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Welcome to Offshoot for 2026!
Happy New Year to all our members and welcome back to our club activities for 2026. The committee is planning a busy year ahead and will be trying to take on board many of the ideas raised in responses to the recent member survey.
Newsletter Changes
After a careful review we have decided to change the full Offshoot Newsletter to a monthly publication on the second Saturday of each month – so the next Newsletter will issue on 14 February.
In the intervening weeks we will issue a one-page bulletin, Offshoot Quick Snap, which will summarise key activities, dates, image submission links etc to keep you up to date.
Next Monday – Quiz Night
Last Monday, we enjoyed a great presentation by Richard Boyle of his successful AIPF Panel and of the process that led up to his great achievement.
Next Monday (12 January) we will run our annual quiz night when the winning team will be presented with the Joe Tulie Trophy. So come along with your best brainpower for an enjoyable evening of quizzing.
Time to get Shoot With Me Up and Running
For those new to the club, Shoot With Me is a project-based activity the club puts together twice a year.
The principal idea is that 10 to 12 club members volunteer to facilitate a small group of other club members in a chosen photographic project.
The essence of SWM is twofold:
1. It allows members to meet and socialise with other members while taking part in a photographic project and
2. It allows members to practice/explore/develop, or learn about some aspect of photography.
To bring your newfound skills to fruition, everyone gets to present up to three of their images at a Showcase in May.
Call for Leaders:
As ever, the success of SWM relies on getting volunteer leaders. To date, there are six leaders in place.
Many groups have had two members sharing the Group Leader role.
Ideally, we would like to kick off the Spring SWM as soon as possible in the New Year, so please get in touch as soon as possible.
As always, it cannot start until the leaders are in place.
To volunteer to lead a group, email your chosen project title and include a short description to swm@offshoot.ie.
SWM Projects:
The project can be anything at all – macro, landscape, architecture, flowers, wildlife, street photography, water movement, painting with light, portraiture ……the list is endless. It doesn’t have to be an original project. It could be one you previously participated in or didn’t get to.
Bob Acton (SWM co-ordinator)
2026 Photo Challenge Launch
The 2026 Photo Challenge (26PC) is intended to encourage participating members to pursue a focused theme of photography over an eight month period.
You decide the theme and the objective is to produce up to 20 images or up to 10 minutes of AV to illustrate that theme. The Photo Challenge is non-competitive – you decide your best images to include in your portfolio!
The deadline for completion of your challenge is 28 September 2026.
So why might you take on this challenge?
· To kick start your photography in 2026
· To give you some focus over the next 8 months
· Possible preparation for an IPF distinction process
· To enjoy the challenge and share your progress with other members.
Act Now: Confirm your participation and theme to 26PC@offshoot.ie
IPF National Club Competition – Call for Images
Offshoot usually enters two club photographic competitions each year run by the Irish Photographic Federation. The Shield competition is held each autumn while the National Club Competition is held in the spring.
For logistical reasons we did not enter the Shield in 2025 so we have a collection of members images from that submission which we will consider for the 2026 Club Competition panels. But we would like additional member images – perhaps some of those taken in more recent times.
So please revisit your images, select some that you consider to be suitable and send them to this Dropbox link for consideration for the club panels:
2026 Subscriptions Are Due Now
Please note that 2026 membership subscriptions are now due. The closing date for renewals is 28 February 2026.
Subscriptions may be paid by PayPal, on the Society’s website using PayPal or Stripe, with your debit or credit card to the Treasurer at a club meeting or via a SEPA bank transfer. Details of these payment methods have been sent to each member by email.
Outings
Next Club Outing – The Royal Hospital, Kilmainham
The next Club outing will visit The Royal Hospital Kilmainham on Saturday 17 January. Details will be circulated by email and WhatsApp. |
