what happens at a camera club?

fudge

fudge

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the more i ve been getting into photography the more i think about going to a camera club but i wondered what they do. is it all just comparing who has the biggest lens or is it tips and themes . do you have to show your work for critique?
 
It all depends on the club. Mine has different activities each week. for example, there are:

  • Competitions. You don't have to enter, you can sit a listen to the judge giving critique. Your entry will be anonymous unless you are in the top 3.
  • Lectures/Slideshows
  • Tutorials (PS etc...)
  • Practical evenings. Different areas set up for things like PS, Still Life, studio and model etc...

This is just at my club so others may differ, but it should give you a flavour of what's out there.
 
Most clubs will let you go along for a couple of meetings free so you can get an idea. They can vary, I went to my local one a few years back and they spent the evening watching a DVD about the Royal Mail postal trains from the steam era - enough to be put me off forever, don't mind the trains or dvd but the impression I got was the club is really just a front for a bunch of old duffers to get out, tell war stories and have a pint :nuts:
 
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pxl8 said:
Most clubs will let you go along for a couple of meetings free so you can get an idea. They can vary, I went to my local one a few years back and they spent the evening watching a DVD about the Royal Mail postal trains from the steam era - enough to be put me off forever, don't mind the trains or dvd but the impression I got was the club is really just a front for a bunch of old duffers to get out, tell war stories and have a pint :nuts:
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There's a strong element of that in all clubs as I suspect the average age must be 60

Certainly ours was when I joined, but we attracted a few youngsters (under 40s!) and now the average age must be in the mid 40s - we even have 3 members under 20 - so no Steam Train nights for us!!! :LOL:

DD
 
We can only dream of people under 60 at the one I tried!

A two hour slide presentation of underwater photography did it for me. "This is a picture I have taken of a fish".

Here`s another
Here`s another

Repeat to infinity.........

Never went back. I wanted hands on sessions, I`m sure some do it but this one didn`t. I`ve learn more on here, and made some good friends through photography forums.

I`d never say no though, it`s just a matter of finding a club that`s compatible I suppose. Either that, or wait till the oldies pop their clogs.
 
At the one I go to*, mainly we sit in the pub. There is geeky camera chat, not so geeky regular chat and the odd pint. People sometimes bring in their gear or their work for others to see. Occasionally we take photos too!

*not strictly a club actually. It's the Hull Flickr group's monthly meet up.
 
generally you sit down and look at other peoples prints, look at competition prints and get annoyed with judges for not having a clue, then you wonder WTF you are doing lol


fudge said:
the more i ve been getting into photography the more i think about going to a camera club but i wondered what they do. is it all just comparing who has the biggest lens or is it tips and themes . do you have to show your work for critique?
Click to expand...
 
pxl8 said:
Most clubs will let you go along for a couple of meetings free so you can get an idea. They can vary, I went to my local one a few years back and they spent the evening watching a DVD about the Royal Mail postal trains from the steam era - enough to be put me off forever, don't mind the trains or dvd but the impression I got was the club is really just a front for a bunch of old duffers to get out, tell war stories and have a pint :nuts:
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I went to one like that in the early 80s, there was a 10 minute talk by a guy who must have been 75 followed by a 2 hour film of various aircraft being re-fueled in mid air, the first couple were quite interesting but by the time we'd been through every aircraft owned by the RAF in the last 30 years I was suicidal

when I asked about the photography I was told it was February, much too cold to go outside with a camera, I didn't go back
 
are they biased to film or digital? i just wondered as it seems to be an older crowd everyone has encountered .
 
POAH said:
generally you sit down and look at other peoples prints, look at competition prints and get annoyed with judges for not having a clue, then you wonder WTF you are doing lol
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Jeez m8 - didn't know you'd been to one of our comp nights :LOL:


And yes, oldies are all digital now down our way. Seems they have more disposable income hereabouts and love buying stuff - even though many don't go out much to use it!

:wacky:

DD
 
I think there is one in my town, Kendal and I would like to go along, just can't find a flaming details anywhere - if anyone is a member of a national organisation, would you take a peep and see if there is one in my area ?
 
dseered said:
I think there is one in my town, Kendal and I would like to go along, just can't find a flaming details anywhere - if anyone is a member of a national organisation, would you take a peep and see if there is one in my area ?
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Use this site for starters...

http://www.pagb-photography-uk.co.uk/

But the nearest to you may be Keswick

DD
 
KENDAL PS
Natland Village Hall
Natland
Kendal. LA9 7QQ
Wednesday 7.30pm. - 9.30pm
 
minky_monkey said:
We can only dream of people under 60 at the one I tried!

A two hour slide presentation of underwater photography did it for me. "This is a picture I have taken of a fish".

Here`s another
Here`s another

Repeat to infinity.........

Never went back. I wanted hands on sessions, I`m sure some do it but this one didn`t. I`ve learn more on here, and made some good friends through photography forums.

