July
During one of our tours in Bratislava, we wandered up this charming cobbled street. Remembering that photography is often about simplifying a scene, I placed my phone on the ground and concentrated on composition rather than equipment. Sometimes a fresh perspective is all an image needs.
In Focus
While on our recent Viking River Cruise along the Danube, Hilary and I met a delightful couple, Joe and Anne. During one of our conversations, Anne shared a piece of photographic advice she had received many years ago in the film era. When you got your prints back from the lab, she was told, don’t look at them right away. Instead, put them aside for a few months.
The reasoning was simple. Our memories of a place are often richer than any photograph can capture. We remember the atmosphere, the conversations, the people we were with, the sounds, the smells, and how we felt in the moment. When we first review our images, it’s easy to compare them to those memories and feel disappointed that the photograph doesn’t measure up. Given time, however, those extra layers begin to fade, allowing us to look at the image more objectively and appreciate it for what it is rather than what we remember.
That thought stayed with me as I reflected on BPG’s activities over the past month. We enjoyed an excellent presentation from Sam Simkins, who shared both his photography and his experiences documenting life on a university campus. Members also had the opportunity to get out and make photographs at Collinsville Civil War Days, and the images shared afterward on our Facebook page suggest it was both a fun and rewarding outing. A special thank you goes to Lyra, who continues to do a wonderful job organizing outings that provide opportunities to learn, create, and spend time together as photographers.
Perhaps Anne’s advice applies to more than just travel photographs. Sometimes it can be helpful to step away from our images for a while, then return with fresh eyes and a new perspective. We may find that what first seemed ordinary contains more value than we initially realized.
Enjoy the newsletter, and keep shooting and being creative.
Martin Cregg – BPG President
Monthly Calendar - July
Monthly Meeting
Tuesday, July 7, 2026
Otter Creek Church
409 Franklin Rd, Brentwood, TN 37027
Time: 6:00 – 8:00 pm
Speaker: Chris Baker
Infrared Photography
Lunch Bunch
Wednesday, July 8, 2026
Williamson County Public Library
1314 Columbia Ave, Franklin
Time: 11:30 am – 12:30 pm
Optional Lunch at KOI
Mini Clinic
Thursday, July 16, 2026
Zoom: details will be sent via email
Time: 7:00 – 8:30 pm
Speaker: Chris Scott
Mastering the Modern Headshot: From Capture to Edit
Photography Outing
Friday, July 17, 2026
Nossi College of Art & Design
590 Creative Way, Nashville, TN
Time: 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Hands-on Workshop with Tom Stanford
July POTM Themes
Shadows, Image from a recent Photography Outing, and an Open Category
Shadows- What to consider
Time of Day and Direction
- Early Morning / Late Afternoon (Golden Hour): The sun is low in the sky, casting elongated, dramatic, and artistic shadows.
- Midday: The sun is directly overhead, resulting in short, harsh shadows under subjects. This is ideal for crisp, high-contrast structural or abstract shapes.
- Angle of Light: Side-lighting (light perpendicular to your subject) creates the most dimension and reveals texture.
Light Quality (Hard vs. Soft)
- Hard Light: Produced by a small, direct light source (e.g., direct sun on a clear day or a bare studio flash). It yields dark shadows with sharp, well-defined edges.
- Soft Light: Produced by a large light source (e.g., an overcast sky or a studio soft box). It results in gentle shadows that “feather” out, which is highly flattering for portraiture.
Composition and Storytelling
- Silhouettes: Expose for the brightest part of the sky or background to turn your subject into a dark, graphic outline.
- Abstract Patterns: Look for shapes cast by fences, windows, or foliage to create geometric patterns.
- Focus on the Light: Instead of looking directly at the shadows, pay attention to the light’s location and what it illuminates. The eye naturally travels to the bright spots in a frame.
Exposure and Post-Processing
- Expose for Highlights: Overexposing can blow out the brightest parts of your image (making them pure white and unrecoverable). Expose for the bright areas and let your shadows fall into deep darks.
- Embrace Black and White: Converting shadow-heavy photos to black and white strips away color distractions, emphasizing form, texture, and dramatic contrast.
