Shutterbugging In Suburbia

Jane Moran Waiting for the No 17

Celebrating the fact that it is never too late to master a new skill, eight photographers from Hopwood Hall College’s Improvers’ Digital Photography Community Learning Group present their work in Gallery One at Touchstones Rochdale.

Now open to the public, Shutterbugging In Suburbia highlights the fact that it is never too late to learn a new skill or to become passionate about that skill. Never too late to stop, appreciate, capture and record through the medium of photography the wonderful diversity of the world around us.

Speaking about their show The Shutterbuggers said: “We hope that our exhibition inspires visitors to learn something new, discover a new hobby, give local learning a go, make new friends, pick up their cameras, capture that great moment, print it out, frame it up and hang it on their own gallery wall.”

The Shutterbuggers are a group of adult learners who joined a Hopwood Hall College local community course for digital photography and discovered photography could fit into their daily routines.

They go on to say: “We snapped images of wildlife in our local parks and beauty spots whilst out walking the dog or enjoying time with the family; focused on the local tram, train, bus station; stopped to take a photo of a frog, a flower, an abandoned car; saw our world in a whole new light resulting in all the wonderful images displayed in our exhibition.

"Before we were retirees, employees, jobseekers, husbands, mothers, grandparents, girlfriends and gallery visitors and now, we are all these and photographers. Each one of us has an everyday life and a different reason for joining a photography course.”

Shutterbugging In Suburbia will be on display until 16 November 2013.

Gallery One is the community gallery at Touchstones Rochdale and is dedicated to exhibitions by people and groups who live or work in the borough of Rochdale.

The exhibitions in Gallery One are very varied, reflecting the range of interests and talent that exist in the borough.

Proposals are welcome from individuals, groups and organisations and are reviewed and selected by an independent community panel.