Welcome To The Website Of Gwynfa Camera Club

Waiting for post impressionism by Gwynfryn Jones

With over 100 members ‘Gwynfa’ is not only the largest but one of the friendliest camera clubs in Wales. It exists to facilitate, encourage & promote the enjoyment of photography in the local community.

New members are always welcome. Click here to find out how to join.

Our club meetings are held at Caerlan Hall, Newbridge Road, Llantrisant, Rhonnda Cynon Taf, CF72 8EX each Thursday at 7.15pm and we finish around 9.30pm. Many of us then stroll to the local pub, The New Inn, Llantrisant  to continue our conversations. Our aim is to encourage photographers at all levels and exponents of every single kind of photography. Members are of all ages (from 10 to 80+) and from various walks of life. Both sexes are strongly represented so anyone can walk in and feel right at home. We also have full disabled access and facilities.

Gwynfa isn’t a school of photography but a vast amount of knowledge is to be gained by regularly attending meetings. Members are always available to provide informal advice and our programme of events includes a well balanced mix of club and inter-club competitions, visiting expert speakers and social events.

Gwynfa Camera Club’s membership of the Welsh Photographic Federation (WPF), the Photographic Alliance of Great Britain (PAGB), the Federation International de l’art Photographique (FIAP) and the Photographic Society of America (PSA) facilitates strong links with other clubs, photographers and federations both nationally and internationally. Many of our members have achieved National and International photographic awards and distinctions from such organisations and there are also numerous national and international photographic salons and competitions for individual members to enter including ‘the Welsh Salon’, ‘the Welsh International Projected Images Salon’, ‘the Bristol International Salon’, ‘the Swansea International’ as well as many others far to numerous to list here.

We take part in numerous local & national annual photographic events and competitions including ‘the WPF Memorial Trophy’, ‘the Barrian Cup’, ‘the Ace of Clubs’ and ‘the Stanley Chell Memorial Trophy’.  On numerous occasions we have represent Wales at the PAGB National Slide Championships in Warwick and at the PAGB National Print Championships at Connah’s Quay. We’ve also had success in the GB Cup where we have finished as high as sixth out of all the clubs in the UK.

Many of our members have achieved photography distinctions and have won both national and international awards.

Each year we organise ‘Pixels’, an annual competition for digitally projected images. It is open to all Welsh clubs and is the largest inter-club photography competition in Wales.

Thanks to the support of ‘Awards for All Wales‘ and ‘The Arts Council of Wales‘ we have in recent years been able to obtain up to the minute presentation facilities for prints, slides and digital photographs. Our venue has a public address & hearing aid loop system to ensure that guest speakers and judges can always be clearly heard during their presentations.

Interested? Then why not come along for a couple of evenings, enjoy the show, have a cuppa and meet some of our members? You’ll be guaranteed a warm welcome. Should you then decide to join you can visit our  ’How Do I Join?‘ page.

If you still have unanswered questions, please ask for further information.

A Welcome Message from our President

 As the President of one of the foremost photographic clubs in Wales I am greatly impressed by the increase in enthusiasm for photography that is being experienced not only at Gwynfa, but throughout the region. Perhaps the acceptance of the digital medium has brought photography to a wider range of people who wouldn’t naturally have taken to analogue methods involving darkrooms and chemicals.

The club has doubled in size in recent times and that is a great advantage. We’ve seen an increase in female membership as well as younger members. Gone are the old clichés of being a male dominated bastion for the retired. The standard of work being produced is high, with numerous members entering into international competitions and striving for ever better technique, composition and interpretation to impress judges and selectors.
The programme goes from strength to strength with speakers and judges being brought in from outside the region in an attempt to inspire members and open their eyes to alternative methods and ideas and keep them abreast of changing trends in the photographic world.

It is my hope that Gwynfa will offer you something special – more than just membership of a camera club. It’s a place to share photographic ideas, social atmosphere and being part of a progressive group of like minded friends.
Kevin Thomas MA FRPS, President.