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Thread: So now I know why photo clubs are useless

  1. #1
    Steven Ruttenberg's Avatar
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    So now I know why photo clubs are useless

    The judges know little about judging. Regardless of judges, the same people always win and the judges know little about what makes a good image. Yeah, my images got tanked. Somenof them had been well received by professionals in the past. I have decided to just attend to see friends and no longer compete. As it seems competition is anethma to creativity. In fact my worst image placed while my best got killed. Hmm.

  2. #2
    8x10, 5x7, 4x5, et al Leigh's Avatar
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    Re: So now I know why photo clubs are useless

    Quote Originally Posted by Steven Ruttenberg View Post
    The judges know little about judging. Regardless of judges, the same people always win and the judges know little about what makes a good image. Yeah, my images got tanked. Somenof them had been well received by professionals in the past. I have decided to just attend to see friends and no longer compete. As it seems competition is anethma to creativity. In fact my worst image placed while my best got killed. Hmm.
    Absolutely true.

    I've noticed the same thing in the various clubs I've tried over the years.

    Most recently (decades ago), i tried a club in which a relatively wealthy individual always entered scenic shots from his worldwide travels, and always got first place (and 2nd etc) for mediocre snapshots.

    Many better photos were entered without getting even honorable mention.

    It's entirely a scam.

    - Leigh
    If you believe you can, or you believe you can't... you're right.

  3. #3
    Serious Amateur Photographer pepeguitarra's Avatar
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    Re: So now I know why photo clubs are useless

    #me_too. I entered the first year and won with a really nice photo. Later on, for several years, I was not selected at all, in fact, I got really bad comments from most of my photos. Most of them did suck, but couple were nice. Also, most of the people evaluating were young guys who did not know about film, and get crazy with the abundance of colorful images provided by some of the digital cameras.
    "I have never in my life made music for money or fame. God walks out of the room when you are thinking about money." -- Quincy Jones

  4. #4
    Foamer
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    Re: So now I know why photo clubs are useless

    I've been a member of my local camera club for a number of years now and do get some benefit from it. We have twice yearly constests and each has a class for color shots and one for b&w. I generally do OK in these contests but think the winners are usually pretty good. There are a lot of bird photographers though, and I rarely take bird photos. Everyone likes to think their shot is the best, LOL. I do get some good tips from the presentations and have met a lot of great folks. All in all I think camera clubs are a great place to learn and socialize. My intended entries for the next contest:

    1. D&I Train at Falls Trestle
    2. Lincoln Confers with Grant
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails SiouxFallTrestM.jpg   PSgrantLlincolnDPs.jpg  
    In contento ed allegria
    Notte e di vogliam passar!

  5. #5

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    Re: So now I know why photo clubs are useless

    It depends very much on the club itself and the level of quality of the local judges. I was in a club in Massachusetts which always had very good judges. I didn't always agree with them, but they weren't way out there. It's also important to understand that the judge is still a person and just has their own opinion. The world doesn't have to agree. I was then in a club in a different state which used 3 members of the club to judge internal competitions - it was horrible, imo, because it was very easy to know which image was whose once you'd been there about three months. And they completely devalued B&W compared to color (they didn't keep them separate for awards). Now I'm in a club which doesn't do competitions at all. The focus is on learning through shooting together and critiquing. I enjoyed competitions a little in MA, but I get more out of the club I'm in now.

  6. #6
    Vaughn's Avatar
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    Re: So now I know why photo clubs are useless

    There is a problem if competition within the club is the most important aspect of the club.
    "Landscapes exist in the material world yet soar in the realms of the spirit..." Tsung Ping, 5th Century China

  7. #7

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    Re: So now I know why photo clubs are useless

    I went to a local club meeting hoping to find some new photography friends and it felt like a meeting of the "crypt keepers". If an oxygen tank had been in the corner, it would not have seemed out of place. It felt like a private club and they were very unwelcoming because I still shoot film and make tintypes. I never went back.

  8. #8
    Alan Klein's Avatar
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    Re: So now I know why photo clubs are useless

    Quote Originally Posted by Two23 View Post
    I've been a member of my local camera club for a number of years now and do get some benefit from it. We have twice yearly constests and each has a class for color shots and one for b&w. I generally do OK in these contests but think the winners are usually pretty good. There are a lot of bird photographers though, and I rarely take bird photos. Everyone likes to think their shot is the best, LOL. I do get some good tips from the presentations and have met a lot of great folks. All in all I think camera clubs are a great place to learn and socialize. My intended entries for the next contest:

    1. D&I Train at Falls Trestle
    2. Lincoln Confers with Grant
    I like #2 but you have to clean up your negative and spot your prints better. Also, ask them to smile. They look like there losing a war.

  9. #9

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    Re: So now I know why photo clubs are useless

    Quote Originally Posted by Steven Ruttenberg View Post
    The judges know little about judging. Regardless of judges, the same people always win and the judges know little about what makes a good image. Yeah, my images got tanked. Somenof them had been well received by professionals in the past. I have decided to just attend to see friends and no longer compete. As it seems competition is anethma to creativity. In fact my worst image placed while my best got killed. Hmm.
    I do what I do. I couldn't give two shits what a "judge" thinks. I've got a couple portraits of my cats. I think they are spectacular. I do it for my enjoyment. My wife is a curator, she likes a lot of my work. If she doesn't I ignore her :-)

  10. #10
    Steven Ruttenberg's Avatar
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    Re: So now I know why photo clubs are useless

    Quote Originally Posted by Two23 View Post
    I've been a member of my local camera club for a number of years now and do get some benefit from it. We have twice yearly constests and each has a class for color shots and one for b&w. I generally do OK in these contests but think the winners are usually pretty good. There are a lot of bird photographers though, and I rarely take bird photos. Everyone likes to think their shot is the best, LOL. I do get some good tips from the presentations and have met a lot of great folks. All in all I think camera clubs are a great place to learn and socialize. My intended entries for the next contest:

    1. D&I Train at Falls Trestle
    2. Lincoln Confers with Grant
    Both are good and both would get jacked in my club. They are way outside the sandbox of what is typically judged. For example, black and white is took to literally mean black and white. No shades in between.

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