OPS Weekly Newsletter 7 December 2025

1. Last week’s meeting Tues 9 November: Photographing Pilgrimage: The Maha Kumbh Mela and Varanasi + members’ showcase of the ‘movement’ theme

Bharat began his talk with a brief background of the ancient city of Varanasi and the three important gods in Hinduism. It is believed that the city dates to 1800BC. It is situation on the banks of the Ganges River in northern India and has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world.

In Hinduism there is a holy trinity of gods, the “triple deity of supreme divinity in Hinduism, in which the cosmic functions of creation, preservation, and destruction are personified as a triad of deities. Typically, the designations are that of Brahma the creator, Vishnu the preserver, and Shiva the destroyer”.

Bharat has visited Varanasi numerous times. The city is famous for what happens on the banks of the Ganges and in the river – it is a city of life and after-life. People are cremated on the banks of the river and pilgrims go into the river to wash off all sins and for a moment escape Shiva’s cycle of life and death.

Bharat had great shots of people at the side of the river, preparing to go in, and drying themselves and their clothes off after they have washed themselves. There was a great deal of activity in the water and the surrounding area – people doing yoga, blessing themselves, hawkers selling everything from balloons to candyfloss, marigold necklaces discarded on the shore, someone carrying logs for the funeral pyres, and more. Plus lots of excellent portraits of the people.

He then showed his images from the Maha Kumbh Mela, the Hindu pilgrimage festival that marks a full orbital revolution of Jupiter around the Sun. The Kumbh Mela usually occurs every 12 years, but Maha Kumbh Mela happens every 144 years. A truly once in a lifetime event.

It took place in the city of Prayagraj in northern India, about 120km upstream from Varanasi. It was the world’s largest gathering. More than 660 million people had taken a dip in the river and 30 pontoon bridges had been built over the Ganges River to facilitate the number of people attending.

Bharat had gone there with a group of photographers. They stayed in a tented area some 11 miles away from the event and had to hire motorcycles to get closer to where things were happening, then had to walk with all their kit.

Thousands upon thousands were there. At one point 33 people died due to a crowd crush and many others were injured.

Bharat had great images of people at the event, lots of first-class portraits and a wonderful shot of a young girl entertaining the crowds balancing on a tight-rope – which was more of a slack-rope than tight-rope.

But he excelled himself with a series of images of ‘sadhus’ – these are holy men who have renounced the worldly life. There was a group of what seemed to be ‘trainee’ sadhus sat down in rows, their heads all shaved, and dressed in a white cloth around their waist.

He had shots of a sadhu who had raised a dove and kept it as a pet, he walked around with the bird on his head.

An amazing set of images about a fascinating and very different world that we very rarely, if ever, see.

In the second half we were entertained by members’ responses to the challenge of taking shot that captures and conveys the issue of ‘movement’. There were some excellent responses to the challenge.

We had 38 entries and those in the hall had the dubious honour of the chair choosing his three favourites. Which were:

First Place: Tok Tok Lisbon – Rob Farrands
Second Place: A Quick Shop – Peter Warrington
Third Place: Blown Away – Jill Bain

Many thanks to everyone for putting in your responses to the challenge and congratulation to all who took part.

2. Next meeting Tues 16 December: Digital Image competition No. 2.

Our judge will be Peter Prosser. Peter is a long-time judge of the OPS, is an experienced UK photographer and photographic judge. He works across a range of subjects including landscape, portrait, and creative photography, with a strong background in both traditional darkroom and digital techniques. He is also involved in judge training for the Photographic Alliance of Great Britain. As a judge, Peter offers constructive feedback, technical insight, and a fair, thoughtful approach to image assessment.

3. Upcoming meetings/events

• 16 Dec: Alec Pain on Creating Magic and Poetry – the world through plastic camera, experiments and mistake
• 6 Jan 26: The Eccentrics with Danny Jackson aka @Barksey
• 13 Jan 26: Hidden Romania – Old and Decaying Buildings with Willie Hall + Members Show & Tell
• 20 Jan 26: The Night Climbers of Oxford with Austin Bradley
• 27 Jan 26: Member Showcase – Double Feature with Pete Warrington & Habip Kocak

You can see the programme up to the end of the year and beyond here and download it:

4. Photographic events in and around Oxford

ART pop-up mini gallery for 1 day only. Four local artists in the Waterways
Four Oxford artists for 1 day only. Prints, jewellery, ceramics and photographs. Follow signs!
Sun 14th December
11am to 4pm, close to canal, some local parking
51 Clearwater Place Oxford OX2 7NL
https://www.dailyinfo.co.uk/events/289161/art-pop-up-mini-gallery-for-1-day-only-four-local-artists-in-the-waterways

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

5. General photographic interest

Martin Parr, photographer acclaimed for observations of British life, dies aged 73
From sunbathers to Conservative clubs, Parr’s images were often in vivid colour with more than a dash of humour
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2025/dec/07/landmark-british-photographer-martin-parr-dies-aged-73

Magnum photographer Alex Webb’s 2026 Lavazza calendar – in pictures
The coffee brand Lavazza engaged Alex Webb, a contemporary street photographer from the Magnum Photos agency, for its 2026 calendar, which explores the rich tapestry of elements that make up the Italian lifestyle
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2025/dec/05/magnum-alex-webb-2026-lavazza-calendar-in-pictures

Beyond the light: Mastering shadows in landscape photography
Today, I’d like to dive into the use of shadows in landscape photography. Shadows are almost always part of nature: we often shoot using a (almost-)point light source (the sun or the moon), and even if the light is soft (like it is after sunset or during a cloudy day), the light is almost always directional, which means that some areas of the image are darker compared to others.
https://www.dpreview.com/articles/9193572031/mastering-shadows-in-landscape-photography

RPS Update
Welcome to the December RPS Update. We announce our Christmas closure dates, bring you some highlights of 2025 at the RPS and a last chance reminder for the members festive challenge.
https://content.rps.org/webmail/976613/1626284899/0d6bc43de0ee2f630364299bce2905bf1ab6300ec2bab36cb29926d900c5f92c