We are sad to report the passing of our friend and fellow member, Jeff.
Jeff Hoffman joined Derby City Photographic Club after he retired from a working life spent in General Practice. After hearing a talk from one of the professional photographers who was involved in “Natures Images”, he went on a day’s workshop for woodland birds.
This was followed by a trip to photograph sea birds on the islands of Saltee and Skoma.
By the end of these he was “hooked” and if anyone asked him what he did, he would reply “I’m a Wildlife Photographer”. Natures Images trips took him from the USA to many parts of Europe, the Middle East and Scandinavia. He loved becoming totally immersed in photography during these times away, being alongside professional and enthusiastic amateur photographers - learning from them and sharing his knowledge.
Another regular fixture was his annual, winter, one to one trips with Neil McIntyre in the Cairngorms or Scottish Islands capturing Mountain Hares, Otters, Red Squirrels, Red Deer Stags and Crested Tits.
The images he brought back from these trips away were used by Derby City, and more latterly by Synergy, for inter-club, national and international competitions - often receiving ribbons or medals for their high quality. He eschewed going for any formal photographic qualifications as he wanted his photography to be for his pleasure rather than a source of pressure.
He was more than willing to try other genres of photography including portraiture, athletics, dance, tennis, horse racing and landscape. His desire to learn and improve led him to read widely around subjects and he watched photographic YouTube videos most days. He developed a wonderful “photographic eye” for what made a good image.
He was a valued member of Synergy from it’s foundation. He had a perceptive brain and a quirky sense of humour, bringing a lightness to any meeting he attended. He worked hard to contribute to the group and was a loyal member over many years. This continued despite him developing Parkinson’s Disease in his last years.
His images provide a much better tribute than our words and a selection is shown in this section of our web-site. He will be much missed.
The above set of images is the gallery Jeff chose for his page on our website. Below is a collection of images that show his talent in wildlife photography and beyond.
