WHAT’S ON
All our meetings are held on a Thursday night from 7.30pm, unless stated differently below.
We have a wide range of lectures, competitions and practical evenings for the enjoyment of our members.
11 December 2025
Fun Quiz
Tonight we are holding our annual fun quiz. There will be a range of subjects to test your general knowledge, and photography is unlikely to be included!.
We welcome members to bring their partners, spouses etc. to this fun meeting.
18th December 2025
Christmas Break
There is no meeting this evening, and we are closed until our next meeting on Thursday 8th January 2026.
25th December 2025
and
1st January 2026
Christmas Wishes
We wish our members and their families a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, and extend the seasons greetings to all our readers.
8th January 2026
Lecture
We welcome Paul Gallagher with is stunningly illustrated lecture “East and West.”
Over the past year 6 years Paul has dedicated a lot of time exploring the landscapes of America, Japan and China.
Working in the abandoned towns and farms on the open plains of the Dakotas and Montana in the USA was an eye-opening experience and one that takes you back in time in these bleak environments.
The opposite to this was his experience of the bitter cold elemental landscapes of winter in Hokkaido, Japan, and the exploring the vastness and grandeur of the granite spires of Yellow Mountain in China. The three environments could not be more different, but as a photographer, they left Paul spellbound.
Along with photography, the outdoors and wilderness have always drawn Paul strongly. There has always been something within him that changes as he walks out into the hills or along the coast. He has spent many hours with his father in the mountains which cemented this love. The connection with the wilderness and his absolute drive to make photographs fashioned him into the photographer he is now.
Paul is very proficient in colour, black and white, and infrared photography, and has been awarded the FRPS, Fellowship of the Royal Photographic Society.
The lecture will allow us to get an insight into Paul’s worldwide travel in some of the most beautiful location imaginable.
To see his stunning images please visit his website by clicking on the link.
Sunday 11th January 2026
Competition Submission Deadline
Entry to our PDI competition on 22 January closes tonight at 23.59 hours.
Members can enter up to two PDIs.
Good luck to our members who enter, but late entries will not be included in the competition.
15th January 2026
Annual General Meeting
This is our review of 2025 and a look forward to the year ahead.
This is a chance for our members to take an active role in how this club functions in 2026.
Your club needs your support.
22nd January 2026
PDI Competition Round 1
This is the first round of our PDI competitions this year.
The judge will be Nick Beretzen.
Members can enter up to two images before the deadline of 11th January.
29th January 2026
Presentation Night
We present a trophy to the winners of our competitions over the past year, and certificates to the top three members in each competition.
The presentations will be made by Keith Richardson DPAGB BPE3, the current President of the Lancashire and Cheshire Photographic Union.
5th February 2026
Open Night
At these evenings, we utilise the skills of our more experienced members to help and assist other members, while all enjoy the fun.
At this meeting we will be looking at editing your photographs using software.
Sunday 8th February 2026
Competition Submission Deadline
Entry to our Print competition on 19th February closes tonight at 23.59 hours.
Members can enter up to two Prints.
Good luck to our members who enter, but late entries will not be included in the competition.
12th February 2026
Lecture
We welcome back Tony North with his illustrated lecture.
Tony North is a photographer based in Manchester, whose main passions are macro (mainly insects, flowers and fungi) and landscape photography, especially astrophotography.
He has always loved nature, but there's something about spending a few hours in a wildflower meadow capturing images of butterflies and dragonflies that really excites him. He loves revealing the amazing beauty of the world of miniature beasts, and sharing that with others.
Equally Tony loves walking through and photographing beautiful scenery - whether rural, coastal or urban. A special interest of his is astrophotography - especially capturing the Milky Way over some dramatic scene.
Tony also enjoys competing, whether in BPE Salons or in major competitions such as the International Garden Photographer of the Year, which he won outright in 2023, or Amateur Photographer of the Year, in which he came 2nd overall in 2020.
19th February 2026
Print Competition Round 1
This is the first round of our Print competitions this year.
The judge will be Chris Boyes.
Members can enter up to two Prints before the deadline of 8th February.
26th February 2026
Lecture
We welcome Club member Phil Durkin with his illustrated lecture on Long Exposure.
Phil became interested in photography in his early 30's, back in the days of film. After his two children had grown up and were about to make their own lives, the additional free time (and money!) has re-ignited his passion for photography.
Phil finds himself currently taking less images than in previous years, and will only release the shutter when all the essential elements line up and if a shot is worth capturing. Often the light will not produce the 'goods', but that's just 'Landscape Photography' for you!
