One of the most enjoyable aspects of club membership is attending the many different outings and trips that are organised every few weeks.
We try to visit places which will give our members the opportunity to shoot subjects appropriate for our upcoming club competitions. These outings are a great way to get to know other members and learn from some of our more experienced photographers.
After a busy morning of shooting, we typically head to a local coffee shop for refreshments before heading back to Blanchardstown to collect our cars. From time to time we arrange bigger trips away in Ireland or further afield. Over the last few years we’ve been everywhere from Achill Island to Bologna!
Recent Trips and Events.
Sunday 14th May – Club Outing – Killinthomas Woods
Eight members decided to take the walk among the bluebells in Killinthomas on Sunday morning, although the bluebells failed to impress. It was a pleasant morning with the scent of wild garlic in the air, but the rain persisted and eventually drove our photographers into the local coffee shop – not too difficult a task on most outings.
Tuesday 9th May – Model Shoot
This was a very successful evening and everyone, both photographers and those watching on, learned a lot from the professional set up.
The photographers were excellent and got some great shots. The earlier sessions that were held with the club lights really paid dividends, as everyone was familiar with setting up the triggers and getting into action quickly. Thanks to Des O’ Neill for arranging and to David Smith for managing one of the lighting set-ups. Also, very well done to the models, who were excellent – all three of them.
Tuesday 2nd May – POTY Review and Presentation on Printers and Printing
We started the evening with our usual review of the photographs that were entered in the April POTY competition. The POTY reviews are a great way to learn from the pictures that were awarded the top four places in each category. By studying the composition, exposure and technical details in these shots, we can develop our own skills to recreate these features. Make sure also to check out the other photographs that didn’t make the top four, some can be real winners but were just missed or overlooked by the judge on the night.
After the review we had a presentation on printing photographs by Sheldon Long. Sheldon printed a selection of prints that were sent to him in advance, to demonstrate how certain papers can bring out the best in particular styles of photographs. He also showed how he applied some changes to the images in Photoshop before printing – and we all learned about the History Brush.
Friday 28th April – impromptu visit to Dublin Zoo
A number of members arranged this trip, as one of a series of trips that are organised most weeks to places like The Dodder, St. Anne’s Park, Botanic Gardens, Sandymount Strand, Waterville Park and other really great locations within easy reach of Blanch.
The weather on the day was mixed, but this didn’t stop our group from getting some great photographs.
Tuesday 28th March – POTY judging
Our judge for the March POTY competition was Andrea Hunt from the Dublin Photography School. Andrea was with us previously doing a presentation on Macro Photography. Her judging style was to point out the positive features of each photograph, rather than to be overly critical, while also offering advice on what might enhance the finished product.
St Brigid's Photo Group 