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Whats On 2025

This page gives an overview of the projects, speakers, and field trips which members can attend and enjoy whilst trying different kinds of photography to regularly exercise their skills. The monthly project themes are set at the start of the year, whilst the speakers and field trip opportunities evolve as the year progresses.
For members more details can be found via the Members Whats On Calendar link
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JULY
PROJECT:   SHADOWS
In photography, everything starts with light and shadows. One cannot live without the other and as photographers we need to embrace them both. Find shadows that emphasise a subject, create patterns, or add drama.
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​Wednesday 9th July - Club Night - Architecture Walkabout in Reading
​Contact us for Further Information

​Wednesday 30th July - Club Night - Bucklebury Common field trip (or Wed 27th Aug if weather inclement)
Project purpose - To create a photographic record of the restoration of Bucklebury Common on the Bucklebury Estate.
Final outputs - A photo book documentary of the seasons on Bucklebury Common, focusing on the restoration of heathland and creation of new gullies and wood pasture. This photo book, will then have a narrative by the Bucklebury ecology expert.
AUGUST
PROJECT:   ARCHITECTURE
Architecture photography generally means photography that focuses on buildings. It can include shooting building exteriors and interiors, as well as bridges, other structures, and cityscapes.

​Wednesday 27th August - Club Night - Bucklebury Common field trip (if Wed 30th July trip cancelled)
Project purpose - To create a photographic record of the restoration of Bucklebury Common on the Bucklebury Estate.
Final outputs - A photo book documentary of the seasons on Bucklebury Common, focusing on the restoration of heathland and creation of new gullies and wood pasture. This photo book, will then have a narrative by the Bucklebury ecology expert.
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SEPTEMBER
PROJECT:   SUMMER
We all know there is just a special feeling about summer and that it can be unique to each of us. Traditions, new adventures, warm weather, and delicious food are all wonderful parts of summer. During this time of year all of our senses are ignited helping us experience as well as remember the essence of summer. What fuels your summer? Can you capture it in a photo?
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​Wednesday 10th September - Club Night - Speaker Jack Lodge
Presentation: Landscape Photography - The Change of Seasons
Is there anything more magical than watching the change of seasons? Something I am extremely passionate about, shooting the seasons will give you an insight into how I plan, capture and share my photography. We will go through patience, persistence, and the importance of re-visiting locations time and time again, after all, practice makes perfect. 
Bio: Jack Lodge is a professional landscape, nature and wildlife photographer from Wimborne, Dorset in the South West of England, UK. Through his photography, Jack strives to capture the change of each season, documenting the ever changing landscapes as the light and weather change - capturing the beauty surrounding us.

​Wednesday 24th September - Club Night - tba

Picture
website:
www.jacklodge.co.uk
OCTOBER
PROJECT:   ANIMALS
Whether wild or domesticated, on safari or in a Zoo.... animals exhibit all sorts of behaviours. Some are brutal, some are cute, some are just plain bizarre to our eyes. They are all amazing, wonderful, and worthy of a photo.

​Wednesday 8th October - Club Night - tba

Saturday 18th Event: Thatcham Festival - Gazebo On The Broadway
TPC will be engaging with passers-by on the Broadway to talk about photography and TPC activities. We'll have our photobooks from the past few years on display and will be encouraging people we meet to come along to our open evening on 29 October.

Sat 18th - Sun 19th October - Event: Photography Exhibition
In support of the Thatcham Festival, we'll have a large selection of photos on display at The Old Bluecoat School in Thatcham. Something for everyone, the photos taken by our members span many subjects and themes. Pop-in for a while and enjoy the peace and quiet as you immerse yourself in the images or chat with some of our members about photography.
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​Wednesday 29th October - Club Night - Open Evening
In support of the Thatcham Festival we are opening our doors to anyone with an interest in photography to come along and take some photos with their own camera. We'll have a number of table-top mini-studios with lights and objects for you to photograph as well as a professional model shoot set-up with large flash units and a background. Our members will be there taking their own photos and will help you to learn how to control your camera and take better pictures.

