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Welcome to the Otley Camera Club blog, where you can keep up to date with everything happening in and around the club.
Here you will find posts covering a wide range of activities, including club nights, competitions, outings and our involvement in the local community. It’s a great way to see what the club has been doing and the photography our members are producing.
You can use the options above to filter posts by category, including Out and About, Community, Competitions and Club Nights, making it easy to explore the areas that interest you most.
Club Nights
Discover what we have been up to our Thursday nights. Practicals, tutorials, competitions, speakers and social nights.
Otley Camera Club Reveals Exciting 2026/2027 Programme
Last night, Otley Camera Club members got their first look at our brand new 2026/2027 programme — and we’re delighted to finally be able to share it more widely. The upcoming season promises to be another fantastic year for the club, packed with inspiring speakers, practical evenings, competitions, tutorials, trips, social events, and collaborative opportunities designed to support and inspire photographers of all abilities. The programme reflects everything that makes Otley
3 days ago
Final Night of the Season at Otley Camera Club
Tomorrow evening marks the final club night of another fantastic season at Otley Camera Club. Over the past year we’ve enjoyed an incredible mix of inspiring speakers, practical sessions, competitions, trips, exhibitions, and social events — all alongside the friendship and support that make the club such a special community to be part of. As we wrap up the current season, we’ll also be looking ahead to the future. The Programme Committee will be unveiling the brand new 2026/
5 days ago
Claire Wilson-Sharp Wins Otley Camera Club Photo of the Year
Last night we held one of the highlights of the Otley Camera Club calendar — our annual Photo of the Year competition. Throughout the evening, members revisited the images that had received awards in competitions over the course of the season. Everyone then selected their three favourite images, with the scores revealed Eurovision Song Contest style. It made for a brilliant evening, with the lead changing hands several times as the votes were announced. By the end of the voti
May 22
Photo of the Year Evening at Otley Camera Club
Join us for one of the highlights of the club calendar as we celebrate the outstanding photography produced by our members throughout the season. During the evening, we’ll showcase all the images that placed in this year’s competitions, giving everyone the chance to revisit the fantastic variety of work created across the different themes and categories. In a relaxed and social atmosphere, members will discuss their favourite images before casting their votes to decide the ov
May 17
Portrait Practical Night at Our New Home in Otley Common
With our move to Otley Common now complete, we were excited to finally run the portrait practical evening we had been looking forward to for some time. The additional space available in our new venue allowed us to create two separate portrait setups, giving members the opportunity to experience different styles and techniques throughout the evening. The room was packed with enthusiastic photographers eager to get started. Our more experienced members quickly immersed themselv
May 15
An Inspiring Evening with Tracey Lund – and Looking Ahead to Bingley Camera Club
We were treated to a fantastic evening at Otley Camera Club as Tracey Lund returned to deliver the second part of her wildlife photography talk. Tracey captivated the audience with a presentation that was both engaging and full of personality. The evening was packed with stunning wildlife images, showcasing incredible encounters from around the world and demonstrating her skill in capturing powerful moments in nature. Alongside the images, Tracey shared a wealth of stories fr
Apr 18
What’s On This Week: Tracey Lund – Wildlife Photography Part 2
This week at Otley Camera Club we’re excited to welcome Tracey Lund back to the club for Wildlife Photography – Part 2. Following her previous popular session, Tracey returns to take us on another incredible photographic journey across the globe. From grizzly bears in Alaska and tigers in India, to orcas in Canada and lions in South Africa, the evening promises a showcase of stunning wildlife imagery and unforgettable experiences. As well as sharing stories from her travels,
Apr 12
A Social and Creative Evening – and Looking Ahead to Scapes Results
Last week we enjoyed a fantastic and lively evening at Otley Camera Club, with Print Club Live running alongside a series of practical stations. It was great to see so many members actively involved — supporting each other through the printing process, sharing ideas, and experimenting across the different setups. The room was full of creativity, energy and conversation, with plenty of chatter as members caught up and helped one another. With many of our evenings focused on ta
Mar 27
Lofoten, Faroe Isles and Getting Ready for Print Club Live
What a brilliant evening we had last night at Otley Camera Club. Our member John delivered a fantastic talk based on his trip to the Lofoten Islands and the Faroe Isles. The presentation was filled with stunning images, accompanied by engaging stories from the journey and plenty of useful tips that members could take away and apply to their own photography. One of the highlights of the evening was an introduction to drone photography, offering a fresh perspective and a techni
Mar 20
Member’s Talk: John Northover – Snow, Rocks, Sea and Stars
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
Mar 13
Competition Results: Architecture Colour PDIs and Record Mono Prints
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
Mar 13
Sports Photography and Maritime History at the Club
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
Mar 6
Meet the Members: Sports Photography and Maritime History
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
Feb 27
AI Judging and Looking Ahead to Abstract Photography
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
Feb 20
Next Week: Let AI Be the Judge
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,
Feb 13
Ask Anything Evening: Learning Together as a Club
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
Feb 6
Making the Most of Plan B: Image Reviews, Inspiration and Looking Ahead
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
Jan 30
Heading Outdoors for Long Exposure Light Trails
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
Jan 16
Competition Night: Photojournalism, Sports & Action PDIs and Macro Prints
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
Jan 9
Starting 2026 with a Bang: Mark Littlejohn at Otley Camera Club
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
Jan 2
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