Excerpts from the RAPC Souvenir History
CELEBRATING 75 YEARS
Coping With Change (1993-2005)
Operating the Photo Club became a lot more expensive in 1993 after the federal government withdrew its annual financial subsidy to the RA Centre. RAPC chairman Bill Rankin revealed that, as a result, Photo Club financial contributions to the RA would have to be increased. The Executive agreed to raise its share by $500 from $2,500, and to initiate a membership recruitment campaign to increase revenues. In response to cost-sharing changes, the RA News abandoned its regular column coverage of club activities and called for the club to handle its own internal communications.
Barbara Lapointe launched in September 1993 the first in a series of club newsletters under the name of The RA Photo Club. Four newsletters were put out in the 1993-94 club year, and seven in the following year. Russell Biggar took over as newsletter editor in September 1995 under a new masthead entitled simply “NewsLetter,” featuring an RA Photo Club logo designed by Denis Lecuyer. When Russell resigned in February 1996 after putting out five issues, he was succeeded by Nix Wadden, who held the post for ten years, carrying on with the established format, publishing nine issues per year. Photos appeared in the newsletter for the first time in May 1999.
While film photography flourished during the 1990s, glimpses appeared of the future transition to the digital age. In 1995, club members viewed an eye-opening club presentation by Canadian Press photographer Fred Chartrand describing how digital darkroom techniques were being applied to the production and communication of press photography. Club member Glen Cullis’s discussion, “The Computer, The Photographer’s New Tool,” gave a further indication of the changes ahead in the digital age.
Members mourned the sudden death on January 14, 1998, at the age of 51, of Bruce Wilson, a former leader of the competitions committee. He was a highly skilled photographer who advanced to senior level with consistently high ranking entries, primarily in black and white prints. In tribute to his valued contribution and the wide respect he earned among club colleagues, the Executive decided to inaugurate a new Bruce Wilson Memorial Award. It is presented annually to the winner of a black and white print competition held at the last club meeting before the annual May banquet.
1998 was a proud year for the RA Photo Club. Camera Canada College (CCC 98), chaired by Dave Haggarty and held in Ottawa July 3-5, chalked up the largest profit ever since the first national photography event took place in 1970. CCC 98 committee Treasurer Catherine Kelly reported a surplus of $21,365. 275 photo enthusiasts attended for a well-rounded program of quality presentations, trade show, workshops and field trips. Approximately $10,000 was allocated for priority RA Photo Club needs.
By 1998, fast-developing interest was demonstrated in the intriguing new technology of digital photography. Eugene Besruky, whose prowess in photography despite a paraplegic handicap won him the Photographer of the Year award, founded a Digital Photography group which organized a number of exciting demonstrations. Paul Toogood, a new club member, volunteered to lead the Digital Group in the 1998-99 season. Funding for purchase of a scanner and computer to be housed in a dedicated scanning facility in the RA Centre was approved. RA Centre management agreed to provide space on the 2nd floor of the Centre’s west wing. Formal establishment of the Digital Group took place in September 2000 with more than 50 members.
The Photo Club web site designed and run by webmaster Barry Thoms came on line in 2000 under the site name raphotoclub.com. Barry started the website in 1995 and completed a major redesign to enhance its capabilities. One improvement allowed website presentation of newsletters in PDF format, enabling viewers to see photos in full colour rather than in the black and white of the printed product.
A wry contribution to the May 2001 newsletter attested to the hazards of making a minor typing slip in internet use. Suresh Mehta reported: “While trying to log onto the club’s web page, I logged onto www.raphoto.com (instead of www.raphotoclub.com) and lo and behold, there was a web page of sultry, sexy and risqué photos of girls offered by a stock company in Kansas, Missouri.”
Providing instruction on the fundamentals of photography has been a recurring RA Photo Club priority. Among the more successful programs were the annual Photo Techniques courses conducted for many years by club volunteers led by Pete Roberts. Designed especially for club newcomers, they provided participants with practical tips on all aspects of the photographic arts, plus a 60-page binder of workshop notes, a pseudo grey card and a black book for recording exposure data. Instruction team members included Dave Behn, Pierre Gauthier, David Elden and Brian Fogarty.
