Are you a member of a local camera club?

[wooster]

Vis a vis our earlier discussion I saw this today and thought it might be of interest

BBC Radio 3 - BBC Proms - Six Ways to Unleash Your Musical Potential

BBC Young Composer Article

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Dave Canon]

Out of curiosity is anyone a member of a club based in the Kent/South London area? I'd be interested in hearing if you are.

Yours sounds great Dave. I don't know where you are but sounds like the sort of club I'd be keen to find out more about.

My club is in Gloucestershire and we have members from all over the county, Worcestershire. Oxfordshire and Wiltshire. We also have a few members from South Wales who are still members of their local clubs but joined us since we went all Zoom; I guess they may cease their membership when we revert to Physical meetings though we are not ruling out continuing with some Zoom meetings. We are currently running our 9th International Salon which is currently open for entries see Cheltenham Camera Club

 

[wooster]

My club is in Gloucestershire and we have members from all over the county, Worcestershire. Oxfordshire and Wiltshire. We also have a few members from South Wales who are still members of their local clubs but joined us since we went all Zoom; I guess they may cease their membership when we revert to Physical meetings though we are not ruling out continuing with some Zoom meetings. We are currently running our 9th International Salon which is currently open for entries see Cheltenham Camera Club

Thanks Dave. I will check them out. Zoom has a great potential for making clubs better and more accesible than ever and I hope the good ones use it fully now and in the future .

 

[tijuana taxi]

Yours sounds great Dave. I don't know where you are but sounds like the sort of club I'd be keen to find out more about.

I thought it sounded awful especially the badges and circulating introducers.

 

[wooster]

I thought it sounded awful especially the badges and circulating introducers.

I see. Well in that case I have an excellent piece of guidance for you which I would strongly recommend you heed; don't join it.

It would just make you and also the members unhappy.

 

[tijuana taxi]

I see. Well in that case I have an excellent piece of guidance for you which I would strongly recommend you heed; don't join it.

It would just make you and also the members unhappy.

That reply made you sound like a right prat, what colour badge will that get you?

 

[wooster]

That reply made you sound like a right prat, what colour badge will that get you?

Whereas you felt yours covered you in glory I suppose. Oh dear. Is it the lockdown, Rich?

 

[tijuana taxi]

Whereas you felt yours covered you in glory I suppose. Oh dear. Is it the lockdown, Rich?

Nope, condescending remarks have always given me the hump.

 

[wooster]

Nope, condescending remarks have always given me the hump.

Do you know what? I shouldn't have said that. Sorry. We all have different views of what we like etc and so my ideas about clubs and yours will be different

When I responded, I had initially read your post as you being snippy. If I took your comment in post #125 the wrong way I apologise for that too.

 

[tijuana taxi]

I could have been a bit more pleasant too, apologies all round sounds good to me.

Even discussions about clubs doesn't work for me

 

[wooster]

Even discussions about clubs doesn't work for me

LOL Fair enough

 

[viewfromthenorth]

My club is in Gloucestershire and we have members from all over the county, Worcestershire. Oxfordshire and Wiltshire. We also have a few members from South Wales who are still members of their local clubs but joined us since we went all Zoom; I guess they may cease their membership when we revert to Physical meetings though we are not ruling out continuing with some Zoom meetings. We are currently running our 9th International Salon which is currently open for entries see Cheltenham Camera Club

By a weird coincidence, I’ve just had an email inviting me to do a talk at your club in a few weeks time[emoji4]

 

[realspeed]

NO way, I could not stand the arguements of my photo is better than yours.

 

[Petrochemist]

NO way, I could not stand the arguements of my photo is better than yours.

Funnily enough I've more often met cases where the photographer sees less merit in their own shots.

I don't think I've ever heard comments at the club of 'mine is better'. There have been plentiful suggestions on the basis of 'if you crop it like this I think it improves' & a long running joke of 'it would be better with a guy on a bike in it'... (usually employed where that would be totally impossible)

 

[realspeed]

Funnily enough I've more often met cases where the photographer sees less merit in their own shots.

