Please find below our programme for the 2023-24 season!

If you’re thinking of becoming a member, feel free to get in touch using the contact form or just turn up on the night – we’d love to have you on-board. Visitors are also more than welcome.

Date Title Speaker Description
14-Sep-23 Members’ night – What we did on our Holidays President This is our first night back, and allows our members new and old to have a chat, show their images from the holidays, and for Alan to break out the chocolate biscuits again.
21-Sep-23 Life and Times of a Freelance Sports Photographer Steve Bond How does a Freelancer go about making a living at sport photography in 2023? Down to the real nitty gritty stuff, plus a few pretty bird snaps…
28-Sep-23 Flash Basics Steve Fairbrother This isn’t a techy talk about expensive kit you’ll never own, it’s more a talk about how with budget gear and some experimentation you can achieve great results. In the first half Steve will talk us through kit and show us his own work. The second half will be a demonstration of how to light a still life scene, with the resulting images visible through the projector as they are taken.
05-Oct-23 The wider world of photography part 1: The story of portrait, fashion, industrial, war & social documentary photography. Ashley Franklin Discover a fascinating world of photography beyond the camera club as we explore the history, style and impact of portrait, fashion, industrial, war, press and social documentary photography.  See the work of photo greats like Avedon, Bailey, Beaton, Bloomfield, Capa, Contreras, McCullin, McCurry, Karsh, Leibowitz, McCullin, Salgado and Winston Link.  An evening of informative, inspiring, powerful and world-changing imagery.
12-Oct-23 A guide to simple Astrophotography Paul L Money With just a camera, basic range of lenses, tripods and exposure timer it is possible to capture many aspects of the night sky from constellations to the motion of the planets, the aurora borealis, meteors and much more.
19-Oct-23 Phone Competition Competition Secretary Back again this year, this is your opportunity to enter your images shot on a digital camera or tablet into our competition. Up to four images in a Jpeg format. Full details on the website
26-Oct-23 Aerial Photography Keith Mitchell This talk is about my journey to allow me to take images from places I cannot physically get to or from a different perspective. The talk will include what you need to start flying and taking pictures or videos, planning a flight and the Apps I use.
02-Nov-23 Travelling Through Japan – A Land of Contrasts Chris Brown Japan was, for us, a bucket list trip. It did not disappoint. Cities, gardens, art, Sumo, green tea, geisha, temples and shrines, travelling through Japan on the famous bullet train was a fantastic experience.
09-Nov-23 Aviation Photography Lee Chapman A general guide on how to photograph aircraft, covering tips and advice on photographing aeroplanes in a range of scenarios including in museums, air shows, historic re-enactments and airports. The talk will feature several of Lee’s favourite images and will reveal the techniques and methods used to achieve the shots alongside a brief overview of the aircraft featured.
16-Nov-23 Architecture Through the Viewfinder – three decades of commercial architectural shooting Martine Hamilton-Knight With over three decades in commercial architectural photography, Nottingham based, Martine Hamilton-Knight D.Litt. Hon, FHEA speaks about her life in the industry and new book – Photography for Architects for Routledge published in summer 2023. The evening is ‘how to’ for those interested in shooting architecture, plus a chronological section on Martine’s time in the industry together with the technological and economical factors affecting business and output throughout that period.
23-Nov-23 Wonderful things Jane Middleton-Smith The photographic business at 45,Midland Road, Derby can trace its origins back to the dawn of commercial photography in 1852. The talk will cover not only the history of the company, but will also outline the background to the Heritage Project now in its eighth year.
30-Nov-23 Those magnificent flying machines Tony Davison The talk is basically some fun relating to the flying machines within the natural world. So covers Birds, Moths, Butterflies & Dragonflies explaining their amazing features and flying abilities along with some science such as migration.
07-Dec-23 Competition – Tom Tivey Competition Secretary Wildlife and Landscape
14-Dec-23 Christmas Fuddle Committee Team King’s Newton bowling club pavilion 7.30pm – who’ll win the Marigold gloves this year?
