About OffShoot

OffShoot is a photography society in the South County Dublin area with a focus on enjoying photography in a relaxed and friendly environment.

Our society caters to photographers of all standards and all genres and firmly believes we each have something we can learn and each have something we can share.

Welcome

OffShoot is a photography society in the South County Dublin area with a focus on enjoying photography in a relaxed and friendly environment. Our society caters to photographers of all standards and all genres and firmly believes we each have something we can learn and each have something we can share. However, if you are a complete beginner you will most likely need to also do an external beginners course or increase your knowledge through videos or books.

The club has an active and varied calendar with Club Meetings, Guest Speakers, Practical Tutorials, Outings, formal and informal Competitions and participation in Regional and National Photographic events and initiatives. Come along to one of our meetings and say hello.

OffShoot was established in 2008 with the aim of progressing the photography skills of its members through active participation in our programme of events designed to build ability through practical experience. At OffShoot we believe:

  • First and foremost we believe that the image is everything.
    • It is not the camera or lens it was taken with or the techniques used that matter but the final impact and quality of the image itself
  • The best way to advance your skills is to learn from experience.
    • OffShoot is not a school. It will, however, give you an opportunity to meet like-minded photographers and challenge yourself to improve your skills.
  • To get the most from the club you need to participate.
    • Our programme of outings, competitions, and discussions is geared towards offering our members a chance to gain exposure to all areas of photography and try things they may not have tried individually.
  • That there is great benefit if members interact with other members.
    • Our membership is diverse and it is our aim to bring our members together to talk about all aspects of photography, meet new people, and share knowledge. We believe members can gain as much benefit from the social side of the society as through the programme itself.

Finally, whilst it’s impossible to please all of our members all of the time we endeavour to put together a programme that reflects the broad range of interests and abilities within the club.

Meetings

The society meets most Monday nights at 8.00 pm in the school hall of St Brigids Girls National School, Park Drive, The Park, Cabinteely, Dublin 18.

The evening’s events vary to cater for a wide range of interests. Evenings include guest speakers, competitions, practical evenings (e.g. model setups, macro, strobe lighting) and outings.

There is ample parking in front of the small shopping centre adjacent to the school. (Please do not park in the short-stay bays near the shops.) On leaving the car park you follow a short path across some open ground to the pedestrian entrance gate of the school.

Once you go through the pedestrian entrance gate you will see the main school building in front of you. The evening time entrance to the school reception area/school hall is located around the right-hand side of the main school building. View OffShoot Photography Society location in a Google map.

Contact Us

We would love to hear from you! If you have a question or query about joining OffShoot then please email us at newmembers@offshoot.ie and Deirdre Irwin (Club Membership Secretary) will help you out.

For more general information about the Society or non-membership queries please email us at secretary@offshoot.ie and Russell Burke (Club Secretary) will happily assist.

As well as in-society announcements we have several means of communication: Weekly newsletter-style update emails are circulated to all members; the website, www.offshoot.ie, features a forum and both member and society galleries; Receive Tweets from us @offshoot_ps, be-friend or like us at offshoot on Facebook or Instagram. You can also see some of the member’s images on Flickr.

If all that’s not enough you can also email directly to the chairperson at chairperson@offshoot.ie.

Subs & Dues

The membership fee for 2024 is €90 (for the year or part thereof).  Prospective members can attend meetings for up to three weeks while deciding on full membership. The €90 membership fee is due on joining.

People of all photography levels are very welcome. Full members receive a membership ID number which is used for formal competition entries. Members will receive a weekly Newsletter as well as access to Members Only Flickr and Facebook groups.

Committee

At the AGM on 11th December 2023, the society membership voted for the following committee positions:- Emily Gallagher (Chairperson), Nigel Leyland (Treasurer), Andy Quinlan (Secretary), and Jean Clarke (Competitions Secretary).

The incoming Committee has appointed the following sub-committees:

Outings Sub Committee
Eithne O’Leary (Co-ordinator), Gerard Halpin, Enda Magee & Mary Hahn

Competitions Sub Committee
Jean Clarke & Aoife Carty

Shoot With Me Sub Committee
Pat Divilly

New Members Greet & Welfare Sub Committee
Deirdre Irwin

IT / Members Admin / Newsletter Sub Committee
Ian Gemmell, Emily Gallagher and Matt Dunne

The Committee would like to thank outgoing 2023 Committee members for their service to the Committee.

Minutes of the 2023 AGM can be accessed here.

