Picture-perfect start to new year for Surrey Photography Club

NORTH DELTA — Members of Surrey Photography Club culminated 2014 with a flash and are snapping away into the New Year.

The club, made up of nearly 50 members, kicked off its exhibition, Exposition of Photographic Art, at North Delta's Firehall Centre for the Arts (11489 84th Ave.) on Wednesday, Dec. 31.

The club's program director, Tina Taphouse, said this exhibition is their first in a couple years and the beauty of it is in the members' diversity.

"We've called it Exposition of Photographic Art — that's the name of our exhibit — but I didn't want to restrict it to a theme because we're all so different in what we take. Some of us do landscapes, some of us do birds, some of us do people, so that's why I wanted to keep it open," Taphouse told the Now.

The show features 32 prints by 17 members of the club, with subject matter ranging from wildlife to filter-heavy snaps of gardens. 

The only rule observed by the club in its current show was “no nudity” for the exhibit.

“This time around, it was whatever they wanted to submit. The only thing was no nudity because it’s at the rec centre by Delta … other than that, it’s pretty open,” Taphouse explained.

It’s the “open”-ness of the club that led Taphouse to join a few years back, and since she’s been part of it, the program director says she considers it an extension of her education.

“I’ve had a love of photography ever since I’ve been in elementary school,” she said.

“I did a search online for local photography clubs, and I found the Surrey one, and I went to a couple of meetings I found it very inviting and I learned a lot. Since I’ve been part of the club, I’ve learned so much from fellow photographers.”

Surrey Photography Club, which meets every second and fourth Monday of the month at St. Helen’s Church (10787 128th St., Surrey), regularly hosts workshops and brings in guest speakers, including award-winning BBC wildlife photographer, Connor Stefanison. Whatever the club’s itinerary, one thing is constant: learning.

“You learn from the friends that you make within the club, and you learn from the people who come as guest speakers and we also do field trips, so you get to go out within the community or even outside of the community,” Taphouse said.

The exhibit is on display until Jan. 27, open from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday to Friday, and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays. Admission is free.