Origins of the Club
Horsham Photographic Society held its first meeting on 5th October 1949 at the Town Hall. To begin with there were about 30 members present, drawn from many walks of life, although it took some time for women to join, possibly because of the perception that home photographic processing involved science and chemicals.
Several committee members were elected and they decided that, unlike today, a rulebook was unnecessary for the Society, stressing the informal nature of the club. In November 1949 the Chairman said ex-prisoners of war had expressed interest in the Society and it was decided that they could join.
A questionnaire was sent to each member asking him what type of camera he used and if he did his own developing, printing and enlarging. The Society met every fortnight to discuss photographic techniques and offer practical demonstrations; one member gave a slide show using his own projector and a portfolio of members’ prints was set up
and circulated for others to criticize.
Several committee members were elected and they decided that, unlike today, a rulebook was unnecessary for the Society, stressing the informal nature of the club. In November 1949 the Chairman said ex-prisoners of war had expressed interest in the Society and it was decided that they could join.
A questionnaire was sent to each member asking him what type of camera he used and if he did his own developing, printing and enlarging. The Society met every fortnight to discuss photographic techniques and offer practical demonstrations; one member gave a slide show using his own projector and a portfolio of members’ prints was set up
and circulated for others to criticize.
1950s

All Steamud Up - Bob Jones (1955)
In
1950 there were 37 members and the subscription for the first full
year was set at ten shillings (50p).
The Society held competitions for photographic prints shown as mounted enlargements. Amongst the early members were business people who could afford luxury Leica cameras; medium format cameras such as the Rolleiflex120, using 2-inch square negatives and giving only 12 photographs per 1m, were also popular with keen photographers.
Cameras only had manual settings for aperture and shutter speed; photographers had to rely on small handheld exposure meters which did not always get it right. The only medium available was film in rolls on which negative images were formed: these were then printed in opposite tones to produce the positive image. Great care had to be taken to ensure the right exposure and focus. It was not possible to see the result until after the developing and printing processes. The film had to be wound on manually after each photograph otherwise images were printed on top of the previous one, giving very odd results.
Negatives had to be processed using chemicals in a dark room lit with only a red light. Most members set up darkrooms at home in which to develop negatives and make their own prints.
Talks were given on flashlight photography, photographic chemistry and other techniques and a self-portrait competition was held in addition to regular monthly print competitions.
In 1951 the major project for the Society was to photograph the town of Horsham and an album with more than 150 prints was presented to the town, which now resides in Horsham Museum.
By 1954 the Society was holding annual exhibitions of prints, which at that time would have been only black and white, but members also displayed transparencies (slides) by means of viewers.
The Society was also taking part in competitions with other clubs in Sussex, with satisfactory results according to the minute book.
The Society held competitions for photographic prints shown as mounted enlargements. Amongst the early members were business people who could afford luxury Leica cameras; medium format cameras such as the Rolleiflex120, using 2-inch square negatives and giving only 12 photographs per 1m, were also popular with keen photographers.
Cameras only had manual settings for aperture and shutter speed; photographers had to rely on small handheld exposure meters which did not always get it right. The only medium available was film in rolls on which negative images were formed: these were then printed in opposite tones to produce the positive image. Great care had to be taken to ensure the right exposure and focus. It was not possible to see the result until after the developing and printing processes. The film had to be wound on manually after each photograph otherwise images were printed on top of the previous one, giving very odd results.
Negatives had to be processed using chemicals in a dark room lit with only a red light. Most members set up darkrooms at home in which to develop negatives and make their own prints.
Talks were given on flashlight photography, photographic chemistry and other techniques and a self-portrait competition was held in addition to regular monthly print competitions.
In 1951 the major project for the Society was to photograph the town of Horsham and an album with more than 150 prints was presented to the town, which now resides in Horsham Museum.
By 1954 the Society was holding annual exhibitions of prints, which at that time would have been only black and white, but members also displayed transparencies (slides) by means of viewers.
The Society was also taking part in competitions with other clubs in Sussex, with satisfactory results according to the minute book.