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• Wednesday 23 September @ 19.30hrs
• Log in: Click HERE  
• Meeting ID: 865 6090 5460
• Password: 827509

 

 

Through a series of narrative-led, mesmerising images, I'll show you how celestial motion, atmosphere, and landscape can come together to create stories written in starlight. We'll cover the essentials of planning — from timing and location to understanding celestial movement — and explore some of the key processing steps needed to uncover depth, detail, and colour in your images.

 

I’ll also discuss the kit you'll need to get started if you are a beginner, as well as ways to expand your technical skills for those with some prior experience in astrophotography. Designed to ignite curiosity and creativity, this session invites you to pause, look up, and reconnect with the wonder of our universe, inspiring you to capture your own magical moments under the stars.

Below are some images from the talk, but to satisfy further curiosity, visit her website at www.astroabbyphotography.co.uk

• Wednesday 30 September @ 19.30hrs
• Log in: Click HERE  
• Meeting ID: 892 9055 3336
• Password: 719272

 

 

This is what Derwood says about his talk:

My talk is called 'Something Old, Something New' and features images that some members will be familiar with but includes enough recent work to stop anyone nodding off! Although the main focus is dance, there are studio portraits plus a sprinkling of equine and underwater images. Sadly access to dance performance is now a thing of the past so I'll be focusing on studio shoots, including a selection of monochrome images.

 

Here are a couple of images from the talk:

 

I think Sandie is away at present as I have been unable to contact her. However, you can have a look at her website: https://sandiecox.zenfolio.com/about.html

 

• Wednesday 7 October @ 19.30hrs
• Log in: Click HERE  
• Meeting ID: 816 7550 4881
• Password: 494339

 

 

 

Date	Speaker	Subject
30 Sept	Print Competition - R1	Closing Date
12 Oct	DI Group	Practical Evening
14 Oct	Martin Fry	Seeing Eye
21 Oct	Print Competition	Round 1
28 Oct	Alex Nail	Adventures in the Drakensberg
28 Oct	PDI Competition - R2	Closing Date

 

 

As we don't employ regular cleaners, it is imperative when members use the clubrooms, that they clear away any rubbish they have generated and generally make sure that the place is left in a tidy state. This extends to the kitchen area, where any crockery or cutlery used should be washed up and put away (do NOT leave it on the draining board for nature to dry it for you). Importantly, in the kitchen, please do not leave the dregs of (or part used cartons of) milk or other perishables in the fridge as they invariably "go off" before someone thinks about removing them - usually prompted by an unpleasant smell the moment you walk through the door. This week, the fridge was a particular point in question, with the contents having gone off and the fridge coated in mould. Don't put un-rinsed milk or food cartons in the bin, either rinse them out prior to binning, or (better still) take them home with you.

 

We are lucky in that Richard Kay, ably assisted by Ashwin Chauhan, gives the clubrooms a clean on a Tuesday, but it is extremely unfair that they should be expected to carry out a "deep clean" on the fridge, as was the case this week. There are various bits of cleaning kit kept in the cupboard beneath the stairs, (vacuum cleaner, carpet sweeper, dustpan & brush, etc.), so there is nothing to stop you using these.

 

Whilst I'm in nagging mode, I realise that many of us chaps think that we are better blessed than we actually are, so would users of the gents WC please stand a bit closer to the urinal as it is obvious from the pools on the floor after a meeting, that many are either less well blessed than they think, or their aim is just pants - in either case, please stand closer and improve your aim as it is unfair that Richard or Ashwin should have to clean up after you! Once you have completed the task in hand, please press the wall mounted chrome button to the right and above the urinal to activate the flush.

 

 

Wednesday 30 September is the closing date for Round 1 of the 2026-27 Print Competition, when the Prescribed topic is People & Portraits, the same as R6 of APOY (see later in this newsletter). The judge is Aleks Gjika EFIAP/b, DPAGB and BPE1* from Cheltenham. You can see some of Aleks' images, and more to the point - what he likes, by visiting his website aleksgjika.com

 

Prints must be mounted. The maximum size of mount accepted is 500mm x 400mm.

 

Prints must be labelled using the standard template available from the BPS website (in PDF or Microsoft Word format) and from a link found in PhotoEntry. Labels must be affixed to the bottom right-hand side of the rear of the print to indicate its orientation for viewing. There should be no mention of your name on the front or back of the print.

 

Digital images of the prints must be submitted to the Society’s competition management system (PhotoEntry), otherwise the prints will be disqualified.

 

If you haven't used PhotoEntry before, you will need to:

• Open the registration email from your club (BPS) and click the Set Password link (or go directly to the PhotoEntry Portal). The link in the reset email is valid for 7 days from the date sent.
• Enter your User ID (your membership number preceded by 'bps0'  i.e. if your membership number is 999 then type 'bps0999'.
• Type your preferred password using a combination of uppercase, lowercase, numbers and special characters
• Click Login
• If you forget your password, or do not respond to the above link before it expires, please use the Forgotten Password link on the login page to receive a password reset email.

 

 

 

 

Entry is free to all full Bristol Photographic Society Members (unfortunately not for distance or temporary members). If, during the entry process you are asked to pay an entry fee, just ignore it and press on to the end and submission. 

 

 

 

 

 

The group basically meets to offer advice to members who are aiming for, or planning to aim for, RPS, WPF, IPF or PAGB distinctions, but anyone aiming for a photographic distinction is welcome.

 

If you are already well on the way down your chosen path or just thinking about dipping your toe in the murky waters of photo distinctions, you will be welcome. Bring along your pictures (PDI or prints) and you can receive suggestions and advice about your next step forward or just come along for general distinctions advice.

 

Any queries to Pete McCloskey at pmcloskey11@gmail.com.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Members are free to post their own entries individually (closing date is 24 November for on-line entry), but if you want to save postage, Mike Martin will be coordinating posting a bulk entry on behalf of members, for anyone getting prints to him by Wednesday 18 November.

 

Here is the timetable for the rest of the competition:

 

If you haven't entered before, just remember to select BPS when you register your first entry. Let's hope that we see BPS leaping up the league table!

 

We need more BPS members to have a go at this competition, especially as it will cost you nowt!

 

 

 

 

To enter the Members' Portal of the BPS website you will need the following:

Username - Your Membership Number           

Password - Created by you  

 

If you have any problems getting into the Members' Portal, please contact Matt by email: