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VAPS Newsbrief
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Victorian Association of Photographic Societies Inc.
December 2021. Vol. 48, No 11.


Web: www.vaps.org.au
Email: editor@vaps.org.au

Subscribe here: http://vaps.org.au/index.php/news

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NEWSBRIEF 
Contents

Contents
Message from the President
Message from the Newsbrief Editor
VAPS Information
Judging Information
Advertising
APJA
From Clubs/Societies and Others
Exhibitions and What’s On
Competitions
APS Information

President Message
Greetings to all clubs and Societies,

We recently held our AGM with all committee members re-elected back into the 
roles that they already held. All the members serving are excellent at their jobs and the 
VAPS Committee will continue to serve The Victorian Photographic scene in the next year with the same diligence and commitment that they have in the past years.

I urge any member of any club to please consider joining us as we work our way forward. We want to be the best we can,

And especially in the light of the Australian Association of Professional Photographers now gone and defunct, it is more important than ever, that photographers have a voice and representation. The committee is waiting for new members and we will welcome you!

We recently held a presidents meeting in addition to the AGM, it was well attended via zoom from as far away as Canada, and this proved to be a very fruitful, meeting with much positive discussion and suggestions on the committee going forward. We aim to seriously consider and put forward a plan to implement improvements when and where we can, given the fact that all our committee members to all the work on a voluntary basis in their spare time.

If not already done so, please, everyone, put the first weekend in June aside and mark in your calendar our annual VAPS convention in Wangaratta.

I have been in discussions with our sub committee up in the region and we are working toward another excellent event to be enjoyed.

By all of us! Details coming soon in the new year.

Have a safe, healthy and happy Christmas and New year with your families and loved ones

My warmest regards to all

Ian Rolfe
President VAPS
Don't forget that you can zoom in to read the detail on any image in the Newsbrief.
Message from the Newsbrief Editor
Hi all,

This is the last Newsletter of the year. Hope you have enjoyed them through out the year.

If you have any upcoming events happening at your club next year and would to tell everyone about it, please let us know.

 
Regards

Merry Christmas and have a great Photographing holiday.
 
Danielle Le Gassick
(Pakenham Camera Club)
 
VAPS Information
On behalf of VAPS we are approaching several clubs (primarily outer suburban only) concerning the housing of the VAPS container and trailer. Alfred Zommers has for many years housed these at his large property in Warrandyte South.  In the new year around March he will be relocating so we need to find another location to store both the container and trailer.
 
Both these are used primarily for the VAPS Convention, the container having many large display boards and stands for example which are used to support and present the Interclub prints at the VAPS Convention.
 
If you can assist with ideas or rental space or locations in your proximity that would be much appreciated. As we said, this will not be actioned till around March next year so we are proceeding and planning well in advance. Cubic sizing of both are outlined below .
 
Dimensions

Trailer

L = 3370

L + drawbar = 4910

H = 1960

W = 2050

 

Container

L = 6100

H = 2550

W = 2430

 
 
Thank you in anticipation.
Treasurer's Report

You will have received Affiliation Renewal reminders for the 2022 Year.

When you complete the online Affiliation Renewal form your club will move to “Pending” status.

It is only when your payment has been received and processed does it move to “Active” status which does not happen automatically, and may take a couple of  days.

Regards,
Joseph Maher

 

Return to Contents

VAPS Website
Insurance and Governance Information on the VAPS website
 
Insurance and Governance Information has been added to the VAPS website.  This information relates to insurance coverage and other governance matters such as managing an Incorporated Association (Consumer Affairs Victoria), scamwatch (Australian Government) and other resources like a Secretary’s Satchel. Other material will be added to this information portal progressively.

This information has been aggregated and published by VAPS to assist your club’s Committee in overseeing club operations and other requirements like submitting an Annual Financial Return to Consumer Affairs Victoria through MyCAV https://www.consumer.vic.gov.au/mycav/sign-in.

The link to the Insurance and Governance Information for clubs is https://www.vaps.org.au/4/download-docs/insurance-and-governance.html.

  
Regards
 
Tony Harding
Secretary VAPS
Insurance Matters – Attendance Registers

From time to time the VAPS Secretary is contacted by member clubs requesting clarification of what the VAPS arranged Insurance covers. There is a section on the VAPS website outlining the policy however it is understood that specific situations may not be fully explained. These questions are invariably passed to our Insurance Brokers.

One such question recently received “Could you please clarify if the insurer requires club members to sign in at meetings and outings”.

Our Broker responded
“In relation to members / visitors signing in – insurance does have a specific requirement but in the event of a claim details of signing in/out will come in handy to verify the claim. Also, with current COVID situation it is important that everyone is either manually signing in/out or the QR codes are being used.

