We have a range of club nights, walks and events to suit everyone’s tastes.

Keep an eye on this page to see what’s coming up in the coming months at Ockbrook Photographic Club

SEASON 2025 – 2026 CLUB NIGHTS

September 1st – Club Night Ockbrook Village Hall

Presentation of images from the Dorset Photo Break and a slideshow of members images on the theme of ‘Summer’.

October 6th 2025 – Club Night Ockbrook Village Hall

Guest presenter and Nottingham based photographer Jack Perks on the Subject of Freshwater Photography.

Novermber 3rd 2025 – Club Night Ockbrook Village Hall

Practical evening with Marlies Chell and some creepy crawlies for close-up and macro photography. Marlies has been to the club some time back and will return again with her collection of stick insects and preying mantis with guidance on the best way to photograph these fascinating insects.

December 1st 2025 – Club Night Ockbrook Village Hall

Christmas Fuddle, with quiz, member photographs and some festive snacks.

December 8th 2025 – Zoom Presentation with Chris Upton

We will be welcoming well known local professional photographer Chris Upton to a Zoom presentation and he will be giving his latest talk ‘Simply Black and White’ which has been attracting a lot of praise from those that have seen it. Promises to be an excellent evening.

January 5th 2026 – Club Night Ockbrook Village Hall

Guest speaker and local photographer Andy Gray who will give a talk on the Peak District

February 2nd 2026 – Club Night Ockbrook Village Hall

We will be welcoming the return of Martine Hamilton-Knight for another critique evening.

This proved very popular last time Martine presented to us, with a very positive and encouraging review of the images we asked her to review. We know that many members wanted a repeat event with perhaps the opportunity for her to spend more time on a fewer number of images making sure that everyone’s submissions were assessed.

March 2nd 2026 – Club Night Ockbrook Village Hall

Guest speaker – Local photographer and now club member, Ian Pettit giving a talk on travel photography.

April 6th 2026 – Club Night Ockbrook Village Hall

A practical photography evening in the hall.

May 4th – Club Night Ockbrook Village Hall

A members slideshow evening.

June 1st 2026 – Club Night Outside

This will be a practical photographic evening away from the Ockbrook Village Hall. Location will be announced near the date.

July 6th 2026 – Club Night Ockbrook Village Hall

Club Annual General Meeting followed by a practical session at the hall.

SEASON 2025 – 2026 CLUB WALKS AND FIELD TRIPS

August 22nd – 25th , Lincoln Steampunk Festival

Photo opportunities abound at this annual event.

The Asylum Steampunk Festival in Lincoln will be held from Friday, August 22nd to Monday, August 25th. The festival, also known as Weekend at the Asylum XV, is produced by the Ministry of Steampunk and is the largest Steampunk festival in the world. The event will feature a variety of activities including music, fashion, art, and more. 

Key Details:

• Dates: August 22nd – 25th, 2025 (August Bank Holiday Weekend) 
• Location: Historic Quarter of Lincoln 
• Organizer: Ministry of Steampunk 
• Event Name: Weekend at the Asylum XV 
• Features: Music, fashion, art, literature, dance, and more. 
• Additional Events: “Advanced Guard” on Thursday, August 21st, and “Dead Dog Party” on Monday evening. 

To link up with other members use the OPC Whatsapp group.

August 27th 2025 , Nottingham Lace Market Field Trip

This is planned as a photographic field trip around the Nottingham lace market, where there are so many photographic opportunities, Architecture, Street and in some areas  urban decay. Its got some stunning Victorian Lace Mills some of which have become part of the academic infrastructure.

Sundown is around 8pm, so the plan is to meet up around 4pm at the Lace Market Tram Stop , located at on Fletcher Gate , where it meets Warser Gate , very closer to the Weatherspoons Lloyds #1 establishment. If we meet in there we will never get out and about. The idea, is that people can come into town by train or tram if these choose.

For those of you who are still working and want to come along , there will be a second meeting point around 5:45 pm. I will advise that nearer the time where this will be.

The Plan is to loop though  the Lace Market , coming out near Weekday Cross / Nottingham Contemporary  sometime around six thirty‘ish. From there we will head through Bridlesmith Gate and down to Slab Square and catch the sunset over t he council house. After that there is the choice of grabbing a tram or bus back home or paying a visit to the Back Bar in the Bell, allowing me to relive my teenage years.

I will send out a plan of photographic ideas nearer the date.

24/08/25 22:00 Hi everyone, just a quick update on the Nottingham Lace Market Trip, at present I am planning on going ahead, on balance the weather forecasts are saying sunshine and showers on Wednesday afternoon. Just in case forecast conditions deteriorate I will make a final call around Tuesday lunchtime.

