The purpose of this group is to seek a constructive critique on images which may include suggestions on how a print might be improved or whether they are considered to be the ‘finished article’ not requiring further work. It provides an author with an opportunity both to improve their printing skills generally and also to test reactions from the group before submission for a judge’s appraisal in competitions.

This SIG is just starting and these ways of working will change in the light of experience.

Period of operation

This SIG will only function during the club season. It will usually start operating on the first Wednesday in October.

How to join

Members wishing to join a circuit should contact the ‘Circuits Controller’ to be added to the waiting list. The first ‘Circuits Controller’ is JDT.

The Circuits Controller will allocate the member to a circuit. Circuits are made up of 6 members. When the waiting list reaches 6 names, a circuit will start and the names will be removed from the waiting list. The previous sentence will be repeated as necessary. Each circuit will have a ‘circuit leader who will encourage its smooth operation.

Each member submits one A4 unmounted print each month into her/his circuit. This may be printed by the member or commercially printed. Members also provide the ‘comments sheet (a blank is available from the Circuits Controller – either electronic or printed – it is assumed that members with a printer will print their own). The new prints will usually start their journey round the circuit on the first club meeting of the month. There will be a gap around Christmas so that a circuit is not ‘mid-circuit’ over the Christmas break.

The theme for a month for a circuit could be ‘open’ or could be agreed by the circuit.

The prints are circulated round the members of that circuit (they are usually ‘passed on’ at a club meeting). Each print has a ‘comment sheet’. The members have the prints from everyone in the circuit for a week and comment on the prints which are not theirs – commenting on the image itself and on the paper choice/quality of printing. When the prints have circulated round all the members of the circuit, each member gets back her/his print and its associated comment-sheet.

The journey of the prints round the circuit will take 6 weeks – so at the start of each month there will be a few weeks when there are two sets of prints on their journey round their circuit.