Phil is a Bolton based accredited, published and multi award winning amateur photographer, including being awarded a BPE4 for national exhibitions and a DPAGB.
Phil particularly enjoys capturing seascapes, landscapes and architectural pictures, usually with a long exposure.
5th March 2026
Open Night
At these evenings, we utilise the skills of our more experienced members to help and assist other members, while all enjoy the fun.
At this meeting we will have a practical evening of light painting, using the club’s equipment.
We are grateful to Light Painting Brushes for their help and advice when we bought our equipment from them.
Members will need to bring in their camera and a tripod to gain the full benefit of this meeting.
Don’t forget to charge up your batteries beforehand!
Sunday 8th March 2026
Competition Submission Deadline
Entry to our Concept competition on 19th March closes tonight at 23.59 hours.
The topic / theme is “Colour Harmonies.”
Members can enter up to two Prints and up to two PDIs.
Good luck to our members who enter, but late entries will not be included in the competition.
12th March 2026
Lecture
Details of this lecture are being finalised and will be published here soon.
19th March 2026
Concept Competition Round 1
This is the first round of our Concept competitions this year.
The topic is “Colour Harmony”
The judge will be confirmed soon.
Members can enter up to two Prints and up to two PDIs before the deadline of 8th March.
Concepts are the building blocks of photography. There are common, well-known ones, such as: focal length, the golden ratio, motion blur, negative space, narrative, and fill the frame. These Concepts transcend all photographic genres and they specifically relate to how we handle Composition, Exposure and Subject Matter.
Colour Harmonies use colours that are complimentary to each other, and are opposite each other in the colour wheel, for example red and green.
It can be two colours, or three colours which is called “triadic colours.” An example for these is green, purple and orange.
If the three colours are next to each other on the colour wheel, they are called “analogous colours.” An example is three different tones of green.
The use of one colour, such as different shades of red, is called “monochromatic colours”
For further information and ideas please enter “Colour Harmonies” in your search engine.
26th March 2026
Lecture
Details of this lecture are being finalised and will be published here soon.
2nd April 2026
Open Night
At these evenings, we utilise the skills of our more experienced members to help and assist other members, while all enjoy the fun.
At this meeting we will have a practical evening of portraiture with our club’s studio lighting.
Members will need to bring in their camera to gain the full benefit of this meeting.
Don’t forget to charge up your batteries beforehand!
Sunday 5th April 2026
Competition Submission Deadline
Entry to our PDI competition on 16th April closes tonight at 23.59 hours.
Members can enter up to two PDIs.
Good luck to our members who enter, but late entries will not be included in the competition.
9th April 2026
Lecture
We welcome landscape photographer Chris Ceasar with his illustrated lecture.
Born in Rotherham, Chris has mainly lived in the Yorkshire region. Inspired by the regions' exhilarating natural views; from the flower-strewn meadows and stone built barns of the Yorkshire Dales and the heather filled North York Moors, to the cliff laden beauty of Yorkshire's Heritage Coast, he strives to capture natural light to bring his images to life and capture the essence of each location.
His inspiring fine art landscape images have been exhibited in galleries and exhibitions in the north of England.
Chris has always used Canon cameras and lenses for the highest quality results. Chris uses the excellent Manfrotto range of tripods and tripod heads and the Lee 100 filter system on all of his landscape work.
He is an award winning photographer at both national and international level.
16th April 2026
PDI Competition Round 2
This is the second round of our PDI competitions this year.
The judge will be Huw Alban.
Members can enter up to two images before the deadline of 5th April.
23rd April 2026
Lecture
We welcome Simon Buckley with his illustrated lecture.
Simon has lived in the city of Salford for most of his life. Currently his personal work often explores themes of transition, frequently within the urban environment.
This interest caused Simon to begin his “Not Quite Light” project, which examines themes of heritage and regeneration at dawn and dusk.
Several commissions have arisen due to this work, archiving the construction of new developments. It also led to a major collaboration with 5 Plus Architects called “You Live With Us, We Live With You”, which resulted in a limited-edition book.
Simon’s work has been published nationally and internationally, and he has exhibited in the UK, France, Germany, Hong Kong and China.
30th April 2026
Inter Club Competition
This meeting will be held in Bury as we have the first round of an inter club competition with our friends at Bury Photographic Society.
Both clubs submit 10 Prints and 10 PDIs to an independent judge, who comments on each image and scores them out of 20 points. The club with the most points at the end of the meeting is the winner.
The meeting starts at 7.30pm and will be held in the function room at the Fishpool Liberal Club, 79 Nelson Street, Bury, BL9 9HX.
