Note: Mini Clinic for Thursday September 18 starts at 6:30 PM
Introducing the BPG Online Store. Show your support for BPG by purchasing our very own branded “merch”!
- Mug
- Tote bag
- Baseball cap
- Insulated tumbler
- Unisex T-shirt
- Women’s T-shirt
All products are made and delivered by Zazzle; they will handle any customer service issues too. BPG will receive royalties on all products sold which we will put towards Group expenses.
Monthly Calendar
Meet your 2025 Board Members
President – Bert Laws
Treasurer – Rick Wise
Assistant Treasurer – Martin Cregg
Secretary – Diane Burgett
Assistant Secretary – Marjorie Pess
Webmaster – Martin Cregg
Outings – Lyra Hankins
Photo of the Month – Elizabeth Stead
AV – Tom Welch
Communications – John Mott
Main Meeing
Main Meeting – Tuesday, September 2, 2025
Otter Creek Church
409 Franklin Rd, Brentwood, TN 37027
6:30PM – 8:00PM
(Networking and Photo of the Month competition: 6:00 – 6:30 PM)
Speaker: David McClister
Topic: All Together Now – 25 Years of Photographing American Music
David McClister started his photography career just as Americana was establishing itself as a genre, working with such legendary artists as Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, and Dolly Parton. In 2012 he was invited to be a “fly on the wall” during the Americana Honors and Awards show rehearsals, a gig in which he has now become a fixture for more than a decade, capturing enduring legends and emerging icons such as John Prine, Mavis Staples, Lyle Lovett, Brandi Carlile, Jason Isbell, and Rhiannon Giddens.
During this presentation, David will show images of his work.
Outing – Saturday, September 6, 2025
Highland Games 2025
Sanders Ferry Park, Hendersonville
https://www.midtenngames.com/
Meeting Time: 9:30 am
Meeting Place: Inside the main entrance by First Aid tent and vendors
Optional Group Lunch: 11:00 – There will be food vendors on site. Meet up by the food stands across from the athletics field. There will be picnic tables available.
This is a great opportunity to capture some dynamic and unique images, from novel athletic competitions to lively musical performances. Lots of good people and “street photography” shots. And men in kilts!
This festival is packed with photo opportunities all day long:
- Heavy Scottish Athletics: Watch athletes competing in traditional events like the Caber Toss, Hammer Toss, and Sheaf Toss. Events kick off at 9 a.m. on the main field.
- Piping & Drumming Competitions: Capture the focus of solo competitors starting at 8:30 a.m. and the synchronized spectacle of full pipe bands competing in the afternoon, beginning at 1:30 p.m.
- Music & Dance: The festival features two stages with seven different bands, plus a stage with Scottish dancers. There will be bagpipe performances from groups traveling from as far as Atlanta, Memphis, and Louisville.
- Cultural Moments: Explore the Scottish Clan Village to learn about clan heritage, the vendor marketplace, and other themed activities for a wide range of candid and detail shots.
- Scotch tasting with experts is featured at 1 p.m. or 2:30 p.m.; this requires an extra ticket.
- Schedule of events: https://www.midtenngames.com/schedule
- Festival Map: https://www.midtenngames.com/map
- Getting there: About 45 min from Otter Creek Church (~32 miles).
- Tickets: Single day all-access pass $27.88 (inc. fee). Parking is included. https://www.midtenngames.com/tickets
- Parking: Included in ticket price
Don’t forget to complete the online Hold Harmless Agreement (https://form.jotform.com/233284043176050)
Lunch Bunch
Lunch Bunch – Wednesday, September 10, 2025
Optional lunch at KOI after.
Williamson County Public Library, 1314 Columbia Ave, Franklin, TN 37064, 11:30-12:30.
Lunch Bunch is a monthly lunch meeting, led by Dick Dougall, with the focus on members getting to know each other and having constructive critiques and discussions about their images
Please email Dick Dougall at dickdougall@gmail.com if you plan to attend.
Mini Clinic – Thursday, September 18, 2025
Speaker: Lisa Langell
Topic: Photographing Wildlife in High Key
Zoom info: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/cojbWwhJTqWmwXcAhaBJ6g
Time: 6:30 pm
When you open the zoon link, you will need to register
High key photography is a powerful, evocative and often ethereal type of photography. It involves creating images where there is a dominance of white or bright tones. For nature photography, it is a type of photography that goes against most “traditional” styles and “rules” of nature photography. It requires the right circumstances – the right light, subject, and setting—in order for the magic of High Key photography to work.
