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
Pierre Gauthier – RIP
Our longtime cherished member Pierre Gauthier passed away peacefully on Friday, February 28, 2025. Pierre joined the RA Photo Club in 1994 and immediately joined the ranks of our volunteers. He was Coordinator of the Nature Group for 22 years leading photo outings and workshops to many places in the Ottawa region, around Ontario and in Quebec. He served as Treasurer of the RAPC for 8 years and was President for 2 terms. Pierre was a certified CAPA judge. He judged competitions for the four Ottawa photo clubs as well as various clubs in Ontario and BC, and CAPA national competitions. He was a gracious and generous mentor to many of our current members.
To honour Pierre’s invaluable contribution, Council unanimously passed a resolution last week renaming the club’s prestigious Fall Challenge Competition. It will henceforth be known as the Pierre Gauthier Fall Challenge Competition and the Pierre Gauthier Fall Challenge Trophy.
Information about funeral arrangements will be circulated as soon as it becomes available.
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.
March 25th - Roger Miller’s Technical Services Team will be featured. This key Club service provided by Roger’s volunteers is in the form of setting up and running the presentation equipment which can provide valuable tips on how to run software and set up presentations for yourself.
April 8th - Education Team will review lens selections for different photographic genre as well as some helpful advice for camera setup, again for different genre. There will also be examples of gizmos, additional equipment and add-ons used to enhance and simplify your photographic activities such as tripods, filters, macro rails, snoots etc.
April 22nd - New Members Team will provide extensive firsthand help, advice and if requested, critique in preparation for the New Members Showcase.
April 29th - New Members Showcase in Clark Hall. If necessary, a pre-presentation meeting could be held in Courtside “A.”
May 13th - New Members Team review and critique.
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Completed:
September 24th - Introduction Meeting
October 8th - due to unforeseen circumstances, a general discussion took place and a casual review of ‘homework’
October 22nd - Randle Wilson presented on behalf of 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.
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 Competitions Committee - Manfred Mueller will provide an explanation of the Competitions Committee and its workings within our Club. As well aspects of the competition process, our ranking system, Inter Club events and CAPA Events.
February 11th - Studio - Rick Harris will introduce the workings of our Studio, along with a tour of the Studio itself. The Club’s studio provides RA Photo Club members who have Studio Group membership, access to a fully equipped studio within the RA Centre.
February 25th - Education Team – Ross Laing will deliver an overview of his Team, its goals and objectives through presentations, seminars, and workshops. Most of the activities run for one to two hours, with some extending to half or whole days depending on the topic and/or activity.
March 11th - Studio - will provide a very basic introduction to studio lighting, with the intent of demystifying the complexity of this photographic aspect.
Tuesday Evening Presentations can be found here in Documents (Click on Resources/Presentations, Techniques & Tools/then appropriate year)
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List of Competitions for the upcoming Club year 2024-2025 click here
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Monthly Showcase Instructions and Deadlines for Club year 2023-2024 - Click here
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Club Program
Tuesday night meetings.
With today’s sophisticated cameras and countless resources available for helping us learn how to use them, making beautiful photographs has never been easier. But is “beautiful” enough? In a world where 3.2 billion images are shared on social media every day, what makes your images worth stopping for? Do they tug at a viewer’s heartstrings? Do they tell an interesting story? Can they make people laugh or think or wonder? Have they anything important to say? In short, do they mean anything?
Please join us at 7:00 PM in Clark Hall for the 2025 Ottawa-Gatineau Inter-Club Photo Competition.
This will be both a digital and print competition
Participants are from the four area photography clubs:
Camera Club of Ottawa (CCO)
Club de photographie Polarisé de l'Outaouais (CPPO)
Club Photo Orléans Photo Club (CPOPC)
RA Photo Club (RAPC)
Members from these four clubs will be joining us this evening.
The MC for this year's event will be from the Club de photographie Polarisé de l'Outaouais.
Gord Weber brings over 20 years of experience in sports and action photography. As an accredited photographer for the Canadian Football League, the Canadian University Ottawa Gee-Gees, and numerous other action events, Gord has honed his expertise in capturing dynamic moments.
Whether photographing professional athletes or your children at play, mastering key principles can significantly enhance your ability to capture movement effectively.
Gord will share his insights on achieving sharp, emotionally resonant images that truly capture the essence of the moment. Topics include:
- Shooting with a purpose
- Freezing action effectively
- Mastering focus and composition
- Handling challenging lighting conditions
- Capturing both predictable and unexpected moments
- Choosing the right equipment
With these techniques, you'll be better equipped to elevate your action photography to the next level.
Frank Gunn, an Ottawa native, started shooting for the Canadian Press in 1984 and hired on staff in 1992.
Frank will present his work in covering national and international sporting events along with many political and news events.
He was nominated for five National Newspaper Awards and has won three National Awards.
Not often do we have a Canadian Press photographer as speaker...an evening not to be missed!
Details to Follow
Please note: this is an in-person competition and will be taking place at the RA starting at 7:30 pm.
Please note: This year this event will be held in Courtside B, not in Clark Hall. This change was made because the lighting to view prints is better in that room.
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.