We are delighted to share some incredible news from this weekend’s Irish Photographic Federation National Shield which was held at the Barbican Centre in Drogheda on Saturday, November 15th.

The National Shield is a major national photography competition designed to showcase the best emerging photographic talent across Ireland.

This year our club achieved its strongest-ever result in this competition:

✨ Monochrome Panel – 1st Place
✨ Colour Panel– 2nd Place

 Overall National Shield Champions 2025

Across both panels, our photographers scored *230 out of a possible 240 points*, placing Blackwater Photographic Society at the very top of the national rankings. The quality and consistency across the both panels was exceptional and we’re thrilled to see the hard work of our members recognised by the judges.

A special congratulations goes to John Ward, whose image in the Colour Section received an Honourable Mention in the individual awards, a fantastic achievement on a national stage.

We would also like to extend a sincere thank you to Niamh Barrett from Mallow Camera Club, who kindly transported our prints to Drogheda on the day. Your help is very much appreciated.

Finally, a huge thank you to all our members who submitted images, supported the panel selection process and helped prepare the prints. And many thanks to the IPF, the judges, and Drogheda Photographic Club for hosting such a great event. A huge well done to our friends at Solas Club on their achievements and Mallow, Blarney both scoring strong results on the day.

We’re incredibly proud of this result and proud to share our Colour and Mono panels with you below.

Feature Photographer of the Week – Geraldine Dennehy

This week we’re delighted to feature Geraldine Dennehy, a wonderfully diverse photographer whose work spans sports, portraits, families, and children.

Geraldine is an active member of our BPS Committee, where she plays a key role in organising many of our model shoots. If she had to pick a favourite subject, it would no doubt be horses — a passion clearly reflected in her stunning equestrian images.

Known throughout the show jumping community, Geraldine isn’t afraid to brave any weather to capture the perfect shot.

Below is a selection of her beautiful work over the years

Blackwater Photographic Society Exhibition – Now on Display!

We’re delighted to announce that our Arts Festival Exhibition is now open for viewing at Herlihy’s Centra, Main Street, Mallow.

The display offers a wonderful insight into the diverse styles and subjects captured by some of our talented club members. If you’re interested in purchasing any of the prints, contact details are available on the window display.

A huge thank you to all members who contributed images and to those who gave their time to help hang the exhibition. Special thanks to Tom and the team at Herlihy’s for generously providing the space to showcase our work.

Be sure to drop by and have a look!

Interested in photography?

Our club will be back meeting in September at the Mallow Day Care Centre (beside the swimming pool). Keep an eye on our socials for exact dates and times – coming soon!

On Monday May 25th we held the final of our Blackwater Photographic Society Photographer of the Year competition, with 218 images submitted by 17 members across three categories – Advanced, Intermediate and Non-Advanced.

A huge thank you to everyone who entered, supported, or helped organise this fantastic event, and to John Brennan and Kieran O’ Mahony for their work in organising this year’s competition.

We were privileged to welcome three exceptional judges:

• Michael Strapec AIPF, EFIAP – of Blarney Photography Club, fresh from earning his Associateship last week.
• Suzanne Beehan FIPF – ARPS – IPF Secretary and passionate wildlife photographer.
• Jennifer Willis FRPS, FIPF, MPAGB, BPE4, EFIAP* – Chair of Catchlight Camera Club and award winning photographer.

Their expert commentary and thoughtful scoring from our judges were greatly appreciated.

Category Winners:
Advanced
🥇 Paul Madigan – 1st Place
🥈 Kieran O’Mahony – 2nd
🥉 John Flynn – 3rd

Intermediate
🥇 Wendy White – 1st Place
🥈 Jim Heffernan – 2nd
🥉 Brian Power – 3rd

Non-Advanced
🥇 Katie Angland – 1st Place
🥈 John Ward – 2nd
🥉 Donna Owens – 3rd

A special mention to Julie O’Donnell, John Flynn and Kieran O’ Mahony whose images were highlighted by the judges as among their favourites of the night – a wonderful achievement!

Well done to everyone who took part. The standard of work was incredibly high, and we’re already looking forward to next year’s competition!

