Lectures and Talks

[chilliz]

I am a secretary at Batley Camera Club in West Yorkshire and we are looking for people to give talks etc, good ones are becoming harder to find. It goes without saying that all are welcome at the club.

Anyone interested can drop me a PM.

 

[david357]

I had the same problem here in North Wales last year, Ian, and do not expect it will be any easier this year.

Part of the problem is the list of lecturers in the NWPA directory is getting smaller as people get older and stop giving lectures, and these people do not seem to be being replaced. There are really some good lecturers out there who are willing to travel, but with charges of £100 or so for an evening, plus travelling costs, this becomes prohibitive to small clubs.

There is the possibility of lecturers from your own club swapping nights with lecturers from other clubs, and also there are cd's available from the RPS, PAGB, etc with judges giving their opinions on the images shown. These cd's are always good to have in the event of a no-show by someone, plans do go wrong for us all at times.

Perhaps there is a chance of a list of judges and lecturers, along with areas they are willing to cover, to be created as a sticky on TP? I know several programme secretaries who would appreciate such a resource. I will RTM this post so that the mods see it, you never know!

 

[MWHCVT]

Not saying I'm amazing or even that good but I do know my night photography so if anyone ever want's a talk on that I'd give it ago

I've never really got into the who club thing, mainly because our local one has quite a waiting list :bang:

 

[david357]

Not saying I'm amazing or even that good but I do know my night photography so if anyone ever want's a talk on that I'd give it ago

I've never really got into the who club thing, mainly because our local one has quite a waiting list :bang:

A bit far for us, Matthew, but good on you for coming forward - there are a lot of good photographers who are easily capable of providing an evening of entertainment to a club.

 

[MWHCVT]

A bit far for us, Matthew, but good on you for coming forward - there are a lot of good photographers who are easily capable of providing an evening of entertainment to a club.

You've clearly not seen the distances I'll drive just to take a photo, in seriousness, I would be up for giving a talk on my favorite type of photography, I guess I'd talk about why I do it the types of thing that I do and how I do it maybe showing some examples of my works, with a Q and A session and maybe a demonstration after for those interested weather permitting, and to be honest I'd do it fuel for this kind of thing and maybe to cost of getting a bite to eat in a local pub

 

[Steve]

I've never really got into the who club thing, mainly because our local one has quite a waiting list :bang:

Seriously? A waiting list to join a camera club?

Is that unusual or the norm?

I've never been a member of a camera club, but was thinking of joining one in the future. Maybe naively, I just assumed I could turn up.

 

[photogav]

I am about to start a series of talks. I'm based in Dorset though so travel expenses will add up for travel to the north. However, I think I am worth the cost.

I know the budgets of many small clubs is limited, but the investment of time, effort and money for me to get the pictures and stories to make an entertaining evening is pretty astronomical and I do this on a professional basis.

For professional speakers, perhaps clubs should charge a cover fee and estimate audience numbers. For example I charge £5 per head plus travel expenses (which I keep to a minimum). I think I'm worth the cost of a glass of wine.

I also try and raise money for a few worthy causes by having prints etc to sell on the night.

 

[david357]

Matthew, I will note you down as a possible for the future, thanks.

Steve, I think lots of clubs have waiting lists now due to the huge take-up of photography as a hobby since the arrival of digital! Many clubs will let you visit a couple of times without joining so that you can see whether the club suits you (and you them!!). Our club certainly does.

Thanks for your input, Gavin, some nice stuff on your site.

 

[markmullen]

I am a secretary at Batley Camera Club in West Yorkshire and we are looking for people to give talks etc, good ones are becoming harder to find. It goes without saying that all are welcome at the club.

Anyone interested can drop me a PM.

I'm only down the road in York, and my family are all from Morley so I know Batley very well!

I did a talk recently for Scarborough Photographic Society on planning and researching a landscape shoot, if that is the kind of thing you'd like to hear I'll happily pop over one night.

 

[Bristolian]

Seriously? A waiting list to join a camera club?

Is that unusual or the norm?

I've never been a member of a camera club, but was thinking of joining one in the future. Maybe naively, I just assumed I could turn up.

Steve,

I'm not sure how common it is for clubs to have waiting lists but it is something my club has recently introduced as we were regularly exceeding the allowed capacity of the room we use.

We run a beginners course every year (next one starts on Tueday) and the cost of that has previously included membership of the club for a year. No so this year - the course cost has been reduced to remove the membership element and this is going to have a dramatic effect on club finances next year.

New members are vital for the sustainability of any club and we are desperately looking for bigger premises so that we can get back to normal but in a small market town they're not easy to find.

 

[chilliz]

I had the same problem here in North Wales last year, Ian, and do not expect it will be any easier this year.

Part of the problem is the list of lecturers in the NWPA directory is getting smaller as people get older and stop giving lectures, and these people do not seem to be being replaced. There are really some good lecturers out there who are willing to travel, but with charges of £100 or so for an evening, plus travelling costs, this becomes prohibitive to small clubs.

There is the possibility of lecturers from your own club swapping nights with lecturers from other clubs, and also there are cd's available from the RPS, PAGB, etc with judges giving their opinions on the images shown. These cd's are always good to have in the event of a no-show by someone, plans do go wrong for us all at times.

Perhaps there is a chance of a list of judges and lecturers, along with areas they are willing to cover, to be created as a sticky on TP? I know several programme secretaries who would appreciate such a resource. I will RTM this post so that the mods see it, you never know!

We are really struggling to find affordable lecturers as you say, with next year and beyond looking really difficult. The cd`s are an option but some some havn`t gone down too well as most prefer the input of having someone there to bounce off. Our club is in a trasition period at the moment with many older members not able to attend much and we are trying to get newer members and keep things interesting for them. On top of needing lecturers we need members, in particular those willing to put a bit of time into the club. We have positions on the committee that need filling in order for the club to continue into the next few years. In many ways the future of the club could be quite exciting but we need a following to ensure this.

 

[chilliz]

Not saying I'm amazing or even that good but I do know my night photography so if anyone ever want's a talk on that I'd give it ago

I've never really got into the who club thing, mainly because our local one has quite a waiting list :bang:

I`ll keep you posted over the next few weeks mate, the only thing that concerns me is the distance you would need to travel, but these things can usually be sorted.

 

[chilliz]

I wish our club was in the nice position of being able to turn people away, (that doesn`t sound good but you know what I mean )

Thanks for all your input chaps, I`m always looking for thoughts and ideas.

 

[SimonH]

You've clearly not seen the distances I'll drive just to take a photo

You're heading to Settle for some night photography in July, aren't you? Maybe could string something together for then? Batley's on the corner of the M1 and M62.

 

[MWHCVT]

You're heading to Settle for some night photography in July, aren't you? Maybe could string something together for then? Batley's on the corner of the M1 and M62.

I am indeed, so if a local club was interested in coming along I'm sure something could be arranged

 

[MWHCVT]

I`ll keep you posted over the next few weeks mate, the only thing that concerns me is the distance you would need to travel, but these things can usually be sorted.

Look forward to hearing from you