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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 below 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.
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OCC Visits OCC Again – Another Great Day of Cricket Photography
The partnership between Otley Camera Club and Otley Cricket Club continued this weekend as our members returned to Cross Green to photograph another exciting league fixture. The match certainly didn't disappoint. Otley produced a superb all-round team performance to record an emphatic 115-run victory over Bilton CC. Batting first, Otley amassed an impressive 283/7, built around excellent innings from Alex Atkinson (74) and George Huntley (54) before Charlie Parker provided th
4 days ago
Facebook Group Photo of the Month – June 2026
Congratulations to Richard Sells, whose imaginative image "Who Spilt the Growth Hormone?" has been selected as Otley Camera Club's Facebook Group Photo of the Month. Each month, the previous winner chooses their favourite image from the latest entries, and this month's judge, David Baron, had an incredibly strong selection to choose from. David said: "Thank you all for your entries, there were some fantastic photographs. But in the end I chose Richard's giant caterpillars – m
5 days ago
Meet The Members – Claire Wilson Sharp
This week in our summer Meet The Members series we're featuring Claire Wilson Sharp. Claire has enjoyed photography for many years, although for much of that time it was simply a way of recording memorable moments. Her camera usually accompanied her on holidays, where she found herself naturally drawn to landscapes, wildlife and the places she visited. Inspired by a friend whose photography had flourished after joining a camera club, Claire decided to become a member of Otley
5 days ago
Photography Courses Now Open for Booking at Prince Henry's Grammar School
If you've been thinking about learning photography or getting more from your camera, now is the perfect time. Bookings are now open for the Prince Henry's Grammar School Community Education Programme 2026/27, and we're delighted that Otley Camera Club member Richard Sells will once again be delivering two popular photography courses. Beginners Photography (Tuesday Evenings) Tuesdays | 7:00pm – 9:00pm Designed for those who are new to camera photography, this weekly course hel
Jul 14
A Fantastic Day at Yorkshire Wildlife Park
While our regular Thursday evening meetings take a break over the summer, Otley Camera Club's photography certainly doesn't! Today, a group of our members headed to Yorkshire Wildlife Park for one of our regular informal photography outings. Joining us were several students who recently completed a Photography for Beginners course at Prince Henry's Grammar School, run by one of our members, making it a great opportunity to continue learning and putting new skills into practic
Jul 12
Meet The Member: Karen Weir
Karen has been one of Otley Camera Club's success stories over the past year. Her confidence behind the camera has blossomed, her photography has reached a new level, and she's enjoyed her most successful competition season to date. With more placings than ever before, including 2nd Place in the Landscape Competition with her stunning image of Loch Muick, Karen has shown that hard work, enthusiasm and a willingness to try new things really do pay off. Karen picked up a camera
Jul 11
Otley Camera Club Appoints New Community Officer
We're delighted to announce the appointment of David Baron as Community Officer for Otley Camera Club. David's role is to build relationships with local community groups, charities, sports clubs and organisations, creating opportunities for collaboration that benefit everyone involved. By working together with local groups, we'll be able to: 📸 Support community events by providing photography. 🤝 Strengthen our links with organisations across Otley and the surrounding area.
