OPS Weekly Newsletter 17 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
- Last meeting held on Tues 12 May: The Heart of the Photograph with David duChemin
David is a well-respected humanitarian photographer who has written several books on photography including The Heart of the Photograph which is described as “a practical and inspiring guide for photographers, this book helps you ask the right questions of your work to craft images that are intentional, expressive, and uniquely yours”.
He started with an anecdote about being in Kathmandu, Nepal waiting for the moment to capture a monk who was chanting. The monk saw him and David tapped on his camera to signal he would like to take a photo, the monk acknowledged this and continued chanting. David took some shots. After he had finished his chanting, the monk asked David what camera he was using. David replied it was a Canon. The monk then asked whether it was a particular type of Canon and reeled off the name of the very latest version. David looked at the camera and said what the model was. Obviously, the monk was well schooled in the latest camera gear.
David said he would send him copies of the images he took and asked where he should send them. The monk then gave David his ‘business card’ which had his email address and his social media contacts. This encounter showed that the world is much smaller, and much more connected, than we think.
David then showed several examples of his work and talked through what each one was an example of. He said that a compelling photograph is more than visual — it is visceral – deep, instinctive, and raw.
He said that in our photography 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.
He then ran through crucial aspects of photography starting with
Better Subjects: Instead of chasing a more exotic or ‘better’ physical object, changing how we perceive and define our subject is key. We often get bogged down by confusing the physical elements in the frame with the actual subject of the photograph. For example, the ‘element’ could be a taxicab, a tree, or a person, but the ‘subject’ is the underlying idea, mood, or feeling – such as motion, mystery, or devotion.
Better Expression: ask yourself what the light is doing and what you can do with the light. Also it is not ‘when’ is the moment but ‘where’ is the moment, as composition of a photo rapidly changes. Spend more time to get to the moment. Give yourself much longer time than you would expect.
Point of View and Perspective: You do not have to be eye-level to get a good shoot. Play with and be creative with your point of view. The right ‘point of view’ will give the message you want to convey, the one that makes the viewer think that they are there.
Can I go deeper? A wider lens makes the viewer feel they are there. If you want to zoom in or out, then use your feet.
Think about the layers: foreground, mid and background. Treat the ‘frame’ like a three-dimensional box – rather than a flat rectangle – to pull the viewer’s eye into the photograph.
What is the energy? look at your composition and decide whether the visual elements are working together to create a powerful, forward-moving thrust, or if they are cancelling each other out and leaving the image flat. Warmer colours have more energy, cooler colours are calmer.
Where is the contrast? Is in the colour contrast, a contrast of ideas, a contrast of sizes, a juxtaposition, stations and movement? Decide what the contrast is and express it in the photo.
In short he said that a good photograph is not OF something but ABOUT something.
As this was a video and not a zoom presentation he then ran through the typical questions he gets:
QI – black and white or colour? If it is about colour contrast, then colour. If colour is not adding to the photo then black and white. He is very keen on Nik Silver Efex Pro
Q2 – Editing tips? Know what your photo is about and edit it to express and bring out that idea
Q3 – How many frames does he go through on a trip? 1000 a day if he is on assignment
Q4 – How do you choose a series of images? It is when the images ‘grab’ him. He may do three or four edits before a series come together
Q5 – What if you do not know what you want to say? Explore before expressing yourself. Explore, experiment then express.
Q6 – How do you get consent? If there is no opportunity then be respectful, when acknowledgeable then acknowledge.
Q7 – Pre-plan or pre-visualise? In Ansel Adams time it was extremely important to pre-visualise so he had to pre-visualise. Nowadays it is not so crucial.
Q8 – Plan ahead or just show up? Just show up. But explore. What blinds a photographer is ‘expectation’. Be more observant not pre-conceived.
On that final answer we are back to the incident with the Nepali monk of pre-conception. Was the talk planned that way? I am sure it was.
- Next meeting Tues 19 May: A Little Bit of This and a Little Bit of the Other – Uwe Ackerman
Uwe will delight use with his remarkably creative photography.
- Upcoming meetings/events
- 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
How and where you view photography really matters, more than ever before. This is why you should care
It’s Photo London weekend! For the first time, the fair is held at Olympia. Whilst Somerset House was a fantastic venue, Olympia certainly felt more bright, open, airy and easier to navigate. The exhibitions and work shown had room to breathe – and so did I. Gone are the days of the big tent in the middle of the pavilion and feeling like a sardine. I think I managed to see absolutely everything too.
Photo London 2026 Student Award – in pictures
The Photo London 2026 Student Award has been given to Akanksya Dahal of Ravensbourne University London from a shortlist of four artists nominated by tutors at UK universities. The three other nominees were Anna Bradshaw of Birmingham City University, Bo Fan of London College of Communication, and Madison Hafner of Falmouth University. The judging panel was Fiona Shields, the head of photography at the Guardian; Lisa Springer, the curator of photography at the V&A; the photographer Mimi Mollica; and Kimberly Hoang, the picture editor at the British Red Cross
Photo London x Nikon Emerging Photographer Award 2026 – in pictures
The Photo London Emerging Photographer Award, presented in partnership with Nikon, launched in 2015 and was set up to nurture and enable the career development of emerging photographic artists. The shortlisted work for 2026 is on display at Photo London
Look up: Milky Way photographer of the year 2026 – in pictures
Photographers search for dark skies in the most remote landscapes to find places where the galaxy shines with extraordinary clarity. They share not only their breathtaking results but also their methods, trials and adventures
The raw, real and anarchy of family life captured through the lens of photographer Melonie Bennett will leave you feeling good
‘Holy Cow’ is a collection of authentic black and white images spanning 20 years depicting a blend of intimacy and humour