Penryn Camera Club

05/06/2026

Trophies, Lunch, and Lost Photographers

Penryn Camera Club enjoyed its annual Presentation Lunch at The Arborist Café in Truro on Sunday.

Excellent food, a warm welcome, and faultless organisation from Simon, Michelle, Molly, and Emma helped make the event a great success, despite a few last-minute changes and special requests.

The afternoon saw 65 certificates, 29 trophies and more than 20 raffle prizes handed out to 37 members and guests, celebrating another successful year for the club.

Later in the week, members visited Kresen Kernow in Redruth to explore Cornwall’s history through photographs, archives and exhibitions. The library proved particularly popular.

In fact, two members disappeared into the bookshelves for so long that rescue missions were briefly considered.

A memorable week combining celebration, history and plenty of conversation.

Visit www.penryncameraclub.co.uk.

03/06/2026

Portreath, Puddles, and photography

Penryn Camera Club first visited Barchester’s Falmouth Court Care Home, staging a small exhibition for residents. Members displayed prints, explained the stories behind the images and ran a slideshow on the television. Residents asked thoughtful questions and shared memories sparked by the photographs. A thoroughly enjoyable afternoon for everyone involved.

Attention then shifted to Portreath for the latest summer photo-walk. Tide times were checked, batteries charged and the fish-and-chip shop opening hours researched with almost military precision.

The club had hoped to photograph surfers riding the famous “Vortex” break, but the sea had other ideas. Instead, members spread around the harbour photographing textures, reflections, harbour walls and anything else that looked remotely artistic.

As photographers know, a simple evening stroll can rapidly become a full-scale investigation into puddles, shadows and rusty objects.

See the results here: www.penryncameraclub.co.uk/team/2026L-portreath

26/05/2026

On the saw-bench by Derek Godridge LRPS AFIAP.

22/05/2026

Porthleven Delivers the Goods

After last week’s rain-soaked cancellation, Penryn Camera Club finally enjoyed some proper summer weather at Porthleven.

Sunshine sparkled across the harbour and the evening light stayed beautiful right through until the final chips vanished beside a well-earned cider. Cameras clicked constantly as members explored boats, reflections, textures and every rusty chain within range.

The organisers also slipped in a photographic treasure hunt using the letters from “Porthleven”. Some letters were easy, others needed a little imagination, particularly “V” and “E”, which caused much muttering and inventive thinking.

Members spread around the harbour chasing different ideas while seagulls posed reluctantly for close-ups and harbour walls received intense photographic scrutiny.

As the light faded and the temperature dipped, attention naturally shifted towards the pub, where results were compared and conversation flowed almost as steadily as the cider.

A thoroughly enjoyable evening and, remarkably, completely dry.
Visit www.penryncameraclub.co.uk.

16/05/2026

Robin Hood BPE Results

15/05/2026

Cancelled: Thanks, Weather!

Penryn Camera Club’s planned visit to Wheal Coates fell victim this week to Cornwall’s favourite hobby, changing its mind about the weather.

After completing enough Health and Safety paperwork to satisfy several government departments, members prepared for an evening of coastal photography. Unfortunately, the rain had other ideas.

Organisers switched plans from exposed cliffs to Swanpool and its swans and cygnets, hoping for calmer conditions. The weather responded by moving over Swanpool and emptying buckets of rain onto everything instead.

Reluctantly, the evening was cancelled. Wet cameras and soaked photographers rarely mix well.

Naturally, once everyone had packed their cameras away, the clouds vanished and the evening became warm and sunny. Cornwall does have a sense of humour, albeit a cruel one.

Next week, the club heads for Porthleven. Confidence remains cautiously optimistic. Fish and chips may improve morale.

Visit www.penryncameraclub.co.uk.

08/05/2026

Rust, Rain, and Refreshments

Penryn Camera Club continued its summer outings this week with visits to Great Flat Load and Mylor Harbour.

The first group explored the old mining landscape at Great Flat Load, searching for images suitable for the upcoming “Fragile Earth” and Mono competitions. Rust, textures and dramatic industrial remains gave members plenty to photograph, although several “empty” shots became slightly less empty whenever another photographer wandered through the frame.

As usual, laughter featured heavily and, entirely by accident, of course, the local pub enjoyed a healthy trade afterwards.
Later in the week, a second group tackled Mylor Harbour. The weather was distinctly grey and chilly, but members still managed to capture some excellent harbour scenes, reflections and coastal details. Good photography often depends more on observation than sunshine.

The evening ended, somewhat mysteriously, in another pub garden with cameras, dogs and photographers pretending they were not cold.

Visit www.penryncameraclub.co.uk.

01/05/2026

From Trophies to Teacakes

Penryn Camera Club wrapped up its winter season with awards, food and enough chatter to drown out the weather.

The evening began with celebration as five members received awards in the Cornwall Photographic Alliance interclub competition, helping the club achieve its highest ever finish with third place overall.

After a little club business, including the rare sighting of a subscription refund, the evening turned into a full social gathering. The snooker table vanished beneath mountains of food while members talked photography, holidays, cameras and probably whose turn it was to bring biscuits next season.

Now the club swaps indoor meetings for summer outings. May trips include Great Flat Load, Mylor, Wheal Coates, Porthleven and Portreath as members head outdoors in search of next year’s competition images.

If you spot a cluster of photographers staring thoughtfully at a puddle or sunset, come and say hello. We are a friendly bunch.

Visit www.penryncameraclub.co.uk

17/04/2026

Quiz Night, Confidence Optional

Penryn Camera Club swapped cameras for questions this week, starting with a brief introduction from Derek Godridge on minimalism ahead of a future competition. A calm opening, before things unravelled nicely.

Mandy Hanson’s annual quiz soon took over, bringing with it plenty of laughter and a steady realisation that general knowledge is not always as general as hoped. Some questions were genuinely tricky; others exposed overconfidence. “What does PDF stand for?” elicited at least one memorable wrong answer (“Please Don't Fart”), and even The Beatles caused confusion.

Alison “Ally” Williams emerged as the winner once again, collecting a bottle of wine, while nine runners-up took home chocolate and a renewed respect for trivia.

As the evening closed, members stayed chatting in small groups, in no rush to leave. Very little photography, quite a lot of fun. Next week, the AGM awaits.

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Penryn Camera Club Cornwall; Recognised for its friendly atmosphere welcoming members of all ages and photographic abilities. Google Penryn Camera Club

10/04/2026

Flash Gordon Would Approve

This week at Penryn Camera Club, flash photography took centre stage again, with members diving into the mysteries of timing and light.

Leading and trailing curtain sync were put through their paces. The difference is simple in theory but revealing in practice. Fire early and motion blur leads the subject, fire late and it trails behind, which looks far more natural. With slower shutter speeds in play, members created images that mixed sharp detail with swirling motion. Some planned, some entirely accidental.

Bounce flash added another layer, softening light when handled well and introducing the occasional questionable colour choice when not. Off-camera setups brought more control and more opportunities to press the wrong button with confidence.

What began as a collection of enthusiastic misfires gradually turned into a set of striking, individual images. Skills emerged, confidence followed, and the results spoke for themselves, mostly.

Visit www.penryncameraclub.co.uk