This week at Otley Camera Club we’re delighted to welcome one of our own talented members, John Northover CPAGB, LRPS, who will be presenting a talk titled “Snow, Rocks, Sea and Stars.” We’re incredibly fortunate to have so many skilled photographers within the club, and evenings where members share their work and experiences are always particularly enjoyable. John’s presentation promises to be a fascinating photographic journey through some of the stunning landscapes he has

We enjoyed another great competition evening at Otley Camera Club, with Peter Wells joining us as our judge. The evening featured two categories: Projected Digital Images (PDI) – Architecture in Colour and Print – Record in Monochrome. Both sections attracted a wide range of creative and technically strong entries, showcasing the talent and variety of work produced by our members. Peter did an excellent job working through the images, providing thoughtful and constructive fee

We enjoyed a varied and fascinating evening at Otley Camera Club last night with two very different but equally engaging presentations. The evening began with Alistair How, who shared a talk on sports photography. Alistair demonstrated how timing, anticipation and technical skill all come together to capture dynamic moments in sport. His talk was illustrated with some superb images and offered plenty of insight into the challenges and rewards of photographing fast-paced actio

Following on from Stan Farrow’s inspiring talk on abstract photography, next week we turn the spotlight inward with one of our much-loved Meet the Members evenings. These sessions are a fantastic opportunity for members to share their work and experiences. The format is deliberately open — talks might focus on a personal photographic journey, a favourite genre, or images from a particular trip or event. It’s always an enjoyable and varied evening. This time we’re looking forw

Last night at Otley Camera Club we held one of our more experimental evenings — “Let AI Be the Judge.” Members first voted for their own favourite five images, before we handed the judging over to Artificial Intelligence. The AI reviewed each entry, provided feedback, and selected its own top five images. It was fascinating to compare the results, and particularly interesting that there was agreement on three of the placed images. The evening sparked plenty of discussion abou

Next week at Otley Camera Club, we’re trying something a little different and a little experimental — “Let AI Be the Judge.” For this session, members’ images will be reviewed not by a traditional judge, but by Artificial Intelligence. The AI will analyse each photograph, provide a description, highlight what it feels works well, suggest possible improvements, and even select its top images. The aim isn’t to replace human judging, but to explore how AI interprets creativity,

Last night we held our Ask Anything evening. Members were invited to submit photographic questions in advance, which were then shared with the club. Volunteers kindly stepped forward to prepare and present answers during the meeting, creating an open and supportive environment where knowledge and experience could be shared. The range of questions was wide and varied, covering topics such as histograms, filters, insurance, sensor cleaning and printing, as well as plenty of pra

Over the past two weeks we’ve been trying our best to get outdoors for our planned long exposure practical sessions, but unfortunately the weather had other ideas and forced us indoors both times. While disappointing, it certainly didn’t stop us from enjoying two excellent and productive club evenings. One session was an image review night, giving members the chance to share their photographs and discuss them in a supportive and constructive environment. These evenings are al

After being rained off earlier in the year, we’re hoping for kinder weather this week as we head outdoors once again for a practical evening focused on long exposure photography. The session will concentrate on capturing light trails, using slow shutter speeds to transform the movement of traffic into dynamic and creative images. Long exposure photography is a fantastic way to experiment with timing, composition and camera settings, and it offers plenty of opportunity for bot

Following on from an amazing evening with Mark Littlejohn, who treated us to breathtaking images showcasing the sheer beauty of the Lake District and Scotland, we’re looking forward to another excellent night at Otley Camera Club as we welcome Monty as our guest judge. This competition evening will see Monty judging two categories: Projected Digital Images (PDI): Photojournalism, Sports & Action Print: Macro Monty will be selecting his personal favourites from each section wh

We’re delighted to be starting 2026 with a truly outstanding guest speaker as we welcome Mark Littlejohn to Otley Camera Club. Mark is a former UK Landscape Photographer of the Year and is widely regarded as one of the country’s most respected landscape photographers. His work stands out for its emphasis on light, mood and atmosphere, often finding compelling images in familiar and everyday locations rather than relying on dramatic or iconic viewpoints. During the evening, Ma

Last night, Otley Camera Club was treated to a truly memorable and inspiring session from creative photographer David Gilliver , known for his imaginative and beautifully crafted miniature-world images. His talk was not only visually captivating but also wonderfully interactive, keeping the whole room engaged from start to finish. David shared insights into his process, props, lighting, and storytelling — demonstrating how small-scale setups can produce big-impact photographs