21-Dec-23 Christmas break A chance for you to go out at treat yourself to some new camera gear … if you’ve been good this year.
28-Dec-23 Christmas break A chance for you to read the manuals for all that new camera gear you were bought or treated yourself to.
04-Jan-24 The Pam and I David and Pamela Severn Pamela will talk about her journey to obtain her latest award from the PAGB and in the second half David will describe what is new at Studio3, their business in Long Eaton.
11-Jan-24 Street & Architecture Ian Howard TBC
18-Jan-24 Competition – Extraordinary ordinary Competition Secretary  This years theme is “Extraordinary ordinary” taking showstopping images of the ordinary and extraordinary
25-Jan-24 Selection Night Competition Secretary Tonight we as a team select the images for our annual competition against our neighbours Ashby PS.
01-Feb-24 The inner landscape – still life in natural light Andy Philips THE INNER LANDSCAPE is about Andy’s development of the genre of still life. This is achieved by using natural light on]y but post processed with a twist! This presentation has proven very popular. It’s something quite different for the syllabus secretaries to select from.
08-Feb-24 External Comp – Ashby CC (Home) Competition Secretary We picked the images two weeks earlier, and now its off to Ashby to see the judging of our images and selection. Its in Smisby Village Hall and it could potentially be Wednesday night. Watch the announcements
15-Feb-24 Members Night – You Tube Choices A chance or members to show their favourite videos from YouTube.
22-Feb-24 The Essence of Printing your Photography Keith Cooper Technical and Creative aspects of photographic print making in colour and black and white.
29-Feb-24 Photography on the Darkside, London Nights. Peter F Benson Zoom – Peter Benson FRPS MCrGP AWPF CPAGB BPE3, is a keen urban nightscape photographer. During this talk Peter takes us back into the history of Night Photography running alongside his family history in Photography and then on a tour around some of his favourite places for night photography in and around London.
07-Mar-24 River Severn, Source to Estuary Christopher Stone Starting in the Cambrian Mountains we look at the Source of the River Severn and follow the course through a local forest to a reservoir and onwards to Welshpool crossing the  English border. We continue to Shrewsbury going down to the Midlands at Ironbridge, Bridgnorth and on to Gloucester and finishing at the Estuary and the Bristol Channel. We then take a look at two islands in the Bristol Channel and view the Severn Bore.
14-Mar-24 Members’ Night President Another chance for members to present talks.
21-Mar-24 NEMPF Night Secretary / President Your chance to sit back, relax and watch the images that have been submitted for this year’s NEMPF competition.
28-Mar-24 Derby Velodrome Photo shoot evening 19.00 Thursday 28th March. This evening sees an event called ‘Derny’ bike racing where 2 stroke engine propelled bikes lead competitors on their cycles around the course. Each event covers 40 – 60 laps with speeds up to 50 Km/h. MPS members have access to all the viewing areas around the arena. There is no admission charge, the Velodrome have asked for a selection of images from the photo-shoot to be made available for participants of the race.
04-Apr-24 Outing to Ticknall Limeyards 18.30 Thursday  4th April 2024. Meet at Ticknall Village Hall, 1,Ingleby Lane, Ticknall. DE73 7JX.
Ticknall Limeyards or ‘Magic Wood’ as it is known to the locals is the subject of this evening’s outing.
Good footwear and a torch or headlight are necessary for an amble along the Ticknall Tramway through the tunnel, under arched bridges, past rock falls and hanging ferns to an opening with the remnants of the abandoned kilns once used for the burning of limestone to produce calcium oxide.
11-Apr-24 What did you shoot in Lockdown Grandma?! Sally Sallett Zoom – The talk follows the ‘Old Woman’ as she adapts her photography to the constraints of the Covid pandemic (more from the rag-bag)!
18-Apr-27 Annual Comp Competition Secretary The culmination of the years hard work. Enter your prints and PDI’s into the competition.
25-Apr-24 AGM President Final ceremonial end to the year, the reporting of what we have done and the election of the new committee going forward.
02-May-24 Annual dinner and awards President The Spirit Vaults 7.30pm