CAMERA Club members rose to the challenge of bringing life and light to the city under darkness.

Our intrepid Oxford Mail Camera Club members defied the frozen and foggy weather to take to the streets to photograph some of Oxford’s most iconic buildings at night.

Top tips from Oxford Mail chief photographer Ed Nix, who led the outing on Wednesday, about long exposures and ISO settings proved the perfect way for members to capture an array of challenging and impressive shots.

Famous landmarks which line the streets of Oxford were brought to life under the cover of darkness, as well as members creating a bit of a buzz about the city, with passers-by mistaking them for paparazzi poised for a celebrity sighting.

Mr Nix said: “We had a really good turnout considering how cold it was.

“It was really nice seeing some familiar faces in the group, as well as seeing many that were new.

“We all met near the Bridge of Sighs as a meeting point which straight away turned into the first challenge of the evening - who could take the best shot of the bridge in nearly total darkness.

“There were lots of long exposures and fiddling about with ISOs and white balance settings to get the best result.”

Camera Club member Ritesh Vyas captured an impressive shot of the famous skyway which joins two parts of Hertford College over New College Lane using the little light available to show off its distinctive design.

Mr Nix added: “After that is was off to get some super long exposures of Broad Street and the busy High Street.

“It was great fun. Also funny just how many people came over to us thinking we were a big group of paparazzi photographers waiting for Tom Cruise or someone to appear.”

The time of day for the Camera Club meet-up meant the low-light levels posed a challenge for our photographers. But it also gave them the chance to play around with the transformative effects of long exposures used to create incredible trails of light from the simplistic movement of a car driving through High Street.

The layer of fog which also blanketed the county overnight also added to the eerie, yet peaceful pictures that our Camera Club members produced.

Oxford Mail chief photographer Mr Nix said the Camera Club meet-up is the first of many more in 2018 and that regularly events will be staged to give tips and advice guided by what photography members are interested in.

Previously, a group of dedicated Camera Club members braved the chill on a frosty December morning to head out and capture pictures of Blenheim Palace.

Join our Camera Club which now has more than 450 members – by visiting Facebook.com and searching for Oxford Mail Camera Club.

Each week there is a photo theme for members and the chance to win £25