NOVEMBER
PROJECT:   VINTAGE
Capture the essence of times gone by in a photo. For inspiration, try attending some retro or vintage events. Experiment with your photo editing software..... perhaps convert the image to black & white. Add a bit of grain or texture. Try a sepia colour cast. Have fun with it.
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​Wednesday 12th November - Club Night - tba

​Wednesday 26th November - Club Night - Speaker Stu Vincent
Presentation
: Sports / Event Photography 
DECEMBER
PROJECT:   PEOPLE
Portrait photography, or portraiture, is a type of photography aimed at capturing the personality of a person or group of people by using effective lighting, backdrops, and poses. A portrait photograph can be artistic or clinical..... organised and arranged.... posed or candid.... formal or informal. You choose.

JANUARY
PROJECT:   PATTERNS
Pattern photography utilises elements that are repeated. The repetition of lines, shapes, tones, or colours can create interesting images. The pattern can be the main subject of a photo, or it can be used to enhance the overall composition and look of the photo.
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​Wednesday 14th January - Club Night - tba

​Wednesday 28th January - Club Night - tba

Year To Date   
JANUARY PROJECT:   WINTER
​Try to capture what mother nature throws at us over the holidays and into the New Year.
​View gallery
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Wednesday 8 January - Club Night
A social catch-up after the holiday break with some help and advice included
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Wednesday 29 January - Club Night: AGM

​FEBRUARY 2025​
FEBRUARY PROJECT:   SYMMETRY
​In photography this is achieved when the two halves of a photo have the same visual weight, making the image appear balanced and proportional. Symmetrical images are pleasing to the eye and can draw the viewer's attention to details.
​View gallery
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Wednesday 12th February - Club Night - Pecha Kucha
Pecha Kucha is a presentation methodology in which a person presents 20 slides, with each slide only on-screen for 20 seconds….. that’s six minutes and 40 seconds in total for 20 slides. The format keeps presentations concise and fast-paced and is a fun way to enjoy a number of subjects in one evening. The more people giving presentations, the more subjects covered, the more fun. 
Talks will be about any subject, within the bounds of political correctness and decency, of course.


Wednesday 19 February - KATS production - dress rehearsal
We have been invited to photograph the dress rehearsals for the latest production of the Kennet Amateur Theatrical Society.
7 of our members will photograph the evening to capture key moments of the performance.


Sunday 23 February - North Hampshire  Motorcycle Club Event
A chance to photograph trial bikes climbing hills. It could be muddy, it could be cold and wet..... it will definitely be loud and a lot of fun.
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Wednesday 26 February - Club Night - Photo restoration
RayB will discuss some of the ways to digitise old family photos and transparencies.... and then demonstrate some of the photo editing software packages that help to restore aged or damaged images.
For those that like a challenge... after the meeting RayB will send out an image that members can restore at home to practice the techniques discussed. At the meeting on 12 March we'll have a slide show and discussion of the results that members have achieved.
MARCH
​​​PROJECT:   TELL A STORY
Tell a compelling and captivating story in a photo. Let your audience experience the story at a glance and invite them to get emotionally involved in the scene.
​View gallery
​

​Wednesday 12th March - Club Night - Photo restoration Challenge
Following on from our last meeting, we will review the results of the photo restoration challenge and discuss the pros and cons of the software and techniques used.

Monday 17th March - Event - Mix n match with The Boundary Camera Club
TPC will be visiting The Boundary Camera Club for an evening of fun with the two clubs taking turns to show photos that the other club has to match. An independent judge will assess the photos to determine if a match has been achieved and will award points based on the attributes of the photos shown.
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Wednesday 26th March - Club Night - Speaker Alex Cruickshank
Presentation: Bucklebury Estate restoration
Bio: Alex Cruickshank is a freelance ecologist, working with the Bucklebury Estate to restore the rare habitats at Bucklebury Common.
He has worked in nature conservation for over 25 years, starting as a nature reserve warden in Norfolk and, most recently, Senior Land Manager for the Wildlife Trust in Berkshire, overseeing the management of sites like Greenham Common and Snelsmore Common.
Alex specialises in providing advice to land managers and farmers who want to make thier land better for wildlife, and works all over the south of England. He has been involved in the management of Bucklebury Common for over two years, and lives in Whitchurch, north Hampshire.
Website: www.SundewEcology.co.uk

Saturday 29th March - Event - Cromwell Singers Concert
The Cromwell Singers choir will be performing at St Marys Church and have invited us to photograph the event.

