Visiting on the first day of opening for Bradford’s Science Museum outpost it was clear that returning front of house staff were getting used to new ways of working. There are a full array of exhibitions to view but once inside I headed straight to see the best work from Yorkshire Clubs. The show centres on the 200 accepted prints from 2020 which could not be displayed at Pontefract last year. 2021 entries have been digital only and a number of the best images in each category are displayed from an ingenious touch-free console. The rest of the beautifully presented exhibition tells the story of our regional federation of currently 67 clubs, shows where they are on a map, and displays examples from the museum’s archive to show how the photographing of a range of genres has changed over more than 150 years. Two videos explain the judging process and give an insight into nature photography and you can even have a go at judging some images yourself. Interspersed amongst the exhibits are some vintage cameras and up to date quotes from club photographers including recognisable names from our own membership.
All in all the exhibition is a credit to the YPU, the Museum, Bradford Photographic Society which recently celebrated 160 years and was instrumental in securing the venue, Yorkshire Club members, and the judges who chose both sets of work. Our own club is represented by 13 prints from 5 members. 14 of our members had 33 digital acceptances this year. A full list is on the YPU website and catalogues will soon be posted out to all who entered. It was impossible to show all 450 plus accepted images at Bradford so a selection was made of the high scoring ones in each category and it is these which are shown using the console. The exhibition is open on four days a week for 5 weeks. The museum is free to enter, although donations are welcome. Visit it soon. You won’t be disappointed.
