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07-31-2010, 08:21 AM   #1
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Making friends thru photography!

I was getting depressed from reading the Losing Friendships Over Photography? thread, so I thought it would be nice to share some positive stories about photography.

I'm not a pro so I didn't post this in the pro sub-forum. I take a lot of pictures of friends and post them on fb. People really dig it because the photos are great and I make them look good. People love that. People who I didn't know well or were unfriendly warmed up to me (IRL) after their friends tagged them in my pics. People also reach out more often because they remember me -I'm the guy from that party with the cool white camera. Nice to see you again. What's your name?


I usually don't hand out the original photos. If someone REALLY wanted one for printing for themselves or their family I'd probably give it up. Who else is going to want it? This year I gave my friend a DVD of pics of his band playing a small hippy festival. No one is going to pay me for those pics, anyway, and I thought he would want to look at them more than I do. My gamble is that the band is not going to be famous soon. They often play for free and give away their art, so I felt fine doing the same for them. Now they have a bunch of great pics to use for their band. I just asked that he credit me if they decide to use them.

Who's next?

07-31-2010, 08:30 AM   #2
mel
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I have to say that I have made some great friendships through this forum, mostly thanks to BrendanPK's annual gathering in this area. These are even friendships of sufficient calibre to facilitate the lending of equipment for periods of time without any qualms whatsoever (as MRRiley is currently borrowing my fisheye )
07-31-2010, 09:42 AM   #3
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September 2009 - Capital Reef Park, Utah 8 brave souls from this forum (couple of spouses) whom had never once met in real life got together for a 3 day photo shoot.

It was absolutely amazing how well everyone was so much alike and got along.

The friendships established there were more meaningful than the photo shoot really.
07-31-2010, 10:05 AM   #4
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I'm retired, age 62, but now have more social acitivities due to my photography than i have time for.

It started with my joining a photography club in a nearby city, about 3 years ago. They have a monthly meeting, help with learning new software, sharing tips on hardware, workshops, etc.

Then a photoclub member invited me to shoot photos on a volunteer basis with a local live play theater organization. The more we shot, the more the requests came in. So i invited other club members to join the effort. Now we have a group of about 6 photographers and work closely with the artiistic director and the media director. The quality of our photos has improved to the extent that the 2 local papers no longer send out their own photographers to cover the plays but use the ones the theatre provides them. I get reimbursed for the printing cost of the photos I supply for their lobby display.

There are many non-profit organizations out there that would love to have the services of a photographer. Join a photoclub, start your own and volunteer your help to a local worthwhile public service organization. Your friendships will grow and exceed the time you have available. One of the photoclub members shoots a dog of the month for a local newspaper, in an effort to adopt out unwanted dogs. She's now a professional photographer but continues the effort.

The friendships are out there, just reach a hand out and others will shake it.

07-31-2010, 10:41 AM   #5
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Wow, this is really weird that this was posted today. I have been debating about joining a club here in Seattle called the Mountaineers. They have all kinds of outdoor activities including a Photography club.

I just got back from Yellowstone with some friends all of whom are NOT interested in photography. I realized I did not have 1 close friend that is into photography.

I have been hesitant about joining the club because I am not big on doing things like this by myself. I can be quiet and reserved, but after reading your post, I know if I did join I would meet some incredible people with similar interests as me.

I would love to take a trip once a year to a National Park with some photographer friends. That would be amazing!!

And if there is anyone in Seattle wanting to get together for a hike to get some great photographs , let me know
07-31-2010, 12:40 PM   #6
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I've had the pleasure of meeting a few online friends in the past few years, and it was always a great opportunity,..... and the meet-ups always ended too soon!
Online friends are sometimes the best kind. Less likely to abuse the relationship, and most eager to present you with their best side. While I have a lot of "in the flesh" friends that are a big part of my daily life, those online friends are equal in most every regard, and just as real. Like in the real world, real friends don't happen overnight....they are cultivated over time.
Best Regards!
07-31-2010, 01:18 PM   #7
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Most of the friends I have are from common interests. Some I've met online others, in person. Never as a result of a forum or 'meetup' however. The one photo friend I have was the result of my repairing Rolleiflex cameras. He had contacted me to have his camera serviced, we kept in touch, and 8 years later, actually met. When I was asking him about DSLRs (he's a Canon guy but not one of the Cano-snobs, it's just what he's always used), he put me on to Pentax because he'd bought his son an *istDS (which got used until it fell apart). Probably to the chagrin of a few around here, I've been a Pentax nut ever since.

I personally cannot stand clubs of any kind because the club Politics always get in the way of the true spirit of the club. I've considered a few, for different hobbies, and while evaluating, that was always what glared out at me. Too much BS taking away from my fun. That's a personal decision though and not an attempt to discourage anyone from joining one. Even though in many cases there's no Personal live interaction, I tend to prefer things like these forums. I'm far more sociable here than I would be in person anyway.



