FAQ
This page is used to gather the most frequent and interesting questions and answers received by the committee, plus anything else useful we can think of. Keep coming back here for some more hopefully useful background information.
Must I have a certain level of experience in photography to be eligible for membership?
Most certainly not! The club is open to people of all levels of experience, and we even have members who simply appreciate photographic images without taking pictures themselves. Joining the club can be a good way to gain more experience and get feedback and help from other members.
Can I come to a Viewfinders meeting before joining, to see what it's like?
Yes. Newcomers are always welcome to come to a "free trial" meeting before joining. We only ask that you pay the 3€ 'door fee', to help pay for the room.
Can I show some of my own work at Viewfinders club meetings?
Please do! Members are encouraged to bring along examples of their work for others to see. Prints can be put up for display, and digital images can be projected as a "slide show" during the breaks. We often feature members' work during meetings too, as "portfolio" events, reports from trips, or "shots to share" items etc...
How do I join the club?
Joining Viewfinders couldn't be simpler. Simply come along to any club meeting for one trial evening to experience what we do first hand - we only ask you to pay the €4.00 door fee to help cover the cost of the room. You can then either pay the subscription fee in cash at the meeting, or by bank transfer later if you decide to join (the bank account number is BE13 3101 2440 7539). The annual subscription fee is €40.00 and the season runs from September to June, with reduced rates if you join late in the season (use the form on the "contact us" page to ask for details).
Can I offer my photographic kit for sale?
Also yes. Members may bring along items for sale to club meetings, and we even have "bring and buy" items at meetings from time to time. Another good way is to send the details to the "newsletter at" e-mail address, so it can appear in the next newsletter. This service is of course only open to members.
Where can I buy xyz in Brussels?
Viewfinders has many members who have lived in or near Brussels for a while, and they know of several good photographic supply shops,and most have a favourite. The club doesn't endorse specific shops or services as such, but we do rely on the experience of our members as "word of mouth". Just ask an "old hand" at a meeting, or send the question using the Contatc-Us form. Information about some printing, framing and other services can be found on the "Resources" page, as this is very often asked for.
What size should images be for projection at club meetings?
The projector we use at meetings has 1050 pixels height and 1400 pixels width for the full screen. Submitting images for projection with more than this number is pointless (no improvement in quality), though smaller means that the image will be "stretched" to fit the height or width, which will reduce the quality visibly. Images should be re-sized to fit in a box 1050 high by 1400 wide. See the article about re-sizing images on the Resources page for help on this.
... and for printing in the newsletter?
The newsletter is produced in two versions from the same source: one for on-line viewing and one for the paper print. The paper print offers the best quality, so submitted images should allow this. We ask that images sent in have about 2800 pixels on their longest side (images that will appear only as very small 'thumbnails' by way of illustration can be 600 pixels longest side).
Text for newsletter articles is best sent as plain text in an e-mail or, for example, a "word" document, but please don't include images inside the document - always send them separately (the quality will suffer when it is taken out again for layout purposes).