Photography clubs?

As photographers it is important that we surround ourselves with other photographers and photography related things. The school of thought is the more we immerse ourselves in the medium, the better we will become as photographers. So this thought brings us to my question or the title of today's blog, Photography clubs? I pose it as a question because I am not a member of any photography clubs, I have often thought about joining one but have never made a point to do it. Well, that isn't entirely true, about a year and a half ago I decided to join a local photography club. A couple of friends and I were going to visit a club for the first time, we had been invited by some photographers that we had met at a photography competition that we participate in each year. When we met them they told us they were there as a part of there club and that we should come check out the club. We decided that the following month we would go to the club meeting and join the club. It couldn't hurt anything to get to know some other photographers and the annual dues is not a lot of money so why not? My friend Earl couldn't go so Rodger and I decided to go and see what a meeting was like, as I was heading to the meeting I called Rodger to see if he was still going. Rodger was already there and was having a hard time finding anyone to tell him where to go to find the meeting. When he finally found someone they told him that he probably shouldn't have come to the meeting that it wasn't a meeting for new members and that he should probably come back another night. I was dumbfounded, the people that we had met told us that it would be a good meeting to attend. Well, since they sent Rodger away, I turned around and went home as well. There was no sense in driving all the way out there just to be sent home. It didn't sound like this club had a clue, one person says yeah come on another says no go home. I have been told by many a professional photographer, that it is important to be involved in a local camera club. So, I am going to give this club a second chance. I am going to their meeting tonight and see for myself if they have it together or not. When I get home I will update this blog with what I find out.

Photoman

So I just got back from the meeting, I had a pretty good time but I am not sure that I want to join the club. I am not sure the professional level I was hoping for is represented in the club. I think I'll try the other club and see what it is like. I really enjoyed the people that I have met from the club, everyone so far has been very open and very friendly. I think that if the true professionals are as friendly as the people I have met so far and are as nice then I will not have trouble getting them to teach me. I am just not sure that there are very many true pros in the club. From what I saw tonight it appears that most of the members are just hobbyists. I really want a club that is more pros and some hobbyists. I want to be one of the students, not a teacher. Who knows, maybe in Dayton there aren't any camera clubs that are primarily pros. All I can do is check out the other club and see which one looks the most interesting and beneficial. Well, this is a photo blog and I don't have any photos from a Camera Club, so I am just going to pick an image that I like or maybe more and add them to the end of the post for today.

Photoman