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This Monday 12th February,  we have as guest speaker, Terry McDonagh, talking about photographing Sailing. 
 
We also have two outings this week. The first, on Tuesday morning, is to Altemount Gardens. Known as the most romantic garden in Ireland, Altamont is an enchanting blend of formal and informal gardens located on a 100-acre estate. Whilst still little known, it ranks in the top ten of Irish gardens and is often referred to as ‘the jewel in Ireland’s gardening crown’
 
The second outing, on Friday evening, is to the CHQ Building, 1 Custom House Quay, North Dock, Dublin to see the Chinese New Year Lights. Details of both outings are on the club website.
 
Interesting Articles / Activities Recommended By Our Members 
 
Thanks to Noreen Casey for letting us know that, for anyone interested in learning about photographic theory, there is a free, six-week, online course (that you can follow at your own pace) available from the Museum of Modern Art in New York. It’s titled Seeing Through Photographs.  It started on Jan 22nd, but you can easily catch up. You can get details and sign up at https://www.coursera.org/learn/photography
 

Wendy Hannan has suggested the following:
    Visiting the Island of The Colourblind (link)
    Anything With A Shape Will Eventually Be Gone (link)


Read the 'Club Assignment / Competition' section further down this Newsletter to see all the competition themes & dates for 2018.

 
 
Annual Subscription 2018
 
Please ensure you renew your membership by paying your subscription by 28th February 2018.
 
The subscription can be paid at the door before the meetings either in either cash or via a cheque made out to 'OffShoot Photography Society'.
 
Payment can also be made via PayPal. You can do this by either logging into your PayPal account and by making a once off payment of €80 to paypal@offshoot.ie or via the Society's website at the link https://offshoot.ie/subs/.
 
Any queries you wish to make on this matter should be sent to subs@offshoot.ie.
OffShoot 2018 Member's Exhibition (8th May - 18th June)
We are pleased to announce that we will be having our member's image exhibition in the Deansgrange Library from 8th May until 18th June. 

All members, new and old, may submit up to 2 images for the exhibition and we guarantee to display at least one, depending on the number of entries.

When choosing your images you need to be mindful that the exhibition is in a family library. 

Images should be submitted from now up until the 16th April

Name your image:  'Exhibition-Your name-Title of image'.
e.g.     Exhibition-David Whitaker-40 foot.

To submit an image for the Exhibition log on to club website and go to 'Upload Images' or upload via Dropbox at the link https://www.dropbox.com/request/JFKFV0b3jgZRAzYlio22.

The images will all be mounted and framed in a 20x16in white frame. The cost will be 30 Euro each. This is a very special price for the exhibition only.

There will be a party in the Grange Pub on the night of the opening and all members and guests will be welcome.

NB.  Images will only be accepted from paid up 2018 members.

Any queries please email exhibition@offshoot.ie or call Dave (086 173 1166) or Tony (086 236 2828).
 
Member's Photo of the Week
Thin Blue Lines by Wendy Hannan
Just a note for new members – if you want any of your pictures considered for photo of the week, you just have to post them to the OffShoot Flickr group at https://www.flickr.com/groups/offshoot_society/pool/with/25203048077/.

There’s also a link from the OffShoot home page.
What's On
 
12th February 2018:    Club Meeting – Terry McDonagh (Sailing)
13th February 2018:    Club Outing – Altemont Gardens
16th February 2018:    Club Outing - Chinese New Year Lights
19th February 2018:    Club Meeting – Competition #1 Hand-in / Member's Evening
25th February 2018:    Club Outing - Chinese New Year
26th February 2018:    Club Meeting – Competition #1 Judging (Ita Martin)
3rd March 2018:          Club Outing - Carton House Sunrise
 
Keep an eye on your email and the What's On (click here) section on the website for updates.
From Our Blog
February 6, 2018
Club Outing - 40ft
On Sunday 4th February a number of OffShoot members got up early to take pictures of the sunrise at the 40ft in Dun Laoghaire. Some looked out the window and saw the rain and grey sky and decided to go back to bed. The more sturdy decided to brave it out and head down...
Go To Article →
Club Projects / Competitions
 
 
Hot info: 19th February - Competition submission
               12th March - Project initial submission
            
Projects
Designed to help members pursue their own style of photography.

A project is a series of three printed photographs submitted for constructive critique during 2018. The choice of theme for your project is entirely up to you. With your first entry, it would be helpful to include information as to what you are aiming to achieve with the three photographs that make up your completed project. At each review, you will receive written feedback on suggestions for your next entry. 

Some typical projects:
• Three entries suitable for my IPF qualification,
• Improve my portrait work,
• Produce mono images in square format,
• Experiment with macro images,
• Abstract patterns.
 
If you have any queries send an email to competition@offshoot.ie and as ever we’ll do our best to help.
 
Project Submissions dates 
March - Initial entry
12th March - Submission Hand-In
26th March - Feedback
 
May - Second entry based on feedback in March
21st May - Submission Hand-In
28th May - Feedback 
 
October - Third entry based on feedback in May
15th October - Submission Hand-In
22nd October - Feedback
 

Competitions

The time for the next competition submission is upon us. Submission is by the 19th February. It’s a projected competition and the themes and the ways of submitting entries are written below.
 
