Weekly News #25 13July2025 – Melbourne Camera Club

This Week at MCC

This week is a very busy week at MCC! On Thursday night at 8pm we welcome MCC Members Greg Thomas and Andrew Greig to showcase the studio equipment and a demonstration on how to achieve professional portrait results using accessible and affordable lighting. Read more here.

MCC ‘Stories of the City’ Exhibition Opening Event

All Members, Exhibitors and friends are warmly invited to join the Opening Event this Friday night:

Friday 18 July
Doors open: 7.30pm
Formalities: 8.00pm
Drinks & Nibbles from 7.30pm

The exhibition will be officially opened by the head of Open House Melbourne: Tania Davidge, Executive Director + Chief Curator. Tania Davidge is a design advocate, architect, writer and Executive Director at Open House Melbourne. She is passionate about communicating the importance of good design to public audiences in ways that encourage people to think more deeply about the issues that shape our cities.

This year’s MCC photography exhibition aligns with the official Open House Melbourne theme and our building will be open to the public to explore during OHM weekend 26-27 July.

Exhibition theme: ‘Stories of the City’ – illuminate and explore the layers of urban life through stories of architecture, culture and community.

Exhibition Dates

Friday 18 July: Exhibition Opening doors open 7.30pm for 8pm formalities
Sat/Sun 19-20 July: Exhibition open 11am-3pm
Sat/Sun 26-27 July: Exhibition open 11am-3pm (Open House Weekend)

Exhibition Roster – 2 Places Available

Thank you very much to the exhibitors and volunteers who have put their hand up to help out on the roster. We have only two more shifts available for the second weekend during Open House Melbourne when we will hopefully welcome a few hundred people through our Clubrooms.

Please register through this link. Your support is greatly appreciated in making the exhibition a success and showcasing the Club to our visitors.
Darkroom / Studio users are encouraged to volunteer so you can show visitors around those areas of the club and answer any questions.

What’s On This Week

For the Club events this week, refer below and the What’s On calendar:

Monday: Photo Discussion Group
Tuesday: Mid-Week Outing: Beach Walk, Rickett’s Point
Wednesday: 25th Analogue Exhibition Entries Open
Wednesday: Conceptual Photography Group meeting
Thursday 8pm: Member Presentation by Greg Thomas and Andrew Greig
Friday 7.30pm: Exhibition Opening Event ‘Stories of the City’ Exhibition
Saturday & Sunday 11am-3pm: ‘Stories of the City’ Exhibition

Image: ‘Stories of the City’ Exhibition hero image: Erick Niyiragira by Megan Smith

News Updates

Competition Committee News

The Set Subject for 2025 End of Year Competition (EOYC) is Impressionism – drawing inspiration from Impressionist painting and capture the essence and feeling of a scene rather than its precise details, using techniques like soft focus, blurred edges, and painterly effects to evoke an emotional response. Focus on light, atmosphere, and suggestion, rather than sharp, detailed representations.

The Set Subjects for 2026 are:

February	Australiana, spirit of Australia
March	Contrast texture and form in Monochrome
April	Street Photography/Street photos (workers, police, cafe life, shoppers, people communicating, shadows)
May	Taken below the knees
June	Leading Lines
July	Reflections (shadows, movement, shades of grey, light, juxtapositions, distortions, puddles, windows)
August	Close ups (of anything, colour and texture and light contrast, skeletal, backlit)
September	Light trails (converging traffic, reflected traffic, lighting in fog, neon, single light source)
October	Public sculptures (use coloured lighting effects, different compositions, make it conceptual)

Please contact the Competition Committee if you have any questions or would like to find out more about the MCC Competitions. Email: mcc-compcommittee@melbournecameraclub.org.au

Image: Lesley Bretherton

MCC Competitions

Start a conversation from your name tag!

The Melbourne Camera Club aims to be an inclusive and friendly place for its members. To further that end the MCC Board would like to recommend a simple icebreaker initiative.

We invite each member to write the camera brand(s) that you use (e.g. NIKON, CANON, FUJIFILM) as well as the style(s) of photography that most interest you (e.g. nature, street, analogue) on your MCC name tag.