07-31-2010, 01:30 PM   #8
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QuoteOriginally posted by JeffJS Quote
Most of the friends I have are from common interests. Some I've met online others, in person. Never as a result of a forum or 'meetup' however. The one photo friend I have was the result of my repairing Rolleiflex cameras. He had contacted me to have his camera serviced, we kept in touch, and 8 years later, actually met. When I was asking him about DSLRs (he's a Canon guy but not one of the Cano-snobs, it's just what he's always used), he put me on to Pentax because he'd bought his son an *istDS (which got used until it fell apart). Probably to the chagrin of a few around here, I've been a Pentax nut ever since.

I personally cannot stand clubs of any kind because the club Politics always get in the way of the true spirit of the club. I've considered a few, for different hobbies, and while evaluating, that was always what glared out at me. Too much BS taking away from my fun. That's a personal decision though and not an attempt to discourage anyone from joining one. Even though in many cases there's no Personal live interaction, I tend to prefer things like these forums. I'm far more sociable here than I would be in person anyway.

I think you are dead right on the "Clubs" for the most part. I was in a Photo Club a few years back, and my last meeting to attend was spent trying to determine what was/wasn't a "wild animal". It was two hours of ridiculous babble....is it a cow, a bird, a goat, a horse, a chimp in a cage, an alligator...dead or alive?, a donkey, a raccoon.....if you feed him, a parrot if he is caged......etc etc for two hours. They never did decide what constituted a "wild animal" and put it on the agenda for the next meeting.....I could have told them that a room full of jackasses would come pretty close, and never went back.
Regards!
07-31-2010, 02:16 PM   #9
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QuoteOriginally posted by Rupert Quote
I think you are dead right on the "Clubs" for the most part. I was in a Photo Club a few years back, and my last meeting to attend was spent trying to determine what was/wasn't a "wild animal". It was two hours of ridiculous babble....is it a cow, a bird, a goat, a horse, a chimp in a cage, an alligator...dead or alive?, a donkey, a raccoon.....if you feed him, a parrot if he is caged......etc etc for two hours. They never did decide what constituted a "wild animal" and put it on the agenda for the next meeting.....I could have told them that a room full of jackasses would come pretty close, and never went back.
Regards!
Not to offshoot the spirit of the thread but a wild animal is one who has to fend for himself to survive. We all know a good example of one around here thanks in part, to you.



A room full of jackasses is just a room full of jackasses, and I'm sure it got pretty deep (and not in discussion theory either).

07-31-2010, 02:29 PM   #10
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I've made a few friends taking pictures. Most of the people from different grades that I worked with on yearbooks in highschool first met me when I was out taking pictures at school events. Generally the process was: Ask me why I'm taking pictures > think about it for a few days > approach me at a different event or in the hallway and ask how they could become involved.

The camera club sales and auctions that I go to a few times a year are pretty friendly. I've had people teach me how to use and inspect a wide variety of equipment and there have been conversations about how others got into photography and the history of the pieces they are buying or selling.

Pentaxforums members in Toronto have been meeting 2 or 3 times a year for the past several years.
07-31-2010, 04:03 PM   #11
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QuoteOriginally posted by JeffJS Quote
Not to offshoot the spirit of the thread but a wild animal is one who has to fend for himself to survive. We all know a good example of one around here thanks in part, to you.



A room full of jackasses is just a room full of jackasses, and I'm sure it got pretty deep (and not in discussion theory either).

That is a scary shot for someone that is about to lose their phone/cable service! I guess my Squirrels are wild, but they sure are well fed and pampered!
Yard Squirrels Photo Gallery by James Williams at pbase.com
Best Regards!
07-31-2010, 09:53 PM   #12
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I've joined some meet-ups, and another forum, and although I haven't met someone that I connect with on an everyday level, being able to discuss my passion in the same language is great. We can take part in meeting up and enjoying the same activity.

It seems photography is such a snooty hobby because of the cost involved, but it is also such a wonderful and simple tool to bring more beauty into the world. Isn't that what we do when we post and share our images? I haven't had the courage yet to show mine, but I'm working on it. :-)
08-01-2010, 05:32 AM   #13
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I'll echo what has been said above by Mel and others. Photography has brought me wonderful friendships, Mel among them as well as several folks from the gatherings and other PF related get-togethers.

I've never really explored the photo club avenue but am planning on joining the Loudoun Photo Club this fall. We'll see how it goes. Hopefully it will be more about the photography and less about "Robert's Rules of Order" as in Rupert's situation.

Mike
08-01-2010, 05:57 AM   #14
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I've met three local Pentax guys since I got here... and I really think these are budding new friendships of the future.
08-01-2010, 06:22 AM   #15
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Photo clubs are somewhat all the same - the folks who get involved have a variety of reasons for doing so. I think as time passes everyone tends to find the photo club friends who share the same interests and styles. No one can possibly be friends with everyone so if a person can join a club of 25 to 100 people and find 3 or 4 folks who share similar interests it's worthwhile.
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