Autumn is now in full swing with its russet leaves falling in abundance and that misty period of the year. The days shorten and nights lengthen with red skies and that beautiful golden light.

Showers of rain mar the weather somewhat but photography benefits from the damp skies and light rain with the glimpse of sun creeping through. We now have a beautiful canvas upon which to practice our art. 

Next Monday – Competition Judging

The prints are in and we await with eager anticipation to see an array of wonderful landscape images from members. Our judge will be Peter Gordon who is a renowned photographer, especially in nature and landscape. We can look forward to an inspiring evening! 

Last Monday – Club Meeting – Using Flash in Landscapes

Feargal Quinn is a master of flash in nature and his demonstration of his art was both entertaining and instructive. He showed us some of his fabulous images of the natural world and demonstrated how he creates his images. 

Shoot With Me (SWM) 

Thanks to the generosity and enthusiasm of our members, we now have a panel to lead our Autumn 2025 SWM. We have a portfolio of 9 great group topics which members should find interesting.

Members have now been assigned to their groups, so you should be hearing from your group leader(s), who will be in contact soon to start organising group activities.

If you would like to join an additional group, there may be still some places available. Email swm@offshoot.ie for details.

Good luck to all the participants. The Showcase nights in December no doubt will be, as always, excellent. Thanks again to the Group Leaders. Without you, we would not have or be able to enjoy SWM. 

Shoot With Me is unique to Offshoot. It gets you out with a camera and with a bunch of members all doing the same thing. You learn as you enjoy yourself. And the craic is mighty. 

IPF Shield Competition

Each year in November Offshoot submits two panels of images for the Irish Photographic Federation (IPF) National Shield Competition – one monochrome and one colour. This competition is intended for club members who do not hold a photographic diploma or degree, an IPF Associateship or Fellowship or an IPF Medal. 

So having told you who cannot apply we are seeking images from all other members for both the monochrome and colour panels. Please send us as many of your images as possible in both categories. 

We are starting early this year in the hope that we can give members some feedback. So go back through your library of images for the good ones we know you have as well as checking on Flickr, Facebook and all social media. Send them to us via the Dropbox link below as jpgs at least 2000 pixels on their longest side for consideration. 

When you have decided what images you would like to submit, please upload them to this Dropbox Link, by the 15^th October, having named your files in the following format: 

Membership No – Image Title eg 808 – The Bay at Dawn

Upcoming Outings:

Duffy's circus on Thursday 9th October

We get access to their rehearsal at 5pm and can stay for the show which starts at 6.30pm. If people want to go they need to put a message in the Outings WhatsApp group as they'll then be added to a circus WhatsApp where they'll receive a link for payment.

Not to be missed.

The deer rut in the Phoenix Park on Saturday 11th October

This is almost a fixture on our outings schedule. The deer rut is when the stags become protective of their does and fight to maintain their dominance. This is one of natures wonders and it is right on your doorstep.

 We’ll see you at the papal cross at the crack of dawn or 9:00am whichever suits you best.

November Trip to Connemara

A fabulous weekend away to Connemara from 7^th to 9^th November.  There are still three rooms available so, if you are interested contact the Outings Team for details.

Next Competition

The next competition will be open which means that you can submit anything you like in either Mono or Colour.  This will be the sixth and final competition in 2025.

 You can submit images on any theme you like as long as they are rendered in black and white.

 Since this a projection competition, you should save your images in JPEG or TIFF format (JPEG is probably more suited to projection) and name them with your Level Number, Membership Number and Image Title: L2-001-Image Title.jpg e.g. L1-123-This is my image title and spaces are allowed.jpg.

 As always, we encourage all of you (especially new members) to enter. The most significant benefit from entering is the feedback from independent judges to help you improve your photography.

You can submit up to 2 images Here so get shooting. We look forward to seeing a great selection of images. 

The deadline for uploads is Monday 3^rd November 

Judging will be in the Club on Monday, 17^th November. 

Tips of the Week

To improve your photography, focus on mastering light by shooting during golden hour and using natural light sources, and simplify your composition by using negative space, diagonals, and clean backgrounds to make your subject stand out. Other key tips include keeping your camera lens clean, using the "rule of thirds" for better framing, shooting both horizontally and vertically, embracing different perspectives, getting close to your subject, and regularly practicing your skills to improve repetition.

Mastering Light

• Shoot in natural light whenever possible to capture crisp, well-lit images. 
• Utilize golden hour by shooting in the early morning or late afternoon for soft, dynamic light.  
• Experiment with light direction; placing the light to the side or back of your subject can create interesting shapes and contrast. 
• Use a simple background to improve the composition by reducing distractions which take away from the subject. 

Composition & Framing

• Clean your lens with a t-shirt or lens cloth to avoid blurry or smudged photos. 
• Use the "rule of thirds" by enabling the grid lines on your camera to get a balanced composition. 
• Incorporate negative space around subjects to improve composition and prevent images from looking cramped or uncomfortable. 
• Find diagonals and curves in your scene to create more dynamic and pleasing images than those with only horizontal or vertical lines. 
• Shoot from different perspectives or angles to create more interesting diagonals. 
• Embrace both horizontal and vertical orientations when taking photos to discover the best way to frame your subject. 

Technique & Practice

• Hold your camera with two hands for stability, especially when using a smartphone, and keep your fingers out of the shot. 
• Get close to your subject to fill the frame and create a more impactful image, especially with a smartphone. 
• Vary your subjects and take breaks when you feel uninspired or tired to avoid burnout and maintain enthusiasm for photography. 
• Stay in one spot for five minutes to observe the scene; if nothing interesting happens, move on. 
• Be ready to modify your plans on the fly and try new things during a shoot to discover what makes an image work. 

Jamnik Church pre dawn - Frank Gaughan

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 webadmin@offshoot.ie. You will get an email when you have been added to the group. Please be patient as this is a manual process.]

What's On 

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

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

Quick Pro Tips for Autumn Photography 🍂 - Yorkshire Photo Walks

5 Photography Composition Tips From a National Geographic Photo Story - Sean Gallagher - Pro Photographer

Irish Photographic Federation Web Site:

https://irishphoto.ie/

Most recent news and articles posted:

https://irishphoto.ie/news/

Distinction Sittings and Availability:

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

Videos are available in the Videos section of the Member’s Area at https://www.offshoot.ie/member-area/. You will need to log in 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 login and catch-up on speakers you missed. Happy catching up!