Do You Belong To A Photography Club...

[FlyingPhotog]

...or other "structured" photo group?

If so, tell us about it...

- # of Members?
- Meeting Frequency?
- Mothly Themes (or just wing it?)
- Contests?
- Overall Skill Level (and where do you rank?)

I'm a very recent member (been to three gatherings so far) of:

http://www.desertlightphotogroup.com/

We get together the second Wednesday of every month and have roughly 35-40 members. It's a very diverse group with a very wide range of skill levels from photo enthusiast to working professional. Near the end of last year, one of our members took top honors in a Parade Magazine nature photography contest. He was #1 out of roughly 60,000 entries!!!

Our host/moderator is a long-time working professional and I've already learned a heck of a lot his suggestions and our group critiques.

Each year ends with a drawing for 12 new themes for the following year. Our January '08 theme was "Silverware" and belive me, there are lots of ways to shoot forks, knives and spoons.

This was one of mine:

[kuanyu]

I am a member of the local club. we meet once a month and our contests are themed. We have all skill levels from 'masters' to 'I just got this PS'. Overall its a good group with maybe 40ish members.

[slimninj4]

I tried to join a club but it was not very organized and it was a 1 time thing. lol
I think I will try to set up a new one in my area. This will basically be a meet up not a club as no dues or anything like that.

what kind of projects, discussion do you do at your meetings?

[cosworth]

I'm the current president of the New Westminster Photo club.

http://www.nwphoto.org

We're celebrating 60 years this year in western Canada's oldest city.

- Outings? - Yes we do outings. Often and we have a good time!
- # of Members? - We fill a grade 6 classroom every two weeks
- Meeting Frequency? - Every two weeks, summers off
- Mothly Themes (or just wing it?) - We have a GREAT website with monthly themes
- Contests? - We try to enter nearly every regional competition
- Overall Skill Level (and where do you rank?) New to advanced. My rank - probably highest for digital. There is a lot of "old school" knowledge about doing what some consider hokey things with film, projectors and filters but there is the same experience with excellent techniques as well.

We have a joke about "where is the red canoe" or "would be a better shot with a red canoe in it". Our members average age is quite over 50. When I joined a couple of years ago we were 60/40 film to digi. Now I think we have 3-4 film users left. Many went from film SLRs to advanced P&S.

I'll post some shots from out recent meeting hopefully tonight. They are still on the card. We're heavy Canon users. LOTS of 30D and XTi bodies. When I pull out the 1Ds or the L glass there are oooohs and ahhhs and lots of "Can I hold that?".

I'm not the best President beacuse most of the executive have been doing it for YEARS and know EVERYBODY and I can't keep up half the time. Very dedicated people.

PS - anyone in the Lower Mainland is more than welcome to join us.

[FlyingPhotog]

I tried to join a club but it was not very organized and it was a 1 time thing. lol
I think I will try to set up a new one in my area. This will basically be a meet up not a club as no dues or anything like that.

what kind of projects, discussion do you do at your meetings?

Our basic routine is to meet around 630pm, have some pizza and salad then migrate the herd out to our host/moderator's studio.

We do a little sharing of news and information on upcoming art shows, photo exhibits, etc then we get into the critique portion of the evening.

Each member brings 2-4 shots that go up on an easel and we let fly with the good, the bad and whatever else we think about each image. It's fun!

[chauncey]

I'm going to butt into this post.

I live in Oakland County, MI and would really like to find a club.

Any help out there?

[bigbaby987]

i'm lookin to join one here in new jersey.. i'm in hackensack if anyone here is a member to a local group please contact me..

[FlyingPhotog]

I'm going to butt into this post.

I live in Oakland County, MI and would really like to find a club.

Any help out there?

By all means, "butt" away...

Whereabouts in Oakland County? I'm a transplanted Detroiter who also spent some time living in Farmington and Farmington Hills...

[chauncey]

Oakland Township, little north of Rochester.

Would really like guidence here.

[cosworth]

Start here:

http://www.psa-photo.org/

[bcdoug]

I'm the current president of the New Westminster Photo club.

http://www.nwphoto.org

We're celebrating 60 years this year in western Canada's oldest city.

