By Becky Wolfe
As an outdoor photographer, I love going for walks and hikes with my camera, or driving a bit to find new locations. And I usually like to hike or discover new places with other people. While it's fun to go along with friends, I find that if I'm out with a fellow photographer it's easier to take time to photograph things in more detail.
Other photographers understand I might want to spend a good ten minutes or more squatting in the dirt, photographing the details of an old stump or a cluster of mushrooms. Chances are they're hunched in their own world of photography, misting a spider web for a glistening shot, or crouching closer to capture that photo of a squirrel.
When you're new to an area, or perhaps new to the passion of photography, joining a photography club is a great way to meet others that share your passion. A photography club is a place to learn new techniques and ideas, as well as share the ideas and skills you have with others.
If there's already a club in your area, you have it easy, just go ahead and join. But if there isn't one, and you want to have a group that shares your passions and skills, you may have to be the one to start it. This may be a simple thing to do, or it may require some work. I started a club in my town and it required a bit of work, but it's been rewarding to have a core group of fellow photographers to spend time with. Here are a few tips for getting a club up and running.
Research
The first step requires a bit of research. Some clubs may not be very good at advertising and welcoming new members, so dig around a bit to see if there's already an existing club. There's no point starting a new one if there's an existing one that just needs a little life brought to it.
If there's a camera shop or photo processing place nearby, that would be the first place I would suggest for you to inquire. Usually the owner or employees are camera enthusiasts themselves, so they may be able to give you some information on whether or not there's a club; and if there isn't, you may have just discovered your first potential members.
The next place to inquire should be the local Arts Council. Photography often falls into the Arts category in towns and cities, so if there's a club, or was one in the past, the Arts Council may know about it. In my case, the Arts Council told me there was a club in town several years ago that dissipated due to a loss in interest and aging membership.
What I gained here was a contact name and number of a former club member. I was able to contact this individual to confirm that yes, there was a club, but no, it no longer existed. I also received a confirmation that he would be interested in joining if a new club was formed.
The final place I inquired was the local tourism and business development council. This is just one more place to double check for any mention of a club, or if anyone else has inquired about starting or wanting to join a photography club.
Generating interest
Once you've exhausted all your options of inquiry, your next step is generating interest to see if it would be worth starting a club. There's no point creating a club of one member. But if you can find at least four or five other people with an interest in joining a club, you've got a good start.
The best way to do this is to hold a Club Information Night. Put up some posters and advertisements around town to invite potential members to an information night. Make sure you've included the specifics on date, time, and location. Also include your own contact information like name, phone number, and email so that if someone is interested but can't make the meeting they have a way of letting you know or asking more questions.
Go back to the places you originally inquired to see if you can put up a poster or bulletin. The photo shop will likely let you hang something in their window, and if you're really lucky, they might tell customers about it.
When I went back to the Arts Council to inquire about hanging a poster on the bulletin board of the Art Gallery I got a big break. If a club forms and wants to become part of the Arts Council (for a very low fee) then we could use the meeting room in the Art Gallery free of charge for whatever nights we chose to meet.
Often I've noticed that many Photography Clubs meet in an Arts building, so this can be very convenient. Not only is it a free meeting room, but it's in a well-located public place. I was able to create posters and notices with instructions that the information meeting would be held at the Art Gallery.
You could also put an announcement in the local newspapers with the same information, so that a wider audience will be able to see it, rather than just the few that might notice the posters around town.
Prepare for the meeting
You'll want to do some preparation ahead of time for the informational meeting. Because you're the main contact for the photography club, when people show up, they'll expect you to have some ideas. Discuss your vision and purpose for wanting a photography club in town. Have questions prepared to ask what others want or hope to find in a club.
I made up small questionnaire sheets for people to fill out with their contact information. On it, I asked questions like "Have you ever been part of a club before?" "What do you hope to get out of a photography club?" and general questions like whether they would like to go on club outings, whether or not they would like to share and critique photos, and what level of photographer they would classify themselves as. Make sure you bring enough pens for everyone.
Also, be prepared to ask questions about how often the group would like to meet, what time and days suit the majority best, and what level of formality they would like the group to be. Some groups have full executive boards with a club president, and choose to vote on all their decisions. Others choose to remain more informal.
You also might want to discuss at this time if it would be useful to have a membership fee. This might not be necessary right off the bat. Usually the initial membership numbers will taper off as people decide whether or not the club works for their schedule or if they aren't interested enough to commit to a club. For example, our club did not initiate a membership fee until 3 months had passed. And because we had no expenses, we kept our fee very low for the first year.
Information night
So your meeting night finally arrives. You're hoping for a handful of interested members, but don't be surprised if a roomful shows up. Be prepared for either. Pick your future meeting nights and determine what the club is going to be all about.
Make sure you have either an email address or phone number for each potential member, in order to be able to contact them and remind them of upcoming meetings and club events. Assume that for the first little while, you'll likely be the one in charge, organizing meetings and contacting members.
If the info night crowd is small, don't be discouraged. You may only need a few members to get started, and they may have others they can invite in the future. If the crowd is large, even better. But keep in mind that initial interest in clubs often wears off for a few, and numbers may drop a bit after the first few meetings. Eventually, you'll see the dedicated members who want to make your club work and are devoted to coming to all the meetings they can.
Club activities
I have found that the best way for photographers to get to know each other is to get them out doing what they love best--taking pictures. So even before the first official meeting, it might be fun to set up an outing together. It can be as informal as meeting at the local park, or as structured as getting everybody together for a photo scavenger hunt, with rules and partners and multiple locations.
If you meet more than once a month, I would suggest at least one of your monthly meetings be a photo sharing night. Photographers are passionate about sharing their work. From slide shows to portfolios, sharing photos and receiving feedback are some of the best ways to learn new techniques, correct bad techniques, get encouragement, and share passions. You may choose to have themes, or challenges for these nights.
Themes can be as basic as having everyone photograph fall foliage at any location they desire, to having a theme where the photo must have certain elements in it, like S-curves, leading lines, or the use of the Rule of Thirds. A challenge can be a specific target, like everyone must photograph the town fountain and try to be unique about it. Clubs can have a lot of fun with things like this.
When you aren't sharing photos at meeting nights, you might want to share information. Some of the members can take turns sharing their knowledge of technique, equipment, and style. Perhaps the local camera shop can come and do a presentation on new camera gear, or the club's Photoshop guru can give tips on how to do more advanced photo editing.
As your club progresses, be sure the members re-evaluate the direction it's going from time to time. Give everyone a chance to express their opinions on what they want out of the club to see if you're achieving the goals you set out in the beginning. If your club has a large membership and you have a membership fee, discuss with the members how they would like to see the fees used.
If your meeting place isn't free that might be a non-issue. But if you're lucky enough to meet somewhere for free, then you can consider options of how to use the club fees for things like local scholarships or donations. Consider perhaps hosting your own photography show as a club, or participating in photo competitions, regionally or nationally.
Having a group of people that share your passion in photography is a great thing to be a part of. Whether you're thinking of joining a photography club, or find yourself at the point where you're going to be the one creating a new club, be sure to take advantage of all the resources your area has to offer in helping new clubs get up and going. Hold an information night and be prepared. Go on photography outings, share your photos and learn from each other.