Photographs taken by two members of Watford Camera Club will be published in a portfolio produced by the Royal Photographic Society.

Shots taken by Jaffer Bhimji and Chris Skinner were chosen from more than 3,500 submissions to feature in Portfolio Two, which will also include work from celebrated photographers including Annie Liebovitz.

They were informed of their success in an email from the chairman of the RPS earlier this month.

Jaffer said: “I couldn't believe my eyes. You don't expect to be in that kind of book.”

Jaffer, the chairman of Watford Area Arts Forum, was given his first box camera from his father as a ten-year-old and gradually started taking pictures. He has been a member of Watford Camera Club for more than 20 years and now hopes to host a solo exhibition of his own work.

His photograph, Twilight Zone, was taken in the Poole branch of BHS.

“My main interest has always been landscapes but I like pictures with a lot of humour,” said Jaffer, from Wharf Way, Hunton Bridge. “I do a lot of travelling in search of landscapes.”

Chris, 76, a retired BT engineer, started taking photographs in about 1980 when he bought his first SLR camera, a Russian Zenith, from a work colleague.

The former Abbots Langley Parish and Three Rivers District Councillor, from Toms Lane, Kings Langley, joined Watford Camera Club ten years later and now enjoys capturing images of landscapes and in particular, boats.

The subject for his photograph that will appear in Portfolio Two is Pitstone Windmill, in Buckinghamshire.

He said: “I'm quite proud. I always look for light [in photographs] because photography is painting with light.”

Watford Camera Club is the oldest photographic club in Hertfordshire and celebrated its centenary in 2003.

More examples of members' work will now be on display in their next exhibition, in the Harlequin Centre (third floor gallery space near Palace Car Park), which starts on Saturday and runs until Sunday, October 10.

Former Watford MP Claire Ward has been invited to a private viewing on Sunday afternoon in recognition of her support for the club during her 13-year spell in Parliament.

Club president Jacqueline Nutkins said: “We had a great amount of entries in this year's annual exhibition. There were 101 prints and 119 projected [digital] images with a wide variety of subject matter including still life, natural history, portraits and landscapes.

“I hope the public do have an opportunity to visit our fabulous show and take a few minutes to cast their votes in the 'public's choice'.”

Judging the exhibition is Peter Hogan, a celebrated black and white photographer, who has already picked 'Misty Waters' by Chris as the best print, while 'Flamenco Refrasco' by John Caton was named most original work.

Best portrait was 'Little Sisters' by Alicja O'Sullivan, and Best Monochrome was 'Vesper' by Evan Williams.

In the projected images category, the winners were Ray Gynne (best image for 'Brighton Silhouette'), Don Lanstone (best monochrome for 'Stairs into the unknown'), Dot Ward (best portrait for 'Looking back'), and Alicja O'Sullivan (most original for 'Watching the dance floor').

For more information about Watford Camera Club, visit www.watfordcameraclub.org or telephone 01923 223316 or 01923 269597.