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Photo Forum / General Photo Topics / UK Photography / July 2009New Photo Club in Norfolk
Good news for all you budding photographers looking to improve your photographic skills; the inauguration of a new photographic club, based in Watton and serving the Breckland area has just been announced. The first meeting of the newly formed Watton and District Photographic Society will take place at the Wells Cole Community Centre, in Saham Toney, at 7.45pm on Tuesday 8th September 2009. The club welcomes new members of all abilities, from beginners to advanced. Meetings are held twice a month, on the second and fourth Tuesday of every month except August. Already a full programme of events and activities has been prepared by the committee of the club. The chairman, an accomplished professional photographer and journalist said that beginners will be made particularly welcome. "We have arranged our programme so that the first Tuesday of the month always includes a talk or discussion on topics of interest to budding photographers. We intend to cover everything from selecting your first camera to how to get the best from it, be it a simple point and shoot camera or the most complex, digital reflex camera." Steve is an expert in digital processing of photographs, using programmes like Photoshop and Elements. He has agreed to provide his time free of charge to club members for a series of talks which are designed to assist beginners and intermediate photographers through the digital maze. For the slightly more adventurous photographer the club holds competitions on the fourth Tuesday of each month. The competition secretary says, "Competitions are the best way of improving your picture taking. No one need be afraid of entering their pictures. We have three categories of competition, Club Class for beginners, intermediate for the more experienced and advanced. We use judges affiliated to the East Anglian Photographic Federation and these judges know what to expect. Their comments are always intended to be constructive and helpful." The club is also fortunate to have the assistance of a local photographer and camera man to take charge of the clubs studio photography and lighting techniques courses. Best known for his video and filming work, David has recently begun to develop a digital photographic studio alongside his professional video studio. He says, "I am delighted to be involved with this project. I have been interested in videography for many years and have only recently turned to stills photography in a studio environment. I still find it very challenging at a professional level, but photography is great fun and that is what it is all about. I want to teach people about the fundamentals of lighting and composition, but most of all I want people to have fun; that way you get the best out of yourself and your subject." If you would like further details, the Watton and District Photographic Society can be contacted at www.wdpsbreckland.org >Good news for all you budding photographers looking to improve your >photographic skills; the inauguration of a new photographic club, based in >Watton and serving the Breckland area has just been announced. The first >meeting of the newly formed Watton and District Photographic Society will >take place at the Wells Cole Community Centre, in Saham Toney, at 7.45pm on >Tuesday 8th September 2009. [snip] Serious question and not being pedantic........ how will this new club differ from the Caston club a few miles down the road? The program looks fairly similar to the Caston program but with twice as many meetings. Obviously there are a few names on your site that I recognise from Caston I had a look at your site and on the "studio photography" page, I recognised all three shots. The top one was slated by an "experienced and affiliated judge" for having too much white space. He was talking bollox as is was a beautiful print and should have won IMHO. Where are you running your studio courses? Are you using Elaine's place at Saham Toney? Anyone in your club using wet film and doing their own processing? As I said, serious questions and not prying.  SignaturePaul Giverin My photos:- www.pbase.com/vendee I too am wondering what WDPS is offering over Caston Camera Club. I also recognise the names mentioned and know them to have been members of CCC where most have learnt their skills. I found Caston Camera Club by far the best club in the area, friendly and most helpful, I'm only sorry that I had to move house to another area. >>Good news for all you budding photographers looking to improve your >>photographic skills; the inauguration of a new photographic club, based in [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > >As I said, serious questions and not prying. Thank you for your interest and if I might just start by replying to the comment “I also >recognise the names mentioned and know them to have been members of CCC where >most have learnt their skills.” You almost make it sound as if we are renegades, in some way disloyal to our mentors. In fact, the opposite is largely the case; it is true that all the founder members of WDPSBreckland have been members of CCC for two years or less. However, in regard to skills, we largely joined CCC not to learn our skills but to share them. You are possibly aware that of those names you recognise, none has ever really been involved with giving talks or demos at CCC. In fact we have provided very little input so far as members are concerned. This was certainly not from lack of trying. And therein lies both the major reason for our now being elsewhere, and the big difference between WDPSBreckland and CCC. WDPSBreckland members include an experienced lecturer on Photoshop and digital photography, a former member of the board of directors of the oldest and longest continuously operated Photographic Club in the world, (anyone familiar with the history of photography and the names Octavius Hill and Robert Adamson will know the place), a professional film maker, videographer and wedding photographer and an accomplished International Competition entrant. The key difference between WDPSBreckland and CCCC, as we see it, is that we will be able to provide our expertise, openly and for free. Nothing extra to pay beyond normal membership fees and nightly subs. No fat fee if you want to learn the basics of digital photography, in fact no additional fees at all. And if you ask a question, technical, artistic, clever or dumb, we will endeavour to answer, there and then, comprehensively and at your level. I think that is the single most important difference between WDPSBreckland and CCC. The other is that our programme is not entirely fixed, but a more a guideline. Members will be asked to pick topics for discussion for the first Tuesday meeting of each month. A