Want to join or renew your membership in the RAPC?
(For current members, please call the RA Centre to renew your membership at 613-733-5100. Or, in person, go to the Member and Guest Services desk in the East end of the RA Centre. Click here for contact information and hours of operation.)
The RA Photo Club brings together people who enjoy and want to learn more about photography. We welcome amateur photographers of all levels. Potential members are welcome to join up to three regular Tuesday meetings free of charge.
The RAPC offers a variety of options to explore and expand your photographic interests such as:
- hearing accomplished photographers speak on a vast array of topics;
- workshops and educational opportunities to learn how to create Audio-Visual productions, Fine Art images, Still Life images, and much more; and
- nature and urban outings.
More information is available here.
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RAPC Mission Vision & Values
Mission
A volunteer-driven club providing its members opportunities to increase their knowledge and to apply this knowledge to improve their skills and achieve their photographic goals and objectives.
Vision
To provide our members with a full range of programs and services that serve their needs regardless of their area of photographic interest or their current capabilities.
Values
Our club values:
gaining and sharing knowledge and experience across all aspects of photography
members who are involved and willing to help other members and the club
having fun through exploring and sharing photographic opportunities with other members
Your Club has a lot going on…don't forget to sign up on the Events pages for the upcoming Urban outings, Nature outings, Life, Faces & Figures outing, and the Group Feedback sessions.
Complete details are on the Events sign up page.
Urban outings:
- Carleton Butterfly Show (Oct 11th)
- Rockliffe Park, Rockeries and more (Oct 26th)
Nature outings:
- Gillies Grove Nature Reserve in Arnprior Ontario (Sep 28th)
- Fall Challenge at Ramsay Lake, Gatineau Park (Oct 19th)
And of course, the first of the monthly Group Feedback sessions starts on Oct 2nd. An informal evening to get feedback on your images.
2024-25 New Members Meeting
Dates and Presentations
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All Club Members are welcome to join the meetings
Meetings are held in the Courtside “A” room from 6:15 p.m. to 7:15 p.m.
October 8th - Group Feedback – François Gadoury. The group meets the first Wednesday of the month from October to May to give photographers an opportunity for informal feedback on each other’s work.
October 22nd - Studio Group – Rick Harris. The Club’s studio provides RA Photo Club members who have Studio Group membership, access to a fully equipped studio within the RA Centre.
November 5th - Nature Group – Paul Bertelmann. All Club members are welcome to participate in Nature outings which are announced throughout the year with an annual Nature Showcase being presented.
November 19th - Urban Group – Hughes St-Pierre. The Urban Group is a special interest group of the Club focused on shooting "people in their environment" and "urban landscapes" with an annual Showcase being organized.
December 3rd - Galleries & Exhibitions – Jane Spencer. The RAPC has two galleries that offer a top-quality resource for displaying the work of club members. The possibility of resuming Ottawa Public Library exhibitions is being reviewed.
January 14th - Still Life Group – Allan B Cameron. The Still Life Group provides members an opportunity to exchange ideas and techniques in both workshops and outings and to participate in an annual Showcase.
January 28th
February 11th
February 25th
March 11th
March 25th
April 8th
April 22nd
April 29th - New Members Showcase in Clark Hall
May 13th
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Completed:
September 24th - Introduction Meeting
To sign up for upcoming Events such as Outings (Urban, Nature or Fine Art), or Workshops, click here
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Tuesday Evening Presentations can be found here in Documents (to see presentations and workshops from previous years, go to Members/Documents/Presentations and Workshops and click on the desired year/folder).
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List of Competitions for the upcoming Club year 2024-2025 click here
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List of Studio Workshops for Club year 2023-2024 - Click here
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Monthly Showcase Instructions and Deadlines for Club year 2023-2024 - Click here
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RA Gallery Themes for 2023-24 - click here
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Club Program
Tuesday night meetings.
Jon Stuart will present his project ’Stillwater’ - an examination of the benefits of looking closely at a local landscape and a celebration of the rehabilitation of a local wetland. Jon will talk about the development of the project, large format colour photography and exhibitions of the work.
Structures - This competition topic includes architectural structures and could include darns, bridges, canal locks, grain elevators, water towers, wind turbines, silos, petrochemical plants, electrical substations, transmission towers, etc.
Buildings that are residential, shopping areas, government buildings, office buildings, factories, airports, etc, are architecture and cannot be the primary subject of the photograph, but can be included as a secondary feature. Vehicles, airplanes, ships, etc. are not structures.
This is one of the topics selected by the RAPC members as one of this year's assignment topics.
Competition Rules can be found here.
Please note: High scoring colour entries in the General category in this competition will be considered for the CAPA Club Competition 2025.
Margo McDiarmid is a freelance photographer based in Ottawa. Margo graduated with a diploma in Photographic Arts Production from the School of Photographic Arts Ottawa (SPAO) and completed an intensive 6-month artist residency at the school. An award-winning journalist and former reporter with Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), Margo specialised in environmental reporting and politics. Following her studies at SPAO, she was inspired to document 30 of the 269 community outdoor rinks in Ottawa. The photos are assembled in a book and copies were donated by the City of Ottawa to more than 300 volunteers who look after the city’s outdoor rinks. In March 2022 Margo travelled as a freelance journalist and photographer to document the effects of the war on Ukrainians fleeing into nearby countries. Margo will be sharing some of her work and the stories from her projects. She will also be selling books from her Outdoor Rink project.
Details to be announced
Details to be announced
Fine Art - this competition we are looking for works that are innovative and express your artistic vision in composition and execution.
Abstract – imaginative abstract images that showcase creativity in using shape, colour, light and composition in new ways. Both natural and everyday scenes presented with a fresh perspective are encouraged.
