Presenter:Damon Guy - Judge
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Our judge for Digital Competition 2: Damon Guy
We’re delighted to welcome Damon Guy back to OPS to judge the second digital competition of the season. If you want honest, useful feedback on your images, this is one to enter.
Damon has been a photographer since his teens and has worked professionally since 2010. He began as a trained teacher, and it shows. He now trains digital photographers, edits the popular photography site Photokonnexion, and judges and lectures at camera clubs across the south-east of England. He also organises judging for the Chilterns Association of Camera Clubs, so he has seen a great many club images and knows what makes the good ones work.
Digital photography is very much his home ground. His background includes running a digital image library and working with digital images in the computing industry, and he writes widely on composition, light, exposure and editing. He loves a picture with a clear point, simply and thoughtfully made, and he’ll be looking at whether your image says something to the viewer.
Expect fair, friendly and practical comments, delivered with a sense of humour, and plenty of ideas to take away for your next shoot. Whether you’re a seasoned competitor or entering for the first time, you’ll come away with something useful.
Get your entries in, and come along to hear what Damon has to say!
Image: A Steely Gaze – Pete Warrington – Winner 2015
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Presenter:Quinten Lake
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We are delighted to welcome back Quinten Lake to the club to speak about his latest project.
Full details coming shortly.
As always, non members welcome – £5 on the door, includes a cup of tea and a biscuit!
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Presenter:Judge - Chris Palmer
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We are delighted to welcome back Chris Palmer to judge our third and final print competition of the season. Chris is a regular and popular judge at OPS, well regarded for his clear, thoughtful commentary and his knack for highlighting both strengths and areas for improvement. His balanced, encouraging approach makes his feedback accessible and genuinely useful to photographers at every level, from those putting in their first print to our most experienced members.
It’s a great evening whether or not you’re entering. Watching your own work judged alongside others’ is one of the fastest ways to sharpen your eye — you’ll pick up practical tips on composition, printing, and presentation that you can put to use straight away. And if you’ve never entered before, this is the perfect competition to start with: there’s no pressure, a supportive room, and Chris’s feedback is as encouraging as it is honest. Bring a print along and give it a go — you’ve nothing to lose and plenty to gain.
As always, expect an engaging and constructive evening for entrants and audience alike.
Image: Jill Bain; Around the Corner – Winner 2025
As always, non members welcome – £5 on the door, includes a cup of tea and a biscuit!
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Presenter:Micki Aston
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We are delighted to welcome back one of our Judges, Micki Aston MCIoJ CPAGB, for this talk on British Piers.
Micki is an accomplished professional photographer, judge and lecturer whose work has been widely published in photographic books and publications and regularly exhibited in the Cotswold Monochrome International Salon.
A professional stock photographer specialising in landscapes, Micki has travelled extensively and has a particular talent for finding beauty, atmosphere and unusual perspectives in the places she photographs. Her experience as a competition judge and lecturer has also given her a keen understanding of what makes a photograph successful, both technically and creatively.
For this illustrated talk, British Piers, Micki turns her trained eye to one of Britain’s most distinctive and evocative subjects. Piers are much more than structures stretching out into the sea: they are landmarks, architectural subjects and reminders of Britain’s seaside heritage, offering photographers opportunities for strong compositions, changing light, reflections, patterns and atmosphere.
Through Micki’s photographs and commentary, members will explore the visual possibilities of Britain’s piers and see how different approaches to composition, viewpoint, light and timing can transform a familiar subject into a compelling image.
What will members take away?
Members can expect to come away with:
- Fresh ideas for photographing familiar subjects, particularly coastal and architectural scenes.
- Practical inspiration on composition and viewpoint, including how to make the most of strong lines, shapes and perspective.
- An appreciation of light and atmosphere and how these can add character and emotional impact to an image.
- Ideas for approaching seaside and landscape photography creatively, whether photographing for pleasure or competition.
- A fascinating visual journey through Britain’s piers, accompanied by the experience and insight of a photographer who has spent many years observing and photographing the world around her.
Whether you enjoy landscape, architecture, travel or simply the challenge of finding a great photograph in an everyday subject, Micki’s British Piers promises an entertaining and inspiring evening.
