there was nowhere near the amount of stuff going on which we could do at face-to-face meetings.
"But I think it was important to keep going and stay in touch, most importantly for people’s mental health. We have young and old people and not everyone has the same resilience.
"Our numbers were affected slightly. There are a handful of people who have not returned to the club yet."
CB Camera Club is always open to new members, no matter what your level of experience is in photography – or even if you simply want to come along, listen to the presentations and have a chat
"We are very diverse. We are cross-community as well as having around ten female members, which is always good to see," added Gary.
"We have a range of members who have different skills, from beginners to intermediate and advanced.
"We welcome any new members, young and old. We also have members who just come along for the craic, have a chat and listen to the presentations.
"We also encourage our members and provide assistance and expertise when necessary to enable them to obtain Distinctions in the Royal Photographic Society, Photographic Alliance of Great Britain and the Irish Photographic Federation.
"There are members of all levels within our club from absolute beginners to seasoned professionals, all eager to share their knowledge.
"New members are particularly welcome no matter what their level of expertise as this provides new ideas and incentives for all members to achieve their maximum potential."
For more information about CB Camera Club or to browse their exhibition and members' galleries, you're cordially invited to visit their website.
CB Camera Club
St Malachy's Old Boys Association
442 Antrim Road
Belfast
BT15 5GB
Email: g.johnston@63@ntlworld.com
