27th February 2021

Last Monday Eamon O'Daly of Outdoor Studio Photography and Lightroom Training in Skerries gave us food for thought about the Evolving Technology and the DSLR/Mirrorless Debate. Is the DSLR era over and the Mirrorless the new dawn? Or will the mobile ‘phone eclipse both? Only time will tell, and Eamon’s presentation focused our minds on all possibilities.

Next Monday Night

On Monday Nicole White of J'adore Photography in Falkirk in Scotland will talk to us about Maternity, New-born, Child, Cake Smash, Family and Pet Photography. As she says, her passion is more than just photography… it’s a desire to capture those fleeting, magical memories and milestones in our lives.

Have a look at her website https://www.jadorephotography.co.uk/ and join us to be educated and entertained.

Congratulation to Liam Haines

Congratulations to Liam for winning Gold (1st place) at the Northern Ireland Photographic Association Audio Visual Festival 2021 for his Audio-Visual titled 'From Rags to Riches'.

View and enjoy the AV below.

What do we all look like?

Having all gone virtual we miss the personal interaction and sometimes it’s difficult to fit a face to a name?

We have finally got to present the way forward on this idea. Please check out the page at https://www.offshoot.ie/our-members/.

We invite all that have not previously submitted an entry to complete the form at the bottom of the page and add your mug to the gallery. (If you choose to keep your details and image private it will require the members to be logged in to see them.) 

2021 Annual Subscription Now Due

This week is the last scheduled week for renewing your annual subscription of €50.

Please make an effort to ensure that you pay by 28th February 2021. Payment can be made by PayPal at https://www.offshoot.ie/subs or bank transfer. Details of the OffShoot BIC and IBAN are in the reminder sent. (Check your Junk Email folder if you did not get an email.)

Please email treasurer@offshoot.ie if you did not get a reminder or have any questions or issues paying. If you do not wish to renew your membership please let us know and we will stop sending you emails.

Accessing Video Recordings of Meetings

You can access this and other recordings of past Zoom meetings in the Videos section of the Member's Area at https://www.offshoot.ie/member-area/. You will need to login to the website to see the content of this section of the site.

Every member has a login to the site. If you don't remember your login details go to https://www.offshoot.ie/login/ and select the 'Forgot your password?' link. Enter the email address you received this newsletter with and reset your password. Once you've reset your password you can log in and catch-up on speakers you missed. Happy catching up!

This Weekly's Flickr Project: Self-Portrait

This week's theme is "Self Portrait" so you have no excuses! You are the photographer and the subject. You don't even have to leave the house: you could take your portrait standing by a window.

It is probably wise to use a tripod unless you are holding the camera pointed at yourself. Make sure to use autofocus, or face detect if you have it. Consider the background. Have a look at what's behind you and check your shot to make sure you are in focus and there is nothing distracting in the background. Consider props: your clothes, Mirrors, objects from your hobbies or other objects that add to your portrait.

Links

10 tips: https://expertphotography.com/10-self-portrait-photography-tips/ 

23 Ideas: https://shotkit.com/self-portrait-photography/

Remember to include the Project Name at the start of the image title.

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

Future weekly projects are:

05/03/2021 - Tabletop/Product Photography

12/03/2021 - Minimalism 

19/03/2021 - Where I Live

26/03/2021 - High Key

02/04/2021 - Spring / Easter

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: Sunset Key West by Liam Haines

The Lilly by Barry Dillon

You will have received notice from David Sisk emailed this week to all members on our next competition. The theme is 'The Natural World' and judging will take place on 29th March. 

The natural environment encompasses all living and non-living things occurring naturally so you can interpret the theme as broadly as you like - landscapes, seascapes, animals and plants, skies and celestial bodies, weather etc…

Please upload your entries before Monday 22nd March to:

https://www.dropbox.com/request/tuB7DLwSrwm7UKwacHSr.

Make sure to name your images in the following way Level - Membership number - Title

e.g. "L2-987-Glenmalure Waterfall.jpg"

Please also ensure that there are no distinguishing watermark on the image.

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

PHLEARN: How to Remove Tourists from a Photo in Photoshop | Quick Tips!

Greg Benz Photography: 3 Kinds of Smart Objects

Irish Photographic Federation Web Site:

https://irishphoto.ie/

Congrats to all our members who contributed to the wonderful results at the recent Shield competition.

Most recent news and articles posted:

https://irishphoto.ie/news/

Distinction Sittings and Availability:

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