OPS Weekly Newsletter 19 April 2026
- Want to get your BPAGB, CPAGB or DPAGP…? The Chilterns Association of Camera Clubs is holding an Awards for Photographic Merit Workshop on Sunday 10 May 10.00 – 17.00 at the Amersham Community Centre, Chiltern Ave, HP6 5AH. Details here
- Last meeting held on Tues 7 April: Imagine with Rob Farrands
Imagination in Photographic Practice.
According to Riob photo practice has two fundamental aspects:
(1) rational realistic part that involves interpreting data, reviewing possibilities deciding what to include, applying technical processes etc.
(2) an imaginative part based on inspirational feelings that exist dreamlike, unconstrained by reality.
It’s what it feels like not just what it looks. This is not exclusive to photography, it is also true for all art forms – think of music, theatre, art, cinema etc.
The idea is that both aspects are present in the creation and viewing of photographic IMAGES.
One field of photography where both aspects are most obviously present is family photography.
Rob illustrated this in the first part of my presentation. A story of loss, hard reality, grief, resilience, and the salve of new life.
In the second part he further illustrated the double handed aspect of photographic practice with landscape photography and experiments with abstract imagery.
Rob wove in further points about a practice, mainly about entwining our photography with our life to illuminate both.
- Next meeting Tues 21 April: Print Critique with Chris Palmer FRPS
Please bring two prints for critiquing.
- Upcoming meetings/events
- 28 April: Long Lens Landscapes with Murray Livingston finalist in the 2024 Scottish Landscape Photographer of the Year
- 1 May: May Day festivities at ‘stupidly early o’clock’
- 7 May: 18.00-19.45 Private View – Members’ Annual Exhibition
You can see the programme here and download it:
https://oxfordphotosociety.co.uk/programme-download/
- Photographic events in and around Oxford
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
Sony World Photography Awards Exhibition 2026
The Sony World Photography Awards 2026 exhibition returns to Somerset House from 17 April – 4 May.
https://www.somersethouse.org.uk/whats-on/sony-world-photography-awards-exhibition-2026
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
Photographers, Are The Ultimate Polymaths
Show me a photographer who hasn’t got anything, anywhere or anyone to photograph and I will show you a person with a camera. Not a photographer. Just as a journalist need’s a story to tell, so does a photographer whether they are an enthusiast, hobbyist or professional. Photography is a means of communication and therefore we need something to say. We can’t just make this up, photography is not fiction, we need to find a narrative.
https://unitednationsofphotography.com/2026/04/18/photographers-are-the-ultimate-polymaths/
‘One simple gesture says it all’: the world in black and white – in pictures
From sunbathers holding hands to rain-soaked metro stations, Marina Sersale’s magical monochrome images take us across Italy, Japan and beyond
How to Make Your Photos More Meaningful
A vibrant sunset over a calm sea with rocky tide pools in the foreground and a distant silhouette of an island or lighthouse on the horizon, beneath a sky filled with colourful clouds.
Your photos have meaning intrinsically linked to your own and your viewers’ personalities and subjectivities. Understanding how that works helps us to break free from bland, mundane images and create something more compelling.
https://petapixel.com/2026/04/19/how-to-make-your-photos-more-meaningful/
Getting outside with a camera is the best thing for your mental health
Long walks and photography are the ultimate tonic for managing anxiety for Birmingham City University’s BA Photography student Josh Reilly. Currently working towards his all-important final major project and end of year submission, Josh’s work has taken a social documentary spin as he takes a mindful approach to documenting his emotions, which gradually changed from overwhelming and chaotic to peaceful and calm. He shares more about his work and how photography has helped him below…