LIST OF ANNIVERSARY EVENTS - From Ian Faris  [Scroll down the page to read some VCC historical tidbits]

January 12, 2024 - 80th Anniversary Video

As part of the BC/Yukon Inter-Club Speaker Series, Victoria Camera Club hosted Elizabeth Gray whose topic was “Black and White Photography - Shooting with Intent”. Prior to Elizabeth’s presentation, Richard Letourneau, our Club representative to the Speaker Series, shared a half-hour video slideshow. It showcased the VCC’s 80th Anniversary with photographs collected over the years of the Club’s existence.  Watch the Video (25 min 37 sec duration).

March 22, 2024 -Guest Speaker

Well-known former VCC Member, Leah Gray, FCAPA, PPSA, BPSA, AFIAP presented “Expanding and Perfecting your Vision as a Photographer” at Camosun College’s Gibson Auditorium.

May 16, 2024 - Celebrating 80 Years Awards Gala

Current and former VCC members are invited to join us at Norway House for our 2023/24 Year End Awards with a special 80^th Anniversary theme.  There will be cake, door prizes, and lots to celebrate!

June 1, 2024 - A Day in the Life of Victoria Photo Shoot

Your chance to explore Greater Victoria and shoot your choice of people, places and events over the course of one 24-hour period. 

Month of September 2024 - VCC Print Show

The Victoria Camera Club will be staging a juried exhibition of Members’ prints. Among the various photographs on display will be images from the June 1st A Day in the Life of Victoria photoshoot.

More information will be forthcoming on all of these 80th Anniversary Events. Watch the Home Page of the VCC website and close-up digital for details in the coming weeks. As with all such Club events, volunteers are needed to make them run successfully. 

Please contact 80anniversary@victoriacameraclub.ca if you wish to volunteer.

Sponsorship Support for the VCC 80^th Anniversary events provided by:

FIRST PRESIDENT (1944)-Irving Dawson CURRENT PRESIDENT (2024) - James Dies

LIST OF PRESIDENTS 1944-2024

The attached PDF file contains a list of all presidents of the Victoria Camera Club for the last 80 years. View It

LIST OF Close-Up Editors and Awards 1946-2024

The attached PDF file contains a list of all Editors of the Victoria Camera Club bulletin/magazine for the last 80 years, as well as the awards received. View It

(Image below) Field Trip Witty's Lagoon - 1946

• In the beginning there were two camera clubs - Civil Service Camera Club and Victoria Photographic Society - they merged in September 1944 and Victoria Camera Club was created.


• 1944-1954 - members used darkrooms for print making, mostly in black and white; in the 60s colour slides became increasingly popular.


• November 1946 - The first issue of Close-Up (VCC's club bulletin) was published. Gar Dixon was editor and general manager. In those days prints were submitted to the local press as pictorial fillers and then the plates were borrowed back for the monthly cover pictures of the newsletter. [The last full-colour, professionally printed edition, under the direction of Editor, Richard James, was May-June 2022.]


• 13 June 1946 - Victoria Camera Club meeting, Club Room, YMCA Building. "This month's meeting we are indeed fortunate in having Mr. W.M. Wells in an illustrated talk on 'Animal Portraiture'".


• 8 August 1946 - "Bring your cameras! Studio night this meeting - Miss Beverly Irvings of the Wynne Shaw Ballet studio will act as a model in various ballet poses."


• 12 September 1946 - "Program for the month is STUMP THE EXPERTS. Bring on your questions for a round table conference. Somebody please ask Dick Colby about his new fixer."


• December 1946 - VCC moved to the Duke of Kent room in the Empress Hotel to conduct their meetings. There have been many subsequent venues. Current meetings are held at Norway House.


• May 1947 - Member of the Month: Dr. JS (Jim) Cull, Assistant Provincial Health Officer. Graduate of UBC and Toronto Medical, with post grad work in Europe. Originally belonged to Civil Service Camera Club. Uses a plate camera Seca 2 1/2x3 ¼.


• January 1948 - "On behalf of the 'Shower of Dimes' Committee please express our sincere appreciation to the members of your club, Mrs Kerkham, Messrs Norbury, Hill-Tout, and Forrest for their kindness in visiting the Solarium on Sunday Dec 14. The pictures they took of the children will prove very valuable publicity to us in our forthcoming Shower of Dimes." - Solarium Junior League


• February 1948 - EA (Ted) Hill-Tout, new President of VCC, member Professional Photographer's Association of British Columbia. He uses 4x5 view camera and quarter plate reflex. He is the only Canadian member of the Advisory Board of International Association of Glamour Photographers. (See photo to right)


• 1950-1968 - The T Eaton Co. Trophy, Annual VCC Competition, presented to the member for Outstanding Print of the Year


• January 1959 - The Club will hold its Annual Dinner and social get-together at the Oak Bay Beach Hotel. Tickets are $2 each.


• 1960 - Miss Dora Payne was elected president of the Victoria Camera Club at a meeting this week at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria.


• Late 60s - our club joined the "National Association for Photographic Art", now known as CAPA (Canadian Association for Photographic Art).


• May 1963 - A gentleman who attended the last general meeting took the wrong hat by mistake when leaving. Would he please phone the President.


• June 1963 - Mr RM Patterson, author of "Dangerous River" and "Buffalo Head", presented an excellent programme of slides of scenes along the Liard and Nakanni Rivers in the Northwest Territories.


• March-April 1966 - The twenty-second, and final, International Victoria Salon of Photography was held. These salons garnered the Victoria Camera Club a worthwhile reputation the world over.


• 1975 - Glen Vallance (President 1975-76) was listed in a 1975 issue of the PSA magazine (along with Yusuf Karsh) as one of the five top print makers in Canada.


• 1983 Nov 5 - Freeman Patterson held an all day seminar "Photography of Natural Things" at the McPherson Theatre. This was sponsored by Vancouver Island camera clubs.


• 1988 - The Frank Turner Award (See photo to right) was first presented in 1988 to Glen Vallance, by Frank Turner's wife, Ellen. See All Recipients.


• Number of Members 1946 (earliest record) = 44;Number of Members 2024 = 260. VCC is a very active club which currently offers 1-1 mentoring, field trips, workshops, internal and external competitions, shared interest groups, members' nights, presenter's nights, website, blog, Instagram and so much more. Become a Member.