i joined one end of 2011. Every second Tuesday there are guest speakers, sometimes traveling experience/photo sharing from members, or competitions/salons, etc. Almost every month there will be a day trip somewhere local. we welcome new people too. i really enjoy it.
I've just joined the newly formed Casey Camera Club here in south-east Melbourne. It's been great fun so far. We have monthly meetings, beginners workshops, organised field trips and opportunistic get-togethers. There are a variety of skill levels and experience levels represented which is good because you get to learn from everyone - a bit like 365 really.
Give it a go, at the very least you will meet someone who likes taking photos.
There is a photo club in my region of the state (Missouri, USA) . People from several counties travel to this. The longest any one person travels is perhaps 1 1/2 hours one way. I enjoy seeing the photos others take and the programs. We have an occasional camera or photography tip from one of the members. These tips are invaluable. It is a learning environment for me. It is also a place to socialize with other photographers. My club welcomes newbies. There is quite a range of photography skills among the members. This diversity in skills is recognized and accepted. I encourage you to try the club to see what it is like.
I love my camera club. Different levels of skill from beginners to professionals. Not at all competitive even though we do monthly theme competitions (anonomous and vote by attendees at our dinner). Everyone is happy to help each other and inspire. We have weekends away and day trips. Not only do we love photography but also food. So our weekends away are a fantastic mixture of good food, fun company, good photography opportunities and sharing of knowledge. Best of all have made some lovely friends and I think we will enjoy sharing our hobby for years to come.
I have been fortunate to have found a good group for me and my husband using www://meetup.com. I participate when I can with another group that I originally started out with but found the personalities didn't make for a good fit. However, I didn't give up and found the group that I do the most activities with to be fun and full of good people. You many need to try different groups until you find the one or two that will work for you but don't give up because they are out there.
I've gone to a few of our local meetup group's meetings and they are fun. All are welcome regardless of experience level.
We meet at a local restaurant that has a good sized meeting area. Of course, the restaurant expects us to order a bit of food while there in return for use of the area for a few hours once a month. Seems a fair trade.
Different things are done at the meetings. Photo exchanges, guest speakers, critique on photos. We also set up outings of all sorts. I led a hiking outing once. Went hiking in an area of San Diego and took pics along the way. There are some "standing" outings that occur just about every month and then there are the ones that someone just decides to lead for whatever reason. A very active group overall.
I belong to our local camera club. We meet once a month where someone does a show, or teaching, then they have show and tell, and then a slide show of the previous months field trip. In addition to the monthly meeting, they have a competition every other month. They also do a field trip once a month. It is a lot of fun, there are a lot of really nice people and a lot of talent. Our club ranges from professional photographers to people who are just learning.
i'm joining our local one in septermber when they start up again, hoping to learn more about my camera and get advice on shots etc, and maybe enter a few competitions
@boogie
hey you're in Manchester!
We've got a 365 photo trip on Sunday 19th just outside of Manchester. Maybe 5-6 people getting together, all at different stages, some haven't met, and a couple met in Manchester a few months ago. Let me know if you want details.
My sister, neice and I joined a camera club at the end of last year, apart from 2 or 3 others we are the youngest by about 25 years. They've all been friendly but are a bit set i their ways, I've recruited a friend and am trying to convince others to come along to bring a bit of new life into it! Give it ago!
I went to one a couple of months ago, found a room full of white middle aged middle class men more interested in kit that taking photographs. I never went back.
i should look for one... i'm sure there are several around town and it would be nice to occasionally have people to talk to "in real life" who don't think i'm a total wingnut for using the basement crawl space for photoshoots because i happen to like the texture of the walls ;p
Yes, I belong to a local photo club. We have about 50 members, ranging from newbies to semi-pros to wanna-be-pros to hobby photographers to spouses of any of the above who also own cameras and are dragged along. We represent equipment ranging from basic compact point-and-shoot cameras to one member in particular who buys ANYTHING that says "Nikon" on it. The club meets monthly. We have a monthly assignment that everyone shoots and submits two images, and we view those images and either have a guest speaker critique them, or qualified members of the club do the critiquing. ("Qualified" meaning some of the better photographers who also don't mind public speaking/critiquing.)
There is a sub-group who meets once a week on a "Scoot & Shoot" outing, but those are the retired folks. Those of us still young enough to be employed don't have the luxury of heading out every Thursday for photography, lunch, and fun.
We have recently started a mentoring program, where people list what they're willing to teach (night photography, composition, portraiture, basic camera operation, etc.) and others list what they want to learn, and we've matched up pairs or trios. That seems to be working well.
