5th September 2020

Competition Closing Date Looming.

The deadline for entries is midnight on Sunday 6th September. See the full detail later in the Newsletter.

Last Monday Night Zoom Session.

Our thanks to Kevin and Barry for their presentations last Monday night.  These were well received with very positive feedback thru the chat channel on the night and other feedback since. Well done to all.

Next Monday Night.

Bernard Geraghty is a professional Landscape and Astrophotographer and the owner of Bernard Geraghty Landscape Tours.

Bernard will be presenting “In the Dark” to you on 7th September.

During this presentation he will showcase images from his times under the night sky, chasing storms, Aurora Borealis and photographing the Galactic Core of the Milky Way galaxy.

Joining details will be emailed prior to the meeting to all members.

Weekly Flickr Theme: Sport/Action

We had a top sports photographer in the club a few months ago and his advice was: F4.

This aperture, when combined with accurate focusing, will ensure the eye is drawn to the subject, the centre of the action, and will ensure the background is there but not distracting.

You will also need to think about shutter speed. A fast shutter speed will be vital if you wish to freeze the action. A slow shutter speed will enable you to capture motion if you're going for a creative effect.

A good panning technique will help, and remember to use your camera's functionality re-tracking subjects. Now might be a good time to pick up your camera manual to learn about this.

Using burst mode is another good strategy. Make sure you've got plenty of room on your memory card before you begin.

A good subject will make your shot. This is where you bring your personality and photographic interests to the image. The subject could be sport, animals/birds, moving vehicles, etc. If it involves people, and if you can capture the emotion as well as the action of the occasion, that will give a stronger image.

This site might give your creative juices a start:

40 awesome examples of action photography

Have fun!!  

See more about how the OffShoot Weekly Flickr Theme works at https://tinyurl.com/flickrthem.

Upcoming themes will include the following:

11/09/2020 Flowers

18/09/2020 Doors

25/09/2020 Fruit & Veg

02/10/2020 People

09/10/2020 Bridges

16/10/2020 Autumn colours

23/10/2020 Sunrise/Sunset

30/10/2020 Recreate a painting

06/11/2020 Emotions - happiness/pride/anger/…..

13/11/2020 Night - eg astro / cityscapes / light trails / night portrait etc.

20/11/2020 Street (candid images of daily life)

27/11/2020 Creative selfies

04/12/2020 Literature

11/12/2020 Winter wildlife

18/12/2020 FIRE

25/12/2020 Christmas

Speakers and Outings

Here are the next scheduled meetings and events for the Society:

Members will be able to attend our outings by registering for specific outings. Keep up to date with the latest events at https://www.offshoot.ie/whats-on/.

Just a note for new members – if you want any of your pictures considered for the photo of the week, you just have to post them to the OffShoot Flickr group at:

https://www.flickr.com/groups/offshoot_society.

There’s also the latest images published on Flickr that are displayed on the OffShoot home page.

[Note. To join the Offshoot Flickr group, you must first be a Flickr member. Then send the email address used to join Flickr to webmaster@offshoot.ie. You will get an email when you have been added to the group. Please be patient as this is a manual process.]

Theme: Glass - Looking through the rain-streaked window at our Rowan Tree by Jean Hartin

Unthemed: The Invisible Man by Mary Hahn

If you come across one you want to share let us know at newsletter@offshoot.ie.

PiXimperfect: Remove ANYTHING from Complex Perspectives! - Photoshop Tutorial

PHLEARN: The Best Way to Sharpen Your Photos | Photoshop vs. Lightroom

For this one, there is no theme for Levels 1, 2 and 3; please enter up to three of your favourite images.

There is also an Open section for everybody to enter. The Open section has the theme of Journeys and calls for members to enter a themed set of 3, 4 or 5 images. While feedback will be given on individual images, the competition judging will be of the set as a whole.

Feel free interpret the theme Journeys as broadly as you wish. These last few months have certainly seen some of us undertake journeys in how we view and interact with the world around us; some have become philosophical, some whimsical, some completely discombobulated. Some have embarked on journeys of discovery of new techniques or subject matters, some revisit memories of distant lands..... Let us see what journey you have been on.

Please upload your entries to

https://www.dropbox.com/request/gZl99Up3dp0kmSvk3bHU

How to name your entries:

either Level-Member Number-Image Title.jpg  (for example L1-999-TopTrumps.jpg)

or

Open-Member Number-Set Title- Image Title.jpg (for example Open-999-Home thoughts from abroad-My Old man.jpg)

Jpg quality is good enough for this competition, no need for Tifs.

Closing date is midnight Sunday 6th September so you have plenty of time to prepare a last-minute entry!

Remember, competitions are a great way to get constructive feedback and positive advice on your photography.

And maybe, just maybe, there will be a unique prize for some of our lucky (not to mention talented) winners! More on this later.

Irish Photographic Federation Web Site:

https://irishphoto.ie/

IPF Shield to take place in November. Details to follow.

Possible Distinctions Event before the end of the year.

Most recent news and articles posted:

https://irishphoto.ie/news/

Distinction Sittings and Availability:

https://irishphoto.ie/distinctions/assessment-dates/