I don't think I've ever heard comments at the club of 'mine is better'. There have been plentiful suggestions on the basis of 'if you crop it like this I think it improves' & a long running joke of 'it would be better with a guy on a bike in it'... (usually employed where that would be totally impossible)

Exactly my point, other members I guess don't understand it is your own work not how they see it. Why would they want to start messing about with your photo? they were not there when the shot was taken, there may be many reasons preventing a better shot, such as people in the way- limited time to take it - 0nly angle possible etc.

 

[benc98]

Exactly my point, other members I guess don't understand it is your own work not how they see it. Why would they want to start messing about with your photo? they were not there when the shot was taken, there may be many reasons preventing a better shot, such as people in the way- limited time to take it - 0nly angle possible etc.

isn't that the value of a camera club though? if I was pushing put rubbish work, I'd want someone to engage with me and offer up some critique and tips? Even if my work isn't rubbish, I keep an open mind to what other people think.

Generally, people who aren't open minded about critique or doing things differently next time always come out with the same excuses... people in the way, limited time, that's just how it was

 

[Dave Canon]

Exactly my point, other members I guess don't understand it is your own work not how they see it. Why would they want to start messing about with your photo? they were not there when the shot was taken, there may be many reasons preventing a better shot, such as people in the way- limited time to take it - 0nly angle possible etc.

Clearly you should not show your work to others if you do not want to receive comments. You seem to imply that clubs impose this on members whereas the members want discussion groups from time to time. I regard feedback as valuable but you are free to ignore it. Of course if you stand on the edge of a cliff to take a shot and someone suggest that you should have stepped back a few paces, you can then explain why this was not possible. This may help them top understand your image so what is wrong with that?

Dave

 

[Dave Canon]

By a weird coincidence, I’ve just had an email inviting me to do a talk at your club in a few weeks time[emoji4]

I will look forward to seeing you.

Dave

 

[Petrochemist]

Exactly my point, other members I guess don't understand it is your own work not how they see it. Why would they want to start messing about with your photo? they were not there when the shot was taken, there may be many reasons preventing a better shot, such as people in the way- limited time to take it - 0nly angle possible etc.

Our club calls it's self a photography workshop. We all come to learn from each other, so trying out suggestions helps. Our issue is IMO too few suggestions rather than too many.

I've know a few on-line critiques to be quite unpleasant, but that's much less common face-to-face.
When projecting digital images we can quickly try simple suggestions (like 'what's a monochrome version of that like?' or 'did you consider cropping out those twigs?') then everyone can make up their own mind as to which they prefer (here's no requirement to share that).
Sometimes the one making the suggestion will admit it doesn't help, sometimes the original photographer might say they prefer the new version or they might say it makes a nice image but doesn't show what they wanted the image to show (I was trying to show the comparison..)
If the suggestion had been along the lines of if only you'd taken it from the far side of X, the photographer might be able to reply that a 200' cliff prevented it!

In general I find it far preferable having a suggestion made to just having everyone sit still, waiting for the next shot.

 

[sirch]

Obviously clubs are not a homogeneous thing but if I correctly understand @realspeed then I have a bit of sympathy with what he is driving at. There is a feeling, perhaps driven by camera clubs that are heavily into competitions, that there is a camera club "style" which is quite formulaic, vibrant, glossy, sharp, everything on the thirds, no distracting things on the frame edge etc. and it has been said that a lot of highly regarded photographs would not do well in club competitions. I think there is also the issue that most club members, as with people on forums like this, are much of a muchness, I am happy to take crit from someone who creates work in the same genre that is much better than mine but I am not really interested in, say, a middling street photographer telling me how my minimalist landscape image could be improved. I guess its also about experience levels, if I was new to street photography then I would welcome any input but if I was experienced and deliberately pushing boundaries as part of my style then formulaic crit that misses the point is not really helpful or interesting.