You will learn:
• What lighting conditions are best (and worst) for high-key photography
• The settings that are generally recommended for creating high-key work
• What foregrounds and backgrounds work best for high key photography
• Composition tips for this style of photography
• Post-processing tips to create the final look
Cheekwood Gardens, Classic Car Show, June 28
Sunflower Festival, Lucky Ladd Farms, July 12
Marathon Village / Marathon Motor Works, August 16
Highland Games, Hendersonville, September 6
Castalian Springs historic houses and park, October 18
Franklin Flea Market, Williamson Cty Ag Center, November 8
Alyssa Ray
Claude Velasco
Diane Burgett
Lyra Hankins
Marjorie Pess
Mark A Reynolds
Phyllis Tatum
Rick Borchert
Scott Oberle
In 2023 Bob submitted an image to the Smithsonian Magazine photo competition. Out of 30,000 entries from 2023 alone, his image of the Green Heron taken at Radnor Lake was selected to advertise this year’s contest.
Looking for Inspiration?
Check out our member websites
If you would like your art to be added to the list, send your web / SmugMug information to secretary@brentwoodphotographygroup.org
2025 Photo Of The Month Contest (6:00 – 6:30 PM)
Photo of the Month contest images are hung between 6:00-6:30 prior to the main meeting. This is an opportunity for you to compare your work with that of others, as you perhaps think about entering our outside exhibits. It’s good training, and by compelling you to focus on specific themes you learn and grow in your photography. A Board member will be at the display to answer questions and encourage participation.
Resizing And Uploading Images
- Resize your image to 2000 pixels along the longest edge.
- Down sample your image so it is less than 1MB.
- Save images in .jpg format.
Need Help Resizing Your Images?
Directions for resizing your images can be found on the BPG web site by clicking here.
Or you can review the November 2021 Mini-Clinic YouTube video
Export using Capture 1, fast forward to the 24:00 minute.
Export using Light Room, fast forward to the 27:35 minute.
Export using ON1, fast forward to 35:15 minute.
Export using Photo shop, fast forward to 42:10 minute.
Gallery Wall
If you would like to display your images without submitting into the POTM competition we have a Gallery Wall. This is an opportunity to share your work in a format that isn’t competitive. We’ll use one side of the POTM displays and the table used for other displays, if necessary. You will get 1 President’s Cup point for participating. If you also enter images in the POTM, you will not receive an additional participation point for participating in both.
Note:
- For Gallery Wall only, prints can be a maximum 13″ x 19″
- POTM prints must be no larger than 8.5″ x 12″
Cheekwood
- Jazz Greats: Classic Photographs from Bank of America
July 12, 2025 – October 5, 2025 - El Día de los Muertos
November 1, 2025 – November 2, 2025 9:00 am – 5:00 pm - Cheekwood Harvest
September 13, 2025 – October 30, 2025 - Halloween Pooch Party
October 25, 2025 – October 26, 2025
9:00 am – 5:00 pm - Holiday LIGHTS
November 21, 2025 – January 4, 2026
4:30 pm – 10:00 pm
Member Pre-sale September 30
General Public October 14
The Nashville Fair
September 5-14, 2025
42nd Annual Wilco Pow Wow
9/27/2025 10:30 – 9/28 5:00pm
Nashville Zoo
Hispanic Heritage Festival – September 27, 2025
Zoolumination– November 13, 2025 – January 4, 2026
January 8, 2026 – February 8, 2026
Tickets go on sale September 17th
Frist Art Museum
Paul McCartney Photographs 1963–1964: Eyes of the Storm
Nov 7, 2025–Jan 26, 2026
Webb School Art and Craft Show
October 18th 9am – 5pm
October 19th 9am – 4pm
Go early, it gets crowded
Franklin TN
Pumpkinfest – October 25, 2025
Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony – December 5, 2025
Christmas Parade – December 6, 2025
Dickens of a Christmas – December 13- 14, 2025
Your Cheekwood membership is accepted at 330+ Botanical Gardens, Arboreta, Conservatories Nationwide, and over 60 Museums in the Southeast
Here are a few gardens within a 4 hour drive from Nashville.
Web Address & City
- Cheekwood Estate & Gardens – Nashville, TN 37205
- Huntsville Botanical Garden – Huntsville, AL 35805
- Reflection Riding Arboretum & Nature Center – Chattanooga, TN 37419
- Western Kentucky Botanical Garden – Owensboro, KY 42301
- Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest – Clermont, KY 40110
- University of Tennessee Gardens – Knoxville, TN 37996
- Birmingham Botanical Gardens – Birmingham, AL 35223
- Aldridge Gardens – Hoover, AL 35216
- Dixon Gallery and Gardens – Memphis, TN 38117
- Memphis Botanic Garden – Memphis, TN 38117
- Yew Dell Botanical Gardens – Crestwood, KY 40014
- Knoxville Botanical Garden and Arboretum – Knoxville, TN 37914
- The Arboretum, State Botanical Garden of Kentucky – Lexington, KY 40503
- Smith-Gilbert Gardens – Kennesaw, GA 30152
- Anniston Museums and Gardens – Anniston, AL 36206
- Atlanta Botanical Garden – Atlanta, GA 30309
- Atlanta History Center – Atlanta, GA 30305
- Boone County Arboretum – Union, KY 41091
