OPS Weekly Newsletter 25 January 2026
• Please reply to Phil W’s email regarding the CACC photographic entries open for:
o Chilterns Hundred. Individual entry collated by Club. Clubs must not impose any selection on the member’s choice.
o Championship – Prints. Club entry
o Championship – Projected. Club entry
Please contact Pete or Phil Warrington if you wish to enter the competition. See here for full details https://thecacc.org.uk/events/championship-day/
• Please see a ‘zine’ complied by Stewart Wall who came to OPS last October and spoke to us about projects. A few members and guests participated in the project centred around Gloucester Green Market https://heyzine.com/flip-book/c738f23e90.html
1. Last meeting held on Tues 20 January: The Night Climbers of Oxford with Austin Bradley
Austin is an extreme sports photographer and has recently graduated from Oxford Brookes University’s photography course. His final project was photographing the Night Climbers of Oxford.
The Night Climbers of Oxford is a secret society dedicated to nocturnally scaling college and town buildings in Oxford. The society is noted for its political activism, controversial acts, feats of climbing and parkour (running and jumping), as well as urban exploration. The society was likely inspired by their Cambridge counterparts, The Night Climbers of Cambridge. Activities conducted by the society are forbidden by the University authorities, meaning that acts are completed under the cover of darkness, to avoid detection.
He had researched the work of John Bulmer who had photographed the Night Climbers of Cambridge. He wanted to do a similar photographic project in Oxford as John Bulmer had done in Cambridge.
Austine joined the Oxford University Mountaineering Club and began making good friends. This would be the start of putting his idea into practice.
His first shoot of the night climbers was an exercise of trust, given the secrecy of the activity this was crucial. The first images were taken from below, then he started getting closer as he gained more experience of the activity and people got to know him more.
He did not put any images on social media but had 6×4 prints made and gave them to the climbers. Wherever possible he avoided taking shots that included the climbers faces.
Though Oxford streets at night is well light with tungsten lights this was not ideal of his project. However the images he got had an intriguing 1930s film noir/Brassai look which enhanced the artistic nature of the project. They looked When he needed some artificial light it involved using a fishing line to haul to light to the roof tops. This was not all that practical at times.
A typical night was less dramatic than it looks. It started with a lot pre-planning and at the climbing would start at three in the morning and last for about an hour. It would be eerily silent and sublime. The climbers would ‘de-compress’ after the climb.
The buildings close-up in the dark gave Austin a different perspective, it seemed vast and silent and he realised climbing did not have to be tied to nature.
His project was not to be an on-line project, but a tactile book based one. He chose a paper for the book which was not smooth which added to the gritty feel of the photos. The forward to the book was written by one of the climbers and other section were written by the climbers.
The project featured in the IPA Awards 2025 and also in Photo Oxford 2025. You can see this work on his website here.
An amazing and accomplished project which showed a part of Oxford that is rarely seen and I am sure we will be seeing more of Austin work as he develops and showcases his projects.
2. Next meeting Tues 27 January: Member Showcase – Double Feature with Pete Warrington and Habip Koçak
My Year in Pictures by Pete Warrington
A photographer for over 40 years and long-term member of OPS, Pete opens the evening with a visual journey spanning candid Oxford street scenes to atmospheric infrared views of his local neighbourhood and beyond.
Lives in the Shadow of Migration by Habip Koçak
Habip, a documentary photographer with a focus on long-term projects, will present Lives in the Shadow of Migration and Tasua, offering a powerful insight into his subjects and storytelling approach.
3. Upcoming meetings/events
• 3 Feb: Breathless in Nepal – Julian Elliott, an award-winning landscape and travel photographer, writer and modern-day nomad
• 10 Feb: Print Competition No. 2 – our judge is Peter Cox
• 17 Feb: Rose Bowl Competition – Judging round at OPS
• 24 Feb: Short Term Project, Long Term Lessons: Photographing Life of Moroccan Nomads with Michal Lewek plus + Panels: A Practical Guide with Phil Joyce
• 3 March: Panel Competition
You can see the programme up to the end of the year and beyond here and download it:
4. Photographic events in and around Oxford
Don’t forget to visit our winter exhibition at the Westgate Library in Oxford. Only one week to go
The Wild Encounter
Wildlife photography by Robert Edwards
10 January to 28 February 2026
Oxford-based journalist and photographer Robert Edwards is channeling his passion for the natural world into a positive local effort, bringing wildlife photos captured during his travels to patients and staff at the Churchill Hospital.
All proceeds from print sales will go to Oxford Hospitals Charity.