 

[Arvorphoto]

My club is in Gloucestershire and we have members from all over the county, Worcestershire. Oxfordshire and Wiltshire. We also have a few members from South Wales who are still members of their local clubs but joined us since we went all Zoom; I guess they may cease their membership when we revert to Physical meetings though we are not ruling out continuing with some Zoom meetings. We are currently running our 9th International Salon which is currently open for entries see Cheltenham Camera Club

Sounds a very interesting club Dave, very much what I would want from a club, being able to learn and extend & share knowledge. Sadly a bit too far from Cornwall or North Devon where I'm relocating to :-(

 

[beyond the blue]

The only club I'm a member of is a Fly fishing club but I'm not really accepted by other members because I refuse to dress in tweed jackets, hats with flies stuck in, or welly's that cost £300 a pair. I prefer jeans and a T shirt.
I joined a guitar club for amateurs once but they turned out to be semi-professionals that just wanted an audience.

 

[Mr Badger]

The only club I'm a member of is a Fly fishing club but I'm not really accepted by other members because I refuse to dress in tweed jackets, hats with flies stuck in, or welly's that cost £300 a pair. I prefer jeans and a T shirt.

Blimey, I've not seen a fly fisher in a tweed jacket for about 40 years! The ones I see tend to be dressed from head to foot in matching Gore-Tex, wearing £300 breathable fabric chest waders to bank fish a small stillwater where walking boots would do, and wearing a 'vest' (the trendy/American word for waistcoat) that looks more like it should belong to someone in an armed tactical response unit!

I think you probably get 'trend-sheep' members of the 'matching hat and bag' brigade in whatever outdoor hobby or sport though, and perhaps clubs are a breeding ground for this? You've only got to see the number of middle-aged men in Lycra pedalling their shiny carbon fibre bikes around in groups to realise what I'm on about here; and don't even start me on sling mounted cameras being used by happy snappers rather than pro press or sports photographers - no wonder there are so many scuffed up and scratched cameras on the second hand market!

 

[Tom Pinchenzo]

I’m not a member but last year I was kindly asked to judge their wildlife photography competition (more because of my wildlife knowledge than my photography... being a landscape photographer!) and I gladly accepted. It was their last ‘in person’ meeting before the first lockdown. Last night I Zoom/judged this year’s comp. They’re a lovely welcoming bunch. But I feel camera clubs - or any club for that matter - are joined primarily for the social engagement. If you’re not looking for something to occupy your time, or people to meet then I don’t see the point.

 

[Stephen L]

As an amusing aside, this afternoon when I was wandering around (sorry, exercising) with my Sony A7C and Oly 200mm, another gent out “exercising“ with his Nikon 750 stopped me and asked what that “nice old camera” was. I told him, and he enquired what size of film it took. He then proceeded to extol the benefits of the local camera club, of which he was an official. He said they helped “people like me” to take better photos. Surprisingly, I declined his invitation. He walked away, with his beautiful collie (a pedigree, he said) by his side. I couldn’t help calling after him that he had a lovely poodle.

 

[wooster]

I used to love fishing. I've been a member of two fly-fishing syndicates, two carp fishing syndicates, and four coarse fishing clubs and although there were admittedly a small number of complex characters in one of the FF clubs, other than them just about everyone was friendly, chatty, and we helped each other along the way for no-one felt they knew it all already.

Seems to me that this thread has underlined the need to be sure you are joining a club whose members and general vibe chimes with your own. Most clubs give you a chance to meet and chat with the members or reps before you join and that's important. If one had expectations re dress I'd need to consider if that was what I wanted or not. I'd hate to join a club then find out I'd joined the wrong one for me.

 

[mstphoto]

I'm going to be one of those guest speakers at your club next year

I go to a couple of camera clubs... I enjoy the speakers, it can be inspiring to hear about others' work and how they go about it, even if it isn't a genre that I would do myself

Looking forward to your talk tonight, Justin.
Remember to say Hello

 

[velocette]

Been in a couple over the years but for me far to much emphasis on competitions. I gave my last club two years but the only time we got to know other members was during the annual summer break when we just met socially in a local pub to chat. We did try and fit in, making tea and sharing in chores etc but if you didn't o comps you really felt outsiders. Our fault of course as that was obviously what the majority of members wanted.

