When was PhotoSoc founded?
I’m not sure of the exact year but last semester, we found some documents in the library archive that mentions PhotoSoc which was dated as far back as the 1980s.
How many students are signed up for it?
We had around 80+ new signups this year and that leaves us with a total of 2512 members to date. But this accounts for lots of past students as well as current students, I would say we have about 50 active members.
Who is PhotoSoc for?
Literally anyone and everyone! Regardless of whether you are into film photography or digital photography or whether you’re a beginner or an expert, PhotoSoc is open to you. One question we always get asked is if you need a proper camera to join. You absolutely do not, we have many people who come along to events with phones and that’s perfectly fine!
What does a regular PhotoSoc meeting look like?
Our events range from Instagram competitions and exhibitions to photo walks and chill sessions. Photo walks are our signature event, one that usually has more attendance than others, to be honest. Of course, all our events have some element of photography included. We have done at least one event a week in the last year, and we hope to keep that momentum going!
Our committee meetings are so hectic, in the best possible way. We try to have them in person once a week but sometimes we do it online. The current committee has a reputation for having 2-hour long online meetings at 9 pm but it’s all worth it in the end. I’ve had the opportunity to work with some amazing people and to create great memories because of this society.
Congratulations on your “Most Collaborative” award. Did you have a personal favourite collaboration this year?
We had some great collabs with various societies throughout the year for example the Style Soc/History Soc Fashion Show. With the effort of both committees involved, all collabs were a success. But my personal favourite would have to be the Film Soc’s Society Feud. PhotoSoc had a team take part and it was a night to remember. Even though we didn’t get past the first round, it was great craic!
We are one of three universities that have a dark room. When do you think it will be open to access?
The darkroom is such a major asset to the society and the university as a whole. It was, unfortunately, not in the best state when it was handed over to us last semester, but our committee have worked very hard to get it back to a somewhat useable condition (very big shoutout to them!). There are still a few things that need to be handled but I’m certain we’ll have it up and running again next year.
This year, we already had three film photography and darkroom events in there and I’m pleased to say it was in high demand. But we can only fit max. 10 people in the darkroom at a time due to its size, so we’ll definitely be having more darkroom events next year.
What do you hope for the soc’s future?
I’m hoping for bigger and better things to come next year. This year’s committee has set quite a high standard, one that the next committee will have to live up to (I’m sure they will, without a doubt!). It’s hard work but everything pays off when you run a great event with a good turnout. I hope next year’s committee dream big and achieves bigger!
