MCC - Conceptual Photography Group

05/09/2026

The Bright Side (of Things)
- curious photographs by the Conceptual Group at Melbourne Camera Club.

Twelve photographers respond to a single open theme, taken literally, metaphorically, or turned inside out.

Andew Tan, Bob Warfield, Bruce Dowding, David Watts, Helen Lang, Helen Mavoa, Jim O'Donnell, Kazi Fattah, Leanne Poole, Robin Tully, Alison Macleod, Wayne Harridge.

Open 11am to 3pm on 24, 25, 31 October and 1 November 2026.
Melbourne Camera Club, 254 Ferrars St, South Melbourne.
Free entry, all welcome.

Artists & Guests Celebration: Thursday 29 October, 7:30pm.

Melbourne Camera Club

29/08/2026

25/08/2026

Brassaï: Secret Paris is now open ✨

See the dazzling images of Hungarian-French photographer Brassaï, whose use of light and shadow reveal Paris as a place of mystery and poetry.

Book today to experience this fascinating visual journey. Member go free 🎟️
heide.com.au/exhibitions/brassai/

Image: Installation view, Brassaï: Secret Paris, 2026, Heide Museum of Modern Art, photograph: Astrid Mulder.

23/08/2026

THE BRIGHT SIDE (OF THINGS)

One theme, twelve photographers, and a room full of curious answers.

The Conceptual Photography Group at the Melbourne Camera Club takes a deceptively simple idea and reads it every way it can: literally, metaphorically, and turned upside down.

Works by Andrew Tan, Bob Warfield, Bruce Dowding, David Watts, Helen Lang, Helen Mavoa, Jim O'Donnell, Kazi Fattah, Leanne Poole, Robin Tully, Alison Macleod and Wayne Harridge.

Two weekends, 11am to 3pm:
Sat 24 + Sun 25 October
Sat 31 October + Sun 1 November

Melbourne Camera Club
254 Ferrars St, South Melbourne 3205

Free entry.
Vote for your People's Choice while you're there.
Come up and have a look.

14/08/2026

HOW DOES AN IDEA BECOME AN EXHIBITION?

This month the Conceptual Photography Group welcomes Melbourne Camera Club member Greg Branson, who takes us through the making of his project Manifesto.

Manifesto began with one question: what if Melbourne was photographed through the eyes of the photographers who changed the history of photography? That question led to more than six months of research across ten photographic movements and twenty influential photographers before a single final print was made.

Greg will trace how the project evolved: from the first idea, through research and image making, to sequencing and presenting the finished exhibition.

If you're developing your own photographic project, this one is worth your time.

Conceptual Photography SIG
Wednesday 19 August, 7.30pm
Melbourne Camera Club, 254-256 Ferrars St, South Melbourne

12/08/2026

OPEN CALL 2026: The Bright Side (of Things)- Student Section
Expression of Interest Due Date Extended to 21 Aug 2026

The Melbourne Camera Club is inviting secondary and tertiary students to enter our 5th Annual Conceptual Photography Exhibition.
If you're a student who thinks about photography as more than a nice picture, this one is for you. The theme, The Bright Side (of Things), is open to interpretation. Read it straight, read it as metaphor, or flip it entirely. Conceptual photography puts the idea at the centre, and we're keen to see where you take it.

What's involved:
- Free entry. Submit a body of work of 1 to 3 images by email.
- If your work is accepted, you print it and we mount and display it alongside your artist statement across two public weekends at the club.
- A small prize goes to the People's Choice vote winner.

Key dates:
Friday 21 August 2026: Expressions of Interest due
Friday 11 September 2026: Submit works by email
Friday 16 October 2026: Deliver your artworks and artist statement for installation

Exhibition dates:
Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 October 2026, 11am to 3pm
Saturday 31 October and Sunday 1 November 2026, 11am to 3pm

Artists and Guests Celebration:
Thursday 29 October 2026, 7:30pm

The first step is a short Expression of Interest, due Friday 14 August. If you know a student who would be a good fit, please pass this on.
Full details and entry information: https://melbournecameraclub.org.au/conceptual-photography-group/

30/07/2026

OPEN CALL 2026: The Bright Side (of Things)- Student Section

The Melbourne Camera Club is inviting secondary and tertiary students to enter our 5th Annual Conceptual Photography Exhibition.

If you're a student who thinks about photography as more than a nice picture, this one is for you. The theme, The Bright Side (of Things), is open to interpretation. Read it straight, read it as metaphor, or flip it entirely. Conceptual photography puts the idea at the centre, and we're keen to see where you take it.

What's involved:
Submit a body of work of 1 to 3 images by email.
If your work is accepted, you print it and we mount and display it alongside your artist statement across two public weekends at the club.
A small prize goes to the People's Choice vote winner.

Key dates:
Friday 14 August 2026: Expressions of Interest due
Friday 11 September 2026: Submit works by email
Friday 16 October 2026: Deliver your artworks and artist statement for installation

Exhibition dates:
Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 October 2026, 11am to 3pm
Saturday 31 October and Sunday 1 November 2026, 11am to 3pm

Artists and Guests Celebration:
Thursday 29 October 2026, 7:30pm

The first step is a short Expression of Interest, due Friday 14 August. If you know a student who would be a good fit, please pass this on.

Full details and entry information: https://melbournecameraclub.org.au/conceptual-photography-group

19/07/2026

📸 Exhibiting in The Bright Side of Things? We need your image.

If you're showing a body of work in our upcoming exhibition, send us one image now so we can feature it in the promo.

The Bright Side of Things
Opening night: Thursday 22 October
Open weekends: 24 & 25 October, 31 October & 1 November
Melbourne Camera Club

Deadline for promo images: Saturday 1 August, 5:00 PM. Miss it and your image may not make the posters, but you can still enter your body of work later.

How to submit:
1. Pick one image (a draft is fine).
2. Save it as a JPEG.
3. Upload to our Dropbox folder:
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/lp8z6sq7u6ekjjvkp55aw/ACVFsVxvG0tCQzIYHsfD65I?rlkey=up2zjyhfu4rupyji27bbnivor&st=daifybwk&dl=0

Full specs are in the folder.

Questions? Drop them in the comments or email [email protected]

Images by Wayne Harridge

10/07/2026

📷 Conceptual Photography Group - July Meeting

Two topics this month, both about finding your own voice as a photographer.

First, "Whose work resonates with mine?" Andrew Tan takes us through a photographer whose work speaks to his own, and how that influence shows up in the way he sees and shoots.

Then, "How to write an Artist Statement." We'll walk through the practical steps of putting one together, with our End of Year Exhibition The Bright Side (Of Things) firmly in mind.

If you're planning to exhibit, this is the session to bring your questions to.

🗓 Wednesday 15 July
🕢 7:30pm
📍 Melbourne Camera Club

Members and guests welcome.
Come along, bring a friend, and join the conversation.

Image: Uta Barth, "Thinking about… In the Light and Shadow of Morandi, 2018.

09/07/2026

I may have posted this multiple times - sorry!

Beni is an autonomous tracking robot with a 4K camera, self-balanci...