Follow Robert on Instagram @robertpedwards
https://www.ouh.nhs.uk/artlink/exhibitions/south-street-gallery/?ref=oxfordclarion.uk
Jon Dunn – Oxford Botanic Garden & Arboretum, Winter Lecture Series
Natural history writer and photographer Jon Dunn addresses the OBGA Winter Lecture Series.
Oxford University Museum of Natural History
7.00-8.30 Thursday 19 February
https://www.obga.ox.ac.uk/event/jon-dunn-winter-lecture-series
Camera Club: Spring Exhibition
Camera Club is part of The North Wall’s YouthLab programme, which supports young people aged 12-17 in developing their creative skills alongside professional artists. Every year a group of 6-8 aspiring photographers works with artist Elina Medley to create images using digital SLR cameras and then to curate an exhibition of photography.
Sat 28 March to Thur 2 April.
This exhibition takes place at Magdalen Road Studios
Dylan Brennan THE BIG SHOT with Greg Brennan
Blackwell’s, Broad Street Oxford
Wednesday, 27 May from 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm
Dylan Brennan will discuss his new photographic book, The Big Shot with Britain’s most celebrated press photographer, Greg Brennan.
The Big Shot: Photographs by Greg Brennan showcases the work of one of Britain’s longest standing and most celebrated press photographers, offering an intimate look at three decades of celebrity, entertainment and major events.
From Hollywood and music legends to sporting greats, fashion visionaries and members of the British royal family, Greg Brennan has spent a lifetime chasing every opportunity to provide the public with rare behind-the-scenes insights, capturing encounters with the likes of Jack Nicholson, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lady Gaga, Kate Moss and Queen Elizabeth II.
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/dylan-brennan-the-big-shot-with-greg-brennan-tickets-1978776793657?aff=oddtdtcreator
5. Exhibitions further a field
Best photography exhibitions to see in 2026
• Astronomy Photographer of the Year, National Maritime Museum
• Bird Photographer of the Year, touring
• RPS Landscape Group Members’ Outdoor Exhibition, touring
• Wildlife Photographer of the Year 61, Natural History Museum
• Boris Mikhailov: Ukrainian Diary, The Photographers’ Gallery
• Lee Miller, Tate Britain
• Taylor Wessing Photo Portrait Prize 2025, National Portrait Gallery
• Richard Avedon: Facing West, Gagosian Grosvenor Hill
• The Last Resort, Martin Parr Foundation
• Catherine Opie: To Be Seen, National Portrait Gallery
• Sony World Photography Awards 2026, Somerset House
• Marilyn Monroe: A Portrait, National Portrait Gallery
• Tim Walker’s Fairyland: Love and Legends, National Portrait Gallery
• Taylor Wessing Photo Portrait Prize 2026, National Portrait Gallery
More detail here:
6. General photographic interest
Note you will need to register for free to read the Observer articles
Richard Avedon’s portraits: up close and impersonal
The photographer’s stark pictures of ordinary people in the American west are big, beautiful – and blank
https://observer.co.uk/culture/art/article/richard-avedons-portraits-up-close-and-impersonal-review
Don McCullin: ‘I’ve committed some very unpleasant deeds’
From Vietnam to Somerset, the photographer’s celebrated images have documented a world of bloodshed and beauty. But his career has left him haunted by guilt
https://observer.co.uk/culture/interviews/article/don-mccullins-hurt-locker
Pride, Power, and Tradition: Portraits of Samburu Warriors of Kenya by Dirk Rees
There’s a kind of pride you can’t fake—and when you see it, you feel it. That’s exactly what hits you when you look at the Portraits of Samburu warriors captured by Dirk Rees. These aren’t just photographs; they’re visual statements of identity, resilience, and heritage. Every stare is steady. Every posture is intentional. Every bead, feather, and scar tells a story older than borders and maps.
Romanian Photographer Selaru Ovidiu Captures the Essence of the Bear Festival in the Trotuș Valley
Selaru Ovidiu, a talented Romanian photographer residing in London, has dedicated himself to documenting the vibrant Bear Festival, or “Festivalul Urșilor,” held annually in the picturesque Trotuș Valley. This traditional celebration, rooted in folklore, symbolizes the transition from winter to spring, marking the end of the cold season.
These are the photo projects that have kept you inspired and learning
For our most recent Question of the Week, we asked about a topic that’s near and dear to my heart: photography projects. We wondered what projects you are taking on to spark creativity and move your photography forward. We also invited you to share ones that have made a difference for you in the past, even if you’re not currently working on one.
https://www.dpreview.com/articles/8158109343/these-are-the-photo-projects-that-have-kept-you-inspired-and-learning?utm_source=self-desktop&utm_medium=marquee&utm_campaign=traffic_source