A PHOTOGRAPHIC society is celebrating a historic milestone in its contribution to the art.
Halton Photographic Society, based in Rainhill, will be celebrating 125 years since being founded in November 1900.
Mike Duffy, chair of Halton Photographic Society, said: "I’m delighted to be the Chair of Halton Photographic Society during this important year.
"The society continues the long tradition of developing and sharing the photographic skills of its members to enhance the quality of their images."
The society was originally founded as Widnes Photographic Society by Vero Charles Driffield, a chemical engineer whose scientific partnership with Dr Ferdinand Hurter helped to revolutionise photography.
Together, the pair developed sensitometry, the study of light-sensitive materials, and created the Hurter and Driffield System for measuring photographic light intensity.
Their research earned them the Progress Medal from the Royal Photographic Society in 1898.
Following Hurter’s death, Driffield established the Widnes Photographic Society in 1900.
The club later became the Widnes and Runcorn Photographic Society in 1974 before adopting its current name, Halton Photographic Society, in 1980.
Bob Redmond, treasurer of the society and a former physics teacher, said: "The contribution of Hurter and Driffield to photography has been immeasurable.
"Their meticulous research and scientific knowledge pushed forward our understanding of light intensity which is so essential in the art of photography."
Longstanding member Bob Martindale, 95, is an established photographer and historian who began taking photographs at the age of eight.
He has built an archive of more than 6,000 images documenting the social, industrial and architectural history of Widnes.
Mr Martindale has contributed to several publications, including The Changing Face of Widnes, and is currently working on a new book about the Runcorn Gap River Crossing.
The society meets every Monday at 7.30pm at Rainhill Cricket and Recreation Club and hosts presentations by professional and amateur photographers, photographic competitions and group outings.
Halton Photographic Society is affiliated with the Lancashire and Cheshire Photographic Union.
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