 

[Nikon_Nick]

I’ve thought about joining one over the years, as there are a couple close to where I live. I even went to a couple of meetings as a ‘guest’, but it was the competition addiction that put me off also. Hey Ho.

 

[Adamcski]

I've thought / enquired about attending our local one in Solihull. Haven't been though.

 

[wornish]

I thought about it and have looked at two locally.

My nearest seemed to revolve around the chairman and his cronies and be more interested in what camera gear I had.
The other was more worried and concerned about meeting RPS standards. and again the judges must be revered!

Both, not the friendliest of places have to say, so gave them a miss.

 

[Kell]

I've not been a member of an independent camera club*, but have been a member of a car club. I was even on the committee as I was editor of the quarterly (physical) magazine.

There's always discord. Having been on the committee, you have to be guarded about everything you say. A personal opinion will be taken as a Club Policy. Someone, somewhere, will take it the wrong way. You have to deal with egos - both big egos and fragile ones. You spend an extraordinary amount of time and effort producing something that most people will slag off.

And I'd like to think that our club was one of the better ones. Certainly a friend of mine who was a member of a Porsche Club said they were dreadful. Seeming to fall foul of everything people are saying here about (certain) Camera Clubs. Hierarchical and full of one-upmanship. And he had a very rare Porsche too. I can't remember the reason why it was rare, but at the same time as revering his car, when he turned up at a Club Event they tried to force him to display his car on the Club Stand (which he didn't want to do and hadn't signed up for) and got incredibly shirty with him when he said 'No'.

Forums can often follow a similar pattern. And for me it is far more enjoyable to sit back in the relative anonymity of membership and moan about it all from the sidelines.

I take my hat off to anyone that still puts in the time and effort to run them. It's a thankless task that's rarely appreciated.

And today is different to 10 years ago. Which was different to 20 years ago. Pre-internet, pre-digital camera clubs had to fulfil a different agenda and satisfy a different demographic. I'd have been rubbish in one as I do rely on LR to make some post improvements. Having said that, I did study photography at college and do know that many of the LightRoom tools are simply Darkroom techniques updated for the modern age. it's just much quicker (and less expensive) to view the results.

*Edited to add, I did join a photography club at work. It was much like the TP52 with weekly themes (and gatherings) to discuss output. What I found VERY odd about that one was that we had to show SOOC RAWs (or JPEGS - depending on camera) but were asked to do Post Processing on other people's shots. I didn't see any point in doing that that way. I could see some merit in doing an exercise where you're given someone's RAW and processing it differently, but to ask the shot taker to not process it seemed pointless.

So I'm not currently a member, but do think about trying to find a club to help me improve. But then so much more information is available online these days.

 

[gjhill]

I have tried a couple
one when I lived in Eire , was a bit hit and miss you would turn up for the meetings only to find the guy with the key wasn’t available that night ,gave up eventually
one back in Uk a few years ago but was very clicky
not bothered now but would be good to find a ’tog’ buddy locally to get me out and about and off my a**e

 

[reheat module]

...and if I ever see another Kingfisher shot before 2025...

 

[A_S]

Similar subject - I’ve looked at my local clubs website and Facebook - it just seems to be competitions, workshops and talks and people over 60.

What I want is like minded people to go out and actually take photos with, have a pint with or a meal and some discussion about photography - all more casual than this structured stuff. Especially as my photography friends are always too busy to organise something at a mutually convenient time or place etc.

On that note I think for people who want to be more practical perhaps Meetup groups are the way to go?

 

[SydZ]

I was a member of one for a number of years near where I lived up to ~4 years ago and was quite active for them, being on the committee and handling a number this, such as external competitions, web presence and social media.

