Free shoot at Freemasonry Hall

In celebration of the tercentenary (300 years) of Freemasonry, a photo walk was held at the Freemason Hall in Parktown on 1 July.

The event hosted 60 amateur and professional photographers who had the opportunity to explore and photograph the heritage building.

Chris Adams, who organised the photo walk said, “I’m a keen photographer and this building is one of the gems of the Parktown heritage and it’s a shame that no one gets to see it so we approached the guys from Kameraz and through their network and our network we put this together.”

The event was free to the photographers involved and was limited to 60 people. The idea of the photo walk at the building was well received with many photographers wanting to get involved.

READ: Freemasons to celebrate their 300th anniversary with a series of events

Ryan Cumming of Kameraz said, “Chris [ Adams] originally said to me 60 people, and I kind of wasn’t counting, so when I did tally how many people [wanted to participate in the photo walk] it was about 70 people and I probably said no to at least another 30 to 40 people.

“It’s not something people would normally have access to so it’s different,” said Cumming.

Adams added, “Historically and traditionally Freemasonry has been seen as a secretive organisation and that’s not the case, the doors are open, the building is open. So there is an openness about it.”

The hall, which was built by the Freemasons in 1954, is home to a library of books relating to Freemasonry, large, painted portraits of former District Grand Masters and a variety of beautiful furniture and instruments.

The photo walk is the first of three events to be held to celebrate the tercentenary of English Freemasonry. There will be a concert, 300 years of Freemasonry, to be held on 15 July and an open day held at a variety of lodges on 29 July.

Tell us what you think of the photo walk at the Freemason Hall in Parktown on WhatsApp 079 439 5345.