Where to Find Us
Parking | There is a large car park behind the church and shops, accessed from Solihull Road. At present parking is free after 6pm, but please check notices in the car park on arrival, in case of changes. Limited parking is available on the service road in front of the church, in marked bays. |
By Bus: | National Express West Midlands Route 6 (Birmingham - Hall Green - Shirley - Solihull) stops near to the Saracen's Head pub opposite Shirley Methodist Church. |
By Train: | Shirley Methodist Church is within easy reach of the stations at Solihull and Shirley. Solihull station is 1.9 miles away (Bus route X20 stops at Sutherland Ave). Shirley station is 1.4 miles away (Bus route 49 stops at Sutherland Ave). |
About Us
The Shirley Photographic society was founded on 12th April 1937. It was then known as the Photographic Section of the Shirley Social and Library Circle. Following the outbreak of the Second World War, in 1939, the society continued to function albeit within the restriction of wartime measures. After 1945, when the situation began to normalise, the society ceased being a section of the Shirley Circle on 21st April 1947 and became a separate entity devoted solely to photography. It was then necessary to change its title and so became the Shirley Photographic Society. The society is affiliated to the Photographic Alliance of Great Britain through its membership of the Midlands Counties Photographic Federation, and regularly sends delegates to the Federation meetings. During the life of the club, we have progressed from darkroom prints and transparencies to the digital age, with projected images and prints generated by computers. Some members prefer to print for themselves and others use dedicated companies. Both are acceptable for club competitions. As the new technology has developed the club has adapted to help our members by developing workshops to get to grips with editing software and techniques. We have a reputation for being a friendly club where members can usually find someone for advice when required, in addition to learning from our wide range of speakers and the comments of judges. There is no obligation to enter competitions, but it is an opportunity to see what fellow club members are doing. New members often join us with little knowledge of digital cameras and technology. Some may be new to photography whilst others may have been competent in the use of film cameras and darkroom techniques, but haven't made the transition to the digital age. Others may be very confident with their photographic skills, but want to enjoy the company of like-minded people. Whatever your age or background, we welcome anyone with an interest and enthusiasm for the art of photography. Unless otherwise stated in the programme the society meets weekly, on Thursday evenings, between September and the following April each year. Meetings are held in the small hall at Shirley Methodist Church. |
Latest News
September 2024 Our new season kicked-off on Thursday 5th September 2024, celebrating the photography of our own members, with our Members' Choice evening, and a video collection of all of the competition winners from last season.
August 2024 Saturday 17th August saw us host the second Shirley PS Exhibition at the Methodist Church Hall. We greeted a steady flow of visitors throughout the day, concluding with our Awards ceremony, enjoyed by a full house. Many thanks to Sue Pearmain and Chris Mallett for all their hard work, in organising this event. Congratulations to Kevin Watts, whose print 'Tranquility' was voted best print in the Audience's Choice.
April 2024 Our season concluded on Thursday 18th April, with our Annual General Meeting, where our new President Martin Thompson took the helm. At the AGM we agreed to increase our annual subscription to £45 and the weekly door-fee to £2, although the facility to buy a 'Season Ticket' should be available to those who wish to pay up-front. Also, we agreed to limit the entries to 3 (2 plus 1) for the those competitions featuring both prints and projected images (Landscapes, Nature, Mono, and Travel/People) and to continue with our Straight out of the Camera competition. Our Annual Awards Dinner was enjoyed by 30 people at Fulford Heath Golf Club on Friday 12th April. Many thanks to Fay, Dave Venables, Sue and Chris for all of their hard work in organising this thoroughly enjoyable event. Congratulations to Jolanta Bujalska Axon CPAGB BPE3* who recently received a The Best in Class (Colour) Award at the Clay Cross PS Exhibition. The winning image was 'Man's Best Friend'.
March 2024 On Tuesday 5th March, we said farewell to our dear friend Val Manning, who sadly passed away on 5th February following a short illness. Val and her husband Ray epitomised everything our club stands for and joined-in wholeheartedly with everything we do, President's Picnics, days out, meals out, practical workshops.... Val will be sorely missed by all her friends at the club. Congratulations to Jolanta B Axon who recently earned the distinction of BPE3* (British Photographic Exhibitions) reaching the necessary threshold of 100 acceptances in BPE Exhibitions. What an accolade! Our Annual Interclub Competition (Knowle CC, South Birmingham PS, Shirley PS) took place on Thursday 21st March, with Shirley claiming the Warwickshire Plaque for the second year running. The final scores were:
February 2024 Friday 2nd February sees the first outing of our new six-way Interclub competition, this year hosted by South Birmingham PS at the Billesley Ark Community Centre, 725 Yardley Wood Road, Birmingham, B13 0PT.
January 2024 Our Straight out of the Camera Competition, judged by Mike Sharples, opened the New Year. Our Monochrome Competition, judged by Darron Matthews proved to be very popular and a return visit by Paul Hassell was enjoyed by all. Our new competition software PhotoShow24 made its debut and is making life somewhat easier for the Competition Secretary.
