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06-22-2021, 04:04 AM   #46
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Such an interesting thread, I read the whole thing before going to work this morning, and I was almost late!
I admit to being a member of the local camera club, and I've come to realise its really a love/hate relationship. I'm going to list bullet style points as I think its easier this late at night

* 2015 * I joined and sat at the back of the room for a whole year, watching and getting a feel for everything. Not much of a warm welcome from the established members [about 70 in the Club, averaging 25 per monthly meeting]
*2016* I started the year in 'C' Grade and entered almost every monthly competition- got a few gongs after a while and working out how to resize images etc...
*2017* up to 'B' Grade a bit more success in some months and totally bombing in other monthly comps
*2018 & 2019* about the same as the year before. I did join the Committee only to realise that the clique in the committee would seem to have made major decisions outside the committee meetings. [group of 2-3 influencers driving their own agendas] Stuck it out for the year then resigned. Have been on many committees in the past and this was by far the worst!
*2020* thanks to Covid-19 and 5 months of lockdown, I was able to spend more time editing and entering the comps, outcome- my average score lifted.
*2021* bumped to 'A' Grade to play with the professionals- aagh - so far average score has dropped again, which I did expect, and have even managed a couple of gongs.

Observations in general include; unless you are "one of the boys" or have a particularly distinctive style, its often difficult to get the gongs from the same few Judges [some of my images have done very well in interclub comps]

Many Judges seem to not know a lot about Astrophotography and the dedication it takes to get a half decent image. I wish they might do some quick research on whatever topic they are lacking knowledge in, before they write up their critique.
Many judges seem to be obsessed with showing their holiday snaps with long winded explanations for each photo -aagh - as mentioned in lots of other comments. Just because they have been to places we all dream about travelling to shouldn't mean they get to boor the meeting participants with their dross. The 'standard' of those photos is generally very poor [ I would much rather see 10 of their best images than 150 travel snaps and therefore the question must be asked about their competence to be Judging our images.
My Club is still clique orientated, it's difficult to feel included, and my work hours make it difficult to socialise.
I am definitely the only Pentaxian in the Club - the dominant Canikon crowd sniff at my camera choice.
Competitions on a regular basis can be very stressful timewise, especially if the subject is not 'my thing' however it makes me look at things differently and sometimes I even surprise myself - so that's good.
I dread submitting as I'm a great procrastinator in choosing what to enter. [I do it to push myself to improve my standard]
I sit at the meetings with knots in my stomach while the critiques are read out and each month I strive to get Image of the Month - no luck so far.
During these covid times, I think that even when locked down, photography and the local camera club has helped keep the rhythm of my life ticking along for which I am grateful.
I just wish they were a bit friendlier, more welcoming and encouraging to new members.

06-22-2021, 05:56 AM - 2 Likes   #47
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Social clubs based around a common interest should have a foundation of mutual support, the best do. That foundation allows for both trust and a spirit of friendly competition for those that want the challenge.
A good club will encourage members to learn from and to teach each each other.
06-22-2021, 07:01 AM   #48
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I used to have a standard joke about my camera club. I used to say, "When I first joined, I was the youngest member in the club. 10 years later, I'm still the youngest member in the club!" That joke worked for 10, 20, and even 30 years. Now at over 40 years...eh, it's not so true any more.

Regarding competitions: We have ALWAYS had people complaining about the judging in competition. Invariably, someone will think one of their pictures scored too low. And yeah...sometimes I agree with them. But here's my take on things. Just as I sometimes have pics I think will score well, but don't...I also have pics that I don't think will score well, but do. So I can't really complain about the points I thought I should have gotten, but didn't...unless I'm willing to give back the points I got that I didn't expect to get.
06-22-2021, 10:06 AM - 2 Likes   #49
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We have a mentoring scheme although there isn't much uptake at present, we are also going to be previewing competition images for those who haven't benn judged (and found wanting ) I think a lot is down to the individual. Some people love to guide and support and some don't. I think there is room in a club for both. Guess which camp I am in

---------- Post added 22-06-21 at 10:24 AM ----------

QuoteOriginally posted by TaoMaas Quote
I used to have a standard joke about my camera club. I used to say, "When I first joined, I was the youngest member in the club. 10 years later, I'm still the youngest member in the club!" That joke worked for 10, 20, and even 30 years. Now at over 40 years...eh, it's not so true any more.

Regarding competitions: We have ALWAYS had people complaining about the judging in competition. Invariably, someone will think one of their pictures scored too low. And yeah...sometimes I agree with them. But here's my take on things. Just as I sometimes have pics I think will score well, but don't...I also have pics that I don't think will score well, but do. So I can't really complain about the points I thought I should have gotten, but didn't...unless I'm willing to give back the points I got that I didn't expect to get.
I think the worst judges are the inconsistent ones.

