We will continue to run most lectures via Zoom. This is the same format as we have successfully run for the past couple of seasons. Members receive an email invitation to each meeting which contains the necessary joining information together with a link to the Zoom meeting.
Competition evenings will take place at the United Reformed Church, Vicars Cross.
You do not have to be a member to attend our events. If you are not a member you are welcome to sign up to any talk via Eventbrite. As a guest we ask you to make a small contribution of £3 towards our costs. You can buy your tickets for each event directly from this page. Find the event you want and use the box underneath it.
For meetings at the church hall – guests £3 – pay on the door.
Tuesday 6 September
Jo Knight – Promoting Passion
“Do what you love and love what you do!” Later works, focusing on wildlife and creative fine art, including a short demonstration on the construction of Jo’s 2019 Master of Print Exhibition entry.
Thursday 8 September
Tonight is the closing date for submission of print images for the Open competition
Tuesday 13 September
Geoff Drake – Photographing Liverpool
https://www.drakephotography.co.uk
Geoff is a Liverpool photographer who, over the last six years, has captured some of the most iconic shots of the city. His journey into photography really kickstarted with his ‘Rise Above’ image of the Liver Birds above a cloud inversion. The popularity of this image encouraged Geoff to improve on his craft in order to try and take even better photographs of Liverpool, and in many ways he has achieved this. In 2019 he was approached to write a photographic guide book to Liverpool which he has been working on since then. The book is just one from a hugely popular series published by Fotovue, and is due for release in the next 12 months.
Geoff will tell some of the interesting stories behind his images, from capturing fireworks on Water Street to ’The Batman’. He will also discuss how light and conditions are so influential in his photography, and how we should appreciate how fortunate we are to live in one of the most photogenic cities in the world.
He is looking forward to meeting fellow photographers and hopes his images, as well as his passion for photography, can be inspirational to others.
Tonight is the closing date for submission of digital images for the Open competition
Tuesday 20 September
Roger Hance FRPS – New Images 2020: Why I Switched
This talk was put together at the start of 2020, and covers a wide range of subject matter, in both colour and monochrome. Although a Canon user for nearly 25 years, Roger changed to the Olympus micro four thirds system at the end of 2018. He demonstrates the advantages of changing to the lighter system, and how it invigorated his photography and enabled him to take shots that he would otherwise never have even attempted using his previous system.
TueSday 27 September
Competition – Open
With two classes, Prints and Digitally Projected Images (DPI), the competition will take place at the United Reformed Church, Vicars Cross. Guests £3 – Pay on the door.
Tonight is the closing date for submission of print images for the Landscape competition
Tuesday 4 October
Discussion Evening
Building on our popular and successful Zoom sessions, we will hold an in-person discussion evening at the United Reformed Church, Vicars Cross. Guests £3 – Pay on the door
Tuesday 11 October
Ian Butterfield – Exodus, history of Biblical Archeology
https://www.ians-studio.co.uk/
Ian has worked full-time as a professional photographer since 2003. He has focused on two key areas over the years, Theatre Photography and Travel Photography. He is the official photographer for three local theatres in the Stockport area and has photographed hundreds of shows. In 2011, Ian opened “Ian’s Studio” as a base for his training activities training and mentoring both amateur and professional photographers.
In 2020 Ian started a weekly live stream on YouTube – where he talks about different photography topics, provides feedback on viewer’s images and does live Q&A sessions.
This Biblical Archaeology talk is illustrated with photographs from an expedition through the Sinai Peninsula following the footsteps of Moses.
Tuesday 18 October
Simon Van-Orden – Chasing the Lights (Northern Lights)
https://www.wildearthpictures.co.uk
Simon is a self taught photographer based in Devon. He became interested in photography through an appreciation of wildlife and now enjoys a variety of genres. This includes Wildlife, Landscape and Night Sky photography, where the Northern Lights is a particular passion of his.
Tonight is the closing date for submission of digital images for the Landscape competition
Tuesday 25 October
Van Greaves – Hard to Get
Van Greaves FRPS has been a Smethwick PS member for 45 years. He carved out a freelance photography career for nearly 35 years. This resulted in thousands of published photographs in books, (10 illustrated of his own), magazines, cards, calendars, tourism brochures along with PR weddings and some other commercial jobs. In the club world he’s won every honour at Smethwick and many international acceptances. His lecture “Hard to Get” is both illustrative and pictorial showing numerous world wide one-offs.