- Outings? - Yes we do outings. Often and we have a good time!
- # of Members? - We fill a grade 6 classroom every two weeks
- Meeting Frequency? - Every two weeks, summers off
- Mothly Themes (or just wing it?) - We have a GREAT website with monthly themes
- Contests? - We try to enter nearly every regional competition
- Overall Skill Level (and where do you rank?) New to advanced. My rank - probably highest for digital. There is a lot of "old school" knowledge about doing what some consider hokey things with film, projectors and filters but there is the same experience with excellent techniques as well.

We have a joke about "where is the red canoe" or "would be a better shot with a red canoe in it". Our members average age is quite over 50. When I joined a couple of years ago we were 60/40 film to digi. Now I think we have 3-4 film users left. Many went from film SLRs to advanced P&S.

I'll post some shots from out recent meeting hopefully tonight. They are still on the card. We're heavy Canon users. LOTS of 30D and XTi bodies. When I pull out the 1Ds or the L glass there are oooohs and ahhhs and lots of "Can I hold that?".

I'm not the best President beacuse most of the executive have been doing it for YEARS and know EVERYBODY and I can't keep up half the time. Very dedicated people.

PS - anyone in the Lower Mainland is more than welcome to join us.

they even brought cookies and hot chocolate to the last meeting!

[chauncey]

Thank you Jason!!!

[Tee Why]

I'm not only a member, I'm the president.
We have just over 200 members but a lot less active. Levels range from former Professional PJ and some new start up pros to rank newbies.
We tend to shoot informally almost every week, but have a formal outing once every two months. We had a photo contest to give away 3 one year smugmug pro accounts once.
But since I'm not into photo contests, we don't really do them. We're more about a gathering place for shooters to meet up and shoot and share some shots around LA.

[betty1704]

I joined a club 3 months ago to take my photography further, after finishing 4 part-time courses (intermediate,Dynamic,Expressive and PhotoShop).
My club has about 50/60 members, we meet one evening a month, submit 2 B & H and 2 colour photos and are judged on those.
I have already moved to 2 star and I'm hoping to jump to 3 star next month. I already had an acceptance from a Photography Salon, which you need to move to 3 star and I need another 3 gold or COM's.
We have outings regularly, which I'll start attending soon.
I love it and seeing the other members outstanding work makes you want to get better.

[JenniferLShort]

I joined our local club four months go. We have about 35 members and we meet once a month at the local com. college. We do have monthly contest alternating with framed 8x10 and digital. We also make an effort to have educational opportunities as well. The club has become so close that they camp, canoe and travel often together (I still have little ones at home, but my time is coming). Skill levels range from beginners to advanced. I currently rank as a beginner (I just joined). You can visit our site at www.victoriaphotographyclub.com

[JenniferLShort]

OH... btw.... I LOVE THAT PICTURE!!! How did you shot it?

[FlyingPhotog]

OH... btw.... I LOVE THAT PICTURE!!! How did you shot it?

I assume you mean me? Forgot I even started this thread...hehehe...

Meshed the forks on an underlit light table...
Focused on the very tips using a 100mm f/2.8 Macro @ f/2.8

Used a combo of white and black cards to control the highlites and lowlites...

[photoguy6405]

I've been a member of a local club for about three years. 60-ish membership. Total newb to successful pro. Monthly meetings with themed contests. One annual big contest. Occasional group outings.

I feel that I would rate near the top in skill and ability, though certainly not at the top.

[Sorarse]

I have tried a couple of clubs in the past, in my film days. On both occasions I found them to be very cliquey, and neither of them were particularly welcoming, so I gave up after a few visits.

The experience put me off so much, I've not bothered trying any since.

[peber]

I belong to a club situated in my neighbor town 20km away. The town has around 10,000 citizens and the club has around 550 members... The members are from Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Greenland, USA/Alaska, Germany and Austria. Why is this? Well, the club is specialized regarding Nature Photography and has become a "Mecca" for this kind of Photography in the Nordic Countries. The club is very active and are involved in a lot of things, e.g. a annual Photo Fair, a high school for Nature Photography, travels, competitions and much more. We meet Mondays every Fortnight. Every time we meet there is a guest that shows his or her pictures, since the club is so big we have the possibility to invite some really interesting guests.

So this is a very nice club to belong to... If any of you can read Swedish the homepage is here: http://www.vargardafotoklubb.se/ :)

/Per

[DStanic]

[keeps eye on thread, hopes to find people from SW Ontario...]

