Fun and photography motto of new club

JULIA WADE

Locals with a passion for capturing the beauty of Mangawhai, the character of the people and anything else on film – digital or reel – now have the opportunity to meet up in a new group to share their skills, style and also have a bit of fun.

Initiated by local Grant Crowe, a Mangawhai photographer renowned for his breathtaking images of the areas landscapes, who reached out to the community about the idea of a photography club via social media and received ‘an incredible response’, with over 50 people registering their interest.

After two meetings the yet-to-be-named group of around 25 members, ranging from teens to seniors, novices to experienced shutterbugs and even some with old film cameras, have decided the gatherings should be user-friendly and sociable with a focus on fun.

“Our statement of purpose is to gather a community of like-minded people with an interest in photography to share ideas, knowledge and insight to help improve the skills and abilities of members and to have fun,” Crowe says. “People don’t need to have a high-end SLR camera, or even a camera, we’ll be working with all devices that take photos including phones… fun and photography is our motto.”

Included in the educational aspects is an aim to learn different styles and technical aspects of photography from each other, such as how to take good landscapes, the effect of various weather on images, night shots and camera functions, as well as darkroom work, editing and cropping, with the possibility of working towards an exhibition at the end of the year.

Involved in the world of photography ‘all my life, started taking photos when I was very young, back when the Auckland Harbour Bridge was being built’, from commercial work to owning his own retail store, Crowe says the craft is vastly different to what it used to be.

“People used to need a camera to take great photos which is more versatile, but now with moblie phones you can take incredible shots, the quailty is quite extraordinary,” he says. “Anybody is welcome at the group, from the novice using a phone to a photographer with a long lens, just bring what you’re using and we’ll start to get to know each other and the equipment we use.”

n Want to join in the fun? Phone 021 259 6679 or email taradreamfarm@yahoo.co.nz

Aiming to learn each others techniques and style while keeping the focus on having fun, Mangawhai’s new photography group recently clicked together and welcomes more like-minded people. PHOTO/SUPPLIED