At each meeting we also have programming of some sort, anything from some file conversion or Photoshop/Lightroom basics to camera operation, discussions on light, etc.
The last couple years we've had a December potluck dinner where folks can bring spouses or significant others and their best dish, and we have a nice dinner and lively conversations.
That's kind of what we do. We're talking about other outings, opportunities, etc. Oh, we also keep other club members informed of area classes, contests, competitions, potential exhibitions, etc.
But yes, newbies are welcomed, everyone is encouraged.
@boogie Mags I belong to the same one as @caro60 Caroline and a number of other 365ers here and it is great - a bit more social than other clubs but a great deal of fun.
We have monthly dinners that we invite guest speakers to - we have photo comps (more fun than anything) and we organise outings - which I like the best to go out with others and shoot things!! I am sure some clubs would be a better fit than others as I have also heard a local club that I was thinking of joining prior to joining this one is also a bunch of middle age guys who are more interested in gear than anything else! It cant hurt to check out a few - nothing to lose and only friends to gain!!!
A fellow 365er and i went as guests to our local, long-standing camera club to see if it was a good fit for us. It was not. The majority of the members seemed set in their ways and were not particularly interested in learning new things. We tried to sit through a slide show of one member's recent work but it was so bad, we snuck out under cover of darkness.
Thank you so much for your kind answers. I have discovered that the local camera club meets 5 minutes walk up the road from me! I will give it a go and just hope it's not full of owd geezers showing off their lenses!
@chewyteeth yes - I would be interested in the Manchester 365 meet on Sunday 19th :) If you look at my photos you'll see far too few outside (unless macro flowers :rolleyes: )
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Give it a go, at the very least you will meet someone who likes taking photos.
I have been fortunate to have found a good group for me and my husband using www://meetup.com. I participate when I can with another group that I originally started out with but found the personalities didn't make for a good fit. However, I didn't give up and found the group that I do the most activities with to be fun and full of good people. You many need to try different groups until you find the one or two that will work for you but don't give up because they are out there.
We meet at a local restaurant that has a good sized meeting area. Of course, the restaurant expects us to order a bit of food while there in return for use of the area for a few hours once a month. Seems a fair trade.
Different things are done at the meetings. Photo exchanges, guest speakers, critique on photos. We also set up outings of all sorts. I led a hiking outing once. Went hiking in an area of San Diego and took pics along the way. There are some "standing" outings that occur just about every month and then there are the ones that someone just decides to lead for whatever reason. A very active group overall.
hey you're in Manchester!
We've got a 365 photo trip on Sunday 19th just outside of Manchester. Maybe 5-6 people getting together, all at different stages, some haven't met, and a couple met in Manchester a few months ago. Let me know if you want details.
I'm in Sale, South Manchester.
Would be interested in details please!
There is a sub-group who meets once a week on a "Scoot & Shoot" outing, but those are the retired folks. Those of us still young enough to be employed don't have the luxury of heading out every Thursday for photography, lunch, and fun.
We have recently started a mentoring program, where people list what they're willing to teach (night photography, composition, portraiture, basic camera operation, etc.) and others list what they want to learn, and we've matched up pairs or trios. That seems to be working well.
At each meeting we also have programming of some sort, anything from some file conversion or Photoshop/Lightroom basics to camera operation, discussions on light, etc.
The last couple years we've had a December potluck dinner where folks can bring spouses or significant others and their best dish, and we have a nice dinner and lively conversations.
That's kind of what we do. We're talking about other outings, opportunities, etc. Oh, we also keep other club members informed of area classes, contests, competitions, potential exhibitions, etc.
But yes, newbies are welcomed, everyone is encouraged.
We have monthly dinners that we invite guest speakers to - we have photo comps (more fun than anything) and we organise outings - which I like the best to go out with others and shoot things!! I am sure some clubs would be a better fit than others as I have also heard a local club that I was thinking of joining prior to joining this one is also a bunch of middle age guys who are more interested in gear than anything else! It cant hurt to check out a few - nothing to lose and only friends to gain!!!
@chewyteeth yes - I would be interested in the Manchester 365 meet on Sunday 19th :) If you look at my photos you'll see far too few outside (unless macro flowers :rolleyes: )
@hueymilunz @lanina @daisy @caro60 @dmortega @mikehamm @catwhiskers @kmrtn6 @chewyteeth @38mm @godders @northy @andrewrome365 @tskipper @sjoblues @kellc @allie912 @sharritta
well did you see I'd included you in the thread reminder?