The Camera Club That Isn't, The Paris Photo Collective

     About  five months ago I gave in. A number of  local shutter hounds and artistic types had been encouraging me to start a photography club here in town. It was an idea that I both liked and resisted. For me, photography is a relatively solitary pastime. Basically, it's just me out with my camera making photos and later, me in front of a computer screen, editing them, either for printing or presentation on line. On the one hand, I liked the idea of sharing my love of the craft with other like minded people. On the other hand,  I wasn't really interested in organizing and maintaining a club.  Trying to organize any group of individuals can be a pain in the butt. One has to deal with personalities,  egos,  politics and power plays.  One has to come up with activities,  topics for discussion,  guest speakers,  events and funding arrangements. My solution to the dilemma was simple. I would start the group, but apart from the most basic  organizing tasks,  I wouldn't do any of it.

Group portrait from our first meeting. Some of these people have left the group since then. No worries. I realize this group may not be for everyone.

     First off,  it's not a camera club.  It's a photographers' collective.  Everything and anything photography related can be brought to the table.  Let's say you shoot Nikon and you're  having a problem with a specific piece of gear.  There's probably someone in the group who shoots Nikon and can help you out. Let's face it. There's not a photographer alive who hasn't had gear issues at one time or another. We have a range of photographers who shoot Canon, Nikon, Fuji, and Sony. Hell, we even have some folks with Leica experience! The same goes for different genres of photography. We have people who specialize in street photography,  landscape,  portraiture, wildlife, special event  and fine art photography. We have a range of  experience that goes anywhere from a rookie who just bought his first serious camera  to pros and semi-pros with more than fifty years of  experience. The variety of skills and experience in this group is a constant source of amazement  to me. What amazes me even more is the kindness and generosity of spirit that we show in helping each other.  There are no stupid questions.

     As far as activities and events go, I leave all of that up to the individual members. If you want to have an event or activity involving the group, YOU organize it. Want to bring in a guest speaker? YOU make the contact and organize the evening. Want to do a field trip to a great photography spot? YOU make the arrangements for it. So far, the membership seems quite happy with this arrangement.

      The meetings are generally pretty loose. People talk about whatever aspect of photography is on their minds. There's lots of friendly banter and joking  going around. Anyone with a problem or question is free to bring it up and usually it gets resolved one way or another.    Most of the members tell me they prefer it this way. A lot of our members have attended camera clubs where they just sat on chairs and got preached to in a seminar style. We're a little more wide open than that. We sit around tables in a coffee shop and discuss whatever subject comes up.  I remember one meeting where a little group business was discussed and then someone looked out the window and commented that we still had good light, let's go for a photo walk. We all hit the streets and started making photographs. Hey, sometimes that's just the way we roll! 

Grab shot of Joe, Randi and Brian hittin' the mean streets
 of Paris, Ont. for a photo walk.

     I also remember another interesting night. The coffee shop where we usually meet tends to close early at about 8:00 p.m. We all wound up on the street outside and no one really wanted to go home. It was a beautiful summer night. We ended up sitting outside in the parking lot of another coffee shop, the Tim Horton's at the edge of town. One person lowered the tailgate of his pickup to provide a place to sit and another pulled  some lawn chairs out from the back of his vehicle. There was a full moon that night and a couple of people who had long lenses for their cameras were doing their best to capture it with a lot of (helpful?) advice from the rest of us. I defy anyone to find a photography group that can have an after meeting meeting in the parking lot of a donut  shop!



    I wish that I could take credit for this group but I really can't. All I did was start with an idea and it kind of morphed from there. I have to credit my co-chair, Luvern, for doing a lot to get the word out and grow the group.

     The spirit in this group is awesome! From the very first meetings it felt like a group of old friends getting together to share a common interest.                                                                            

Adam in action with Ina and Luvern in the background. Sparklers and
moving light photography from our last get together

 

Moving light photography from our last get together.

     I don't really know where this group is going but I think that's part of the fun. I do know that I've started an awesome group of friends who, like me, are happiest with a camera in their hands, making the best images they can.

                      ...more later 

    P.S. If you like what see here, don't be afraid to like and share to the media platform of your choice. The deal is if you keep likin' it, I'll keep crankin' it out.