I`d never say no though, it`s just a matter of finding a club that`s compatible I suppose. Either that, or wait till the oldies pop their clogs.
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Sounds like our local club which I went to. Once. Some old biddy got up and showed a slide show of her trip to Peru, zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

I couldn't get out of there soon enough and haven't been back.
 
Funny Ours sounds a bit like the above must be a standard format, but the old duffers keep them going so its fare play from me for all the dvd slide shows you have to watch, the occasional hands on night more than makes up for this ;)
 
I have considered looking for one , but have to say I am very reticent after experience with a camcorder club some years ago.
Ave age was about 65 ( I was 38 then and appeared the youngest ) , went 3 times but was put of by the fuddy/duddy atmosphere and control freak element:rules: who were just interested in competitions .
I"m 57 in a few weeks and spose would be regarded as old by some but still refuse to wear cardigans and shop at M&S ;)
 
We have a Camera Club based in Cardiff, and meet every Tuesday evening, we have weekly projects set so that we can all show our own images from the previous week. There is No lectures, so no one be get bored, there is lots of opportunities for anyone to stand up and give a quick talk 10 about their images, and then we move on.

We have trips out to local areas, with everyone helping each other to use manual settings or just get to grips with their camera for the 1st time.

Its an open club, meaning that there is no membership fees, and a small cost of £2.50 per person each week, if a week is missed, there is no cost.

We are also having our 1st local exhibition in June 2014. From people attending our evenings, there are lots of comments about of clubs as and how different and more enjoyable and hands on our club is compared to others. So we must be doing something right.

Hope this helps.
STAFF EDIT : Link Removed
 
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fudge said:
the more i ve been getting into photography the more i think about going to a camera club but i wondered what they do. is it all just comparing who has the biggest lens or is it tips and themes . do you have to show your work for critique?
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Don't do it. Old men.. old rules... old photography. Avoid. Unless your photography obeys all the old, traditional rules it will be slated by OAPs who simply don't understand it. They'll be gear obsessed people who's idea of talking about photography is talking about equipment and how to use it, not photography. The competitions will always be won by the same kind of photography, so if you want to win, you do what they do.

It would be kinder to yourself if you located the part of your brain that is responsible for creativity, and lobotomised it yourself with cordless drill.
 
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Why do camera clubs have a 'season'? Don't members create images all year round?
 
The Matt said:
At the one I go to*, mainly we sit in the pub. There is geeky camera chat, not so geeky regular chat and the odd pint. People sometimes bring in their gear or their work for others to see. Occasionally we take photos too!

*not strictly a club actually. It's the Hull Flickr group's monthly meet up.
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^^^ This is probably your best bet :)
 
minky_monkey said:
We did get tea and biscuits at half time though, so it`s not all bad.....
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That's the main reason I stayed at a couple of local clubs!

Pookeyhead said:
Don't do it. Old men.. old rules... old photography. Avoid. Unless your photography obeys all the old, traditional rules it will be slated by OAPs who simply don't understand it.
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I found it was the other way round. The old, retired guys could afford the latest cameras and wondered why I, a mere youngster approaching 50, was still using film.


Steve.
 
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As someone who avoided camera clubs for years, because of their stereotype reputation for being cardigan, slippers and pipe groups, and for me even more importantly, obsessed with competitions, I eventually found a club that had broken away from the stereotype.

The three clubs local to me, are absolutely obsessed with competitions, wanting to be the top club in the area, and little else. One club actually states "members are expected to enter competitions".

If that's what amateur photography means to you then fine, but to me its not a competitive sport, but an enjoyable and rewarding hobby, that I wanted to share with other like-minded people.

After much searching, I eventually found a club over in the next county, albeit not that far. It had only been in existence for two years, and had a programme that was varied and interesting. A "breath of fresh air".

I went along to a meeting as a visitor, where I was made to feel very welcome. I found a good spread of both male and female members. Ages varying from teenage, thorough middle-age, to retired, and no evidence of a clique culture.

The programme comprised just three competitions, throughout the meetings period early September to the end of May, when they break for the summer. Practical hands-on evenings, talks/demonstrations, visits to local photogenic locations, and social evenings.

I joined last September, and have just come to the end of my first meetings season with the club, and have to say that it has proved very worth while, and most enjoyable.

A nice bunch of people, from novice to very experienced photographers, willing to share their knowledge and experience. I will of course, be renewing my membership in September, of what I consider to be a 21st century club, and not one that's been stuck in a 'time warp' for decades.

Dave
 
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Pookeyhead said:
Don't do it.
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I think he probably would have made a decision 6 years ago! :D

Pookeyhead said:
Old men.. old rules... old photography. Avoid. Unless your photography obeys all the old, traditional rules it will be slated by OAPs who simply don't understand it. They'll be gear obsessed people who's idea of talking about photography is talking about equipment and how to use it, not photography. The competitions will always be won by the same kind of photography, so if you want to win, you do what they do.

It would be kinder to yourself if you located the part of your brain that is responsible for creativity, and lobotomised it yourself with cordless drill.
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See my initial reply. All clubs are different, its extremely rare for equipment to be discussed at any length at the club I'm a member of. Memers shoot with compacts, bridge cameras ans SLRs (of both persuasions). Competitions are judged by a variety of judges from different clubs/areas which leads to a variety of winning photographic styles. Oh, and our youngest member is 16 and there are members of all ages upwards.