Jul 7
Otley Camera Club and Otley Cricket Club – A New Partnership Begins
Saturday marked the beginning of an exciting new partnership between Otley Camera Club and Otley Cricket Club as our members headed to Cross Green for their match against Horsforth Hall Park. The day provided everything you could want from a cricket fixture. After bowling Horsforth Hall Park out for 253, Otley produced an excellent run chase to secure a brilliant victory. For Otley Camera Club, the day was about much more than photographing a cricket match. Supporting local o
Jul 7
Otley Camera Club at the LOGCO Otley Cycle Races
Thursday evening saw Otley Camera Club once again out in the community, this time supporting the LOGCO Otley Cycle Races by documenting one of the town's biggest annual sporting events. Our photographers were tasked with capturing not only the high-speed racing action around the circuit but also the atmosphere, entertainment and community spirit that make the Otley Cycle Races so special. With England's football match finishing just before the racing began, the town was alrea
Jul 5
Meet The Members – Mary Marshall
This week in our summer Meet The Members series we're featuring Mary Marshall. Mary originally joined Otley Camera Club to unravel the mysteries of photography and finally understand terms such as f-stops, apertures and shutter speeds. Since then, she has learned a tremendous amount, not only through the club's talks and practical evenings but also from the support, encouragement and example set by fellow members. For Mary, one of the greatest strengths of the club is its fri
Jul 2
Meet The Members: Danni Burgess
📸 Meet The Members – Danni Burgess 📸 This week in our summer Meet The Members series we're featuring Danni Burgess. Danni's photography journey began quite recently, inspired by joining her husband, Chris, on his countryside walks. What started as a growing interest in local wildlife quickly became a passion, and the turning point came when Chris gifted her a Canon camera for Christmas in 2023. Since then, Danni has embraced every opportunity to get outdoors and explore. Wh
Jun 28
Meet The Members: Chris Burgess
📸 Meet The Members – Chris Burgess 📸 This week in our summer Meet The Members series we're featuring Chris Burgess. Chris has recently rediscovered his love of photography. A lifelong outdoor enthusiast, he has always enjoyed hiking and exploring the countryside, particularly in and around the Yorkshire Dales, often with a camera tucked into his pocket. However, like many of us, the demands of everyday life meant that photography had to take a back seat for a number of year
Jun 21
Meet The Members: Keira Thorogood
Keira is one of Otley Camera Club's most accomplished photographers, having been awarded Photographer of the Year in 2019, 2020 and 2021, as well as winning Photo of the Year in 2023. These achievements reflect not only her technical skill but also her ability to produce outstanding images across a wide range of photographic genres. However, as you can see from this selection of photographs, nature and wildlife photography hold a special place in Keira's heart. Many early mor
Jun 17
Photo of the Month – May 2026
Congratulations to David Baron, whose excellent cricket photograph has been selected as our Photo of the Month for May. Chosen by last month's winner, Chris Burgess, the image captures a dramatic moment in professional cricket as Keaton Jennings is clean bowled by Ian Holland for 10. The flying bails, the displaced stumps and the batsman's reaction combine to create a photograph that perfectly freezes a split second of sporting action. In selecting the image, Chris said: "I r
Jun 17
Meet The Members: Les Smart
📸 Meet The Members – Les Smart 📸 This week in our summer Meet The Members series we're featuring Les Smart. Originally from Liverpool, Les likes to joke that he had to leave because he doesn't like football! A member of Otley Camera Club since 2017, Les recently stepped down from the role of Competition Secretary after many years of dedicated service (joining the committee on almost his first visit to the club). During his time in the role, he did an outstanding job helping
Jun 12
Meet The Members: Richard Sells
This week in our summer Meet The Members series we're featuring Richard Sells. Richard recently stepped down as Chair after two years leading the club but remains an active committee member with responsibility for the club's website and social media. Outside the club, Richard teaches computing at a local primary school and also runs a beginner's photography course through a community education programme. Unlike many photographers, Richard doesn't have a favourite genre and en
Jun 5
Otley Camera Club 2025/2026 – The Year in Numbers
35 meetings, 490 competition entries, 97 exhibition images, 6 trips out, 11 new members and countless cups of tea later — here’s a fun look back at another fantastic season at Otley Camera Club.
Jun 3
Otley Camera Club Annual Exhibition Celebrates Successful Weekend
A review of the Annual Exhibition 2026
Jun 1
Celebrating Success at Our Annual Awards Evening
On the Saturday evening of our Annual Exhibition, we held one of the most enjoyable and important nights of the Otley Camera Club calendar — our Annual Awards Evening. The evening is always a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the end of another successful season, recognise members’ achievements throughout the year, and reveal the final results of the Annual Exhibition. After drinks and nibbles, our exhibition judge, Mark Waddington, took members on a guided tour of the exhib
May 31
Thank You for Supporting Our Annual Exhibition and Results!
A huge thank you to everyone who visited the Otley Camera Club Annual Exhibition yesterday. We were delighted to welcome so many visitors throughout the day and received an incredible amount of positive feedback about the quality and variety of our members’ photography. One of the biggest highlights was welcoming 7 new members to the club — a fantastic result and a wonderful way to end the season. The exhibition continues today at: 📍 Otley Parish Church⏰ 1:30pm – 4:00pm Ther
May 31
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