Paul  

Chatsworth Country Fair- 29th -31st August

Chatsworth Country Fair is one of England’s most spectacular annual outdoor events. Held in the 1000-acre parkland surrounding Chatsworth House, tens of thousands of visitors from all over the country join us for a memorable family day out.

Enjoy three action-packed days of thrilling Grand Ring entertainment, inspirational cookery masterclasses, food, shopping and plenty of have-a-go activities, including a vintage fun fair, children’s climbing wall, bungee trampoline and much more.

For more details and advance tickets at a discount

https://www.chatsworth.org/events/chatsworth-country-fair/

Link up with other members using the OPC Whatsapp Group.

September 10th 2025, An Evening With – Michelle Jackson

This is the first in what will hopefully be a series of informal talks given by club members for club members. This will be held in the Royal Oak in Ockbrook starting at 7pm. This will be a much more casual and social event than the normal club nights and will give you the opportunity to hear about a fellow members photographic journey. A big thank you to Jon for organising and Michelle for agreeing to be our first presenter. Should be a great night.

Magpie Mine Open Day- 14th September

Thanks to member Caroline for making me aware of this event and posting it on the OPC Whatsapp page.

Guided tours of this beautiful place are being organised by the Peak District Mines Historical Society. Plenty of photo opportunities for you.

Full details can be found by following this link.

https://visitpeakdistrict.com/events/magpie-mine-heritage-open-days

We will also be running a field trip here in the spring of 2026 , for those who are interested

October 9th 2025, Padley Gorge Autumnal Colours – Field trip

Thursday 9^th October. 10:30 am

Meeting Point, Roadside Parking SK 258 799.  

Alternatively off road parking at Surprise view car park ££ and walk down to the gorge, 15 Minutes or at the National Trust Longshaw Estate  £££ 20 Minutes

Padley is one of the great autumnal photography locations , a combination of a wild gritstone streams descending down to towards the Derwent, with a fantastic groups of trees, including some incredibly shaped oak trees. A quick glance at YouTube will elicit some fantastic images. It could be busy as well, but we are away from the weekend footfall.

The plan is to start mid-morning and head down either side of the gorge. The plan is not to go all the way to the bottom, but to concentrate on the upper half on both sides.  The choice is yours, and you can always do the longer loop via Grindleford Café.

The ground is step and rocky, so bring your walking gear with you, its not the place for light weight footwear. My suggestion is bring some lunch with you. There are plenty of rocks to perch on. There are cafes and pubs within a couple of miles but that needs leaving the gorge and coming back and trying to park again.   A tripod will be a useful piece of kit, as would ND filters, grads and polarisers if you have them. Remember your spare batteries as well. I always think of this as a two battery location. Its certainly not a place for shooting sunsets, and we will be closing down around 5pm.   

We will be monitoring the weather as we approach the date, just in case conditions turn inclement, and any changes will be published through  the usual channels  

The date has been changed , and moved forward by a week. I was in the gorge last week, and the leaves are already starting to change , earlier than normal due to the drought conditions

West Hallam Ploughing Match 2025- 21st September

This is a good old fashioned Country Show.

Ploughing their furrows will be contestants driving everything from horses, small hand guided devices, many vintage tractors and a few massive modern tractors. There will be displays of Hedge cutting and numerous judged competitions for crafts and horticultural categories.

This is a thoroughly good day out.

More details can be found on the West Hallam Ploughing Match Facebook page and on the attached poster..

I hope to see you there.

Derby Feste- 27th September

Derby Feste, Derby’s free outdoor arts festival, is returning for 2025 on Saturday, September 27th. The event will transform the city centre with a vibrant mix of dance, theatre, circus, parkour, and aerial performances. Expect an exciting and unforgettable experience with opportunities for audience participation. 

Key details about Derby Feste 2025:

• Date: Saturday, September 27th.
• Location: Derby City Centre.
• Type: Free outdoor arts festival.
• Activities: Expect a variety of performances including dance, theatre, circus, parkour, and aerial acts.
• Accessibility: The event is family-friendly, non-verbal, and accessible to all.
• Partners: Presented by Derby City Council, with support from Arts Council England, FABRIC, Derby Museums, and QUAD. 

What to expect:

Derby Feste 2025 promises to be a day of vibrant street entertainment, including giant doodles, mischievous Slinkies, and more. It’s a chance to be part of a city transformed and experience art in unexpected ways. The event is designed to be inclusive, with many performances being non-verbal, making it accessible to a wide audience. 

November 20th 2025, RAF Cosford – Museum

An opportunity to see the RAF collection of planes across four hangers near Cosford. Some fantastic photo opportunities, of the planes, artifacts and the sweeping architecture. Something totally different. Parking is £6.50 if booked in advance , free admission. Sharing cars will certainly reduce the cost. Trip will largely be indoors, although the hanger exteriors make fantatsic shots . Details in October