Camera Clubs/Groups

[hminx]

Hi All
Just wondering what anybody thought about the value of camera clubs, especially for a newbie such as myself . I realize that there are all sorts of clubs and all sorts of people in them and so is there much to be gained by joining such a group ? I am sure some forum members must belong and I would really appreciate any thoughts or experiences.

Thanks for your time
Pete

[Frog]

I belonged to a local meetup group for a while but ;when I went on shoots with them, they were at the wrong time of day and I don't do well with large groups so I left.
If you do have a local meetup group you might want to join.
I've never belonged to a club. http://www.meetup.com/

[Didache]

Camera clubs are not for everyone, but they can be very helpful if you are a "clubby" person. Most clubs have a program which includes a lot of competitions. Typically, an outside judge will comment on all the entries and score them. A good judge will be encouraging and positive in his/her comments on how to improve an image. Many people who are in this system find it helps improve their photography considerably - there is something very helpful in listening to good critiques. You soon learn what makes a good picture, and how to improve a mediocre one.

Not all clubs are good of course and some are no better than cliques. If you find a good one though, it can be very useful. Certainly worth a try.

Cheers
Mike

[another view]

Depends on the club and the individual, IME. Clubs can provide motivation to shoot and critiques to improve, and a date to put on a calendar to shoot a specific place (or otherwise sometimes other things come up). Lots of different types to choose from too in some areas - my options locally are a "traditional" club that has regular meetings and outings, a "meetup" group or two and sites such as this. OTOH, if it's not a good fit between individual and club then it's not worth doing.

[Skyman]

I was an active member of my local photograhy club for a few years and found it to be a generally rewarding experience. In my club members skill levels ranged from absolutely nothing to some of the best wedding, landscape and stock photographers in the country and the members technical knowledge varied however generally I always found people happy to compare photos, talk about equipment and techniques and generally share their knowledge of photography. In Australia most clubs follow pretty set guidlines (as they are usually members of the federation of Australian Camera Clubs) and follow these guidlines for judging photos etc. Usually about half - 2/3 of the meetings are given over to competitions where you can share you prints, digital images and slides and have them contructively critiqued as well as win prizes. The rest of the meetings were a mixture of guest speakers who are normally experts in their field such as macro or black and white etc and practical nights where the opportunity to enhance your skills exists and to try out lighting equipment and so forth. Most clubs also organise weekend and daytime outings that are a mixture of social and photographic. You should be able to go along to several meetings at your club to see if it is suitable before you are required to join the club.

[Grandpaw]

I belong to a club and also a photography group. I like the group better because we meet every week at a coffee shop and just talk about new equipment, techniques in picture taking, show each other pictures or just whatever strikes our fancy. There is probably about ten of us that get together each week and it is very informal. If you have a problem you can usually get an answer from someone that is there or get an opinion on pictures or equipment. We have a lot of fun and enjoy just visiting and talking, Jeff

[opus]

I'm a (new) member of a photographers group which distinguishes itself from a camera club by saying their emphasis is on fine art, not equipment. I like seeing other people's work in the group. Each one has their own style, and I like seeing through others' eyes. It inspires me, also gives me confidence that "i could do that/am doing that."

The group is valuable in that it offers gallery space once a year, access to lots of competitions and opportunities, and I can network with some really good people. One member of the group is top notch and teaches really good classes.

[Robusto]

I have decided to go and have a look at my local one tonight in Barnet Herts went last week but it was the AGM but the people seem friendly so will have another look today

[hminx]

Hey thanks for the input everyone , this this gives me a bit to think about the less structured group appeals but I guess that only happens if you know enough compatible people with to form one or are well enough known to get invited to join. At this time a local club is looking the best option.
Cheers Pete

[Skyman]

you do realise that this website is a camera club!

[hminx]

Sure do, and what a club !!!
Zero fees, really great people, and the club rooms are open 24/7
:thumbsup:

[Franglais]

Got in a bit late. I think I've tried just about everything over time. I started going to clubs after about a year of doing it by myself:

1970's small town: The photo club was run by a lot of well-meaning middle-aged men who talked about slide battles, composition rules - and the photos they were doing weren't at all like mine, which were a bit rebellious. I left them to it.

1970's small town: The photography classes at the local college. The teacher was good and it was my first excursion into using a studio. However a lot of the peeople really knew nothing so I didn't progress very much.

1970's London: Photography Appreciation course given by one of the critics from the RPS journal. Each week we studied a great photographer (Ansel Adams, Eugene Smith, Edward Weston, even Ralph Eugene Meatyard). We looked at his pictures but also his life, his influences, what was going on around him at the time, how he got there, etc. This was EXCELLENT. I finally saw lots of people who were doing the same sort of thing as me. I stopped asking myself questions and just went out and did what I wanted. Nobody else can define your vision, but a capital city is full of resources that help you see more clearly

1970's Paris: For a while I went to meetings of an association where people show big prints (30x40cm). Wow hold on. This was way beyond where I was. I realised that most of the participants were professionals (I was sitting next to the guy who does Robert Doisneau's prints). I figured that this was nice but I was not ever going to be a very active part of it

1990's Paris: Some time later I came back to clubs. I had realised that I was afraid of professional models. I joined the biggest Paris club and did a lot of studio sessions in a group. It was rather unsatisfactory. I understood the day I gave one of the models a lift home afterwards. We talked in the car (it was a long way) and she'd done lots of things already in her life and was a very interesting person. I developed the photos and I was very disappointed. The photos were all surface and the person I got to know afterwards wasn't there. Gave up models for a while

Suburban Paris (current): I'm currently in an association whose entire goal is to maintain a studio just outside Paris with a flock of semi-professional models. The organisers are right characters. The models are worse. They talk, they have ideas, they are really into what they are doing. The shoot is a partnership between model, organiser and photographers. Then we share our experiences over Internet