Want to join or renew your membership in the RAPC?
(For current members, please call the RA Centre to renew your membership at 613-733-5100. Or, in person, go to the Member and Guest Services desk in the East end of the RA Centre. Click here for contact information and hours of operation.)
The RA Photo Club brings together people who enjoy and want to learn more about photography. We welcome amateur photographers of all levels. Potential members are welcome to join up to three regular Tuesday meetings free of charge.
The RAPC offers a variety of options to explore and expand your photographic interests such as:
- hearing accomplished photographers speak on a vast array of topics;
- workshops and educational opportunities to learn how to create Audio-Visual productions, Fine Art images, Still Life images, and much more; and
- nature and urban outings.
More information is available here.
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RAPC Mission Vision & Values
Mission
A volunteer-driven club providing its members opportunities to increase their knowledge and to apply this knowledge to improve their skills and achieve their photographic goals and objectives.
Vision
To provide our members with a full range of programs and services that serve their needs regardless of their area of photographic interest or their current capabilities.
Values
Our club values:
gaining and sharing knowledge and experience across all aspects of photography
members who are involved and willing to help other members and the club
having fun through exploring and sharing photographic opportunities with other members
2025-26 New Members Meetings
All Club Members are welcome to join the meetings
Meetings are held in the Courtside “A” room from 6:15 p.m. to 7:15 p.m.
Oct 21 - Urban and Nature SIGs with an introduction to submissions using the Club’s website.
Nov 18 - Galleries, Education Team, Club’s Competition process explained
Jan 6 - Studio Group and studio tour, extra meeting.
Jan 20 - Introduce the New Members Showcase and present the Still Life SIG
Feb 3 - Education Team photo equipment, gadgets, gizmos and aids, extra meeting.
Feb 17 - Studio Group, studio visit showing basic lighting techniques.
Mar 17 - Meeting topic yet to be decided.
Apr 21 - Meeting topic yet to be decided.
Apr 28 - New Members Showcase with the Still Life and Fine Arts Showcase
Completed Meetings:
Sept 23 - Introductions and a review of our website, also introducing the Group Feedback
Tuesday Evening Presentations can be found here in Documents (Click on Resources/Presentations, Techniques & Tools/then appropriate year)
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List of Competitions for the upcoming Club year 2025-2026 ….
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Monthly Showcase Instructions and Deadlines for Club year 205-2026 - Click here
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Club Program
Tuesday night meetings.
Ella Morton’s expedition-based practice has brought her to residencies and projects across Canada, Scandinavia, Greenland, Latin America, Australia and Antarctica. She uses experimental analogue processes to capture the sublime and fragile qualities of remote landscapes. Ella will present the evolution of her practice over the last ten years, sharing impressions of working in remote and wild landscapes. She will offer reflections on reinterpreting these places through the techniques of mordançage, film soaking and wet-plate collodion, and how alternative processes can be reinterpreted in the post-digital age to tell deeper stories within images.
Slideshows from members, each one being up to eight images plus a final member's profile image. The entire showcase is capped at 10 minutes long.
Marc-André Laurin is an accomplished Ottawa / Gatineau photographer. His passion for photography was ignited as a teenager when he joined his high school's photography club. Driven by his love for the art, he developed his skills through years of practice. His photography is characterized by a spirit of adventure and passion for discovering the world through his camera. Tonight, Marc-André will present his work in Mongolia, a far-away and mysterious country not often explored. He will talk about his artistic approach, but will also share with us tips and challenges related to travel photography. He will also talk about how his travel photography ended up in an exhibit in Chelsea.
“There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs.” J. A. Lamont talks about this statement, attributed to Ansel Adams, while showing the work of various photographers, including his own.”
This is a digital image only competition. High scoring entries will be entered in the CAPA Club Competition.
The entries should be on one of the four themes:
Monochrome photography challenges entrants to see beyond color, focusing on the interplay of light, shadow, texture, and form to create compelling visual narratives. This section invites entrants to demonstrate their mastery of tonal range, contrast, and composition through black and white imagery that strengthens rather than diminishes their subject’s impact.
• Candid Person(s) – images that capture unscripted moments of subtle interactions, and spontaneous dramas of everyday human life – genuine moments found in street scenes, cultural gatherings, or daily activities rather than posed portraits or professional models.
• Natural Surroundings – images that showcase the raw beauty and drama of our environment through weather phenomena, geological formations, cityscapes, landscapes, seascapes, and celestial events. Human elements may be included if they serve to enhance the scale or narrative of the natural scene.
• Dramatic Contrast & Shadows – images where the interplay of light and shadow creates compelling visual narratives through low-key, silhouette, or selective lighting techniques. Image may include architectural elements, human forms, urban structures or natural subjects.
• Nostalgia – images that transport viewers through time by capturing the weathered beauty of bygone eras, from abandoned places and vintage artifacts to creative composites that bridge past and present.
Members may submit up to two (2) Assignment topic images and one (1) General image.
Competition rules can be found at:
https://www.raphotoclub.ca/docs?p=2-Activities%2FCompetitions&view=Competition+Rules.pdf
Slideshows from members, each one being up to eight images plus a final member's profile image. The entire showcase is capped at 10 minutes long.
In this talk, Wayne will take the audience on a very personal journey of creativity and connection to his craft, his culture and his own mental and physical health. Wayne’s personal and professional growth serves as a poignant example of the power of photography.
Step into a world where the ordinary becomes extraordinary. In this presentation, Eva Polak will introduce you to the art of macro photography with an impressionist twist—exploring light, composition, and creative techniques that reveal hidden beauty in the smallest details. You’ll discover how to transform everyday subjects into works
of art and learn how “seeing differently” can elevate your photography.
