The Story of Ampthill & District Camera Club

Every club has a beginning. Some start with a committee meeting or a formal constitution. Ampthill & District Camera Club began much more simply – with a group of friends, a shared love of photography, and a few pints in the Albion pub.

During the early 1980s a small band of local photographers met regularly in the Albion in Ampthill. They came to compare prints, discuss cameras, swap techniques and enjoy each other’s company. Among them was Keith “Collar” Hymus, whose enthusiasm gradually transformed these informal gatherings into something more organised. It soon became obvious that Ampthill was ready for its own photographic club.

In 1986 the idea became reality.

A small advertisement appeared in one of the local free newspapers inviting anyone interested in photography to attend the first meeting of a new camera club. The response was encouraging, and those who answered the advertisement became the founding members of what was then simply Ampthill Camera Club.

The first meetings were held in a small hall somewhere near the old Cottage Bakery in Dunstable Street. Memories differ over the exact location—many believe it was the Quaker Meeting House—but wherever it was, it became the birthplace of the club.

Someone had the inspired idea of asking one of Ampthill’s most famous residents to become the club’s President. Television writer and producer Brian Clemens, creator of The Avengers and The Professionals, kindly agreed to lend his name to the new organisation. Although his involvement never extended beyond the honorary title, it gave the fledgling club an immediate sense of prestige. In later years the presidency passed to one of the club’s own members.

The little club quickly outgrew its first meeting place. Fortunately, several members belonged to the nearby Wingfield Club, and they negotiated the use of one of its upstairs committee rooms. There was just one condition: several camera club members would also join the Wingfield Club. Nobody seemed to mind.

Thursday evenings were quiet in the bar, and there was an unwritten understanding that members would buy a drink before the meeting began. Half-time inevitably meant another visit downstairs for a refill, and many evenings ended exactly where they had started—with animated discussions over another pint. Looking back, many members smile at the thought that photography may have brought everyone together, but the Wingfield bar probably helped keep them there.

The room itself was hardly glamorous. Tables were arranged in a large ‘T’ shape, with everyone gathered around them. Mounted slides were projected from a carousel projector placed halfway along the centre of the table, throwing brilliant images onto a screen at the end of the room. Prints, still unmounted in those days, were spread across the tables before the meeting so that members could inspect them at close quarters.

Meetings were held every week and were wonderfully uncomplicated. There were no laptops, digital projectors or memory cards. Members simply came along to chat about photography, show their latest work and enjoy each other’s company. Whether the images were colour slides or black-and-white prints, every photograph represented precious time, effort and expense.

Competitions formed an important part of club life, although they were conducted very differently from today. Every month members entered either prints or slides, usually without any set subject. There were no external judges. Instead, everyone became a judge.

Each member received a scoring sheet and marked every picture except their own. Marks were awarded for composition, technical quality, suitability to the subject and finally that elusive quality—overall impact. One or two unfortunate volunteers were then left with the unenviable task of adding up all the scores using what was then a sophisticated programmable calculator. It was not a popular job.

Not because of the arithmetic, but because it meant missing out on valuable time at the Wingfield bar.

Although competitions were taken seriously, the atmosphere remained relaxed and encouraging. Film and processing were expensive, so successful slides often appeared in several competitions during the same season. Nobody complained; after all, producing a new set of photographs every month was no small undertaking in the days before digital cameras.

The club also enjoyed practical evenings and summer outings. Members explored the local countryside together, experimented with subjects such as macro photography and occasionally welcomed unusual visitors. One evening, remembered with particular amusement by Lawrence Coleman, saw a local bodybuilder arrive seeking the club’s help in producing a portfolio of dramatic photographs.

Perhaps the most fondly remembered event of all was the famous Egg Race.

Inspired by the BBC television programme The Great Egg Race, teams of three were given a short roll of black-and-white film loaded into reusable cassettes and a photographic challenge to complete during the evening. Then came the frantic dash home to develop the film, produce a print and race back to the club.

The first team to return earned a bonus point.

Both Ian Foster and Lawrence Coleman vividly remember the pressure of trying to process film, make a decent print, dry it and get back before anyone else. To ensure fair play, one member acted as referee to make sure nobody arrived with “one they made earlier.” It was exciting, frantic, occasionally chaotic—and enormous fun.

Although the club saw itself primarily as a social gathering for like-minded photographers, it did occasionally test itself against neighbouring clubs. Friendly competitions were held with Bedford, Hunting Engineering, Vauxhall, Kempston and Milton Keynes, providing both inspiration and healthy rivalry. In those days the club had not yet affiliated to the East Anglian Federation of Photographic Societies. There was no rush. The emphasis was on friendship first and competition second.

Then came the new millennium—and with it, the biggest technological revolution photography had ever seen. Digital cameras arrived……….Not everyone welcomed them.

The question of whether digital images should be allowed in competitions sparked lively debate. Some members remained firmly committed to film and believed photography should stay that way. Others saw digital imaging as the future. Chief among its advocates was John Currant, whose enthusiasm and determination gradually won over the committee. Once the decision had been made, the club embraced the new technology wholeheartedly.

As membership grew and digital photography attracted new enthusiasts, the Wingfield Club became too small. The move to Millbrook Village Hall in the early 2000s marked the beginning of a new chapter. The facilities were better, there was far more room—and, as many members jokingly observed, considerably less alcohol.

The move also prompted a change of name. As members increasingly travelled from villages beyond Ampthill, the club became Ampthill & District Camera Club, better reflecting both its wider membership and its new home.

The digital era gathered pace. A Lottery grant enabled the purchase of the club’s first laptop computer and digital projector, finally replacing the familiar click of the slide carousel. Around the same time the club joined the East Anglian Federation of Photographic Societies, opening the door to federation competitions and a wider photographic community.

In 2007 the club staged its first public exhibition at Millbrook Village Hall. The event proved such a success that exhibitions became a regular feature, later moving to Parkside Hall before finding their current home at the Forest Centre, Marston Moretaine. Even during the Covid pandemic, when public exhibitions became impossible, the tradition continued online with virtual exhibitions in 2020 and 2021.

Today the club remains as active as ever, with around fifty members enjoying a varied programme of competitions, guest speakers, practical evenings, field trips and exhibitions. The club is involved in the local community creating a pictorial history of all types of local events including fireworks, concerts and a variety of local village races.

We have been very fortunate to have had a dedicated and committed core of committee members who, over the years, have built upon the club’s early foundations and collectively helped to shape and develop it into what it is today.

Looking back over four decades, cameras have changed beyond recognition. Film has given way to memory cards, darkrooms have been replaced by computers, and slide projectors have disappeared into history.

Yet the essence of the club has never changed.

It is still a place where photographers meet to learn, encourage one another, share ideas and, above all, enjoy photography in good company.

From a few friends meeting in the Albion pub to one of the Region’s thriving photographic clubs, the journey has been remarkable—and the story is still being written.

You can see some of the club’s activities in 2000 recorded for the millennium on video on the Ampthill TV Channel at: https://www.ampthill.tv/playvideo.html?id=199