A high point in the competitions area was reached in 2000 when Jim Sutton became the first RA Photo Club member to be elevated to the Master’s level.
The importance of gaining peer feedback in learning how to improve one’s photography prompted new member Bill Young to form a Critique group, which drew enthusiastic support.
Photo Club membership, thanks largely to the exciting innovations of digital photography, embarked on a steady climb in numbers in the early years of the 21st century. From 146 in 2000-01, it rose in one year to 151, passed the 200 mark a year later and, by 2003-04, had swelled to 209, with strong participation in various activity groups: Nature 106, Digital 91, Audio Visual 53, Studio 62, Critique 34 and Darkroom 27.
When Barbara Lapointe took over as 2002-03 chairperson, Tuesday night club meeting opening hours were changed from 8 p.m. to 7:30, partly to suit out-of-town members.
Another innovation was the adoption of a new club graphic logo, designed to focus on camera use in an era which no longer relied 
solely on film for image production. Basically simple in design, it was intended to project the club’s role and identity in today’s visually sophisticated environment. Designed by Gwen Williams’s son, Kevin, it replaced a film-based logo developed by Denis Lecuyer.
Hosting the Canadian Camera Conference (formerly Camera Canada College) in June 2003, again under the dynamic leadership of Dave Haggarty, the Photo Club reaped even greater financial benefits than in CCC 98. Profits netted $34,815, which was shared equally ($17,407.50 each) with the Canadian Association for Photographic Art (CAPA). Devoting one third of its programs to digital topics in recognition of photographers’ keen interest in this burgeoning new field, CCC 2003 was rated in attendee feedback as a big success in both content and operation. Overall attendance was 350, including some 255 fully registered participants, 30 presenters, 20 or so sponsors and trade show participants, and 50 partners. Allowing registrants’ spouses to sit in for up to five sessions, the $25 partner’s fee was a popular innovation. A major project funded largely from CCC 03 profits, and with support from the RA Centre, was the establishment of a permanent RA Photo Club Gallery in the lobby of the RA Centre.
Billed in a 2001 newsletter as “The man who came out from the dark,” Henri Langlois retired after serving for more than 20 years as manager of the Photo Club Darkroom. This second floor facility, set up when the RA Centre opened in 1959, continues to provide valued service. As manager since 2001, Dave Elden has seen the darkroom evolve from a mainstream facility into a niche, alternative print-making process. It serves photographers who, in his words, “try, despite the odds, to keep a place in the club for photographs made without using a computer.”
Yannis Souris, whose high quality imagery earned him rapid promotion through successive competition levels, held in 2003 the first in a series of popular seminars on creativity in photography. He described the elements of creativity as “perspective, acceptable risk, passion, emotion, sensitivity, knowledge, experience and good old-fashioned hard work.” In January 2005, Yannis Souris won promotion to Master’s level.
Ed Overstreet launched in 2004 the first in an annual series of Slide Showcases to feature work of members as an alternative to participating in competitions. Enthusiast Denis Duchesne volunteered to hold informal monthly club meetings in the summer as he did successfully in the previous year.
In 2000, digital technology developed by AV group member Debbie Grass revolutionized the production of Photo Club audio-visual shows. Debbie, whose day job involved computer programming, developed custom-made digital-based software dubbed Dynamic HTML for Audio Visual Shows.
Deciding to discontinue AV competitions in view of technological conflict, the AV group staged a special program presenting ten digital shows, using the new technology, and two Clearlight shows. Further technological change followed with the adoption by members of other slide show software, notably Pictures-to-Execute (PTE) and ProShowGold. Ed Overstreet and Dave Haggarty took over running the AV group in 1996-97.. Debbie Grass and Catherine Kelly shared duties one year and Catherine headed the group for three years.
Nature Group leaders in recent decades included Catherine Kelly, Dave Behn and Carolyn Molson, Bill Bovey and Joy McDonell and, since 1994, Pierre Gauthier. The Nature Group has always been one of the largest special interest groups in the RAPC, drawing many photographers to its seasonal outings.
CELEBRATING 75 YEARS:PART 4 will appear soon.
CELEBRATING 75 YEARS:PART 1
CELEBRATING 75 YEARS:PART 2
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