By Callum Ludwig
The Yarra Ranges Photographic Society’s (YRPS) ‘Expressions’ exhibition is back for its fourth edition over the next few months, after four years in the wilderness.
The exhibition will be opened at the Arts Centre gallery in Warburton on Thursday 25 May and there will be plenty of opportunity to catch a glimpse running almost all through winter until Sunday 20 August.
President of YRPS Rob Wagner said the first ‘Expressions’ exhibition was in 2015 and they planned to hold it every two years.
“We had one in 2015, 2017, 2019, and then a certain disease came along and screwed it all up and got out of sync, so this is the first time in four years since we’ve actually had a chance to have a go at it again,” he said.
“The photography has been contributed by probably half of the members of the club, in a number of different genres such as portraiture, landscape, flora and fauna, black and white images, abstracts, macrophotography, astrophotography and some creatively enhanced images.”
There is no particular theme to the exhibition, it is simply a collation of 41 of the favourite photos of YRPS members to appreciate and enjoy.
Mr Wagner said YRPS members come from all across the Yarra Valley with different skills and interests.
“The idea of the exhibition is to be a way of giving these people an opportunity to present their work publicly every two years, which they may find a bit more difficult to do themselves otherwise,” he said.
“The images they’ve picked are things that mean a lot to them, that made an impact with them, or they put a lot of effort in, or it may have been a really challenging circumstance to try and take a photograph or it might be just something that speaks to them emotionally.”
The YRPS vary in experience and ability, consisting of everyone from retired professional photographers all the way to new members learning and improving with every snap.
Mr Wagner said if you want to start dabbling in photography without actually having to spend a whole lot of money on equipment, use your phone and get started.
“The standard of phone cameras has really improved a lot, and just getting out there and experimenting with it is half the fun of it. Our group represents a real cross-section of people, but particularly people who are interested in really taking their photography to another level,” he said.
“While a lot of clubs lost members or folded, we have actually grown a little bit over the last few years. It certainly proved that out in this part of the world, there’s a need for and a desire for people to get out and take photos.”
Anyone interested in finding out more about the YRPS or the ‘Expressions 4’ exhibition can do so at www.yrps.org/.