Last night’s meeting was supposed to take place outdoors, but the weather — or more accurately, the forecast — had other ideas. Fortunately, at Otley Camera Club we’re never short of talented members willing to step in, and what could have been a lost evening turned into a truly informative and engaging session. RAW-to-Print with Chris We were then treated to a live demonstration from Chris, who walked us through his entire process of preparing a RAW image for print. From ini

Last week marked the conclusion of our popular Product Photography Trilogy, a three-part series designed to help members gain confidence and develop the skills needed for our upcoming product photography competition. In this final session, members who led the practical stations demonstrated how they would edit and process some of the images taken the week before. This behind-the-scenes look at different workflows offered a fantastic learning opportunity — from simple adjustme

Last night we enjoyed a fantastic practical evening at Otley Common, where the focus was firmly on product photography. Members rotated around a series of stations, each offering a different setup to explore. These ranged from simple natural-light arrangements to more advanced techniques such as focus stacking. The variety allowed everyone—from beginners to experienced photographers—to experiment, learn, and develop their skills. Some excellent images were produced, and it wa

Last week saw the start of our Product Photography Trilogy at Otley Camera Club. In the first session, our experienced members demonstrated the five practical stations that will be used in next week’s hands-on evening. Each station focuses on different techniques and lighting setups, offering a mix of creative challenges and learning opportunities. The upcoming practical session will feature: Beginner-friendly stations, where members can learn and experiment with guidance. Ad

Next week marks the start of our three-part series on product photography  at Otley Camera Club. The aim of this series is to help members develop their skills and prepare for our upcoming Product Competition . The sessions will guide members through every stage of the process — from concept and setup to shooting and editing. Session One:  A tutorial evening introducing the techniques, lighting setups, and creative approaches used in product photography. Session Two:  A pract

Last night Otley Camera Club enjoyed a fantastic evening with Andrew Wakefield, who delivered an entertaining and informative talk on macro photography. The session was illustrated with some excellent photographs, offering practical insights and inspiration for members looking to explore the world of close-up photography. Looking ahead, next week we have our first competition night of the season, where the open competition will be judged by Giles Rocholl. Giles is known for h

Last night marked the end of our recent series of monochrome-focused meetings at Otley Camera Club, with a lively Q&A evening to round things off. Members were invited to submit their questions in advance, and several of our more experienced photographers prepared short presentations to answer them. The evening covered a wide range of topics — from histograms to presets to printing — and provided plenty of inspiration for anyone exploring the art of black and white photograph

What a fantastic evening we had last night at Otley Camera Club! Our member Danni Burgess shared her short but spectacular photographic journey — an inspiring look at how passion and dedication can lead to rapid growth and creativity in just a short time. Then David Baron took us on an unforgettable visual adventure, recounting his experiences photographing a research expedition in the Himalayas. Both talks offered insight, inspiration, and plenty of stunning images. Next wee

Next week marks the start of our Members’ Talks evenings  at Otley Camera Club — a chance for our members to share their photographic journeys, adventures, and insights. We’re excited to begin with two very different but equally inspiring talks. Danni Burgess – My Photography Journey Through Pictures Danni may only have joined Otley Camera Club a year ago, but she has already impressed us with her passion and talent, especially in the field of wildlife photography. In her tal

Last night Otley Camera Club hosted something new: our very first “Same Image, Different Vision”  evening. In the run-up to the session, members were given eight RAW image files and invited to edit them in any way they wished. The only rule? There were no rules! Each photographer could apply their own style, techniques, and creative approach. We began the evening with a short discussion on the advantages of working in RAW — from the wider dynamic range to the flexibility it g

Last night, Otley Camera Club welcomed Joe Houghton  for a fabulous talk on processing in mono . Joe shared his expertise and gave us plenty to think about when it comes to creating striking monochrome images. Next week, we’re trying something completely new with an evening titled “Same Image, Different Vision.” In preparation, our members have all been working on the same set of images  — but with their own unique approaches to post-processing. It’s been fascinating to see j

After last night’s talk from our member Andy on colour and monochrome, we’re keeping the monochrome theme alive with a very special guest. We’re thrilled to welcome Joe Houghton back to the club  after his fantastic talk last year! Joe is a well-known photographer and trainer, and this time he’ll be focusing on how to create powerful black-and-white images. Processing in mono isn’t the same as working in colour – and Joe really knows his stuff. He’ll be showing us how to turn