PICTURE SPECIAL: Photography skills of Thurso Camera Club praised by town provost at new show
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The opening night of a new exhibition highlighting local photographic talents proved to be a popular event at Thurso Art Gallery.
Over 100 stills are on display along the walls of the gallery and a slideshow presentation that saw Thurso provost Struan Mackie lauding the talents of Thurso Camera Club (TCC).
“After the post-Covid lull when many things were stalled or put on hold, it’s great to get invitations to more and more exhibitions across the county,” he said on the opening night.
Provost Mackie admitted that though he may not rank as a talented photographer he did have many pictures of his dog on his mobile phone. “I’m in awe of the quality here but in no way, shape or form could I replicate it,” he quipped.
“ It’s very inspiring to look around and think, wow, it would be amazing if you could do something like that.”
He said he felt privileged to be invited along to the opening night of the TCC show. “It’s fantastic to see the work that’s being displayed. There’s a lot of time, care and attention gone into every single one of these pictures.”
He added: “It’s amazing to see the breadth of different styles and subjects with various techniques being used. So much of this is in the community and it’s great to see this out for people to come along and appreciate where it’s right in front of them instead of on a screen.”
Ally Mackechnie is the TCC chair and had several of his own works on show including a dark and mysterious self-portrait that he took in his studio called ‘Me, Myself and I’.
“Ideally, we’d like to make it an annual show and we’ll see how things go with this one,” he said.
The show has a mix of prints and slides displayed on the gallery walls and Ally thinks that prints are probably the best way to view images due to enhanced detail and colouring.
“I’ve been taking photographs for the last five or six years but started properly just before Covid. When that kicked in it actually encouraged me to learn more about it and the different techniques.”
Ally says his favourite camera is the Canon Mk IV and his main interest is night photography. He says that the club tries to have monthly meetings at a local hotel and anyone interested in more information should go to the website at: www.thursocameraclub.co.uk/
Hosting a year-round programme of exhibitions, the Thurso Art Gallery space within Thurso Library shows an inspiring and diverse range of artworks from local artists and societies featuring drawing, painting, sculpture, crafts, photography, film, multi-media and digital artwork.
The gallery is open during normal Thurso Library opening hours and is situated on Davidson’s Lane. The photography exhibition finishes on May 11.