I then moved home and, once settled in, looked for a local club to join. I found the area dominated by one particular club, which I joined for one season, but didn’t find them meeting my expectations. Personally I feel they are too big and disparate.

Fast forward to today, I still manage the web presence and social media for my former club from 4 years ago and, technically, am still an honoroury member. It’s a minimal task which I enjoy doing.

 

[tijuana taxi]

Similar subject - I’ve looked at my local clubs website and Facebook - it just seems to be competitions, workshops and talks and people over 60.

What I want is like minded people to go out and actually take photos with, have a pint with or a meal and some discussion about photography - all more casual than this structured stuff. Especially as my photography friends are always too busy to organise something at a mutually convenient time or place etc.

On that note I think for people who want to be more practical perhaps Meetup groups are the way to go?

I'm over 60, enjoy a pint or two and have arranged/ attended photo meet ups on this very site.
Covid messed it up a bit, but hoping to get another London wander off the ground later in the year.

Why not try sorting something out yourself or organise a group where you live.
Might find some other old gits like me about who don't want the competitions and slide shows.
Lots of people myself included who moan about the old fart club brigade, but don't do anything new.

I would like to try some urbex, maybe a bit knackered for legging it from security people.
Gig photography also looks good and got a project that requires a few days in Paris.
Got plenty of Eurostar/ DBahn vouchers and a list of destinations from all the cancellations.

Sixty is the new forty these days, last of those who the government didn't work until they drop.

 

[A_S]

I'm over 60, enjoy a pint or two and have arranged/ attended photo meet ups on this very site.
Covid messed it up a bit, but hoping to get another London wander off the ground later in the year.

Why not try sorting something out yourself or organise a group where you live.
Might find some other old gits like me about who don't want the competitions and slide shows.
Lots of people myself included who moan about the old fart club brigade, but don't do anything new.

I would like to try some urbex, maybe a bit knackered for legging it from security people.
Gig photography also looks good and got a project that requires a few days in Paris.
Got plenty of Eurostar/ DBahn vouchers and a list of destinations from all the cancellations.

Sixty is the new forty these days, last of those who the government didn't work until they drop.

sorry, wasn't meant to be a pop at people over 60 - just meant to say that I'd rather it be a group closer to my own demographic (under 40) who are more likely to want to get out and about! Where as the demographic of most clubs I've seen are a lot older.

 

[Dave Canon]

I'm over 60, enjoy a pint or two and have arranged/ attended photo meet ups on this very site.
Covid messed it up a bit, but hoping to get another London wander off the ground later in the year.

Why not try sorting something out yourself or organise a group where you live.
Might find some other old gits like me about who don't want the competitions and slide shows.
Lots of people myself included who moan about the old fart club brigade, but don't do anything new.

I would like to try some urbex, maybe a bit knackered for legging it from security people.
Gig photography also looks good and got a project that requires a few days in Paris.
Got plenty of Eurostar/ DBahn vouchers and a list of destinations from all the cancellations.

Sixty is the new forty these days, last of those who the government didn't work until they drop.

We have all these things at my club including working with others in the Community and about half the members never enter competitions (it is not compulsory) though many of those still turn up to competition evenings to see the images. What is a slide show? I have not seen a slide for many years. I am attending a club led Urbex shoot in a couple of weeks. It will be in a deserted industrial building and we are taking a professional model with us.

Dave

 

[tijuana taxi]

We have all these things at my club including working with others in the Community and about half the members never enter competitions (it is not compulsory) though many of those still turn up to competition evenings to see the images. What is a slide show? I have not seen a slide for many years. I am attending a club led Urbex shoot in a couple of weeks. It will be in a deserted industrial building and we are taking a professional model with us.

Dave

Hardly my idea of urbex, all very staged and sounds extremely boring, but whatever floats your members boats.
Ok, substitute digital projector show for slide show, its what the person I responded to didn't want.

You are so biased and protective of your club that it makes you oblivious to others opposing views on the matter.