- Shadow Recovery: If you need to bring back minor textures in the shadow areas, shoot in RAW format to retain maximum dynamic range for your editing software.
2026 Photo Of The Month Contest
Photo of the Month contest images are hung 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.
August POTM Themes
On the Ground, Image from a recent Photography Outing, and an Open Category
On The Ground: What to Consider
Perspective and Scale
- Insect’s-eye view: Dropping to the ground makes ordinary subjects (rocks, grass, flowers) appear massive and monumental.
- Wide-angle distortion: Using a wide-angle lens close to the ground exaggerates the size of the elements immediately in front of your camera.
- Connection with subjects: When photographing wildlife or people, meeting them at eye-level establishes intimacy and removes the “looking down” dynamic.
Composition and Depth
- Layering: Shooting low allows you to establish a strong foreground layer (pebbles, leaves, roots) that naturally leads the viewer’s eye into the mid-ground and background.
- Reflections: If you are near water, laying your camera nearly flat to the surface can yield perfectly symmetrical shots.
- Figure-to-ground: Ensure your main subject has good contrast against the background so it doesn’t get lost in the ground’s texture.
Technical Considerations
- Depth of Field: When you are mere inches away from your foreground, your depth of field shrinks. You may need to use small apertures (e.g., f/8 to f/16) or utilize focus stacking to keep both the foreground and background sharp.
- Focus point: Typically, focus roughly a third of the way into your scene for maximum sharpness.
- Leveling: Because wide-angle lenses distort lines drastically when angled downward, use the leveling tool or grid lines in your camera to avoid crooked horizons.
Gear and Environment
- Support: Tripods need to be positioned very low or laid flat. Many landscape photographers remove the center column or use a dedicated ground-level tripod adapter.
- Live View/Articulating Screen: If your camera has a tilting or flippable LCD screen, use it to frame your shots without having to lie flat in the mud.
- Tripod feet: Avoid using metal spikes when on hard rocks or delicate terrain to prevent scratching or habitat damage.
- Weather protection: Being on the ground means dirt, sand, or water can easily reach your front lens element. Use a lens hood and carry a microfiber cloth.
June 2026 Photo Of the Month Winning Images
First Place
Water
Betty coleman
BPG Outing
Kevin Graham
Open
Duane Miller
Second Place
Water
John Mott
BPG Outing
Leandra Habel
Open
Cat Bradford
Monthly Meeting Member's Spot - Pat Hollander
At our May Monthly Meeting, Pat Hollander will share the story behind this striking image, recently accepted into the Poetry of Light exhibition. Selected by Mark Scala, Chief Curator at the Frist Art Museum, the exhibit celebrates light, creativity, and National Poetry Month through the work of SNAP artists.
Pat’s image captures a quiet, candid moment, yet invites a deeper read – where light, color, and setting come together to suggest something more reflective and introspective. She will walk us through how she saw the scene, what drew her to it, and how small decisions in composition and timing helped shape the final result.
It’s a great example of how compelling images can emerge from everyday environments when we slow down, observe carefully, and respond to the moment in front of us.
The Brentwood Photography Group Facebook page
Are you a new member? Contact us to request access to our Group page.
2022 – Pat Hollander – Main Page
- Session 1 – The Basics – Exposure Triangle
- Session 2 – Lightroom Basics with Martin Cregg
- Session 3 – Intermediate Lightroom with Martin Cregg
- Session 4 – Photo Editing with ON1 with Rick Wise
- Session 5 – SmartPhone Photography with Susan Ruach
- Session 6 – Intermediate Photo Editing with ON1 with Rick Wise
Member Websites
Check out our member websites
If you would like your art to be added to the list, send your web information to the BPG Secretary.
- Architecture Tour – Offered every Saturday and Sunday at 3:30 p.m.
- Beauty and Ritual: Judaica from the Jewish Museum, New York. Oct 30, 2026–Feb 7, 2027
- Member Morning – Sunday, August 23, 2026, 11:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. and Sunday, November 8, 2026, 11:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. Members only
- Member Mornings – for members only on Wednesdays starting June 3, 2026 – October 28, 2026 8:00 am
- Fleurs de Villes THE GILDED AGE – August 1, 2026 – August 9, 2026.