Reviewing the document it is recommended that members/visitors sign in but it is not a requirement and it will not affect the policy if a club does not require members to sign in.”

It is VAPS Committee’s strong recommendation that all clubs should have attendance records for all meetings and outings. This is in addition to QR code check in requirement as that information is not readily available to the club.

Attendance Registers can be pre-printed with members names and the members just initial.
A Visitor’s Register with phone number and email address can be useful for follow up re possible membership.

Attendance Registers can also be used as a check list in the event of an emergency evacuation of the meeting place, something some meeting place owners may require.

Also, something to consider is that the Club Secretary has a list of members’ next of kin and their contact details for the event when an attending member becomes unwell and is unconscious/unable to communicate. Similarly, the Outing Coordinator should have a next of kin list in relation to those participating.
 Judging Information
Over the last 12 months many clubs have had to change their club meetings to online via Zoom or other software.

Now that we are getting close to getting vaccinated and hopefully returning to a life with less risk of catching the COVID 19 virus many clubs have started to organise face to face meetings instead of online.

Hybrid meetings are another option being looked at or implemented by some clubs whereby a Zoom access option is also provided to the face-to-face meeting.
 
For clubs who are starting some form of face to face meetings everyone should ask themselves whether the risk is less, than what it was in the middle of last year or even just 3 months ago, and whether they are willing to accept that risk.
 
Things for clubs and judges to consider:
Is adequate social distancing possible?
Do the club rooms have plenty of space and plenty of ventilation (open windows)?

For handling prints clubs and judges should make themselves aware of the article written by a microbiologist in the March copy of Newsbrief.

Also another aspect is the hall or meeting place may first require a COVID Safety plan – a template is available at https://www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/covidsafe-plan

Alfred
 
Judges Honorarium
 
It has come to VAPS notice that there is some misinformation about the judging honorarium. The amount of the Judging honorarium is a recommended guideline to clubs and the article can be found here:
https://www.vaps.org.au/judging-honorarium.html.

VAPS nor the APJA sets any fee amounts that judges are expected to be paid by clubs to cover any travel expenses or extra work involved in preparing audio recordings or detailed notes for remote judging.

The APJA was set up by several judges wanting to improve the standard of judging in Victoria and eventually in other Australian states. Apart from training, the APJA mentors novice judges and also provides accreditation to judges who have completed additional tasks in addition to the training courses.

The APJA started with a handful of members and since 2014 has grown to 130. Most of these are active judges and the remaining members are those interested in learning and also improving the standard of judging.

VAPS wholeheartedly supports the efforts and achievements of the APJA.
 
Judging Club Competitions/image evaluations
 
To all Club Committees.

Please pass the following information on to any committee members involved in the selection of judges for your club competitions/image evaluations as well as other members who are judges and may be interested in becoming judges.
 
Victorian Judges pages on the website have lots of information, not only for Judges but also club committees and anyone interested in being a judge. https://www.vaps.org.au/index.php/camera-clubs/victorian-judges-new
 
  • Victorian Judges – An introductory page about judging.
  • Becoming a Judge – Criteria to be added to the judges directory.
  • Victorian Judges Application – Application form for anyone interested in being a judge.
  • Guidelines for Hosting Judges – Guidelines on what Clubs should consider when hosting a judge.
  • Stewards and Judges Manual – Detailed manual for club competition stewards and Judges.
  • Judging Honorarium – Outline of compensation for expenses incurred by the judge as well as honorarium for the extra work involved in preparing image critiques when unable to attend in person.
  • Judges Directory  - Available to be viewed by all club members. Note a login in not required.
  • Club Panel Judges – List of clubs that offer a panel of judges.
 
Regards,
Alfred
 
Judges Profile
Attention all Club Presidents, Competition Stewards and committees
Two newbie judges bravely added their names to the judge’s directory this year. What bad luck to sign up in a year when Covid 19 has meant that many clubs have stopped having their monthly competitions so our two judges have not been given a gig. Please consider having a couple of new judges on your list each year. Give them a go.

They are keen and being new will most likely ‘go the extra mile’. They in turn will learn a lot from the experience and naturally become more and more fantastic with time and experience. Several of your old regulars are thinking of or actually retiring so we need to nurture the up and coming new talent.

To protect the “old faithfuls” we need to spread the workload around to stop them being burned out. So come on competition stewards, give the first timers a go.

Here is a biography of one of the new judges:
 
Sally Rule

My first camera was a Box Brownie, then I graduated to a Pentax, colour film and slides. From an early age I documented my holidays, becoming a keen travel photographer since arriving in Australia in 1969. I joined U3A Southern Peninsula, and the Nepean Camera Club, and began to take photography very seriously.

