Another busy week on the summer programme for BPS.
On Tuesday, half a dozen or so members (and two dogs) enjoyed a walk along the canal followed by a drink at the Navigation Inn in Stoke Prior – thanks to Steve for organizing that one. I’m not sure how many photos were taken, but it was a beautiful evening.
Then on Wednesday a slightly larger group met up at the Cotswold Wildlife Park. I had not visited before, so it was a particularly enjoyable trip for me. The way that most of the animal enclosures work allows photographers to avoid any intervening wires, cages, or glass in their photos (still need to watch out for distracting backgrounds though!) Most of the time I found the lens I had brought a little too long, even at its widest (I think I had forgotten that Rhinoceroses are slightly larger than the birds I am usually photographing), so I got lots of closeups of animal faces, textures, and other features. Many thanks to Sheila and Linda for organizing this one.
The next BPS summer programme outing is on Tuesday, with a lunchtime meetup at the Jinney Ring again organized by Steve. Then on Saturday there is a visit to Hagley Park and Visitor Centre – 10 am meet in the cafe. Hagley Park is set in 350 acres of tranquil Worcestershire countryside, and is owned by 12th Viscount Cobham. Ele is the organizer on this one. Please drop Steve or Ele a note – or post on the WhatsApp group – if you are planning to attend either of these events. I’m planning to go to both.
To make it easier to coordinate summer programme activities, David has set up a BPS Summer program WhatsApp group – there is an invite QR code in his email. I see that many of you have already joined it. The idea of the group is that it can be used not just for information from event organizers, but also for people to indicate whether they are planning to attend, or to suggest any other events or sites they hear about that might be of interest to members. Enrollment in the group is of course completely optional, and we will continue to distribute information via email and the website too.
A couple of bits of society news you may have missed. Firstly, if you visit the website you will see details of our partnership with Primrose Hospice. We are supporting Primrose Hospice and Family Support Centre not only with our photographic expertise, but also through personal volunteering from some of our members.
Secondly, you should have seen an email from Anne about the latest Artrix exhibition – the images are now in situ and we got a very nice video from our Artrix contact Dee Hirst.
Finally, the committee has been working on making sure the competition rules for next season are clear and reflect all the changes that have been made to the club competition structure. You will find the updated rules on the website.
The latest version of the BPS calendar is reproduced below – as ever it is also available on the website. The eagle-eyed among you will have noticed I have added a new event on August 2nd. There’s still room for more in July and August so please do send in any suggestions.
Richard