OPS Weekly Newsletter 1 February 2026
- Please start selecting your two colour and two mono-chrome print entries for our 10 February Print Competition. Our judge is Peter Cox.
- Last meeting held on Tues 27 January: Member Showcase – Double Feature with Pete Warrington and Habip Koçak
My Year in Pictures by Pete Warrington:
Pete began his presentation with a series of ‘street’ photographs taken during a visit to Bharat’s exhibition at the Westgate shopping centre. A walk around a small area of Oxford close to the Westgate was done as a challenge to get a good collection of street shots.
Pete showed several series of shots and talked through his way of operating and his thought process as he looked for something happening to capture that elusive ‘decisive moment’: a woman very animated in Bonn Square as she spoke on her mobile phone, another woman contorted at the entrance of Westgate trying to sort out something in her shopping bag, catching shoppers as they walked through pools of light.
Then off to the Ashmolean and snapping along the way: a young lad with his futuristic shades on, inside the museum itself capturing people and exhibits and getting the right number in the right places after some near misses.
And back to the Westgate for more shafts of strong light and shadows and that all important separation before finished off in Castle Street as the sun was reflected off the brightly coloured windows onto people walking passed.
His next set of photographs were of what Pete called – docuscape – infra-red photography on waste land near Sutton Courtney. It is home to the ‘block crushing site’, the ‘gravel processing site’ and other raw industrial material ‘quarrying’. It was also home to trees, paths, fences, fields and glorious skies. In infra-red it becomes a fairytale land of snow-white vegetation and deep black tree bark with dramatic clouds overhead.
Pete had astonishing shots of a place that in real life would be mundane. A place so easily overlooked was transformed into a special land where reeds are like frosted glass under a jet-black sky and a sycamore tree points the way home.
Lives in the Shadow of Migration by Habip Koçak
Habip showed three long-term projects documenting the Tasua ceremony in Istanbul, portraits of children in Benin, West Africa and Lives in the Shadow of Migration.
His first slide show was of the Tasua ceremony in Istanbul which occurs in August.
Tasua is a major Shia mourning ceremony in Istanbul, often held in late summer to commemorate Imam Husayn’s martyrdom. It relates to the Battle of Karbala which was fought in 680 AD between the army of Umayyad caliph Yazid I on one side, and the army of Husayn ibn Ali (grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad) on the other. It symbolises the struggle between justice and tyranny.
Major events take place in the Zeynebiye district of Küçükçekmece, featuring processions, black attire, and, historically, large gatherings in Ashura Square.
The images were spectacular and vividly captured the enormity of the spectacle, the costumes, the people, their devotion, their differences – age and gender – their unity in the exercise, the power and the sheer scale of the event. There were also wonderful vignettes, especially a shot of two smiling girls dressed in their black abayas looking at the camera flanked and lit by two burning candles. The slideshow was superbly put together. See more of Tasua here.
Next up was a slideshow of portraits of children in a rural area of Benin. The children engaged with the camera, but very few played up to is. Their poses were natural, more curious than posed or forced. There was an air of maturity in their engagement or maybe just bemusement. The images stood apart from those run-of-the-mill photographs of children in rural Africa. An excellent set of portraits. See Habip’s website here on his latest work which includes the shots from Benin.
Habip finished off his presentation with his final slide show of an eight-year project documenting the lives of refugees in Turkey – Lives in the Shadow of Immigration.
This is a photographic record of the people who have fled wars and conflicts in many of the neighbouring countries – all shot in black and white. The people live on the edge – legally, physically, mentally and financially. Habip captures the desolation, the fragility, and crucially the humanity of the families and the individuals. An excellent set of images portraying a people who are at the mercy of chance but are not broken.
- Next meeting Tues 3 February: Breathless in Nepal – Julian Elliott, an award-winning landscape and travel photographer, writer and modern-day nomad
Tonight, we welcome Julian Elliott, an award-winning landscape and travel photographer, writer and modern-day nomad whose work spans from Europe to the remote corners of Asia. His striking images and stories capture not just the landscapes he visits, but people and cultures that bring them to life. In this presentation, he takes us deep into the rarely visited Upper Mustang region – a remote, time forgotten land on the border with China. Through stunning visuals and vivid storytelling, Julian invites us to share in the challenges, beauty, and spirit of this extraordinary Himalayan journey.
- Upcoming meetings/events
- 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:
https://oxfordphotosociety.co.uk/programme-download/
- Photographic events in and around Oxford
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
https://www.thenorthwall.com/whats-on/camera-club-exhibition-2026/
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.
- 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:
https://amateurphotographer.com/latest/articles/best-photography-exhibitions-to-see/
- General photographic interest
RPS Workshop Newsletter, January 2026
Here you will find a listing of our upcoming workshops, delivered online, in-person and on demand. We like to keep the participant numbers low to ensure you can get individual attention.
Portrait Photography Guide
Whether it’s smiling portraits of family members at a gathering or studio portraits of world leaders on the cover of magazines, candid travel snaps of interesting souls or millions upon millions of selfies on Instagram, portrait photography is ever-present. It threads the wonderful moments and memories of our lives, connecting us to loved ones and strangers in mysterious and memorable ways.
RPS Thames Valley Region – Sunday 15th February 2026 Susan Brown FRPS
This is a full-day event at Woosehill Community Hall, Wokingham, Berkshire. RG41 3DA
Susan Brown FRPS: Sue, has been serious about photography for 45 years. During that time, she traversed the RPS Distinction process, Licentiate in 1981, Associate in 1983 and Fellowship in 1991 with a panel of 1991 with a panel of mono darkroom prints. Her second FRPS was attained in 2019 in ‘Conceptual and Contemporary’. Sue was on the Distinctions Committee for several years and then became Chair of the Visual Art Genre. She was awarded the Fenton Medal at the RPS in 2022.
10 years of Photo Brussels, Belgium’s leading photography festival
Tenth edition showcases Belgian talent and introduces global themes and artists in a celebration of creativity
How I found confidence through photography
Our emerging photographer series aims to shed a light on up-and-coming talent. Photographers are offered a platform to share their work with a wider audience through the AP channels, with the scope of furthering their careers. We also get an insight into their inspirations, the camera gear used and future aspirations, as well as the journey taken into photography – which doesn’t have to be the most traditional route!