Illustrated with Eva’s expressive images, this talk will inspire photographers at all levels to look closer and create with fresh vision.
This competition is all about older things around us. Sometimes we actively preserve and collect antiques. Sometimes we abandon items we no longer consider to be useful. Buildings, objects and people who are getting older are acceptable topics. Image must cover at least one of these topics.
Digital versions of print entries must be uploaded on the Competitions page of the RAPC website before the submission deadline. Physical prints must be brought in during the regular RAPC Tuesday meeting on the submission date, unless alternative arrangements have been made with the competitions coordinator.
Members may submit up to two (2) Assignment topic images and one (1) General image.
Competition rules can be found at:
https://www.raphotoclub.ca/docs?p=2-Activities%2FCompetitions&view=Competition+Rules.pdf
Compelling photography matched with storytelling can deliver a powerful one-two punch when it comes to raising awareness for things that matter. A longtime advocate for wild horses, wildlife and wild spaces, Sandy Sharkey will discuss how she combines her imagery with storytelling to elicit positive change for our fragile world.
Description of presentation to be added
Description of presentation will be added soon.
Slideshows from members, each one being up to eight images plus a final member's profile image. The entire showcase is capped at 10 minutes long.
Digital only / CAPA Club Competition
This is a digital image only competition. High scoring entries will be entered in the CAPA Club Competition.
Develop a visual story through the power of three interconnected images that both stand independently and weave together into something greater than their parts. The triptych format challenges photographers to transcend the single frame, creating sophisticated narratives that invite viewers to linger, discover, and reflect.
• Differences in Building Structures – images capture the distinct architectural character of urban, rural, and industrial environments, showcasing how different building styles, materials, and purposes create unique visual narratives.
• Human Connection – images that capture the movement of humankind through the world of domesticity, the frenetic pace of public spaces or the hustle and bustle of work environments.
• Nature Scene – capture three image aspects of nature ranging from dramatic landscapes to intimate details, showing the patterns and transformations found in the natural world.
• Abstract transformation – transform that turns the familiar into the interesting with everyday objects by revealing unexpected patterns and perspectives.
Examples of triptychs can be found at the following link:
https://www.thephotoargus.com/triptych-photography-examples-and-ideas/
Instructions on creating triptychs using Photoshop and Lightroom can be found at the following link:
https://capacanada.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Guideline-to-Creating-Stunning-Triptychs.pdf
Competition rules can be found at:
https://www.raphotoclub.ca/docs?p=2-Activities%2FCompetitions&view=Competition+Rules.pdf
Photographing at night has challenges and opportunities that just don’t exist for the regular landscape photographer. Join Peter Baumgarten for this how-to seminar that will help you create impressive night sky images. Starting with a look at the basics of shooting at night, you will also discover low level lighting techniques, live composite star trails, the value of time lapse sequences, photo stacking to reduce noise, and the creation of surreal time-blend images.
Slideshows from members, each one being up to eight images plus a final member's profile image. The entire showcase is capped at 10 minutes long.
This is a digital and print competition.
Minimalist photography is a form of photography that is distinguished by austere simplicity. It emphasizes sparseness and careful composition, shying away from overabundance of color, patterns, or information.
Negative space is the empty space around and between the subject(s) of an image. In minimalist photography, often 50% or more of the image is consists of negative space.
Digital versions of print entries must be uploaded on the Competitions page of the RAPC website before the submission deadline. Physical prints must be brought in during the regular RAPC Tuesday meeting on the submission date, unless alternative arrangements have been made with the competitions coordinator.
Members may submit up to two (2) Assignment topic images and one (1) General image.
Competition rules can be found at:
https://www.raphotoclub.ca/docs?p=2-Activities%2FCompetitions&view=Competition+Rules.pdf
Slideshows from members, each one being up to eight images plus a final member's profile image. The entire showcase is capped at 10 minutes long.
Vanessa Dewson
Meeting link: Title of presentation will be added soon
Description of presentation will be added soon.
Permitted topics include formal and informal portraits, street photography that singles out individuals or a small group of people and portraits of pets.
Images of wildlife or other animals that are not normally considered to be pets are not allowed. Neither are general street photography scenes where people are not obviously the main area of interest.
Members may submit up to two (2) Assignment topic images and one (1) General image.
Competition Rules can be found at: https://www.raphotoclub.ca/docs?p=2-Activities%2FCompetitions&view=Competition+Rules.pdf
Results from the Inter-Club photo competition
Results of the Fall Challenge, and the Nature Showcase
Slideshows from members, each one being up to eight images plus a final member's profile image. The entire showcase is capped at 10 minutes long.
Showcases from the New Members, Fine Arts, and Still Life groups.
Please note: this is an in-person competition and will be taking place at the RA starting at 7:30 pm.
Please note: This year this event will be held in Courtside B, not in Clark Hall. This change was made because the lighting to view prints is better in that room.
This is the Club's pre-eminent print competition and is being held for the first time since the the pandemic. Entrants are required to enter 5 prints that are connected to each other in a series, or that are a “sequence” of images with a story line. Judging is by a single judge with experience with monochrome images who will comment on each set of entries and then select a single winner. We look forward to seeing as many members as possible attending this premier event.
Participants must register their intent to compete on the RAPC Events website before April 28, 2026. The site will accept registration starting on Sunday March 1, 2026.
Participants must upload digital versions of their images on the RAPC Competitions page.
We will be limiting this competition to no more than 12 participants this club year. Details and rules for the Bruce Wilson Competition can be found at: