Programme Season 2024 - 2025

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All meetings start at 19.30hrs - unless specified otherwise

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4th SEPTEMBER

Season starter: One Hour Challenge

Time to catch up after the break, and to introduce new members.  Bring your camera (with a blank SD or CF card).  We will send you off in small mixed groups (including new members) on 5 shot challenge in town.    It will be relaxed, informal and non-competitive.  On return to the club we will review the photos to compare how the brief has been interpreted.  Images should be shot in jpeg (they will be viewed 'as taken').  Full guidance on the night. 

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18th SEPTEMBER

Speaker: Terry Moore

Terry is known to many of you.  He has taken his local wildlife photography to new levels in recent years and there is much demand to see his work.  Interestingly, he was the ‘judges choice’ for the BBC Countryfile calendar.  We will learn much about the variety of local fauna and the skills necessary to appreciate it.

2nd OCTOBER

Competition No.1         Subject: Animals (dpi) and open prints

From six animal groups: mammals, birds, insects, fish, reptiles and amphibians, try to capture the animal in its environment, single or in a group, perhaps exhibiting behaviour, interaction, or a portrait. Although getting the eyes in focus is key to a successful shot, the challenge here may be to satisfy the judge that you have produced something a little out of the ordinary.

Judge: Peter Gennard

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16th OCTOBER

Skills Seminar

We will be exploring some essential post processing skills.  Using images and judge comments from competition #1 we will demonstrate how to action some of the suggested improvements in order to get the best from an image.

​30th OCTOBER

Speaker:   Ian Asprey

As a serious hiker Ian had plenty of point and shoot snaps, but barely six years ago he decided to try and take ‘proper’ photographs.  Not one to make do with the ordinary he quickly invested lots of time and effort to develop his craft.  By 2021 he won the coveted Landscapes at Night category of the Landscape Photographer of the Year competition.  He has travelled widely and now leads workshops, in UK and abroad.  For Ian it is all about understanding weather and light.  He has a remarkable body of work to share.  This is not one to miss.

13th NOVEMBER

Club Competition No.2     Subject: Water (dpi) and open prints

This is a broad subject offering plenty of opportunities for some imaginative interpretation. As well as streams, rivers and the sea, consider water in weather (rain, ice, snow), puddles, steam, bubbles, splashes, grand vistas or close-ups, still life or action.

Judge: Lindsey Bucknor

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27th NOVEMBER

Peer Review 

A really popular club activity.  Members are invited to bring along a selection of prints for round the table peer review and discussion.  Prints are not marked or scored; we want you to try new things, push the  boundaries and breaking the rules – then we will discuss what makes for an interesting image.

​11th DECEMBER

Christmas Social. 

Supporting our 'Bring and Share' buffet-fest will be some short presentations by selected members.

​                  CHRISTMAS PAUSE

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8th JANUARY 2024

​Club Competition No.3         Subject: Motion (dpi) and open prints

This is a great opportunity to test out your camera skills to illustrate motion in a still image. It could be using a fast shutter speed to freeze an action, or a long exposure to slow movement. Think about the mood you want to convey: is it the excitement of a sporting moment or the tranquility of intentional camera movement? Make motion the key element in your frame.

Judge: Bob Goode

22nd JANUARY

 Portrait Workshop

After a break of several years, we are delighted to welcome back Jas Pardesi who will lead our studio portrait activity.  We hope to have a professional sitter/model for our subject.  In addition we will supplement the flash work with our own lighting and have a constant lighting set up to experiment with.

5th FEBRUARY

Members night

An informal in-house evening where we get to see the work of 3 or 4 selected members.  This always proves popular as we discover a little more about the interests and motivations of those in the club

19th FEBRUARY

Speaker:   Jim Holmes

Jim is a freelance documentary photographer specialising in humanitarian work, especially in Asia.  His focus invariably concentrates on the challenges faced by some of the most marginalised communities.  Jim has worked for a range of NGO and multilateral agencies and consequently gains access to some of the most significant social and economic problems of development.  Jim came to the club as a keynote speaker six years ago and left a huge impression on the audience.  We are delighted to welcome him back for a review of his latest assignments.

 5th MARCH

​Club Competition No.4         Subject: Seasons (dpi) and open prints

We have had plenty of warning to prepare for this one, so let’s see how you can interpret any of the seasons over the past year, whether it be a leaf, tree or forest, skiing action or a beach scene, spring lambs or autumn fungi. Colour, drama, or mood may give your work extra impact.

Judge - tbc

19th MARCH

​Members gallery

Once again we invite members to showcase a small selection of their favourite work by setting up their own mini-display.  You may show FOUR mounted prints.  The prints should be mounted uniformly on 500 x 400mm (or 400 x 300mm) mountboard, and ideally represent a collected body of work.

2nd APRIL

Speaker: Nigel Ball 

Nigel is a Cheshire based photographer whose interest began in his father’s home darkroom many years ago.  Although he is very accomplished astro photographer (and elected Fellow of the Royal Astronomical society in 2013) Nigel is going to concentrate this presentation on his passion for macro work. he strives to capture the spirit of nature and loves to share it’s wonders with a wider audience.  His interest in butterflies has become much more serious in recent years, and involves close observation of behaviour, including photography of courtship displays and other behaviour patterns.

16th APRIL

AGM - the usual business matters

AND a viewing of the best of the Shropshire Inter Club competition.

30th APRIL

Club Competition No.5         Theme:  Your Storyboard/Sequence  (dpi) .... and open prints

Use a selection/sequence of up to 5 images to illustrate a developing story, event or scene. Vary your shots to show close-ups and a wider view. Submit your individual digital images together with them presented in a single file (jpg or PowerPoint) to show the whole project (help available if needed).

Judge:  Louise Hill

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14th MAY

Club Awards/Review of the Year

Highlights from the season and annual awards with our customary social buffet.

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