Yet, another Photography Club.

[rgm-photos]

I am currently developing a new photography club for an area of North Texas that does not have one. It will be concentrating more on the educational learning of photogrpahy and digital imaging. However, I would like some input on what you do and do not like about the Clubs that you currently attend or would like to see in a new Club.

Thank you for your input,

[jon_k]

Originally Posted by rgm-photos

I am currently developing a new photography club for an area of North Texas that does not have one. It will be concentrating more on the educational learning of photogrpahy and digital imaging. However, I would like some input on what you do and do not like about the Clubs that you currently attend or would like to see in a new Club.

Thank you for your input,

I'd like a club closer to Ft Worth, specifically around street photography. Dunno if thats how you wanna run your club though. I'd also call it a group vs a club. Club sounds too exclusive. ;-)

[MRCPix]

Jon there is one in ft. worth

[CybrStudd]

Reuben,

My wife and I are from McKinney, and we have a group on a site called Meetup.com. We call it the DFW Photography Meetup Group. We're very open to suggestions, but we try to organize monthly meetings to get together and discuss and trade ideas, photos, etc. We also have events we try to get together for to go as a group to go shoot. We call it the DFW group because we try to get people from all over the metroplex, and we have members from Ft. Worth, Greenville, Dallas, Carrollton, and even Gainesville. Not everyone shows up to every meetup or meeting, in fact we have a core group of 5-10 that will typically show up to most events. You're welcome to check us out, and even join (no fees) if you want. We're very open to suggestions and if you want to do something just let us know and we'll post it as an event.

Here's our group site: http://digcam.meetup.com/120/

[Jeff_Green]

Hey Michael, I was part of the group and I guess because I didn't make any meets or didn't post very often I got kicked out! Reminded me of high school, getting kicked out of clubs! lol

Jeff

[Gabby498]

Having been a member of several “photo clubs,” the one I enjoyed most was the least organized. We simply met each week, sit around and talked photography and encouraged individual thinking. There were no officers or committees. There was no “leader.” There was hardly any discussion of photographic “technique” and what discussion of technique there was regarded the statement the technique made in the photograph. There was no Nikor vs. Canon crap. The discussions were about the end product, the photographs not about how to operate a camera or make a print (prior to the digital age so I will admit that what you had to know about a camera was much narrower.) Everyone’s opinion was welcomed and everyone in the group felt that they were contributing and that their contributions were valued. Everyone was learning from everyone else. It was very seldom that anyone missed a meeting. The members ranged in age from early twenties to the sixties so there was a wide range of photographic interests.

IMO, the worst scenario for a club is to “teach” photography. What will usually ensue is a few gurus touting their way of doing photographs. I call it formulated photography that leaves the ones most in need with limited outlets for their visual interests. It is a very restricting format because it puts all of the emphasis on the means, the equipment and the how to rather than the end product. I know it is difficult to “develop” a photographer rather than “teach” a photographer, but it is considerably more rewarding.

As a member of the Houston Photographic Meetup, we are having the same situation as the DWF group, lots of members (184) but from my brief experience it appears there is a small core group. Meetings are usually in the ten to fifteen range. I am hoping that it will continue to be a discussion group more than a formal club.

[rgm-photos]

Gary, Your comments about the Club that you like the most are all in the past tense form. Do you still attend this Club? I'm curious.

I am currently the Vice President and Activities Chairman for the Plano Photography Club. The PPC was established as an educational environment where we frequently hold workshops, photo shoots, and Photoshop classes. We have about 150 members and on the average about 70 to 80 members attend each meeting. However, the current Board members does not want to got in the direction that I would like to take the Club next year. What I have learned from our current Club Members is that they WANT more "How To's", "Educational Seminars & Workshops", and less of "...these are photos from my vacation in Europe" type of lectures. Thus, I will create my own entity.

I'm originally from Houston and have previously been a member and an officer of several clubs there. Now that I am in Dallas, I have attend and joined several clubs in the DFW area, such as the Dallas Camera Club, The Fort Worth Camera Club, and The Plano Photography Club. I have become aware of each clubs inner workings and structure, especially during the digital evolution in the past 4 to 6 years. This new club will contain elements and features that currently do not exist in any of these previously mentioned groups.

Thank you everyone for your inputs. I will submit a post later regarding more details as this develops. My Goal is for the first meeting to take place in January.

[Gabby498]

Reuben, the group I mentioned existed in Wichita Falls back in the 1960’s. I moved to Houston in 70 and lost touch with the other members. Most, at that time, were also members of the Wichita Falls Camera Club and we attended their regular meetings but between meetings we got together at one members house weekly to discuss our individual interests and stretch our thinking about photography, photographic philosophies and the psychology of photography. The group was small and varied because some were airmen from Shephard but it ranged from eight to twelve most of the time. It was very informal and everyone met as equals regardless of photographic expertise. The floor was open to any thing that anyone wanted to discuss as long as it was regarding the end result, the photograph. All were enthusiastic photographers and there was no lack of discussion matter. I was in my late twenties and it greatly influenced my thinking about photography.

I do not know how you would form such a group today because everything is so geared to technique, the how to, the means as though technique is the end all of the photographic process. One of the philosophies I came away with is that there is no such thing as good photographic technique, nor is there bad photographic technique; only technique that is appropriately or in appropriately applied.

I am currently a member of a club in Houston as well as attending the meetings of the Houston Photography Meetup. I have hopes for the Meetup but as far as clubs, they are what they are and I do not suppose they are likely to change. I enjoy the camaraderie and interaction with other photographers but there is not much depth to the discussions beyond taking pretty pictures. I just always thought there was much more to photography than that.

[ol geezer]

Ruben,

I belong to the Plano Photography club. We are very active and have modle shoots, photo ops, contests, etc. We meet the 4th Monday and would be happy to have you as a visitor, and hopefully a member.

Check out our web site.

[CybrStudd]

Jeff,

Yeah, we try to keep the club cleaned out of people who never sign in. I believe the website checks to see if you RSVP for anything (even if you're not attending). This way it keeps you active. Otherwise we just assume that you aren't interested or no longer get on meetup and we start removing people after they have been inactive for like 3-4 months. I know there are other clubs that don't remove you, but in a way, because our group is free to join it is, in a way, the way you pay dues....by RSVPing even if you're not able to make it this lets us know that you're still active and interested in the group. We've thought about even charging $5 a year just to help pay for costs and to narrow the group down to people who actually want to be active in the group, but we got several complaints from some people so we didn't.

We try to post events that we and others are interested in going to, and base it off of what we talk about in the meetings (which like I said before aren't formal, but just exchanging ideas, showing what you've shot recently, and basically learning off of each other). Even if someone wants to teach others about something they know and want to volunteer to do a workshop, we are welcome to that too. We had a member once tell us he wanted to do a workshop/tutorial on HDR, so we just asked him to find a time/place and let us know the details and we'd post them. He never got back to us, so it never happened, which is sad, cause I know there's several of us in the group that are interested in learning it.

Sorry for my rambling, but just wanted to let anyone know that if our group sounds interesting, join up and just RSVP - even if it's no. But if you do join and RSVP, please update your RSVP if you say yes and can't make it. Otherwise we'll make reservations somewhere or plan on 20 people and only 5 show up (it's happened before).