large part of the evening, if not all of it, will be devoted to answering members’ specific questions, or providing free training on related matters. No, we will not be using outside studios. We have our own professional studios. We do not use tungsten, but professional flash and yes, we have wet film users, though processing is pretty much limited to home processing of slide film these days. I don’t think anyone has a print darkroom anymore. If you want to know the difference, see us, WDPSBreckland, at Wells Cole Community Centre, 7.45 pm Tuesday 8th September. >I too am wondering what WDPS is offering over Caston Camera Club. I also >recognise the names mentioned and know them to have been members of CCC where [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] >> >>As I said, serious questions and not prying. >>Good news for all you budding photographers looking to improve your >>photographic skills; the inauguration of a new photographic club, based in [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > >As I said, serious questions and not prying. No reply then? Obviously just using this newsgroup to promote your new club and not interested enough to hang around and reply to any responses to your post. SignaturePaul Giverin My photos:- www.pbase.com/vendee >No reply then? Obviously just using this newsgroup to promote your new >club and not interested enough to hang around and reply to any responses >to your post. When a new club is formed close to an existing one, it is normally because there has been a personality clash or some other disagreement. Perhaps the new club should be called the "Not Caston Camera Club". Probably the reason you didn't get a reply is because you remarked that you recognised some names from Caston. ;-) "Bruce" <no@nospam.net> wrote > When a new club is formed close to an existing one, it is normally > because there has been a personality clash or some other disagreement. Not always. I want to set up a new group in Norwich for a specific purpose even though I have previously been a member of Norwich & District Photographic Society and still post to the website. Clubs cannot usually cater for all needs and this applies even to the big ones as well. I remember the time when there were nearly a dozen photographic clubs in Norwich if you count all the company ones as well. It was a healthy time for photography and people passed on their skills to new members. Nowadays the scope for photography is even greater and never has there been more choice of equipment to use so it just surprises me that there are not more new photographic clubs emerging at this time. By the way for anyone who is interested in our meeting to discuss the new group (Studio/strobist/networking) it is at the Reindeer pub on Dereham Road, Norwich at 8pm tonight. Roger >"Bruce" <no@nospam.net> wrote > When a new club is formed close to an >existing one, it is normally [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] >group (Studio/strobist/networking) it is at the Reindeer pub on Dereham >Road, Norwich at 8pm tonight. I wish you luck. I have been a member of quite a few clubs because my work took me around the country and I would usually join a club local to wherever I was. I have to say that I developed a strong dislike of the club scene because of its cliques, favouritism and encouragement of mediocrity, especially in competitions where the same styles and photographers always seemed to win. I cannot think of any club I attended that was free of these influences. One thing I did value was the availability of a darkroom, however with digital photography there is really no need for that anymore. So I haven't been a club member for quite a few years. A couple of years ago I did visit several clubs in the area where I lived at that time, and most or all the usual traits were still present to varying degrees. So I chose a different route, which was to find people working in my fields of choice and ask their advice. I volunteered as an assistant and learnt the craft the hard way - it is far more difficult to satisfy a seasoned professional and his paying clients than it is to suck up to club committee members and competition judges. There are many ways to learn photography, from formal tuition to being self-taught, from working for and with professionals to shooting for stock agencies and seeing what sells. Unfortunately, joining a club is the antithesis of all this, and almost excludes learning - except for a few "rules of composition" that all but guarantee mediocre, formulaic results. Look at successful photographers and you will see some who have chosen an academic route and studied photography at college, some who are self-taught, and others who have come to photography from an artistic background, know what they are trying to achieve and just need some knowledge and experience of photographic technique to help them achieve it. But you will find very, very few - if any - who have come up through camera clubs. I'm not totally knocking the camera club - you can meet some nice people and enjoy the company of fellow enthusiasts. But the chances of learning anything that will improve your skills beyond those on show at the tired old formulaic club competitions and exhibitions approximates to zero. >I'm not totally knocking the camera club - you can meet some nice people >and enjoy the company of fellow enthusiasts. But the chances of >learning anything that will improve your skills beyond those on show at >the tired old formulaic club competitions and exhibitions approximates >to zero. I have heard this strain of comment before, but I think it is an unfortuate generalisation. It is perhaps that you have not found the right club. My first club which meets in Farncombe, Surrey is the total opposite of this. Probably because it has many first class photographers of genuine international repute. Some have won recognition worldwide for undersea photography and wildlife photography. People of this standing have nothing to fear from the likes of me but they are generous in their help and offers of time. I have been encouraged and given endless help with the technical aspects of Photoshop, composition, exposure control and more. It is probably because of this level of expertise that the club punches well above its weight. I would love WDPS to be just half as good and I consider it a priviledge to be a member there. I hope to be able to inspire our new members with some of this passion for their hobby. Remember that great trees from little acorns grow. >>No reply then? Obviously just using this newsgroup to promote your new >>club and not interested enough to hang around and reply to any responses [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] >Probably the reason you didn't get a reply is because you remarked that >you recognised some names from Caston. ;-) The