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Next Monday Night
Alas, we start 2021 as we left 2020 seeing members only on Zoom. But photography can thrive in adversity and we are all testing our ingenuity in lockdown whilst we wait for the vaccine. It is probable that, until the autumn, Covid-19 will still be amongst us and Outings will be subject to protocols and Meetings will be virtual. But we are all in this together! As always, the safety of our club members is paramount and everyone should follow the recommended guidelines and club protocols.
What did you do over Christmas and the turn of the year? On Monday evening we welcome everybody to our virtual meeting on Zoom. We want you to share your images; Christmas hats on wildlife, baubles on trees; the bokeh of coloured lights; children playing with their gifts from Santa; a seasonal landscape; whatever you did and whatever you photographed let us share the joy.
Your committee has been busy and we want to share with you some plans we have for your delight.
Christmas Images
For the first meeting of the year, we have the members share images they took over the Christmas break. We encourage all members to share 2 or 3 of their best photo by uploading to the link below so we can view them at the meeting on the 11th January 2021.
Please upload images you wish to share at https://www.dropbox.com/request/ziOQavaqYduQIQOTUZiy.
Outings
The current Government Covid-19 Guidelines stipulate there must be 'no outdoor gatherings'. We are obliged, therefore, to suspend official outings for the immediate future. Our priority is to protect the health of our membership. We will keep our members informed and re-introduce as soon as we can. That doesn’t mean you can’t carry a camera with you on your stroll. It just means we can’t photograph together.
AGM
Thank you to all who Zoomed in for the AGM and to all who have volunteered assistance in 2021.
What we are doing in 2021?
There will be virtual meetings with speakers covering a variety of topics we believe will interest members. There will be competitions judged by fellow photographers from Ireland and beyond. Hopefully, there will be outings as and when guidelines allow. There will be Shoot With Me (SWM) in Spring and Autumn. Outside of the usual Monday meetings, we will introduce a Learn With Me (LWM) program where we will do workshops for members. There will be weekly Flickr themes and projects.
Our objective is to promote interest, enjoyment, encouragement and education through the medium of Photography and Offshoot.
Shoot With Me (SWM)
YES, Shoot-With-Me WILL go ahead, supported by some innovative variations, and once again we need club members to volunteer as group leaders.
WE NEED GROUP LEADERS and their chosen themes so please volunteer now.
If you are willing to act as a group leader please let me know as soon as possible to swm@offshoot.ie.
As previously the programme will involve up to twelve groups of six OPS members including the group leader. Of course, we will need to use Zoom and we’ll show you how to set up and run your group’s meetings.
A detailed email will be sent to all members shortly.
Learn With Me (LWM)
“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.” – Benjamin Franklin
We have a membership with a variety of equipment from a bridge camera to a DSLR and even a smart ‘phone. We take the view that photographic techniques are more important than the camera used.
And we do provide instruction in a number of ways with outings aimed at beginners, SWM and lectures on photographic techniques, post-processing and critique sessions. Most of us have found that the best way to learn is by putting what we have been shown into practice which is why we intend to run workshops outside our normal meeting rota. We will start with basic photographic techniques.
Then we will have workshops to fill a particular need and for this, we need your help. Please send your ideas to committee@offshoot.ie
What do we all look like?
Having all gone virtual we miss the personal interaction and sometimes it’s difficult to fit a face to a name? We are exploring how we can expand the website to solve this. Watch this space.
Ideas for personal photography outings while club outings are suspended
Bring your camera and a single lens with you for a walk this week and see what you can discover.
Bring your camera and a single lens with you for a walk this week and see what you can discover.
Garden Wildlife: You will be safely ‘cocooned’ and the birds will always visit if you leave some food out; goldfinches/the tit family/ sparrows/ starlings.
Coastal Images: The Dublin coastline offers endless possibilities: sunrise/sunset/seabirds/stormy conditions etc
Rivers: also offer many opportunities to photograph wildlife: look out for herons/kingfishers/wagtails/ dippers/ cormorants/otters etc.
Dublin Cityscapes: the Dublin City cityscape offers endless possibilities as well as street photography. Also, many of our local villages have buildings or monuments of architectural interest.
Winter Landscapes: frost/ snow/ flooding/ bare trees etc
The Wolf Moon: The January Full Moon is named after howling wolves. In some cultures, it was known as Old Moon, Ice Moon or Snow Moon. The wolf full moon is 28th January. Moonrise is 4:24 pm and Sunset 5 pm so put it in the diary. Don’t forget the moon can be photographed at any of its phases.
2021 Annual Subscription
The annual subscription for 2021 for renewing members of €50 is now due. Please ensure that you pay by 28th February 2021. Payment can be made by PayPal at https://www.offshoot.ie/subs or bank transfer. Please email treasurer@offshoot.ie for BIC and IBAN details.
Accessing Video Recordings of Meetings
We've added a new feature to the website. You can now access the recordings of past Zoom meetings from the OffShoot website.
These videos are available in the Videos section of the Member's Area at https://www.offshoot.ie/member-area/. You will need to login 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! |