Pic a marked down because of one feature, pic x has the same issues but scores high
Or
An image riddled with sensor spots gets 18/20
Or
The judge doesn't understand it so low score regardless of the quality
Or
A blatant copy of a fairly famous image gets best photo (we think it was because it was near the judges house)
Or
A street photo gets slammed because there are cigarette butts next to the bin
Or

Or

Or

Some judges are great but you have to take it with a pinch of salt. That's why I enter unconventional images, purely for fun

06-22-2021, 11:09 AM   #50
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I have honestly never joined a Club. I do have a friend that took up Photography, and joined a local club in Florida,. Being in CT we could not shoot together, but her Club experience was great. She went on trips and they knew all the Local hot spots.I"d say her skills really shot up.

I do have to wonder though for those of you involved in Clubs, Whats the age range you are seeing? Assuming theres few "young" adults ? Also are you seeing alot of DSLR users?

al
06-22-2021, 12:58 PM   #51
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QuoteOriginally posted by brewmaster15 Quote
I do have to wonder though for those of you involved in Clubs, Whats the age range you are seeing? Assuming theres few "young" adults ? Also are you seeing alot of DSLR users?
At my meet, they are my age and up with an occasional younger visitor, say all 40+. We have DSLR's (Nikon, Canon) and Mirrorless Fuji etc. but it's not about gear although we show and tell because we are all interested in gear.
06-22-2021, 03:03 PM - 1 Like   #52
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QuoteOriginally posted by Pentaxian359 Quote
Such an interesting thread, I read the whole thing before going to work this morning, and I was almost late!
I admit to being a member of the local camera club, and I've come to realise its really a love/hate relationship. I'm going to list bullet style points as I think its easier this late at night
It was only when I noticed your profile showed you're in Melbourne that I realised you weren't talking about my club , as the grade progression, shot of the month, committee issues, cliquiness, even membership numbers etc all sound so familiar.
In the last couple of years my club has tried to address some of the issues you've mentioned, and I think there have been improvements but I think there's still room for improvement.
There's been an increased emphasis on helping beginners which is good to bring in fresh blood, however I think maybe it has been at the expense of offering something for more experienced photographers, as I think that risks people learning how to use their cameras and take good photographs, then leave the club if too many activities are geared around learning the basics.
I think I've reached the point where I'm actually fairly comfortable that I can produce a decent image if I put the effort in, so I don't really have anything to prove taking on subjects completely out of my area of interest, and in fact they're distracting from the kind of photography I really want to do.
My club does have an open category every month, but it counts for less than set topics, but perhaps I should focus on that as then I can do whatever photography I like.

I think the real challenge with a camera club is to make it valuable to all types of photographers; beginners, experienced, competitive, non-competitive, professional, amateur (my club had an issue one year when someone came up with the bright idea of selling members' images to raise funds for charity - without getting permission from the photographers first - huge red copyright infringement flag, and fortunately it didn't happen.)

06-22-2021, 04:49 PM - 1 Like   #53
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A club's older members have to decide if they want to bring in new people, and grow beginners into experienced and participating members. If yes, there are ways to balance subjects between beginner and advanced. For example, In the first week of the month, the advanced techniques or some sort of photo critique could lead off the meeting and maybe take 70% of the allotted time, because beginners will learn from seeing those things, and the last 30% of time could be devoted to a beginner technique, something small and fundamental which might be related to the advanced technique. Experienced members might want to assist the beginners, and if not, they can leave a little early. Beginners would be encouraged to "do homework" between meetings using that technique. Do that three weeks running, and on the fourth week, the beginners could have some photos reviewed using one or all of the previous week's techniques, the advanced members will be happy to critique and impart knowledge to beginners and everyone is fully involved. After a few months, everyone feels like a part of the club.
06-22-2021, 05:38 PM   #54
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QuoteOriginally posted by robgski Quote
A club's older members have to decide if they want to bring in new people, and grow beginners into experienced and participating members.
Great point.

To those who belong to a club, what approaches does your club take to bring in new or, especially, 'younger' photographers?

- Craig
06-23-2021, 12:47 AM - 1 Like   #55
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QuoteOriginally posted by c.a.m Quote
Great point.

To those who belong to a club, what approaches does your club take to bring in new or, especially, 'younger' photographers?

