Denielle Berryman
 

Since becoming a member of Latrobe Valley Photography Club in 2007 Denny has constantly found ways and time to help the club move forward and grow while developing her own photographic skills. She attends almost every meeting and assists with the printed competition returns. Denny is always ready to welcome any new comer to the club and enjoys helping in any aspect of the club’s activities.  Denny is a very approachable member and her willingness to share her knowledge on photography is an advantage to the club, along with her organisation skills for weekend and day trips away.

Her passion for the LVCC was witnessed while she was club president from 2011-2015. The club grew from 55 members to 95 members during those years. Denny was the initial driver who nominated to change the club name to better reflect its location. (It was previously known as Coal Country Camera Club and is now known as Latrobe Valley Camera Club). Denny has been a Committee member from 2008, and while on the committee she organised easier access to the club rooms.

She recognized the need for safer and better storage for club assets so a lockable storage cupboard was purchased in 2011. She was instrumental in updating the club’s equipment in 2012 and implemented electronic banking as well as initiating the new club website and the club electronic newsletter. She formatted and printed club awards from 2009 – 2015. As president she was responsible for meeting agendas and she organised the club program from 2011 to 2016.

Denny has been club spokesperson on five occasions on local radio and has been the subject, on behalf of the LVCC, in many editorials in the local paper. She often photographs community and family events and gifts the photos of the day to the participants.

Denny played a role in organising the first Coal Country Camera Club Art in Photography exhibition “ImageInaction” in 2015. This exhibition gave many members a new insight to their own photography skills and a new confidence about expanding their use of photography knowledge and creativity.

Denny has had entries in the VAPS Interclub Exhibitions from 2014 to 2016, and participates in the club’s bi monthly club competitions. She has also entered the Gippy Interclub in 2015, donated photos to the Gippsland Cancer Care Centre for their permanent display and won 1^st place six times, 2^nd place twice and 3^rd place three times in the CWA Latrobe Central Exhibition.

A tireless organizer, Denny has arranged club learning weekends away on a regular basis, including booking of accommodation and structuring the program. She has organised Photographic experience days twice a year from 2010.  She has assisted in initiating the set-up of the camera club community event stall ’Summer Nights Market’ in Traralgon, gaining new members and fostering community awareness of the club. In partnership with a local business, she organised a photography tour of Tasmania for the club in 2014. Since 2016 she has organised a regular Melbourne Street Photography day outing for the club.

She is a confident person who helps teach photography skills both on a one to one basis or to a full room, assisting all club members at meetings, in the community or while at work. She holds camera information courses within the club, i.e. “What is that on my camera”, “How to use shadow in photography” and ‘Back to basics’ at bimonthly club meetings.  She makes members aware of new photographic equipment and gives informative photography talks at the local CWA along with hands on learning. She also gives street photography talks, slideshows and tells members of YouTube sites to watch and she gives book recommendations.

Denny is a much-valued and respected Latrobe Valley Camera Club member who is always willing to assist or find ways to help in the local photography networks and promote the club in the wider community. As her club colleagues said in their nomination, ”She brightens any club meeting.” With great pleasure and thanks, VAPS and the Latrobe Valley Photography Club give her this Meritorious Service Award.
 

VAPS has kindly donated to 20 clubs an A2 art folio/folder for the transportation of their prints. The clubs have been provided these as they have no suitable bag or bags that were starting to fall apart or likely to fall apart. Most clubs already use these folders to ensure there are limited issues with delivering of the prints.
 

Several images entered in the recent VAPS Interclub were not well matted and some had to be repaired or rejected.  Many images had insufficient double sided tape holding the backing board to the front matboard, also a number of images used sticky tape or adhesive tape.
Due to the multiple handling of the prints the risk is that the mat boards or tape become separated, damaging either the owner's print or someone else's print.

Over the last few years we have had several issues with the mounting of prints for the annual Interclub competition and exhibition.
 

Understandably members have been upset when their prints come back damaged. As prints get handled up to 18 times during the judging/exhibition process, it is necessary for both the exhibition personnel and the print owners to protect prints appropriately. With this in mind, it would be an excellent step if comp stewards could promote the following requirements, so that their members become familiar with what is expected for the VAPS exhibition. Some clubs have changed their club rules to comply with VAPS exhibition rules to achieve this.

Most clubs already use the A2 art folio/folder. These are available from Office Works at a cost of $60. (recommend: Jasart A2 College Portfolio). The cheaper ones tend to fall apart after a while. Fifteen prints, if mounted appropriately, will comfortably fit into this type of folder.

Because of this need to fit the required sized folder, there is a problem with the thickness of the mounted prints.The problem arises when some members use 5mm foam core backing instead of a piece of matboard taped to the back. This makes the finished print thicker than 5mm and the total thickness of 15 prints is then about 90mm which will not fit into one folder. Hence some clubs have sent their prints in a cardboard box or Australia Post bag.
 
5mm foam core backing is banned from 2019.Those members who persist in using foam core backing, may use 3mm foam core backing which is readily available.Total thickness of 3mm foam core and 1mm matboard will be about 4mm.

To ensure print protection, please promote the following:
 
Prints must be mounted correctly so that the matboard does not separate from the print or from the backing board. If you use double sided tape it must be at least 20mm wide and completely taped around all four sides. 10 mm pieces of tape do not adhere long enough.

Good quality masking tape (not painters masking tape) is available from any hardware store. Framing tape is preferable for attaching the print along the whole top edge to the matboard.

Prints should not be wrapped in cellophane as it has to be removed for judging and therefore creates extra handling and work for the volunteers.
 
Prints that have backing thicker than 3mm, or start to fall apart because they are not mounted correctly, will be withdrawn from the judging and the exhibition.
 
We ask that clubs change their practices and rules so that members do not have to prepare their prints specially for the VAPS Interclub.

VAPS Club Members    
APJA Events in 2019
Upcoming APJA Events.
 

Training fees for 2018-9
 

Betty Harris was a well respected and loved member of Rosanna Photographic Club and was well known throughout the Victorian photographic community.  She was a Life Member of the club. A warm and friendly woman, Betty was passionate about photography and supporting others along the way. 

She was a master print maker and won Best Print on one occasion at a VAPS Convention. She worked with Cibachrome, creating her own prints. A club pioneer in the making of AV's Betty was using slides synchronized to music very successfully at all levels including International.  Many people outside the Rosanna photographic community will have known of Betty's skills with her camera and how willing she was to share her knowledge and skills.
 

Along with her husband John (dec. 2012), who was a founding member of Rosanna, Betty worked tirelessly to support the club in any way she was able. She greatly enjoyed the camaraderie of the club life and happily joined in all club outings and activities, often being the driving force behind these events. Betty was President on more than one occasion, also serving in the role of Vice President and Secretary. 
 

Although Betty has not been an active club member for a few years, she is fondly remembered by club members who did know her and newer members wish they had known her.

Danielle LeGassick: editor@vaps.org.au