Next time we meet at the club we hope this simple idea will help spark new connections, especially for our newer members.

MCC Clubrooms – Emergency Evacuation Procedure

Evacuation and exit signs are installed in every room of the club. In the event of an emergency (e.g. fire, chemical spill, electrical fault), follow the instructions on these signs. They indicate:

Exit routes
Assembly point location
Fire extinguishers and hoses
Electrical switchboard
Smoke detectors
First aid kits

Exits by Area:

First Floor (Gallery, Office, Kitchen):
- Main staircase to Dorcas Street
- External staircase (south wall of the Gallery) to Ferrars Street
Ground Floor (Studio, Kitchen, Darkroom):
- Main entrance to Dorcas Street
- Emergency exit through the annex to Ferrars Street

Assembly Point:
All evacuees must gather at the MCC assembly point on Dorcas Street, near the corner of Queen Street.

Stay calm. Identify your location, follow the green arrows on the signs, and proceed quickly and safely to the assembly point.

The Evacuation Plans are available on the Club Documents and Policies page on the website.

Emergency Evacuation Plans

What’s On This Week

Further information about the upcoming events are in the What’s On calendar.

You can subscribe to the MCC event calendar on your phone/computer so the events get automatically added to your calendar. Refer to the Subscribe to Calendar link on the bottom right of the What’s On page.

What’s On Outside MCC

Open House Melbourne 26-27 July

MCC will be again participating in Open House Melbourne weekend and opening our doors to the public on 26-27 July.

Across Melbourne, every building, street and public place tells a unique story. Shaped by its transformation over time and the diverse communities that live here, the city is more than its bricks and mortar—the city is about people and place. The stories of our city are embedded in its urban landscapes and the people who live, work and play here. We can’t wait to share the Stories of the City with you!

The Open House Melbourne Weekend Program is now live!

Explore the Program

VIGEX Digital Salon 2025

VIGEX has been running international salons (competitions) open to both professional and amateur photographers since 1980. VIGEX has been successfully hosting and exhibiting both print and digital photography from around the world.

An invitation to Photographers – please view this introduction to the Digital Salon 2025 and be inspired to enter your beautiful images.

Please view the VIGEX 6.22min Presentation through the link below.

Entries via VIGEX website, link:

https://vigex.org.au/
Entries close 3 August 2025

Presentation video link

Center for Contemporary Photography Exhibition: AUTO-PHOTO: A Life in Portraits

Auto-Photo A Life in Portraits is a Centre for Contemporary Photography (CCP) exhibition, presented in partnership with RMIT Culture.

Auto Photo: A Life in Portraits is a distinctly Australian story, centred on the figure of Alan Adler. Adler, while little known, is likely the most photographed man in Australia and is also the oldest and longest serving photobooth technician in the world. For over 50 years, Adler has been maintaining a suite of photobooths across Melbourne/Narrm, most notably, the site near Flinders Street Station. His story reflects the local communities and a shared dedication and passion for image-making and creative expression.

Official opening: Thursday 5 June 6pm-8pm
Exhibition dates: 6 June to 16 August
Location: RMIT Gallery, 344 Swanston St, Melbourne
Hours: 11am-5pm Tuesday-Friday, 11am-4pm Saturdays

Exhibition link

Links

Discounts for MCC Members

Railway Hotel, South Melbourne
Lucky Straps
Spicers paper products
Photography Studies College (PSC) – Printing services
Refer to the Resources and Links page in the Members area of the website

VAPS Information

Link to monthly issues of VAPS NEWSBRIEF (published at the start of the month).

Celebrating MCC Members’ Photography Success

Members are welcome to share any recent competition results or photography exhibitions to inspire other members in their photography journey
Email the Newsletter team – including Competition / Results / Link. Deadline Friday evening.
Celebrating Members website page
MCC does not endorse any competitions/exhibitions that are listed, the content is for informational purposes.

Editorial Committee: Sally Paterson / Mark Devaraj / Vitas Anderson

Email articles and news items for Weekly News to: newsletter.group@melbournecameraclub.org.au

Submission cut off: 12pm Saturdays
Material may be subject to editing for content and length
Include an image where possible

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254-256 Ferrars St
South Melbourne, VIC 3205
Australia