OPS Weekly Newsletter 2 December 2024
- Please start thinking about your entries to our second Projected Digital Image competition which takes place on 10 December. Upload them to the usual place – PhotoContestPro
- Let David B know if you want to enter prints for our next exhibition at the Westgate library which starts 2 January 2025. Please check Dave’s email which he sent to all members. Many thanks to Dave and Les for pulling all this together.
- Last week’s meeting Tues 26 November: Wildlife for all Seasons with Robert Harvey
Roger organised his presentation around the four seasons starting with winter. He shoots most of his wildlife subjects with a 400mm or 600mm lens.
For Roger birds look their best in winter and if you feed them in your garden and strategically position perches you can get incredible shots of them with pleasing backgrounds. Thanks to the winter light and staging he had a beautiful shot of an iridescent starling, a bird that is so easily underrated as a subject. Chaffinches tend to hover before they settle on a bird feeder and setting his aperture at f/8 and shutter speed at 1/2000 of a second he got a pin sharp shot of the bird in midair.
He had a good tip of getting a ‘natural’ shot of a woodpecker. He got a bough of a tree and cut a thin vertical groove in it, then stuffed the groove with peanuts. He positioned the bough vertically, looking like the trunk of a tree and positioned his camera so he could not see the groove and waited for a woodpecker to come and feed.
In his garden he has built a reflection pool and also a ‘natural’ platform at a reasonable high so he can get shots appearing low down level with the bird’s eye instead of having to lay flat to the ground.
Wetland in winter is also good for birds especially when there is ice around. The ice reflects the light upwards illuminating the birds undercarriage instead of have a dark featureless base of the bird. Otmoor is an excellent venue for birds in winter and has the added value of a starling murmuration. Otmoor also has excellent reedbeds where bearded tits can be found.
Spring is a good time to photograph mammals. Browns hares can be seen before the crops start getting tall. The same for seeing deer as well. He uses his car as hide and parks up close to fields. The animals do not recognise a person inside and you can be quite close to them with your long telephoto lens. In Scotland it is mountain hares that he photographs plus birds such as the Highland Red Grouse. He had a great shot of one which could easily grace a bottle of Famous Grouse Scotch Whisky. He also had good shots of a grouse ‘lek’. To get them he had get into a hide at the unearthly time of 4.30 in the morning. Was it worth it? Of course it was.
Woodlands are also good in spring. Wild boars and badgers in the Forest of Dean, shot using flash in a way that does not produce horrible ’red-eye’ – place them at an angle to the animal.
In summer head for the coast to photograph birds – Stomer, the Farne Isles and Lunga (west of Mull) – are his favourite spots. The second half of June is the best time to photograph puffins, they will be feeding on sand-eels. He had a stunning portrait of one with a beak full of sand eels with the sun behind the bird and light on both sides of its head.
He had an abstract shot of a green-eyed shag with it wing acting like a pleated gown and a high key shot looking up at artic tern which appeared angelic. On Bass Rock, where gannets are in their thousands, he had a wonderful high key shot of two gannets courting, their beaks pointing skywards. He was low down to get the perfect shot.
Summer next and back to Otmoor where the hobby is easy to find. Then off to the West Coast of Scotland and Mull to see the massive white-tailed eagle, and then to the Cairngorms to shoot ospreys as they pluck large fish from a lake.
Finally autumn and sika deer near Poole Harbour and the New Forest and Richmond Park for the red deer rutting season. On the coast it’s a good time to get shots of grey seals. Its also the time that wading birds return to our estuaries. Avocets and Spoonbills can be shot on Brownsea Island which has good bird hides.
One of the most spectacular sights of birds is the huge flocks of knots at Snettisham when there is a high spring tide. There can be up to 50,000 in one flock. He had a shot of a huge number of them tightly pack together on the beach with a single avocet amongst them. He had waited in a hide for two hours as the avocet was asleep. When it awoke and opened its eyes he took the shot.
A very good presentation full of good advice and tips, plus excellent images.
- Next Tuesday’s meeting 3 December at 19.30: Intimate Landscapes with Adrain Cubitt in the first half followed by members’ Show and Tell
- Upcoming meetings for 2024
Tues 10 December at 19.30: Projected Digital Images No. 2
Our judge with be Colin Mill
Tues 17 December at 19.30: Julian Elliot: Mongolia – from landscapes to eagle hunters
His talk will take us on a journey across Mongolia from the famous Steppe landscape to the eagle hunters of the Altai region in western Mongolia.
- Programme Secretary vacancy
We have a full and varied programme for you this season thanks to the hard work and excellent choices by Les. Unfortunately, due to unexpected changes in Les’s work commitments he cannot continue in the role and we need someone to step forward to start the planning and booking of speakers for next season’s programme. Please do contact me or any other committee member if you are interested in taking on the role.
- Events photographic in and around Oxford
Bettina von Zwehl: The Flood
This exhibition will feature photographs by London-based artist, Bettina von Zwehl (b. 1971). Von Zwehl’s aim is to rekindle wonder and curiosity as critical tools for exploring new ideas and practices.
https://www.ashmolean.org/exhibition/ashmolean-now-bettina-von-zwehl
- General photographic interest
Steve McQueen photography exhibition offers fresh take on history of protest in Britain
Director showcases images of the suffragettes, Kinder Scout trespasses and anti-fascist protests in London
Horse trading with Travellers and Romani Gypsies – in pictures
Photographer Sam Wright was warned not to attend a horse fair with his camera. He ignored the prejudice – and found a warm, welcoming community
Pack light and capture more – What to pack for travel photography?
In Atomic Habits, James Clear explains that reducing friction – small obstacles that make it harder to take action – can help to make habits stick. This concept is highly relevant to travel photography. When weighed down by heavy gear, the hassle of setting up and moving around makes spontaneous photos less appealing. By simplifying your setup and packing light, you improve your travel experience, making it easier to take photos and allowing creativity to flow without the burden of logistics.
The 23 Best Gifts for Photographers
Looking for a gift for your favorite photographer but getting lost in the world of lighting, lenses, and general photography stuff? We’re not at all surprised. Photography gear can get complicated, and it’s tough to know what is actually useful (or at least beautifully decorative). The photographers at Wirecutter got together and came up with a list of our favorite accessories to help make shopping—whether the gift is for a beginner or a seasoned shooter—a little easier.
https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/gifts/best-gifts-for-photographers/