I have done well in Club competitions, scoring in the top four for many years. I was Club Secretary for two years, followed by two years as President, and have recently undertaken the secretaries role for the second time. 

My photography interests include, Land and Seascapes, Still Life, Food, Abstract, Close up, Action, Pariedolia (Anthropomorphic), Candid, Cityscapes, Gardens and Flowers.

Regards,
Sally
Advertising
APJA - Judges Association
Newsbrief December2021
 
Thanks to all those that took part in the Level 6 Training, this is our first go at Level 6 so feedback is important if we are going to continually improve. The spirited discussion at the classes is also an important part of our learning process. The aim is to give us more skills in evaluating images.

Thanks also to those that came along to our end of year meeting, (online) and thanks to Richard Tatti for his great presentation on Astro photography.

It has been a long two years with covid, but we have managed to facilitate 4 Image Evaluation workshops as well as Levels 1,2,3,4,5,6 (the whole shebang) over the 24 months. All of course online. Online has proved to be very successful particularly in enabling more folks from the country (including interstate) to join in. It has also meant a lot of savings in rent and catering. Next year we will be looking at reducing fees to participants and members.

Thanks to all the judges that have been taking care of VAPS clubs mostly via Zoom but a few in person. Many have been really over worked but still managed to help everyone out.
 
Our best wishes to all for Christmas and 2022
 
2022.
As online has been so successful, especially for country folk we are planning: (all online)
Image Evaluation Practical work shop Fri 25 Feb / Fri 4th Mar

Level 1        Friday nights 7.30pm   6th,13th and 20th May
Level 3        Friday nights 7.30pm   5th,12th and 19th Aug
Image Evaluation Practical work shop Fri 2nd and 9th September.
Level 5 Friday nights 4th,11th and 18th Nov.

General meetings (hopefully with guest presenters) Feb 13, May 15, Aug 14, Sept 11, Nov 20.
For more information about courses and joining APJA go to apja.org.au


For more information about courses and joining APJA go to apja.org.au
 
 
Rob Sloane (Marketing)

 
Considered being a Judge?

Clubs are asked to encourage members to consider being a photography judge. There are many benefits of being a judge. These include:
 
  • Exposure to a wide array of photographic work which contributes to one’s self development in photographic artistry
  • Greater confidence and experience in communication of the principles of photography
  • Receiving structured training in photographic judging including aesthetics, technical competency, photography and the law and many other aspects of photography
  • Helping others develop their skills and capabilities in the art of photography
  • Opportunities to participate in interclub and other photographic judging arenas
 
There are currently only 34 metropolitan members on the Victorian judges list and 18 in the country. We currently have 70 clubs and if every club has 10 competitions a year we would need all 52 judges to judge about 14 competitions a year.

That is too much of a load for any judge.  Many are only prepared to about 10 per year which means that we have a large shortage of judges.

VAPS therefore welcomes suggestions on how to approach the current and impending shortage of judges as increasingly judges will retire given the demographics.

We ask that your club contacts Tony Harding, Secretary VAPS (secretary@vaps.org.au) with any suggestions or ideas you may have in regard to increasing the number of active photography judges in Victorian clubs.

We also ask that club secretaries pass this information on to club committee and all members.
 
Alfred Zommers  Tony Harding

 
From Clubs/Societies and Others
Exhibitions and What's On
 
In a world impacted by significant events through Climate Change, COVID and Natural Disasters; Nature and people show an incredible capacity to repair, recover or renew.  
 
 
Wherever you participate in the 2022 APS Photo Walk Day we want you to focus on the positive and capture the optimism of the future: show us how nature and/or people are moving forward so this a wonderful opportunity to capture and showcase the emotions that come with repair, recovery or renewal. 

Your images may reflect an emergence from the impact of COVID lock-downs and the joy of people rediscovering their lives and livelihoods. You may capture the beauty and strength of nature as it recovers from the ravages of fire or floods or other natural disasters or the efforts of communities to renew what once was.  You are not limited by these examples; you are only limited by your imagination.  The emotional impact of your image/s are the key to success on this APS Photo walk Day.

Images must be captured on the day and metadata must be included.
 
 
Sections
Individual Walkers (2 images per walker)

Club Entry: Set of 20 single images. Each clubs 20 images will be distributed and judged in a randomised manner throughout the judging. The judging is not conducted on a club by club basis.