December 2023 Our calendar year concluded with another successful Christmas Knockout, with the audience whittling down 442 images until we reached our final two images. With members generously paying to enter pictures, and the contribution of our raffle, the Knockout is a popular evening and a great fund-raiser for the club. Certainly, the Treasurer's favourite evening! Congratulations to David Venables whose 'Red Squirrel' took first place, and Jolanta B Axon who took second place with 'Ashness Bridge':
Congratulations to Mick Schilling who recently received the prestigious award of DPAGB (Distinction, Photographic Alliance of Great Britain). DPAGB requires a high level of photographic skill with images of a standard likely to be accepted into National and International competitions. Mick's set of 15 prints met the required standard with ease. Here are some of the shots: November 2023 Congratulations to Sue Pearmain, whose image 'Cheetah Stare' recently won the UPP (United Photographic Portfolios) Overall Digital Trophy, and featured on the front cover of the Annual Programme. In addition, Dave Venables won the Trophy for the Best Natural History Print with his 'Red Squirrel'. The UPP comprises a number of circles, each with 10 - 12 members, each with a different theme. There are circles for prints, darkroom work, colour, mono, mobile phone and even AV. For more information visit the UPP website at: https://uppofgb.com/ October 2023 Congratulations to David Venables DPAGB CPAGB BPE4*, who was recently inducted into the MCPF's Roll of Honour, recognising his outstanding contributions to the MCPF and Midland Photography. In his recommendation, Mike Sharples, President of the MCPF acknowledged Dave's dedication: David joined Wythall Photographic Society c1987. He became a very active member straight away and was soon elected to the Committee, on which he served for many years, making a great contribution to the club. Some years later he also joined Shirley Photographic Society where he still is very active. Over the years he has taken on committee work and has been President on 2 occasions. David is currently also a member of Solihull Photographic Society. Some years ago he also took up judging and rapidly advanced from the B-List to the A-List serving well over 10 years as an MCPF approved Judge. Having judged many club and national competitions he became a highly respected judge who received many accolades from fellow judges A very well-respected photographer in his own right, David has entered local and national competitions and has received many awards. He served on the MCPF Council continuously for more than 10 years and from 2011 to 2017 in the role of Awards for Photographic Merit Secretary. He has carried out all his roles at whatever level with great zeal and for all the work and dedication that he has given to Federation Clubs, the MCPF and Midlands Photography in general. The MCPF Council has no hesitation in adding David Venables to the MCPF Roll of Honour.
September 2023 Our new season kicked-off on Thursday 7th September 2023, celebrating the photography of our own members in both digital and print formats. Our Bring Two Prints challenge was very well-supported, with over 70 entries. Congratulations to Jane Roby (First), Mike McShane and Sue Pearmain (Second =) and Ian Cooke (Fourth) whose prints proved to be most popular with the audience. This month we look forward to talks by Carl Wright 'How to get the most out of your digital camera', and Bob and Sue Moore with their presentation 'The Good Old Days', as well as our First Projected Competition.
August 2023 Congratulations to Mick Schilling whose image Gull Rock Sunset was awarded the prestigious Global Photographic Union (GPU) Gold Medal at the Midland Salon of International Photography in July. The exhibition opens on Saturday 12th August, at The Old School House, Churchbridge, Oldbury. Full details can be found at: http://www.midland-salon.com/ July 2023 Congratulations to Dave Venables whose print Red Squirrel was awarded the UPP's prestigious AQS Natural History Trophy and Plaque, for 2023. The UPP (United Photographic Portfolio) is a nationwide photographic club that comes to you via post or online, and you will find more details at: https://www.uppofgb.com/. June 2023 On Sunday 25th June, The Recreation Ground in Stratford-upon-Avon, welcomed 21 members of SPS with a day of glorious sunshine for this year’s President’s Picnic. Members enjoyed the opportunity to explore the local attractions, including the Butterfly Farm, the chain-ferry crossing to the Church, walks along the river, the canal basin, or just the opportunity to sit in the park and have a chat. Stratford in the summer always enjoys a real holiday atmosphere, but add some picnic food, a drink and an ice-cream, the chance to catch-up with good friends, and the day is complete. Not to mention the delicious sausage rolls provided by Graham! Legendary! * * Legendary used to mean you had once pulled a sword out of a stone. As it turns out, bringing sausage rolls to a party also qualifies!
May 2023 Congratulations to Jolanta B Axon, who recently achieved the distinction of BPE2* in recognition of her acceptances in British Photographic Exhibitions. Details of forthcoming exhibitions and the requirements for BPE distinctions can be found at: britishphotographicexhibitions.org.uk.
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Welcome to Shirley Photographic Society
Whether you are an experienced photographer or an enthusiastic beginner, you are most welcome to visit this friendly club to try a few sessions before joining. We meet on Thursday evenings at Shirley Methodist Church, from September to April. Doors open at 7.15 pm ready for a start at 7.45 pm. Please read more about us and have a look through our programme. If you like what you see, but would like more information, contact our secretary at: Alternatively, just turn up on a Thursday evening as detailed in the programme.
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