The car park entrance is on Woodley Street near the Nelson Street end. Please use the back door to the club directly from the car park.
This is a great opportunity to enjoy images from another club, and to make new friendships.
Please note: There will be no meeting at our venue in Bolton this evening.
7th May 2026
Lecture
We welcome Mark Gilligan with his illustrated lecture. This is a joint lecture with our friends at Bury PS who will be joining us tonight
Regularly published in National and Regional magazines, Mark covers all areas of the Lake District and Snowdonia (Eryri). He has his favourite locations around Eskdale and Wastwater, and the Ogwen Valley and Dinorwig Quarries in Snowdonia. He simply enjoys being in the outdoors!
Whilst he was originally trained in the days of film, he hasn’t lost that at all and undertakes his photography in a very similar way. Mark’s ethos is simple: ”if it ain’t broken don’t fix it”. He has adapted various ‘bits’ from his film days and integrated them into the modern digital cameras by adapting the menus. Consequently, whilst he uses software, his processing is usually undertaken in less than a minute.
For Mark, this ensures the authenticity of his images rather than relying upon the computer to generate them in a way that doesn’t relay the scene that attracted him to them in the first place. A point that his workshop students regularly refer to in their testimonials.
Sunday 10th May 2026
Competition Submission Deadline
Entry to our Print competition on 21st May closes tonight at 23.59 hours.
Members can enter up to two Prints.
Good luck to our members who enter, but late entries will not be included in the competition.
14th May 2026
Open Night
At these evenings, we utilise the skills of our more experienced members to help and assist other members, while all enjoy the fun.
At this meeting we will have a practical evening of taking photos at a nearby location to be confirmed nearer the time.
Members will need to bring in their camera and tripod to gain the full benefit of this meeting.
Images taken at this meeting will be shown and discussed at the next Open Night on the 4th June.
Don’t forget to charge up your batteries beforehand!
21st May 2026
Print Competition Round 2
This is the second round of our Print competitions this year.
The judge will be Keith Richardson.
Members can enter up to two Prints before the deadline of 10th May.
28th May 2026
Lecture
Details of this lecture are being finalised and will be published here soon.
4th June 2026
Open Night
At these evenings, we utilise the skills of our more experienced members to help and assist other members, while all enjoy the fun.
At the last Open Night meeting we had a practical evening of taking photos at a nearby location.
Images taken at this meeting will be shown and discussed at this Open Night.
Sunday 7th June 2026
Competition Submission Deadline
Entry to our Concept competition on 18th June closes tonight at 23.59 hours.
The topic / theme is “Juxtaposition.”
Members can enter up to two Prints and two PDIs.
Good luck to our members who enter, but late entries will not be included in the competition.
11th June 2026
Lecture
Details of this lecture are being finalised and will be published here soon.
18th June 2026
Concept Competition Round 2
This is the second round of our Concept competitions this year.
The topic is “Juxtaposition”
The judge will be confirmed soon.
Members can enter up to two Prints and up to two PDIs before the deadline of 7th June.
Concepts are the building blocks of photography. There are common, well-known ones, such as: focal length, the golden ratio, motion blur, negative space, narrative, and fill the frame.
These Concepts transcend all photographic genres and they specifically relate to how we handle Composition, Exposure and Subject Matter.
Juxtaposition is a concept in photography that involves combining two or more elements to highlight the interesting contrast. This can create an eye-catching and thought-provoking image.
Look for connections & contrast between elements, such as:
Animate & Inanimate
Positive & Negative
Old & Young
Happy & Sad
Calm & Agitated
Big & Small
Alive & Dead
False Attachments – these can often be humorous
For further information and ideas please enter “Juxtaposition” in your search engine.
25th June 2026
Lecture
We welcome landscape photographer Huw Alban with his illustrated lecture.
Huw’s photography specialises in the creation of images that capture true nature - whatever the subject.
His chosen subjects are the natural world, and the landscape around him.
Huw’s photographs have appeared throughout the country in various exhibitions and competitions, and have been published worldwide in magazines and books.
2nd July 2026
Open Night
At these evenings, we utilise the skills of our more experienced members to help and assist other members, while all enjoy the fun.
We will be demonstrating several different opportunities for photography by having a few set ups on table tops.
To gain the full benefit of this evening members are asked to bring in their camera and a tripod. If you have one, a macro lens would also be useful.
Sunday 5th July 2026
Competition Submission Deadline
Entry to our PDI competition on 16th July closes tonight at 23.59 hours.
Members can enter up to two PDIs.