As always, non members welcome – £5 on the door, includes a cup of tea and a biscuit!
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Presenter:Michele Peters + Tim Simmons
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Travelling with my Camera(s) — Tuesday 23 February 2027
We’re delighted to welcome Michele, a long-standing member of Oxford Photographic Society, for a half-evening talk exploring her travels with camera in hand.
When Michele started out, her photography focused on capturing the place itself, with a selection of images from each trip turned into a book. While she still takes the usual tourist shots, these days they tend to stay on her computer. Over time, her interest has shifted towards more impressionistic, graphic, geometric and abstract images, such as reflections and windows, pictures with social meaning, like posters and signs in urban spaces, and black and white photography. Rather than organising her work by place, she now creates thematic books instead.
Michele’s favourite photos are the ones that make people look twice, or ask “how did you do this?” or “what is this?” For this talk, she’ll show a selection of images from different locations, built around two or three themes.
Expect a relaxed, personal evening with plenty to take away, whether you’re planning your own travel photography, looking to see beyond the obvious tourist
Blending & Creative Techniques in Lightroom and Photoshop
Tim, another long-standing member of OPS, recently shared some of his multiple exposure and ICM (Intentional Camera Movement) photography with the club, and it sparked plenty of interest in how he achieves these effects. He’ll spend the second half of the evening walking members through his techniques, both in-camera and in post-processing, blending and enhancing his images using Lightroom and Photoshop.
Members can expect to come away with practical, hands-on tips on multiple exposure and ICM techniques, along with blending and enhancing images in Lightroom and Photoshop, ready to use in their own photography and editing workflow
As always, non members welcome – £5 on the door, includes a cup of tea and a biscuit!
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Presenter:Judge - Kevin Day
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We are delighted to welcome back Kevin Day as a guest judge for our second print competition of the season. Kevin is a professional photographer with extensive experience in portrait and event photography and he is a respected judge and popular on the UK camera club circuit.
Known for his thoughtful, constructive feedback and engaging judging style, Kevin brings a wealth of knowledge and insight to every session. His visit promises to be both inspiring and educational for all OPS members.
Bring your printed and mounted Images on the night – maximum 2 x black and white and 2 x colour.
Image: Sun and Snow Scorched, Steve Field, Winner Best Use of Light 2026
As always, non members welcome – £5 on the door, includes a cup of tea and a biscuit!
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Presenter:Judge - Phil Joyce
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Following on from Sheena Rogers’ talk on 6 April, we hope you’ll be inspired to experiment with panels, triptychs and diptychs, and perhaps put some of those ideas into practice in this year’s Panel Competition.
A panel is a great opportunity to bring a collection of images together to tell a story, explore an idea, or simply experiment with how your photographs work alongside one another. It doesn’t have to be a major project — it could be a selection of images you’re proud of, or simply a chance to try something different.
We’re delighted that Phil will once again be judging the competition. His experienced eye and constructive feedback always make the evening both enjoyable and informative.
Everyone is encouraged to enter. Each member can submit up to two digital panels and two printed panels, with panels usually made up of 2–6 images.
Please upload your digital panels to the website by midnight on Sunday 18 April. Printed panels should be brought with you on the night.
We hope Sheena’s talk will have provided plenty of inspiration and we’re looking forward to seeing what you create!
Image: Fork by Peter Warrington, Winner 2025
As always, non members welcome – £5 on the door, includes a cup of tea and a biscuit!
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Presenter:JUDGE TBC
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As always, non members welcome – £5 on the door, includes a cup of tea and a biscuit!
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Presenter:JUDGE TBC
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As always, non members welcome – £5 on the door, includes a cup of tea and a biscuit!
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Presenter:Judging Round At OPS
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Tonight, OPS will host one of the third judging rounds of the Rosebowl Competition; an inter-club photography contest for CACC affiliated clubs.
Each club enters 15 images, chosen from past winners, with each image scored out of 20. Representatives from the other clubs will also be present. The club with the highest overall score will progress to the next round.
Members to arrive at the club as usual. The judging will take place over zoom.
Thank you to Pete Warrington for organising this – he will update everyone with the final outcome when it is announced in May.
Image: Pier at Sunset by Matthew Lodge, part of the 2025 submission
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