There is a local photography club but they meet every other Tuesday or something like that :roll:

[RikWriter]

I belonged to a club for about a year, and at first it seemed to help, but the problem was that the club was really structured for beginners and once I got past the beginner stage, it got really boring, really fast.
Add to that the fact that our resident "pro" teacher was a first-class prick and I left after the first year. (I say pro in quotes because he shot advertising photos part time, and had never had anything else published.)

[zacker]

i belong to one and its going on two years since ive gone to any meetings..lol

[swoCanuk]

DStanic -I'm from SW ontario.
The Sarnia Photographic club meets the first Tuesday of the month and membership is growing. About 50 -60 people usually come. There usually is some kind of presentation and then monthly competitions on "Nature", "Open" and a theme. There are beginners to some very good photographers. I like to think I'm somewhere in the middle - but the more I learn, the more I find out that there is lots more to learn!

[Michael Heston]

I am a member and one of the founders of a Club in Anniston, Alabama area: Alabama Shutterbugs web address is www.alphoto.org check it out and would appreciate any feedback. We are about 6 months old with about 50 members. We have about 10 solid that show up for each meeting. We try to to make it beginner to professional friendly. We have no monthly fees. A good friend built the website and I worked on the actual wording of the site and we both worked on recruitment, by purchasing plain business cards that give the web address of our site. This worked very good, we could hand anyone with a camera a card. We go through growth spurts and dead spots (like right now) but we got into this for the long term so we will see were we are at in a couple years. We have members that are beginners to advance. We are trying any ideas to build the Club up and would love to have 20-30 active members. Any of you seasoned club members have any ideas the input would be great.

[samurairx7]

wow i love that picture at first it took me an extra few seconds to realized what it was. Very creatived =)

[FlyingPhotog]

wow i love that picture at first it took me an extra few seconds to realized what it was. Very creatived =)

Thanks...

It just occured to me that November will be my one year anniversary as a member of Desert Light.

All my montly efforts are here:
http://www.pbase.com/flyingphotog/desert_light

You'll need to click one image on each line to see what that month's theme was.

;)

[weka2000]

Im going to join1 next year. I want to get to know some of the bigger names and learn more about the "business" side of photography.
Im also hoping to start getting out side my box.

[FlyingPhotog]

...I'm also hoping to start getting out side my box.

Joining a photography group will certainly push your boundaries and make you look at even the most mundane objects in a whole new light.

It can be maddeningly fun and often very challenging.

[weka2000]

Joining a photography group will certainly push your boundaries and make you look at even the most mundane objects in a whole new light.

It can be maddeningly fun and often very challenging.

Plus the experence of older members.

[400dabuser]

I am a member of a photoclub, though, it is not really "local" it is near me, so of to say so. Where I live, there are no clubs that I know of, which is a shame because I really would like to, because it isn't really convenient at all

[iacas]

I've resisted joining mine. They're a bit too old-fashioned.

I'm currently trying to start my own, though I'm 95% sure my efforts are doomed to failure. :-)

http://nslog.com/2008/10/18/seeking_a_digital_photographer_in_the_erie_area

[JIJ123]

Any clubs in northern NJ?

[Village_Idiot]

I started this little group on Flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/dcbaltimorestrobist

We meet about once a month and usually have a good turnouts. We usually try and do different things. It's more about meeting up and shooting than talking about photography.

We're always open to new people and pretty much any one will let you shoot with their setup or answer questions if any one needs those services.

So far, we've shot at a horse farm, the Frederick Keys minor league stadium, one of the member's law office in downtown DC, a some what abandoned building in Frederick, Patapsco state park, and several other interesting locations.

It's always great when some one shows up to the meet with a new pringles can contraption or shower curtain diffuser.

[funpix]

This club is now meeting at the Sarnia Library auditorium beginning in January - December they are having their christmas party.


DStanic -I'm from SW ontario.
The Sarnia Photographic club meets the first Tuesday of the month and membership is growing. About 50 -60 people usually come. There usually is some kind of presentation and then monthly competitions on "Nature", "Open" and a theme. There are beginners to some very good photographers. I like to think I'm somewhere in the middle - but the more I learn, the more I find out that there is lots more to learn!