Landscape – compelling landscapes from any environment urban or rural are invited. We are looking for creative perspectives and lighting that showcase the beauty of your surroundings.
Wildlife – innovative compositions that reveal new perspectives on animals, birds, insects or reptiles that go beyond just capturing the subject’s appearance.
Portrait – one or more persons, taken indoors or outdoors are welcome. We are seeking fresh, uncommon approaches to composing and lighting portraits. Images depicting individuals experiencing homelessness, infirmity, or people in crisis will not be accepted.
Still Life – artistic arrangement of inanimate objects using lighting, depth of field, and perspective to find the beauty in ordinary things.
Editing Criteria: Any editing techniques that do not employ AI tools are permitted. Frames or borders are not allowed.
Competition Rules can be found here.
High scoring images will be considered for entry in the CAPA Club Fine Art Competition that runs in January 2025. For details please see: https://capacanada.ca/2025-fine-art-competition/
Please note: High scoring colour entries in the General category in this competition will be considered for the CAPA Club Competition 2025.
Please note this will be a virtual presentation beamed into Clark Hall
Annual Inter-Club AV Showcase features Audio-Video presentation that have been created by members of the Camera Club of Ottawa (CCO), le club de photographie Polarisé de l'Outaouais (CPPO), the Orléans Photo Club (CPOPC) and the RA Photo Club (RAPC).
Members of the other three area photo clubs will be joining us this evening, so please make them feel welcome at this annual event!
Please note: The meetings starts at 7:00 PM, half an hour earlier than our normal Tuesday evening meetings.
Adrien has shot in over 500 restaurants in the Ottawa/Montreal area - using only speedlites.
On location, we want highly responsive, creative lighting tools that are easy to pack, and deploy. Adrien will demonstrate, using snapshots from his sets on location, how to create effective food lighting - using minimum gear.
Adrien’s studio is in Almonte. His clients include: Vodkow, Royal Canadian Mint, Dairy Bureau and others.
Details to be announced
Tardioli founded the School of Photographic Arts: Ottawa (SPAO) in 2005 and is currently the Director of Education there. He has an encyclopedic knowledge of photography and will discuss how the concept of contemporary photography has changed over the years, illustrating his talk with examples of past masters of this art.
Guy St. Jean will present the range of his photography which enabled him to get to the Masters level in the Club. This presentation is a requirement for him to be fully considered a Master Photographer in the Club.
This is one of the topics selected by the RAPC members and is the same topic as the 2025 Inter-Club Competition. Please note: Entries from this competition can also be submitted to the 2025 Inter-Club Competition.
Competition Rules can be found here.
Please note: High scoring colour entries in the General category in this competition will be considered for the CAPA Club Competition 2025.
Topic to be announced
Lines & Curves - In this competition, images should capture the energy and emotion that lines and curves bring to an image.
- Geometry in Nature – images that capture interesting natural shapes and patterns like spirals, fractals waves, etc… This theme highlights the curve and repetitions found in the natural world or created within a photographic image.
- Landscape – images capturing interesting architectural shapes, leading lines, patterns in rural or urban environments. This theme focuses on curves, geometry, and visual rhythm in man-made surroundings.
- Minimal Still Life – simple, clean images of everyday objects arranged in repetitive patterns or positions to emphasize their curves and lines. This theme aims to find the curve and visual interest in mundane items.
- Motion and Flow – image capturing the curves and created by moving elements such as people, animals, vehicles, water, smoke etc. This theme focuses on using curves to show movement and energy.
- Kaleidoscope Curves – image featuring interesting reflective symmetry (where shape or pattern is reflected in a mirror line or a line of symmetry),or a kaleidoscopic effect. Images will showcase curves, lines, and geometric shapes found in modern architecture. Submissions can feature architectural details such as stairs, railings, windows, bridges, and other structural elements. Creative perspectives showcasing the artistry of modern architectural designs are encouraged.
Editing Criteria: Any editing techniques that do not employ AI tools are permitted. Frames or borders are not allowed.
Competition Rules can be found at: https://raphotoclub.ca/docs?p=Competitions+and+Showcases&view=Competition+Rules+2023-07-25+.pdf
Images that receive high scores in this competition will be considered for entry in the CAPA Club Lines & Curves Competition: https://capacanada.ca/2025-curves-lines-competition/
Details to be announced
People and Pets - The RAPC has traditionally had one composition where the topic was formal or informal portraiture.
In order to broaden the appeal of this competition, the types of images allowed have been expanded to include formal and informal portraits, street photography that singles out individuals or a small group of people and portraits of pets.
Images of wildlife, farm animals or other animals that are not normally considered to be pets are not allowed. Neither are general street photography scenes where people are not obviously the main area of interest.
Editing Criteria: Any editing techniques that do not employ AI tools are permitted. Frames or borders are not allowed.
Competition Rules can be found at: https://raphotoclub.ca/docs?p=Competitions+and+Showcases&view=Competition+Rules+2023-07-25+.pdf
Please note: The Inter-Club images must be uploaded using the Inter-Club Website at: https://interclub.raphotoclub.ca/
The website will be opened for entries in January 2025.
The topic for 2025 is: Close Up and Personal
Details will follow as the Inter-Club Competition Committee releases details on this competition.
Details to Follow
Please note: this is an in-person competition and will be taking place at the RA starting at 7:30 pm.
This is the Club's pre-eminent print competition and is being held for the first time since the the pandemic. Entrants are required to enter 5 prints that are connected to each other in a series, or that are a “sequence” of images with a story line. Judging is by a single judge with experience with monochrome images who will comment on each set of entries and then select a single winner. We look forward to seeing as many members as possible attending this premier event.