In the Club!

In A Photographer’s Journey blog at the beginning of the year I set out with a number of goals for my photography – one of which was to join a camera club. As we approach the end of the year (I know where has it gone!) I thought this would be a good point to see how that has gone for me.

I set off on the task with some trepidation

• Was it going to be welcoming?

• Was it going to be a group of geeks just talking about gear?

• Was I going to be overwhelmed and belittled with the skills/photographs of the members?

• Was it going to be a group of grumpy old men? ( … who said I’d fit in well with them!?!)

My search started with drawing up a list of local groups and taking a look at their websites, just to see which one “felt” right to contact – if you are a business putting yourself out there on the web this is a great example of how your site is your shop window.

It nearly faltered there until Deb (my wife) said “what about Cirencester?” - not one I had looked at. I took a look at the site and decided to take the plunge in January.

Were my feelings well founded?

• The welcome was warm from the outset and with a few more joining around the same time I didn’t feel the odd one out

• Is there talk about gear? – yes, but it is not all about the camera. We have some with bridge cameras and some with the latest full frame CSCs

• Am I overwhelmed by the skills and images? – there are people in the club who have awesome skills and their pictures are amazing. However, all of them are keen to share those skills and help others on their journey and don’t consider anything a “stupid question” - so definitely not overwhelmed and belittled

• Is it a group of grumpy old men? – there are “older” men there and yes we can be grumpy but there is as a diverse range of ages and gender as camera gear

It has given me a great opportunity to find out more about different skills, both using the camera and post processing, that I wouldn’t have tried previously. These have been gained through both formal tutorials (take a look at these macro and long exposure photos done in those sessions) but also in those in conversation over coffee (take a look at Catching the Moon blog).

It is a group of with a shared interest and passion for photography where we can all experiment and grow, putting our images out there and getting some honest, constructive feedback on what others think of them.

And yes… I have signed up again this year!

So, if you are in the area and are interested why not take a look at www.cirencestercameraclub.org.uk and give the club a go. And if you are not in the area … have a look at the clubs where you are?