The society’s constitution can be accessed here.

Why join?

One of the best ways to improve your photography is to join a photography club or society. No matter what level of photography you are at, joining a club or society is a great way to learn more and to meet and exchange ideas with like-minded people who share your passion. If you have a New Member query about OffShoot please email newmembers@offshoot.ie.

Joining a club or society gives you the opportunity to:

  • further your interest and knowledge in photography,
  • be exposed to new ideas and techniques,
  • be inspired by what others are interested in,
  • learn through hands-on sessions,
  • receive feedback for your work,
  • receive encouragement from others,
  • try new areas of photography that you haven’t attempted before,
  • meet others who use the same camera and equipment as you and to share tips and information.

Besides the fact that it’s fun and is a great way to get to meet people who share your interest, OffShoot Photography Society offers an opportunity for photographers to improve their skills, to share ideas and to show their work. Members have a diverse range of photographic interest areas and a wide range of ability. Guest speakers, outings and competitions are set with members interests in mind. What we all have in common is a love of photography and a willingness to share our skills and ideas with fellow members.

10 Things You Need To Know About OffShoot

  1. OffShoot holds meetings most Monday evenings at 8 pm in St. Bridgids National Girls School located in The Park housing estate in Cabinteely, Dublin 18.
  2. We are a society that caters to every level of photography in a relaxed and welcoming environment.
  3. Evening meetings include talks by guest speakers covering a wide variety of photographic interests including landscape, macro, nature, wildlife, travel, street and portraiture etc.
  4. The club runs ‘Shoot With Me’ programs where a leader takes a small group and shares his/her interest in a particular area of photography. The team present their work back to the Club afterwards.
  5. Competitions are run on a regular basis. Formal competitions are set with a variety of themes in mind. Formal competitions give an opportunity for you to receive constructive feedback from an impartial judge about your work. Informal competitions are also held and these are more relaxed, with fun in mind and are a great way to get to know other members.
  6. OffShoot sends regular updates by email with details of upcoming meetings, outings and anything else that might be of interest to its members.
  7. The annual subscription is €90. New members are welcome to attend three meetings before deciding to join. After this trial period, prospective new members are asked to make a decision to join.
  8. Throughout the year OffShoot organises outings for its members. This gives members an opportunity to photograph in locations or using setups they would not normally have access to. We have full Club Insurance.
  9. OffShoot has a Flickr and Facebook group where members can post their work and receive feedback.
  10. The Club has many talented photographers who are happy to share their knowledge and experience.

The society’s constitution can be accessed here.

Testimonials

Laura

Laura

I joined in December 2011. I had just completed a creative photography course with the Institute of Photography and had been advised that joining a photography club was the best way to ensure you got out and about with your camera.

 

 

OffShoot Photography Society was recommended because it was known as being an active club i.e. they have regular photography outings. I really enjoy meeting up with fellow photography enthusiasts at the weekly club meetings.

All members are welcoming and happy to share their knowledge. I can honestly say that I learn something different each week..

Ken

Ken

I joined in January 2012. I had been learning photography by reading books and attending classes but got into a rut.

 

Someone suggested that joining a photography club would be a good idea and after some research, decided that OffShoot was the one that suited me best. I’m really delighted that I have joined OffShoot. It’s a thriving photography club with plenty of different activities and outings to encourage you to try something different or new.

The members are very friendly and have made me feel very welcome since I joined. I particularly liked the assistance given to help me with my first competition entry and the Walk With Me session that we did during the summer was really enjoyable. I’m looking forward to the new season and to some of the outings and events already planned.

Ann

Ann

I joined in December 2011. I had done a course with the Institute of Photography and really wanted to carry on learning, I picked OffShoot because it was local to me and the web page gave me a good idea what they were about.

 

Everyone was very friendly and I was delighted to see that there was such a range of ability and interests in the club. I’m really happy that I joined. The weekly meeting and chat give me the motivation to take my camera out on a regular basis. I love the competition judging, I enjoy seeing other peoples work and learning from it.

Shoot With Me is a great idea and gives me an opportunity to try areas of photography I wouldn’t even think about. The communication within the club is great and the members are well informed about what is happening. I’m looking forward to the planned outings, more Shoot With Me events and to learning lots more this year.

Brian

Brian

I joined in November 2011. I joined because I wanted to improve my level of photography and learn from experienced photographers.

 

I have found the experienced members to be very generous with their time. It’s good to mix with people with similar interests and being in a photgraphy club makes me get out and use my camera more.

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