Sunday 30th March - Annual Photobook Submissions
Each member will be allocated two facing pages in the book with your name appearing in the bottom left or right hand corner.
APRIL
​​PROJECT:   MACHINES
Machinery is a huge part of the way the world works. Photographing machines is an interesting challenge... choosing which elements to show, how they work, how they have evolved, how the light falls on them The possibilities are there to choose.
​​​View gallery
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​Sunday 6th April - Thatcham 10K Run
A chance to practice fast paced outdoor event photography. Capturing the fun and action over two races on the day... a 1.5Km race for runners aged 5 - 14 years old, and the pain and drama as 300+ runners battle to complete a 10Km run around Thatcham. 
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​Wednesday 9th April - Club Night - Event Photography
Event photography has many challenges but the experience of being involved and capturing great photos is well worth the effort. The speed of the action is a good way to build muscle memory with your camera to make changes to exposure, focus, and composition. The sense of satisfaction from capturing good results in extreme circumstances is very rewarding.

Over the past few weeks TPC has been involved in a number of photoshoots at local events. This meeting will be a fun review of the photos taken, with the participants sharing their experiences of being involved.

​Wednesday 30th April - Club Night - Dan Newberry - Studio Photography
Dan is back with us and will be running a tutorial session on how to create stunning photographs of dancers using controlled studio lighting and backdrops. After the tutorial, members will be able to practice the skills they have learned, with Dan and other experienced members on-hand to help them. Bring you cameras, charged batteries, memory cards and lenses... this is going to be a great evening of practical photography.
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MAY
PROJECT:   LEADING LINES
Leading lines are lines in a photograph that a photographer positions to guide the viewer's eye to a specific point of interest. They can be used to create a sense of depth, direction, and drama in an image.
​​View gallery
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​Wednesday 14th May - Club Night - Speaker Daniel Bridge
Presentation: Daniel's Ten Top Tips
This talk runs through a variety of tips that can improve anyone's photography, from basic technical aspects, to composition, and subjects.

Bio: Full-time photography professional since 2002. Originally exhibited and sold Limited Edition Prints, but as time went on Daniel found photography tuition to be a more rewarding and enjoyable aspect to concentrate on, starting workshops in 2003, and private tuition in 2007. He has tutored thousands of people. He uses Pentax cameras and high-quality Pentax lenses.
Website: https://www.danielbridge.co.uk/index.php

​Wednesday 28th May - Club Night - Newbury 50 Step Challenge & Sunset
The challenge is to take 50 steps in any direction from the meeting point then stop and take an interesting picture. Then take another 50 steps in any direction, stop and take another interesting picture. Then keep repeating.
Followed by taking sunset photographs

​Studio Photography Workshop with Dan Newberry
Dan will be running a studio photography workshop using controlled studio lighting, backdrops, and professional models.
The workshop agenda will be shaped by the attending TPC members.
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JUNE
PROJECT:   STREET
Capture a photo of everyday life in a public place. This is best done without the subjects' knowledge, but can be arranged too. Aim to isolate and capture moments that might otherwise go unnoticed.
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​Wednesday 11th June - Club Night - Speaker Bob Brind-Surch
​Presentation: “dare to Focus”
The aim of these talks are to provide advice on how to take control of your camera to produce more creative images working with the controls on your camera. This third talk in the series is titled “dare to Focus” and concentrates on Autofocus. Photographs that are not sharp are still not acceptable but neither have we yet developed a true auto focus system that will do it all for you. I find this is the area where people struggle the most.
Bio: Bob is a professional Zoologist and teacher, with over 50 years shooting and teaching photography. In 1977 he obtained a fellowship of the Royal Photographic Society with a piece of work on macro. His aim is to help photographers to better understand their cameras in order to take their shots from the “ordinary to the extraordinary”.

​Wednesday 25th June - Club Night - Photographs from Newbury 50 Step Challenge & Sunset
Anonymous selection of photographs from 50 Steps Challenge & Sunset shown, and opened for general discussion on good points and possible improvements

Sunday 29th June - Thatcham Family Fun Day
TPC will be presenting our photobooks from the past few years to show how our members have improved their photography by joining in our meetings and activities.
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What's On Overview 2024