If you look around, the right clubs are out there beyond the stereotypes.
 
I used to go to my local club for around ten years but by the end we grew apart and I drifted off into into children, football and cars. Photography took a back seat.

Will never forget the one lecture we had though. The Police photographer from Hindlip HQ gave us a slideshow including images from this murder http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_McGreavy. The images of children impaled on metal fence spikes didn't go down too well and he was asked to stop. Mainly because most of us had gone outside to stop ourselves from retching by then.
 
Pookeyhead said:
Don't do it. Old men.. old rules... old photography. Avoid. Unless your photography obeys all the old, traditional rules it will be slated by OAPs who simply don't understand it. They'll be gear obsessed people who's idea of talking about photography is talking about equipment and how to use it, not photography. The competitions will always be won by the same kind of photography, so if you want to win, you do what they do.

It would be kinder to yourself if you located the part of your brain that is responsible for creativity, and lobotomised it yourself with cordless drill.
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As 'fabs' said, all clubs are different, and my thinking was just the same as yours, so I avoided camera clubs like the Plague.

As you will see from post (three up from here), my three local clubs fit into the stereoptype category that made me avoid camera clubs for years.

Then I found a 'little gem', that defied the traditional stereo type camera club, and being a new club, only two years old, it was able to take a fresh approach, and as such attract the sort of enthusiastic amateurs that shied away from the 'stuck in a time warp', clubs.

BTW, I'm an OAP (71), but like to think and act much younger than my years portray, and I don't wear cardigans, or smoke a pipe. (lol).

Dave
 
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Our club meets from Septmeber to April. At the last AGM I asked if there were likely to be any get togethers in the summer months. From the response given by the committee I got the impression that I was lucky not to be thrown out of the club! "Everyone goes on holiday in summer" and "Other clubs don't so why should we" were two of the more sensible answers.

Out of touch, stuck in their own comfort zones and unwilling to embrace change. Then they wonder why there are very few new young members. But they are not alone - most clubs round here are just like that.
 
I attended the local club here for a few weeks.
I stopped as soon as I lost the will to live.
 
viv1969 said:
I attended the local club here for a few weeks.
I stopped as soon as I lost the will to live.
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I managed one and a half sessions at my local club.

mickledore said:
Out of touch, stuck in their own comfort zones and unwilling to embrace change. Then they wonder why there are very few new young members. But they are not alone - most clubs round here are just like that.
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Very few new older members either If I am anything to go by...
 
mickledore said:
Our club meets from Septmeber to April. At the last AGM I asked if there were likely to be any get togethers in the summer months. From the response given by the committee I got the impression that I was lucky not to be thrown out of the club! "Everyone goes on holiday in summer" and "Other clubs don't so why should we" were two of the more sensible answers.

Out of touch, stuck in their own comfort zones and unwilling to embrace change. Then they wonder why there are very few new young members. But they are not alone - most clubs round here are just like that.
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As this is my 1st year at our Club I suggested that in addition to the usual weekend field Trip we try a Thursday evening Foray, Thursday being our Club night during the Winter but Suspended during Spring/Summer, so far it has been the best attended
 
stryvya said:
As this is my 1st year at our Club I suggested that in addition to the usual weekend field Trip we try a Thursday evening Foray, Thursday being our Club night during the Winter but Suspended during Spring/Summer, so far it has been the best attended
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You must come to our club.
Weekend trips are not allowed because of shopping with the wife, looking after grandchildren, taking mother in law for lunch and many other lies.
I only remain a member because four of us have formed a splinter group. We are considered to be poor club members!
 
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From the responses here, it would seem that many of you discovered one or more the many Dinosaur camera clubs that proliferate this land. If my local area is anything to go by, then that describes the majority of them.

I guess its difficult to change the habits of a lifetime. As Mick said "Out of touch, stuck in their own comfort zones and unwilling to embrace change".

It would be interesting to know, what those of you that tried a club and said "no thank you", what you expected to find?. Or, what you would like see happening.

I knew what I was looking for:

Not obsessed with competitions.
A varied and interesting programme of events, that is to say not an endless stream of talks and slide shows.
Practical 'hands-on' evenings. Macro, Lighting, Portraiture, Image Processing, etc, lead by someone with expertise is these areas.
Location Visits (photo walks)
Social evenings. Free to 'natter & chatter'.
No cliques
No gear snobbery
A committee willing to change, and listen to what the members would like to see.

It took a lot of searching, but I eventually found one, that meets all of the above.

As for the dinosaur clubs, they will amble on in their time honoured way, appealing to those that like the 'stuck in a time warp' culture.

The one thing I have learnt from my searches, is 'don't tar all camera clubs with the same brush'. Something that I was guilty of for many years. They might be rare, but there are modern, forward thinking, non dinosaur clubs out there, but they do take a bit of finding.

Dave
 
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