Club Portfolio Entry: Portfolio of 20 cohesive images supported by a statement (Images will be judged as a cohesive set)
 
Schedule
13 May 6.30pm AEST Introductory Zoom Session for all entrants. Surprise Special Guest will speak about the topic and give tips for capturing great images 14 May APS Photo Walk Day 28 May -  All images to be uploaded by 28 May 29 May - 12 June Judging of images 24 June 6.30pm AEST Awards Night with Special Guests Surprise Special Guest and Libby Jeffery
 
Competitions
APS Information
APS eNEWS is the monthly newsletter of the Australian Photographic Society and delivers news and updates about changes, distinctions and APS special interest groups as well as interesting and valuable information for APS Members.

Anyone can read eNEWS at this link eNEWS, check out the APS newsletters and catch up on information for photographers and APS Members.
APS


VAPS, Organisational member of Australian Photographic Society
a-p-s.org.au
Any members of an accredited Camera Club or Society interested in evaluating images or judging are invited to apply to join the Australian Photographic Judges Association.
You do not need to be an active judge to be a member.
The prime objective of the Association is to help develop the evaluation and judging skills of members.
Further information contact:
Rob Sloane: msec@optusnet.com.au   or 
Paul Robinson:  pr.artpics@gmail.com
RECEIVE YOUR FREE EMAIL COPY OF NEWSBRIEF DIRECT
 
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www.vaps.org.au
 
Open the News tab and select Newsbrief newsletters.
There you can subscribe for a free email copy of Newsbrief.
Keep up with all of the announcements and news from the clubs.
Hard copy of Newsbrief are not available in 2021
VAPS Committee Listing and Support
President 
Ian Rolfe

president@vaps.org.au 

Vice President/Chair Judging
Sub-Committee/Interclub Director/Webmaster 

Alfred Zommers


Vice President
Boris Struk

Secretary/Webmaster 
Tony Harding

secretary@vaps.org.au 

Treasurer/Webmaster
Joseph Maher
treasurer@vaps.org.au 

Badges & Awards 
Margaret 
Zommers
Newsbrief Editor 
Danielle LeGassick
editor@vaps.org.au

History & Archives 
Alan Wilson

Committee Member 

Nick Abbot-Young











 

Victorian Association
of Photographic Societies Inc.

General Enquiries:
PO Box 2172, Caulfield Junction Victoria 3161
www.vaps.org.au
Tony Harding: secretary@vaps.org.au
VAPS Objectives
  • To advance the art of photography.
  • To further the interests of affiliated bodies.
  • To draw up regulations governing exhibitions and inter-club competitions.
  • To arrange the exchange of guest lecturers and demonstrations on any subject relating to photography.
  • To arrange the exchange of prints between clubs.
  • To arrange periodical conventions for members of affiliated bodies and guests.
  • To arrange the publication of an official journal or news sheet .
     
A Brief History:
Camera clubs have existed in Melbourne since the 1890’s and an umbrella organisation called the Victorian Photographic Affiliation was formed in 1908. This guided amateur photography in Victoria for forty years. The Victorian Association of Photographic Societies was formed on 27 September 1952 and comprised of 12 clubs. This has grown to more than 70 clubs in Jan 2020. VAPS is a non-profit association that is entirely self-funded. The Association is run by an elected Committee of Management which is responsible for the operations of the Association, and for ensuring the Association fulfils the objectives.
Legal
Victorian Association of Photographic Societies welcomes contributions from interested parties, however, Victorian Association of Photographic Societies accepts no responsibility for the content of these contributions and the views contained therein are not necessarily those of Victorian Association of Photographic Societies. While every care is taken with solicited and unsolicited materials supplied, Victorian Association of Photographic Societies does not accept any liability for loss or damage however caused. Victorian Association of Photographic Societies takes no responsibility for the claims made by advertisers or transactions by. Does not endorse the products sold on the website/Newsbrief or enter into any of the exchanges. Nor is the Victorian Association of Photographic Societies responsible for any exchanging of information or monetary amounts. All transactions are solely the responsibility of the advertiser and purchaser.
 
Copyright
Material on the Victorian Association of Photographic Societies site or the Newsbrief may not be reproduced or published elsewhere without the written consent of the publisher, Victorian Association of Photographic Societies. All rights reserved. 
Advertising in Newsbrief
Would you like to contribute to Newsbrief? If you do, then it would be helpful if you use the following.
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Images will be reduced in size as appropriate for email. Text submissions preferred in Microsoft Word format. Images are preferred as JPEG.
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Costs: Ads of any size.
Commercial $100 per issue
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Affiliated Clubs and their members, free.

Contact the editor if you have questions.

 
Danielle LeGassick
editor@vaps.org.au
Next Issue - February 2022
Newsbrief publication deadline 26 January
Newsbrief Editor:
Danielle LeGassick:
editor@vaps.org.au
Copyright © 2021 Victorian Association of Photographic Societies, All rights reserved.


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