- Craig
We rent an empty shop and host an exhibition, generally with a studio in the back. OK, its not targeting any age group but it helps enthusiasts realise we exist
06-23-2021, 04:21 AM   #56
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QuoteOriginally posted by Cerebum Quote
We have a mentoring scheme although there isn't much uptake at present, we are also going to be previewing competition images for those who haven't benn judged (and found wanting ) I think a lot is down to the individual. Some people love to guide and support and some don't. I think there is room in a club for both. Guess which camp I am in

---------- Post added 22-06-21 at 10:24 AM ----------



I think the worst judges are the inconsistent ones.

Pic a marked down because of one feature, pic x has the same issues but scores high
Or
An image riddled with sensor spots gets 18/20
Or
The judge doesn't understand it so low score regardless of the quality
Or
A blatant copy of a fairly famous image gets best photo (we think it was because it was near the judges house)
Or
A street photo gets slammed because there are cigarette butts next to the bin
Or

Or

Or

Some judges are great but you have to take it with a pinch of salt. That's why I enter unconventional images, purely for fun


You've raised some very good points here, and they have all had a run at our local club!

During lockdown last year, our club ran a still life competition and someone almost identically copied an image from the internet, that was there for anyone able to use a search engine to find -and not only did it win, but took out Image of the month. If only the Judge had done some online research, beforehand

---------- Post added 06-23-21 at 09:29 PM ----------

QuoteOriginally posted by Kiwizinho Quote
It was only when I noticed your profile showed you're in Melbourne that I realised you weren't talking about my club , as the grade progression, shot of the month, committee issues, cliquiness, even membership numbers etc all sound so familiar.
In the last couple of years my club has tried to address some of the issues you've mentioned, and I think there have been improvements but I think there's still room for improvement.
There's been an increased emphasis on helping beginners which is good to bring in fresh blood, however I think maybe it has been at the expense of offering something for more experienced photographers, as I think that risks people learning how to use their cameras and take good photographs, then leave the club if too many activities are geared around learning the basics.
I think I've reached the point where I'm actually fairly comfortable that I can produce a decent image if I put the effort in, so I don't really have anything to prove taking on subjects completely out of my area of interest, and in fact they're distracting from the kind of photography I really want to do.
My club does have an open category every month, but it counts for less than set topics, but perhaps I should focus on that as then I can do whatever photography I like.

I think the real challenge with a camera club is to make it valuable to all types of photographers; beginners, experienced, competitive, non-competitive, professional, amateur (my club had an issue one year when someone came up with the bright idea of selling members' images to raise funds for charity - without getting permission from the photographers first - huge red copyright infringement flag, and fortunately it didn't happen.)
Maybe it's a Southern Hemisphere thing!

Have just finished a long drawn out Zoom monthly meeting and Comp judging, and I've realised that the moderators really shouldn't drink wine as the waffling just gets longer and more drawn out, lol.
I seriously cannot believe that person thought selling images without permission was a good idea - thankfully, as you said, it didn't happen - imagine the lawyers sharpening their knives
06-23-2021, 06:20 AM   #57
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I participated in my office's photo club and that was the extent of my clubbing... I don't think I would have liked such as large group as what the OP mentioned.
06-23-2021, 06:23 AM   #58
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I tried a club 10 or so years ago whe I retired.... but.... people are just hard work.
06-23-2021, 10:40 AM   #59
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QuoteOriginally posted by c.a.m Quote
Great point.

To those who belong to a club, what approaches does your club take to bring in new or, especially, 'younger' photographers?

- Craig
Over the years, we've tried a number of things. We'll have a booth at a yearly photo seminar here in town, we hold a portrait lighting workshop every year and advertise it online, and we even tried going to high school photography classes and inviting the students to visit the club. While we do have younger members from time to time, by and large our club is made up of older folks. I almost think it's a generational thing or an age thing. Young folks seem less inclined to join "clubs" these days. Or maybe they never did in the first place because, as I joked earlier, I was one of the youngest people in my club for almost 30 years. That wouldn't have been true if we had been able to attract young photographers all along.
06-23-2021, 11:56 AM   #60
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I belonged to two clubs - many years apart. 1st fizzled out as members moved, passed away, etc.

Second is still going. Haven't been able to attend since changing jobs. Club only has one official competition a year. The entries are displayed to attract attention to the club. No gamefication involved. Members are notified of 3rd party contests and presentations.

There's always a simple photo lesson and often a more complex one. These may be presented by members or guests. Members range from 20's to 80's and everyone gets along well. Usually about 35 people attend a meeting. Meetings are once a month. There is always a photo theme and we look at the images during the meeting, using thumb drives and downloads. Camera equipment is talked about and compared. There are other Pentax owners in the club. There are also Sony, Fuji, Ricoh, and Olympus.

The club also has connections with the Arts Council.

Thanks,
barondla ( I miss attending).
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