We were honoured to welcome Gerard O Meara , a distinguished photographer from Mallow, Co. Cork, as our guest speaker last Monday night.

 A Lifetime Through the Lens
Gerard has spent decades capturing the essence of local life, architecture, and nature in and around Mallow. His extraordinary body of work not only showcases his artistic vision, but also serves as a priceless historical archive of the town’s people streetscapes, and landmarks dating back to the 1960s.

One of his most impactful contributions has been the donation of over 42,000 film negatives to the county library—an incredible gift that ensures Mallow’s visual story lives on for generations.

A huge thank you from Blackwater.

Blackwater Photographic Society ranks Among World’s Top Photography Clubs

We’re delighted to announce that our club has secured an impressive 32nd place out of 293 photography clubs worldwide in the 19th FIAP World Cup for Clubs 2024. This prestigious competition drew entries from 55 countries across the globe, representing the very best in international photography. We’re especially proud to rank as the third highest Irish club, following fellow photographers in Dublin Camera Club (13th) and Dundalk Photographic Society (27th) in this global competition. Our internationally recognised portfolio included these outstanding works which demonstrate the depth of talent within our club:

“Chorus on the Branch” by John Flynn
“On the Brink of Flight” by John Flynn
“Wings of Glory” by Paul Madigan
“Call of the Wild” by Jim Heffernan
“The Last Drop” by John Mullane
“Emerald Whisper” by Wendy White
“Rhythms in the Rain” by Kieran O’ Mahony

A Big Congratulations to the overall winners Catchlight Camera Club (UK) with 615 points. Our score of 543 points places us firmly among the world’s leading photography clubs. This international recognition reflects the exceptional standard of photography at Blackwater Photographic Society. To have our work recognised at this level is a testament to the creativity and skill of all our members. Congratulations to all our participating photographers and thank you for representing us on the international stage..

We’re delighted to share the results of our recent ‘Winter’ themed competition! First, we want to extend our heartfelt thanks to our external judge, Enda O’Loughlin from Solas Camera Club, who went above and beyond to review our entries. Despite being significantly impacted by Storm Éowyn, with losses of electricity and broadband, Enda still managed to provide detailed feedback and scoring for every image in time for our Monday meeting – truly demonstrating remarkable dedication!

The competition showcased stunning winter scenes, from snow-covered landscapes to wildlife in frosty conditions. Congratulations to our winners:

Advanced Category:

🥇 John Flynn

🥈 Tom Healy

🥉 Paul Madigan

Non-Advanced Category:

🥇 Valentina Timis

🥈 Brian Power

🥉 John Brennan

The standard was exceptionally high, with several images receiving perfect or near-perfect scores. Particular highlights included some breath-taking captures of wildlife in snowy conditions and atmospheric landscape shots that truly captured the essence of winter.

Thank you to all our members who participated and helped make this another successful competition!

Last Monday Blackwater Photographic Society – Held our One Print Competition

A big thank you to all our members who participated and judged this great event!

We had 13 stunning entries showcasing a diverse range of talent—from super landscapes to captivating portraits and incredible wildlife shots.

Congratulations to our Top 3 winning photographers!

1st Place: Donna Owens

2nd Place: John

3rd Place: John Flynn

Well done to all participants for your amazing work!

#BlackwaterPhotographicSociety

🏆 Exciting News from today’s IPF Nature and Wildlife National Finals in Kilkenny 🏆

Our club members enjoyed great success at today’s competition in the Hoban Hotel, Kilkenny, where nearly 500 images were entered. Here are the results:

Fauna Section:
🥇 Kieran O’Mahony – Gold Medal
🥈 Paul Madigan – Silver Medal
🥉 Kieran O’Mahony – Bronze Medal
🎖️ Paul Madigan – Honorable Mention

Wildlife Section:
🥉 Paul Madigan – Bronze Medal

Well done to Jim Heffernan and John Flynn who also had images in the competition which scored well! 👏👏

Congratulations to Kieran, Paul, John and Jim on your success today and for representing our club in the competition. 📸✨