Good luck to our members who enter, but late entries will not be included in the competition.
9th July 2026
Lecture
We welcome professional photographer Eddie Hyde with his illustrated lecture.
Eddie has a broad interest in photography but focuses mostly on landscape, using a variety of Canon and Olympus cameras and lens.
Eddie has been widely published and has had images commended in the Landscape Photographer of the Year, the International Landscape Photographer of the Year, and in the Siena International Photography Awards.
He has always had a strong affinity to nature, and woodland in particular. The range of sensations within a wood bring a sense of wonder, comfort and peace. He lives within easy reach of many woodland areas and visits them almost daily, most often in the early morning or late afternoon when the light is at its best. For Eddie, being amongst the trees is calming, invigorating and therapeutic, as he loves to search for order in the chaos.
His intent is to share with you this experience and to show the beauty to be found in the woods. Through a series of moments captured when a combination of the light, season and weather reveal otherwise hidden works of art, I aim to evoke the sense of wellbeing this landscape provides.
He has concentrated on the period from early Autumn through winter and into the very early Spring when the moods, light, textures and colours are at their most variable and harmonious and one can still see the wood for the trees.
16th July 2026
PDI Competition Round 3
This is the third round of our PDI competitions this year.
The judge will be confirmed soon.
Members can enter up to two images before the deadline of 5th July.
23rd July 2026
Lecture
We welcome professional photographer Carolyn Preece with her illustrated lecture “Tools Not Rules”.
Caroline grew up surrounded by photobooks containing images by the likes of Michael Kenna, Ansel Adams, Brassai, and Henri Cartier-Bresson. She first picked up a camera in 2013 following the break-up of a relationship, an act of starting over that quickly became something much more enduring.
As well as having her LRPS, Caroline has received recognition for her photography in a number of competitions including the International Photography Awards, British Photography Awards and Landscape Photographer of the Year. Her images have featured in the FRAMES Magazine digital companion; and she has also exhibited in 2024 in the Mall Galleries on Pall Mall in London as part of the Land & Light Exhibition.
In her photography she is drawn to human elements, chance occurrences, captured moments, emotions, stories (real and make believe), and the surreal; but balance is important and I also enjoy escaping into the natural world and exploring it with my camera. This gives me space to breathe and a sense of calm, tranquillity and peace.
Caroline is a camera club member and an accredited judge, and she gives talks throughout the UK.
30th July 2026
Annual Auction
This is our annual charity fundraiser, and this year we will be raising money for The Bolton Hospice.
Please bring in items on the night to be auctioned, and they do not have to be of a photographic nature.
If an item you bring in does not sell, please take it home with you at the end of the evening
6th August 2026
Open Night
At these evenings, we utilise the skills of our more experienced members to help and assist other members, while all enjoy the fun.
At this meeting we will be looking at editing your photographs using software.
Sunday 9th August 2026
Competition Submission Deadline
Entry to our Print competition on 20th August closes tonight at 23.59 hours.
Members can enter up to two Prints.
Good luck to our members who enter, but late entries will not be included in the competition.
13th August 2026
Lecture
Details of this lecture are being finalised and will be published here soon.
20th August 2026
Print Competition Round 3
This is the third round of our Print competitions this year.
The judge will be confirmed soon.
Members can enter up to two Prints before the deadline of 9th August.
27th August 2026
Lecture
Details of this lecture are being finalised and will be published here soon.
3rd September 2026
Open Night
At these evenings, we utilise the skills of our more experienced members to help and assist other members, while all enjoy the fun.
At this meeting we will have a practical evening of portraiture with our clubs studio lighting.
Members will need to bring in their camera to gain the full benefit of this meeting.
Don’t forget to charge up your batteries beforehand!
Sunday 6th September 2026
Competition Submission Deadline
Entry to our Monochrome competition on 17th September closes tonight at 23.59 hours.
Members can enter up to two Prints and up to two PDIs.
Good luck to our members who enter, but late entries will not be included in the competition.
10th September 2026
Lecture
This is a joint lecture with our friends at Bury PS, who will be hosting us tonight.
The meeting starts at 7.30pm and will be held in the function room at the Fishpool Liberal Club, 79 Nelson Street, Bury, BL9 9HX.
The car park entrance is on Woodley Street near the Nelson Street end. Please use the back door to the club directly from the car park.
Andy Phillips is well-known as a professional Photographer, Teacher & Lecturer.
He specialises in Landscape and Smallscape photography and Adobe Photoshop, and he has been trained by master of Landscape Photography, Paul Gallagher of Aspect2i.
He has an easy-going manner and people just relax in his company, thus paving the way for learning.
