Mayor Therese Ridge will officially launch the Tallaght Photographic Exhibition in County Library on

05/01/2006

Archived item. This item is published here for historical reasons. The information below may be out of date.

Mayor Therese Ridge will officially launch the Tallaght Photographic Society Members’ Exhibition 2006 in County Library, Tallaght, Dublin 24 on Tuesday 10th January at 7.30pm.
The exhibition will run from 10th – 31st January 2006

Late in 2005, Tallaght Photographic Society held its international exhibition and competition for 2005. That exhibition attracted a large number of national and international exhibitors. While the club’s international competition might sometimes seem to have a higher profile and to overshadow the work of the members of the club, an exhibition of the work of the members which will take place at the County Library in Tallaght during the month of January 2006 will debunk this notion. Tallaght Photographic Society Members’ Exhibition 2006 is testament to the high standard of photography being produced by club members.

Sean Burke had been teaching a beginners’ course in photography at the local school, and after a time was approached with the idea of starting a photography club. Sean's hard work and drive  over the years established Tallaght as one of the top clubs in Ireland, with a great tradition in photography.

During those early years, the club met in a local school hall, and as more people heard about it, the membership started to grow. Then in the early eighties, the club obtained its own premises and later added a full studio and dark room. Over the years the club won some major titles in Ireland and has come to be a well-respected monochrome print club.

Some club members have gone on to become full-time professionals and have credited the club with giving them the opportunity to develop their talent and skills. Of the photographers who turned professional, Vincent O'Brien went on to achieve international honours for his work. He is a past winner of the Hasselblad Award at the Austrian Super Circut. Podge Kelly has also win international honours and hosts his own television show on Digital Photography.

The club has been very successful in national events and has won national awards in Irish Photographic Federation events. With 30 active members at present, the club organises workshops and seminars on all aspects of photography and holds weekend outings to places of interest around Ireland.

Over the last few years, there has been a huge upsurge in digital photography and almost everyone now has a digital camera of some sort. Many members of Tallaght have happily adopted digital photography and have become proficient in the workings of Photoshop. However, others feel it is regrettable that many new photographers will never experience the pleasure of working in a darkroom and producing monochrome prints in the traditional way. The club now seems to have gone the way of the digital darkroom, producing excellent prints in both colour and monochrome with modern printers and inks. Digital photography has also opened up new opportunities for people to be more creative and to rediscover a sense of play.

Over the years, Tallaght Photographic Society has been involved in many competitions and national exhibitions in an effort to promote photography in the local area. To this end, we have held exhibitions in public libraries and local County Council buildings.

Members of the club will be present at the exhibition to answer queries and to invite people to join the club.

If you need further information please contact:
John Byrne, Tallaght Photographic Society, ph 01 4517431
or
Kieran Swords, Local Studies Librarian, County Library, County Hall, Tallaght, Dublin 24 ph 01 4620073, e-mail localstudies@sdublincoco.ie