OPS Weekly Newsletter 10 May 2026
- Reflections challenge (2 images) and the Best of the Year showcase (10 images) will be shown at our AGM Tuesday 26 May: Please upload them to the new software Mathew Lodge has developed, and which we are trialling. Each member will need to set up an account and Jill will approve you as a member, and you can then upload your images. Please see link here
- On Thursday 7 May, at the private view in the Westgate Library, Gareth from the London Camera Exchange chose the Shelagh Roberts’ ‘best in show’ which was… drum roll… Adrian Cubitt’s superb bird in flight. Many thanks to Sandra for organising the event.
- Last meeting held on Tues 5 May: Print Competition No: 3
The results were:
| Colour | ||
| First | Dave Atkinson | Hungry Heron |
| Second | Jill Bain | The Incoming Tide |
| Third | Keith Worthington | Tumble in the Jungle |
| H Commended | Ian Bray | R-G-Bargy |
| H Commended | Les Gordon | Iberian Lynx with Rabbit Supper |
| H Commended | Willie Hall | Neglected Spa, Romania |
| Commended | Jill Bain | Water Droplet |
| Commended | John Bull | Glow |
| Commended | Phil Warrington | Downland Hare |
| Commended | Sandra Devaney | May Day Street Moment |
| Monochrome | ||
| First | Jill Bain | Around the Corner |
| Second | Ian Bray | Shard’s Shadow |
| Third | Sandra Devaney | Where’s Wally, May Morning |
| H Commended | Ian Bray | Grave Frost and Fog |
| H Commended | John Bull | Each in their Niche |
| H Commended | Pete Warrington | Black Light, Blackpool |
| Commended | Dave Atkinson | Masai Child |
| Commended | Dave Atkinson | Hidden Owl |
| Commended | John Boteler | The Rat Catcher |
| Commended | Les Gordon | Tower Bridge Night Contemplation |
Congratulations to all who took part.
- Next meeting Tues 12 May: The Heart of the Photograph with David duChemin
“A compelling photograph is more than visual — it’s visceral. We don’t only see it, we feel it. Beyond focus and exposure lies something deeper: mood, story, mystery, timing, energy, and the emotional pull of a moment honestly seen.”
In this talk, David duChemin explores the human side of photography and the creative decisions that give images meaning. From the way focal lengths shape emotion to the use of gesture, light, and juxtaposition, the focus is on moving beyond technically correct images towards photographs that feel more intentional and connected.
With more than 35 years behind the camera, David has worked with photographers around the world and is the author of several well-known books including Within The Frame and The Soul of the Camera. His work often centres on helping photographers reconnect with purpose and enjoyment in their practice.
This is a reflective and engaging talk, shared with us as a streamed presentation, offering the chance to enjoy David’s insights together in the company of fellow club members.
Whether you’re looking for fresh ideas, renewed motivation, or simply an enjoyable and thought-provoking evening, we hope you’ll join us for what should be a really worthwhile session.
- Upcoming meetings/events
- 19 May: A Little Bit of This and a Little Bit of the Other – Uwe Ackerman
- 26 May: AGM, ‘Reflections’ challenge, and Best of Year
- Photographic events in and around Oxford
Colonial Views of India: Photographs by Eugene Clutterbuck Impey
This free photographic exhibition in G29 offers a rare glimpse of late 19th century India.
It is the first exhibition to focus on photographs and negatives in the Ashmolean, and as such features previously unseen photographs of India by Colonel Eugene Clutterbuck Impey (1830–1904).
Exhibition open 11 Apr – 13 Dec 2026
Ashmolean Museum,
Beaumont Street,
Oxford
OX1 2PH
Art Weeks Oxfordshire
The 2026 festival runs from 2 to 25 May with more than 350 venues to visit.
Please see our details here: and all the venues which feature photographic art here.
Dylan Brennan, The Big Shot
Blackwell’s Book Shop
Broad Street
Oxford
Wednesday, May 27 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.
A ‘Live Aid’ moment for Wildlife
Margot Raggett MBE left a corporate career in PR in London in 2010, to concentrate on her love of wildlife photography. She was a regular ‘Photographer in Residence’ at Entim Camp in the Maasai Mara for several years and also led photographic safaris.
Margot will be talking about the work of the photographers for Remembering Wildlife books and work.
13th June 2026, 10:00am
Warwick Hall
Burford
Tickets:£10 from ticketsource.co.uk/burford-festival
Oxford Photomarathon
12 topics, 12 Photos, 24 Hours
July 25-26 2026
The First Oxford Photomarathon will start at 10:00am on July 25, 2026
Save the date! You will have 24 hours to take 12 photos – the subjects will have a distinct Oxford theme, but you can be based anywhere in the world if you can’t make it here.
- Exhibitions further a field
Best photography exhibitions to see in 2026
More detail here:
https://amateurphotographer.com/latest/articles/best-photography-exhibitions-to-see/
- General photographic interest
Social documentary network ZEKE award 2026 winners – in pictures
Ginevra Bonina wins the 2026 ZEKE award for systemic change for her project Out for Blood, which highlights period poverty in India and the women and girls fighting to reclaim the body ‘as a site of struggle, resistance and liberation’. Ebrahim Alipoor wins the award for documentary photography for his long-term project, Bullets Have No Borders, which showcases the lives of border porters who carry goods across the treacherous Iran-Iraq mountains to support their families
Raghu Rai obituary
Celebrated photographer who captured the political upheavals and everyday life of post-independence India
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2026/may/04/raghu-rai-obituary
Want a digital detox? There’s only one type of camera left you absolutely must try
If you want to escape the digital rat race, there’s one form of photography that does so more reliably than all the others.
Photographer Spends Night on Freezing Mountain to Capture Rare Triple Galaxy Arch
Few people get to see the full splendor of the Milky Way Galaxy arch — even fewer get to see the summer and winter arms in the same night.