Andy & his wife Nancy have a Wedding & Commercial Photography company in Chorley, Lancashire.
Please note: There will be no meeting at our venue in Bolton this evening.
17th September 2026
Monochrome Competition
This is a competition for monochrome Prints and PDIs.
The judge will be James Hardy.
Members can enter up to two Prints and up to two PDIs before the deadline of the 6th September.
24th September 2026
Lecture
Details of this lecture are being finalised and will be published here soon.
1st October 2026
Open Night
At these evenings, we utilise the skills of our more experienced members to help and assist other members, while all enjoy the fun.
At this meeting we will have a practical evening of light painting, using the club’s equipment.
We are grateful to Light Painting Brushes for their help and advice when we bought our equipment from them.
Members will need to bring in their camera and a tripod to gain the full benefit of this meeting.
Don’t forget to charge up your batteries beforehand!
Sunday 4th October 2026
Competition Submission Deadline
Entry to our PDI competition on 15th October closes tonight at 23.59 hours.
Members can enter up to two PDIs.
Good luck to our members who enter, but late entries will not be included in the competition.
8th October 2026
Lecture
Details of this lecture are being finalised and will be published here soon.
15th October 2026
PDI Competition Round 4
This is the fourth round of our PDI competitions this year.
The judge will be confirmed soon.
Members can enter up to two images before the deadline of 4th October.
22nd October 2026
Lecture
We welcome Alf Myers with his illustrated lecture on Street Photography.
The world of IT has held captive Alf’s creative and artistic side, however with a camera in his hand he can explore and create.
Urban, street and candid genres of photography are where he started and grew up, however, it is the world of Street Photography that inspires me and helps to give a style to my portraits and weddings.
Alf loves to capture the feelings people have and translate them into the images he produces.
Alf is a Preston based photographer and he particularly enjoys exploring the towns and cities of the north west of England.
29th October 2026
Inter Club Competition
This meeting will be the second round of an inter club competition with our friends from Bury Photographic Society.
Both clubs submit 10 Prints and 10 PDIs to an independent judge, who comments on each image and scores them out of 20 points. The club with the most points at the end of the meeting is the winner.
The judge will be confirmed soon.
This is a great opportunity to enjoy images from another club, and to make new friendships.
5th November 2026
Open Night
At these evenings, we utilise the skills of our more experienced members to help and assist other members, while all enjoy the fun.
At this meeting we shall be looking ahead to the Concept Competitions for next year, and then looking at and discussing the images taken on an Open Night this year.
Sunday 8th November 2026
Competition Submission Deadline
Entry to our Print competition on 19th November closes tonight at 23.59 hours.
Members can enter up to two Prints.
Good luck to our members who enter, but late entries will not be included in the competition.
12th November 2026
Lecture
Details of this lecture are being finalised and will be published here soon.
Sunday 15th November 2026
Competition Submission Deadline
Entry to our Smartphone competition on 26th November closes tonight at 23.59 hours.
Members can enter up to two images, which must have been taken, and edited, on your Smartphone.
Good luck to our members who enter, but late entries will not be included in the competition.
19th November 2026
Print Competition Round 4
This is the fourth round of our Print competitions this year.
The judge will be confirmed soon.
Members can enter up to two Prints before the deadline of 8th November.
26th November 2026
Smartphone Competition
This competition is for PDI images taken and edited on your smartphone.
The judge has yet to be confirmed.
Members can enter up to two PDIs before the deadline of 15th November.
3rd December 2026
Lecture
We welcome our own Brian White with his illustrated and very informative lecture based on his recent travels.
For over 30 years Brian has travelled extensively to various countries to experience and photograph the diversities of the cultures, landscape and wildlife.
For the last 20 years I have been a professional Self-Employed and Freelance Photographer, photographing a wide variety of commissions for his business. During this time, he has been photographing Weddings, Portraits, Commercial and Legal topics, and also travelling to many Countries and locations producing many travel photographs for his ever expanding portfolio.
Brian’s passion is to capture a sense of place or an expression of a person, wildlife or landscape from interacting with subjects, hoping to achieve a pleasing photographic image.
10th December 2026
Annual Fun Quiz
Tonight we are holding our annual fun quiz. There will be a range of subjects to test your general knowledge, and photography is unlikely to be included!.
We welcome members to bring their partners, spouses etc. to this fun meeting
17th December 2026
Christmas Break
There is no meeting this evening, and we are closed until our next meeting on Thursday 7th January 2027.
We wish our members and their families a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, and extend the seasons greetings to all our readers.