Tuesday 1 NOvember
Competition – Landscape
With two classes, Prints and Digitally Projected Images (DPI), the competition will take place at the United Reformed Church, Vicars Cross. Guests £3 – Pay on the door
Tonight is the closing date for submission of print images for the Nature/ Natural History competition
Tuesday 8 November
Terry Hewitt – What to do with your photographs after taking them
So you are home with a phone (or camera) full of photographs. This talk tells you what to do next. Covering organising & naming folders & photographs. Adding Metadata (whatever that is) and using it. Then we cover basic editing (NO photoshop in this talk). Finally creating slideshows, prints, and photo books.
Professor Terry Hewitt has been in advanced IT supporting research since 1978 in both industry and academia. His area of specialization is visualization & supercomputing and he has been responsible for some of the most powerful supercomputers in the UK. That fuelled an interest in digital images going back as far as 1978! He has been into digital photography since 2006 and is interested in all all aspects of photography, particularity using IT to support the workflow. He is General Secretary of Stockport Photographic Society.
Tuesday 15 November
Steven Galvin – Judge, Jury & Executioner
http://stevengalvin.photography/
As a freelance photographer, judge, and speaker Steven is the Social Media Manager and committee member of Thames Valley Region of the Royal Photographic Society (RPS).
Steven has enthusiastically and successfully competed at club level and above since 2006, and has been judging since early 2017.
As a poacher and gamekeeper, his talk Judge, Jury & Executioner gives a fascinating insight into the world of club competitions. His candid observations are thought provoking, often humorous, informative, perhaps tongue-in-cheek, but always positive.
Tonight is the closing date for submission of digital images for the Natural History/ Nature competition
Tuesday 22 November
Brian Law – Making the most of Travel Photography
This meeting will be in-person at the United Reformed Church, Vicars Cross. Guests £3 – Pay on the door
https://brianlawphotography.co.uk/index.html
Initially Brian will consider the question “What is Travel Photography?” Do we actually photograph travel? Whilst possibly a trivial question it is important to understand what we are photographing and why. If you are going to spend £1000s on equipment and air travel you need to ask yourself: how do I make my photos special and different to everyone else’s? The main thrust of this talk will address the above question and provide tips on how you can approach your photography, not only from a technical and practical standpoint but also by adopting strategies that will reward you with compelling photos which not only illustrate but interpret your subjects. The talk will be illustrated with Brian’s own photographs captured from visits to over 35 countries.
Tuesday 29 November
Competition – Natural History/ Nature
With two classes, Prints and Digitally Projected Images (DPI), the competition will take place at the United Reformed Church, Vicars Cross. Guests £3 – Pay on the door.
Tonight is the closing date for submission of print images for the Monochrome competition (this evening is our last in-person meeting before the competition in January)
Tuesday 6 December
Stephen Ball – Scotland Behind the Lens + The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo
https://www.stephenballphotography.com/
Stephen has been a landscape photographer for over 15 years and was awarded the licentiate accreditation with the Royal Photographic Society in 2013 and received commendations in the Scottish Landscape Photography Awards. His work is often featured in a variety of publications and exhibitions both in the UK and abroad.
Landscape photography is Stephen’s passion, and he is very fortunate to live in a country which offers fantastic views to photograph, from the city of Edinburgh all the way up to the Scottish Highlands and islands. He is also one of the main photographers for the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo.
Scotland Behind the Lens is a comprehensive presentation to accompany his photography book. Stephen takes viewers on a journey around Scotland, showcasing his many photographs; each photograph has a story behind it – from accessing the location, the challenges in capturing and getting wet!
For the past four consecutive years, Stephen has had the pleasure in being granted special access to capture the spectacle that is the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo. His presentation covers information about gaining a media pass, positioning to take photographs, the challenges and a vast collection of photographs from the event.
Tuesday 13 December
Jane Goodall – The beautiful Light lecture: Deception in Landscape photography
Jane Goodall is a cardiovascular research scientist but also a photographer and a judge for the East Anglian Federation of photographers. Inspired by the natural landscape and captivated by the fleeting moments of changing light and tides she has been drawn to the British coast, regions that include Dorset, Cornwall, Northumbria, and the Scottish islands. Her recent work focuses on local scenes, from the majestic views of geese on Kings College lawn in the mist, to rusting old diesel pumps hiding amongst the nettles in the fenland, and the local fauna and woodlands.
Book a seat and listen to how photographer Jane Goodall creates her stunning images that can deceive the viewer, and exploits visual cues and perspectives to enhance or remove the 3D qualities of the print or digital image. Consideration of these elements enable you, as the photographer, to control the viewers impression of reality and space. During the lecture Jane will be exploring locations around the UK, and beyond, and she will share with you how to use phone Apps to aid planning and consider light direction and the local environment.
She will also share her approach to post processing, and how she takes human perception and psychology into account.
Tuesday 20 December
No meeting.
Chester Photographic Society 