Thursday 27th March 2025; We have the 1st Colour Print competition of the year. Competition judged by Bob Goode
Come and support the club and the entrants in what is sure to be a fantastic display of prints live in the club room.
To watch by live streaming you must be registered and logged in and purchase a ticket. For information go to our Streaming page HERE
Programme begins at 8.00pm.
Images below are from the same Colour Print competition in 2024
We are hosting the Midphot 2025 Exhibition in our Clubrooms, We are showing all the accepted and awarded prints in our exhibition rooms and we will be showing AV’s of the accepted and awarded PDI’s as follows.
Wednesday 19th March at 8 pm the exhibition opens and presentation of awards
Thursday 20th March at 8pm, doors open 7pm
Saturday and Sunday 22nd & 23rd at 2pm
All live in clubroom and via stream.
On Thursday 13th March Smethwick Photographic Society and guests will be treated to Robert & Sharon Prenton Jones and their new talk – ‘Shooting with Models: A 10 year learning curve’
Sharon and Robert are a married couple based in Colwyn Bay in North Wales. Although they are comfortable with many genres of photography, they are perhaps best known for
portraits and combining studio work with the waterfalls, lakes, castles,
mountains and beaches that are all local to us.
This talk looks back on their photographic journey over the last 10 years and
focuses on how they gradually began to specialise in portraiture and shooting
models. The talk will be filled with hints, tips and suggestions we’ve picked up
along the way (for example how they achieve the soft painterly light that
characterises many of our portraits). The images in this presentation are chosen
to show how the learning curve was always educational, occasionally surprising,
and frequently fun.
For more information about their work check out their work here: www.prentonjonesphotography.co.uk
This week’s talk is part of a series of FREE ‘taster’ sessions for local Sandwell community residents and workers (non SPS members or regular guests). If interested do login or better still come along to the live presentation at the clubhouse. Full details below.
For information go to our Streaming page HERE
On Thursday 6th March Smethwick Photographic Society and guests will be treated to club member Warren Alani and his new talk – ‘Inside Out’
Warren Alani is a photographer based in Northamptonshire, UK and a long time member of Smethwick Photographic Society.
He picked up his first camera as a teenager – a Zenit ET 35mm SLR. This was where his obsession with photography began. In 2009, Warren decided to turn his past-time into something bigger. Taking the knowledge and skills he learned during his youth, he immersed himself in the new age of cutting-edge technology and turned his hobby into craft. In just a few short years, Warren has cultivated a clear artistic direction and a distinctive style in his work. His photography particularly focuses on sports, portraiture, architecture and travel, as well as street-style snapshots taken on the spur of the moment.
This week’s presentation is brand new, entitled ‘INSIDE OUT’. Warren has decided to launch this at Smethwick Photographic Society. In this presentation he will present carefully selected images from his extensive portfolio, captured from around the world and featuring many mini-projects, including a mix of street photography, sports, detailed architecture, photojournalism, and many more styles. Warren’s presented work will cover a mix of colour and black and white images, many of which have never been seen before.
This talk will explore how to evoke emotions directly via your camera, as well as some more unusual left-field photography ideas. Members and guests will leave with tips they can bring to their next photowalk, such as paying attention to the details and getting the picture they want, as well as inspiration for new ideas and subjects to expand their creative eye. From seasoned professionals to beginners just starting on their photography journey, there will certainly be something for everyone.
This week’s talk is part of a series of FREE ‘taster’ sessions for local Sandwell community residents and workers (non SPS members or regular guests). If interested do login or better still come along to the live presentation at the clubhouse. Full details below.
For information go to our Streaming page HERE
On Thursday 20th February Smethwick Photographic Society and guests will get a rare glimpse into the exciting world of wildlife photographer and TV cameraman Jack Perks.
‘Best of British’ by Jack Perks
Born and bred in Nottingham Jack is primarily a freelance underwater & wildlife cameraman with a deep passion for the natural world. He’s particularly interested in the less liked species such as reptiles, amphibians and fish but does occasionally pay attention to furry and feathery things. Starting out learning photography from 16 he eventually went to university in Falmouth earning a degree in BA (Hons) Marine & Natural History Photography spending most of his days rockpooling and enjoying the local pubs.
Jack has worked for dozens of wildlife and angling TV programmes including ‘Springwatch’, ‘The One Show’, ‘Mr Crabtree Goes Fishing’ and ‘The Great British Year’. Jack also appears in front of the camera and has presented several films for ‘Countryfile’. He’s gone on to work on David Attenborough’s ‘Wild Isles’ & filmed in Alaska for an upcoming BBC series.
But freshwater fish are certainly what Jack is best known for being termed the “fish twitcher” by the BBC for hunting around the UK to film every British freshwater fish, a task that took seven years for him to complete and find all 54! From Scottish Lochs to Southern Chalkstreams there aren’t many waterways Jack hasn’t dipped in.
Jack has written two books ‘Freshwater Fishes of Britain’ & ‘Field Guide to Pond & River Wildlife of Britain & Europe’. His work has featured in lots of other books and prominently with long time collaborator Mark Everard in his book ‘The Complex Lives of Britain’s Freshwater Fishes’. He has also written for many magazines including ‘BBC Wildlife’, ‘Outdoor Photography’ and ‘Diver’ and had regular columns for ‘Anglers Mail’ & ‘Fallon’s Angler’.
This week’s talk is part of a series of FREE ‘taster’ sessions for local Sandwell community residents and workers (non SPS members or regular guests). If interested do login or better still come along to the live presentation at the clubhouse. Full details below.
For information go to our Streaming page HERE