- Gilded Paper Marbling – August 1, 2026
Franklin, TN
- Franklin Farmers Market Every Saturday year-round. 120 Aldersgate Way Franklin, TN at Franklin First United Methodist Church
- Fireworks Celebration July 4, 2026
- Tennessee Sunflower Festival, Lucky Ladd Farms. Estimated Flower Bloom Dates:
July 2-19 - Pumpkinfest – October 24, 2026
- Christmas Parade December 5, 2026
- Dickens of a Christmas December 12-13, 2026
Springfield, TN
- Sunflower Festival at Red River Farms. July 10-12, 2026
Portland, TN
- Sunflower Field Big Sky Farm. Sunflower Days happening July 24th – August 2nd 2026.
- Webb School Art & Craft Fair October 17-18, 2026
Lavendar Farms – Local Farm U-Pick & Harvest DaysIf you are located in the Nashville area, consider reaching out to Middle Tennessee spots like Oak Grove Lavender Farm in Hohenwald (roughly 1.5 hours southwest of Nashville) or Black and Blue Berry Farm in a nearby county. These farms typically bypass large festivals in favor of intimate U-Pick lavender events, fresh-baked goods, and harvest activities.
- 7/2 – Smyrna’s Independence Day Celebration – Smyrna
- 7/3 – Fairview July 3rd Celebration – Fairview
- 7/3 – Independence Day Celebration – Goodlettsville
- 7/3 – Hendersonville’s Freedom Festival – Hendersonville
- 7/3 – Springfield Freedom Fest – Springfield
- 7/3-7/4 – Clarksville Independence Day Celebration – Clarksville
- 7/3-7/4 – Smithville Fiddlers’ Jamboree – Smithville
- 7/4 – Red, White and Boom in Brentwood – Brentwood
- 7/4 – Red, White and Boom July 4th Celebration – Cookeville
- 7/4 – Franklin on the Fourth – Franklin
- 7/4 – La Vergne Independence Day Celebration – La Vergne
- 7/4 – Let Freedom Sing! Music City July 4th – Nashville
- 7/4 – Music City Hot Chicken Festival – Nashville
- 7/4 – White House Americana Celebration – White Hous
- 7/10-7/12 – Red River Farms Sunflower Festival – Springfield
- 7/10-7/12 – Red River Farms Sunflower Festival – Springfield
- 7/17-7/18 – Tennessee-Kentucky Threshermen’s Show – Adams
- 7/24-7/25 – Bluegrass Along the Harpeth Fiddlers Jamboree – Franklin
- 7/25-7/26 – Mountain Market for Arts and Crafts – Monteagle
Sloss Furnace Workshop Open to BPG Members Only
This workshop is open to BPG members but is not sponsored by BPG.
Just a few spots left so act fast if you are interested.
Date: Saturday, September 12, 2026 | 1:30–10:30 PM
Location: Sloss Furnaces, Birmingham, AL
Cost: $225
Email your name to lyrahankins@hotmail.com to reserve a spot. Space is first come, first served; additional names will be put on a waitlist. Payment (Venmo or check) details will follow once the roster is set.
- 1:30–5:30 PM: Day session starting at the Visitors Center’s auditorium / classroom. (We sit at tables and chairs. There is a huge digital screen to project images.) Following an intro we go out for daytime photography until 5:30 pm
- 5:30–6:30 PM: Break for meal time in classroom + optional image review (bring laptop or USB)
- 6:30–10:30 PM: Evening session for nightime photography, including behind the scenes locations and light painting.
- “What to bring” details and nearby dining info will be sent after registration
- Wear sturdy shoes and older clothes
- We will suggest dinner options that will work for the timing and location
- Coffee, water refill stations, and vending available
- Workshop is for registered participants only (no guests)
Byron Jorjorian Fine-Art Photography
Byron Jorjorian
Kathleen Clemons Photography
Kathleen Clemons
Natural Connections Photo Workshops
Ledra Woodlee
New Life Photos
Jamie Konarski Davidson
Rich Seiling Photography
Rich Seiling
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.
