Themes 2026
Rockingham Photography Club's 2026 Monthly Themes
Enter and Enjoy – Engagement is a learning Process
| Month | Submission Date | Meeting Date | Theme | Theme Description | Judge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 2026-01-13 | 2026-01-20 | My Go-To Lens | This month, we challenge you to simplify your gear and focus on your vision. Choose one specific lens (e.g., a 50mm prime or your standard kit lens set to a single focal length) and use it exclusively for your entries. | Bruce Fraser |
| February | 2026-02-03 | 2026-02-10 | It's The Light | For this theme, the subject matter is secondary to the lighting. We are looking for images where the quality, direction, or colour of the light is the defining feature. This could include the golden glow of sunrise, the harsh shadows of midday, or soft window light. | Ron Speed |
| March | 2026-03-03 | 2026-03-10 | Framing - Windows & Doors | This composition challenge asks you to use architectural or natural elements to create a "frame within a frame." While actual windows and doors are perfect examples, you can also use tree branches, archways, or fences. | Kingsley Klau |
| April | 2026-04-07 | 2026-04-14 | Shallow Depth of Field (Print Month) | Submit an image where your main subject is sharp, but the background (and potentially the foreground) is beautifully blurred. This is often achieved by using a wide aperture (low f-stop number like f/1.8 or f/2.8). | Lynn Osbourne |
| May | 2026-05-05 | 2026-05-12 | A Sense of Movement | Photography often freezes time, but this theme asks you to show the passage of it. We are looking for images that convey motion, whether through the silky blur of a waterfall (long exposure) or the streaking background behind a moving car (panning). | |
| June | 2026-06-02 | 2026-06-09 | Monochrome | Strip away the colour and show us the world in black and white. Entries must be purely monochromatic (black, white, and shades of grey) or toned entirely in a single colour (like sepia or cyanotype). | |
| July | 2026-07-07 | 2026-07-14 | Candid Moments | Capture an unposed, spontaneous moment involving people. The subjects should not be looking at the camera or "performing" for the photographer. This could be a street scene, an interaction at a market, or a quiet moment at a public event. | |
| August | 2026-08-04 | 2026-08-11 | A Three-Image Story | Submit a single entry consisting of three distinct images arranged together to tell a story or explore a theme. The three images can be sequential (beginning, middle, end) or thematic (three different views of the same subject). | |
| September | 2026-09-01 | 2026-09-08 | Before and After | This educational theme requires you to submit two images: the original "straight out of camera" file and your final edited version. This allows judges and members to see the decisions you made in the "digital darkroom." | |
| October | 2026-10-06 | 2026-10-13 | Macro (Print Month) | Get up close and personal. We are looking for images of small subjects—insects, flower details, textures, or water droplets—where the subject is reproduced at life-size or larger magnification. | |
| November | 2026-11-03 | 2026-11-10 | Reflections | Photograph a subject indirectly by capturing its reflection. This could be in a puddle, a shop window, a mirror, or a shiny car body. The reflection can be the sole subject, or it can interact with the "real" object. | |
| December | 2026-12-08 | 2026-12-08 | Open - My Favourite Image | This is an "Open" competition with no set theme. We invite you to enter your single favourite image taken during the past 12 months. It can be of any subject and in any style. |
