Broseley Camera Club's black and white pictures in exhibition

Broseley Camera Club will be showing off the efforts of its members in an exhibition at the Birchmeadow Centre, until the end of June.

It is being held as part of the Birchmeadow Centre's policy of encouraging local clubs to display their artistic efforts.

The theme of black and white was chosen for the exhibition as a way of giving the members a way to demonstrate their range of abilities.

According to club chairman Graham Welsby, there are many reasons to use black and white when shooting pictures.

He said: "For one thing you see light in a different way, without the colours distracting from the subject.

"The emotions of the image can be emphasised more simply, while there is also something of a classic, timeless feel to black and white."

The photographs are displayed in the café and bar of the Birchmeadow Centre and are available to view whenever the building is open.

Jan Lancaster, who has been a club member since moving to Broseley in 1999 said that black and white photography demands a special approach.

She said: "In order to be effective you need to ensure your image has definitive lines, lots of possibilities for contrast and a central subject that will stand out from the main picture.

"Black and white can do this in a way that colour does not, because in a colour photograph, there are such a variety of colours and hues that such an image cannot always give the punchy effect of a black and white picture."

She said that the exhibition would allow visitors to see the expertise of the club's members first hand.

She said: "The exhibition displays a wide range of subjects, and a visit to this exhibition and a study of the photographs displayed there, illustrates just how much expertise our members have developed in utilising this medium for maximum impact. It should also give you some ideas as to how to go about getting such results for yourself."

"It is interesting that some of the most memorable photo journalistic shots have appeared in black and white, possibly because they have more effect on the emotions than they would have had in colour."

Broseley Camera Club was formed in 1998 and has grown from only a few members to now having more than 30.

Its programme covers a series of focus points and workshops throughout the year, and includes a field trip in the summer.

In addition, both monthly and quarterly competitions are held on a variety of subjects.

The club normally meets at 7.30pm on the last Monday of the month, with the exception of August and December, at the Birchmeadow Centre, and new members, from beginners to the more experienced, are invited to attend.

There is no membership fee but members are asked to pay £1.50 per meeting.

For more information visit www.broseleycameraclub.org or contact Jan Lancaster on 01952 884766 or email malmaxuk@aol.com.

Club membership is open to anyone aged 16 or over and meetings are held on the last Monday of the month, at 7.30pm in the Pritchard Room at the Birchmeadow Centre in Broseley. There is no membership fee, but attendees are asked to pay £1.50 per meeting towards room hire costs.