Level 1 Entries 
There are 2 sections - B&W and Colour. You may submit up to two (2) entries in total. The entries can be distributed one (1) in each section or two (2) in one section.
 
Level 2 Entries
There are 2 sections - B&W and Colour. You may submit up to four (4) entries in total. You may submit up to two (2) entries per section.
 
Submission Options for Projected Competition
Name your images in the format ‘Membership No’ – ‘Image Title’ e.g. 101-My Image.jpg. 
 
Then upload the images in one of the following ways:
1. (Preferred) Use the following Dropbox link https://www.dropbox.com/request/glvan5VnPsUPITJwdYl7
 
2. Upload using the OffShoot web image load feature https://offshoot.ie/uploads/
 
or 
 
3. Bring your images to the Hand-In meeting on a USB memory stick.


Upcoming Competition Themes & Dates (2018)
February - Competition #1 (Projected)
 
Level 1 Theme - ‘Nature and Wildlife’
Level 2 Theme - Open
 
19th February - Submission Hand-In
26th February - Judging by Ita Martin who presented to the club on 15th January. (Flickr - https://www.flickr.com/photos/80011528@N08)
 
‘Nature and Wildlife’ - The theme says it all. Expressed another way it is the natural world and the things in it. 
 
 
April - Competition #2 (Printed)
 
Level 1 Theme - ‘Close Up’
Level 2 Theme - Open
 
16th April - Submission Hand-In
23rd April - Judging
 
‘Close Up’ - This theme is to encourage you to look closely at what surrounds you. Not into the distance but nearby. Pick things that interest you and find a way turning them into interesting images. Think about shapes, textures and patterns in monochrome as well as the new colours of the year. Go to the Paddy's day parade - floats, costumes and characters. You can also put on a Macro lens and get really Close Up!
 
 
June - Competition #3 (Printed)
 
Level 1 Theme - ‘Close to Home’
Level 2 Theme - Open
 
11th June - Submission Hand-In
18th June - Judging
 
‘Close to Home’ - We live in a beautiful part of the world. Many interesting natural features, memorable places and lots of events happen close to home. Look at the outings on offer. Don’t forget the weather can be very dramatic at this time of year. What’s close? Ask Father Ted. Don't stray too far...
 
 
September - Competition #4 (Printed)
 
Level 1 Theme - ‘An Irish Summer’
Level 2 Theme - Open
 
17th September - Submission Hand-In
24th September - Judging
 
‘An Irish Summer’ - Although this competition is in September we may be in the middle of summer, who knows. Lots of opportunities in July and August to capture the essence of an Irish summer. Monochrome makes for more drama.
 
 
November - Competition #5 (Printed)
 
Level 1 Theme - ‘Autumn Colours’
Level 2 Theme - Open
 
19th November - Submission Hand-In
26th November - Judging
 
‘Autumn Colours’ - We hope this doesn’t need any explanation. Check out the outings they will give you lots of ideas. Difficult for the monochrome specialists but not impossible.
 
Photo Quiz Question
The higher the ISO setting, the more likely your photograph will have "noise", or "grainy-ness"?
 
A. True
B. False
 
Answer at bottom of the Newsletter.
External Competitions
Call for Entries: Aesthetica Art Prize Now Open for Submissions

The Aesthetica Art Prize is now open for entries, presenting an opportunity for emerging and established artists to further their involvement in the art world. The award is an internationally renowned prize presented by Aesthetica Magazine and judged by industry experts.
 
Enter for your chance to win £5,000 and showcase your work to wider audiences!
Categories for entry: Photographic & Digital Art; Three-Dimensional Design & Sculpture; Painting, Drawing & Mixed Media and Video, Installation & Performance.

Deadline for submissions is 31 August 2018. Visit: www.aestheticamagazine.com/artprize
 
 
Exhibitions & Events
DRAGANA JURIŠIĆ   My Own Unknown

Thursday 8 February –
Sunday 18 March 2018
 
My Own Unknown, is an on-going series of work by Dublin-based photographer Dragana Jurišić. A very personal exhibition, the work addresses the complexities of exile, politics and betrayal together with family history. Organised into 5 chapters, the work opens out to explore important universal themes, in particular the role of Woman as Muse in the western art tradition, and the complex hybridity of female identities, both real and imagined. Link
Upcoming IPF Events
Photographer Of The Year Updates
 
 
Finals Weekend
 
The national finals of the IPF Nature Photographer of the Year competition will be held on Saturday the 17th February with the IPF Photographer of the Year competition on Sunday the 18th February 2018.
 
As always, please check regularly on the IPF website and Facebook page for updates on the competition and dates for regional rounds. 
 
Photo Quiz Answer
OffShoot Photography Society
newsletter@offshoot.ie
© 2018 OffShoot Photography Society and the Individual Members where their images are used.
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