delay in a reply is not for that reason at all. We are all very busy with our professional jobs as well as setting up the club infrastructure. I am sure you must realise, it takes a great deal of planning and discussion to get the programme together. We are not a break away group as you suggest. We are a automomous club in our own right and we have a legitimae right to be in existence. We are hopeful of co-existing and co-promoting interclub competitions and Saham Toney is a considerable distance from Caston and Dereham, so we should be able to find members from our own location. If members from other clubs wish to join us as well as or instead of, this will be entirely their decision. We will stand or fall on our ability to deliver that which we wish to promote and to attract a group of members who are genuinely interested in furthering their enjoyment of this wonderful hobby of ours. Let this please be an end to the infighting, it is not to anyone's benefit. >No reply then? Obviously just using this newsgroup to promote your new >club and not interested enough to hang around and reply to any responses >to your post. Not quite, Paul; just a little impatience on your part, perhaps? I trust you will find your questions were comprehensively answered in my previous posting, though I wonder why you are now so apparently bilious. Vested interest, perhaps? If you feel that using this forum to promote our new camera club is in any way inappropriate, then I understand there is a correct and simple procedure for you to follow, to register your complaint. If you are correct, I will certainly apologise, but I would have thought that this is an entirely appropriate place to spread the news. Please excuse me if I find your mails childish and churlish. And perhaps others will excuse me if I say that your attitude perfectly illustrates exactly why we are no longer at the other club. >>Good news for all you budding photographers looking to improve your >>photographic skills; the inauguration of a new photographic club, based in [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > >As I said, serious questions and not prying. Hello Paul, Yes, you do know me and thank you for your question. Someone previously said that the three of us who had formed WDPS had learnt our craft at CCC. That person simply has it wrong, sorry, but before moving to Norfolk I have been a committee member of a well established club in the Guildford area of Surrey for a number of years. I still belong and still attend meetings whenever possible. It is there that I learned most of what I know about photogaphy. I was hoping to be able to share this knowledge with others up here, but it has not proved to be the case. I do not wish to continue this 'mock battle' between two clubs. Caston have done well and I have made some good friends there, but they do some things differently to my way of thinking. This is inevitable, as previously mentioned, no club can offer everything to everyone. To mis quote Churchill, you can please some of the people all of the time, you can please all of the people some of the time, but you cannot please all of the people all of the time. On the positive side, we at WDPS will endevour to build a club of members who wish to progress their photographic skills and knowledge in an environment where we all help each other without individuals keeping skills secrret to themselves, or using the carrot of teaching skills to raise substantial club funds. Now, we may run into difficulties along the way. The three founder members have each loaned a sum of money and are loaning equipment to the club to get it started. We will hopefully replace the loaned equipment with club purchases, approved by the members as funds permit. In due course we may even get the loans repayed, but that is not a priority at the moment. We will be promoting competitions and we hope to be able to compete at EAF and PAGB level. I have had some success with entries in the SPA (Surrey Photographic Association) competitions. The scope is to be unlimited. We will have three classifications, Club for early learners, Intermediate and expert. New members may decide to compete at any level on joining, but must stay in that level for the season. We do hope to break the mould and be a bit adventurous, it is entirely up to the members to do this. The committee will be the servants of the members, not the rulers. Members will decide how things are done, with guidance from the committee. We will not take you outside and shoot you for disagreeing with us! (are there any smileys on this forum?). I hope this answers your questions Paul, please feel free to Email me if not. DR. I do not wish to draw comparisons, I am a member of NDPS as well at the moment and they do things differently to us and the other clubs I know. This is to be applauded, if we were all the same, goodness, how boring would that be. I have to agree with Bruce. I am in no way connected with either club mentioned, but going by the tone of some of some of the replies, it seems to me that there were maybe some egos that weren't catered for at the first club, and frustration caused said egos to start their own club, not a critisism, just an outsiders observation. Good luck to both the clubs, I won't be joining either of them. Magnus. >I have to agree with Bruce. > [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > >Magnus. A serious problem with this forum is that the posts seem to be from totally anonomous people. In view of this, I treat comments posted here with suspicion as to the 'independence' of the authors. Why should someone have the timerity to assume that 'ego' has anything to do with us starting our own club, when they do not know us. We simply wish to do things differently. We want to have a club where members do not have to pay considerable sums of money to be helped with Photoshop. Where exchange of skills is encouraged and experience shared to the good of all. Surely, this is why keen photographers join photographic societies, isn't it? It is by open discussions and interactions that we learn and improve our knowledge and skills. It should also be fun, why else would we bother. Some people seem to want to make it a battleground and that is sad. Good Evening. I see what is being suggested here. I study Behavioural Sciences and just picked something up from the tone of some of the posts, the language used and the way they were written. There is no need to be suspicious, I am ever so slightly the wrong end of the country to be involved, and just thought it was an interesting thread. Magnus. >>I have to agree with Bruce. >> [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] >skills. It should also be fun, why else would we bother. Some people seem >to want to make it a battleground and that is sad. |
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