The Camera Club in London

[Yv]

Just found a link to this place whilst looking for a more local group, and having read the website was wondering if anyone here is or has been a member, or knows anything about it. Seems to be quite extensive, with studios, workshop style course and so on, but its easy to appear great when the reality might be totally different. So, any users out there?

http://www.thecameraclub.co.uk/index.php

 

[RobbieW]

looks rather impressive

 

[chouglez]

Wow! It's centennial too!

 

[FranchiseJuan]

I have been meaning to finalise my membership for a while there. I have visited them in person and here are my thoughts:

The facilities are really nice. They have a smallish studio on the first floor, and a larger studio on the top floor. The top floor studio is the good one, where you can do natural light during the day if you want, but is able to blacked out if you need.

All the lights in there are Bowens. From memory there is 3 or 4 monoblocks in the top studio, and 2 or 3 in the bottom one. They don't seem to have alot of light modifiers, and their largest soft box is not huge, but they have most of the equipment that you should need on portrait style shoots. Being Bowens is a big plus for me as I own Bowens, and all my S-type light modifiers will work in the studio. This will apply to people who own interfit, as they also use the Bowens S type fitting for their speed rings.

The top floor studio has even got a dressing room/makeup room for models if you need them.

The rental fees for the studio are very reasonable. Probably some of the best in London, but you don't have the option of having an assistant to setup.

The people I met on my visit (only two) were rather friendly, and it would seem like it would be a good bunch of people to hang out with. There is lots of stuff going on at the club all the time which seems good to me, but I have never been to any of these events so I am not too sure if they are really that usefull.

That is all I can think of for now.

 

[Yv]

Thanks Juan, thats certainly useful. Membership seems to be £99 a year, and the costs for the workshops seem pretty reasonable too compared to many. A bit of a trek from up here in the N postcode, but I think I might look further into this. I have been toying with the idea of a college course, but can't find exactly what I am looking for, and the one I did find is already booked up and £500! This might be a viable alternative with more felxibility. :shrug:

 

[FranchiseJuan]

Thanks Juan, thats certainly useful. Membership seems to be £99 a year, and the costs for the workshops seem pretty reasonable too compared to many. A bit of a trek from up here in the N postcode, but I think I might look further into this. I have been toying with the idea of a college course, but can't find exactly what I am looking for, and the one I did find is already booked up and £500! This might be a viable alternative with more felxibility. :shrug:

Depends on what you want to learn. For portraiture and modeling, there is nothing better then assisting a really great photographer, and for learning studio lighting you just have to use lights alot. From what I gather the events are not really workshops but people shooting. I would think that most of the people attending the events would have some idea of what they are doing. But it is also a good way to learn about shooting in a stuido if that is what you want to do. Cirtainly this is how I started learning about shooting in a studio 5 years ago.

 

[Yv]

certainly studio work is very lacking in my repetoire, but do want something that can give pointers and instruction, not just 'get on with it'

Will have a mull over it.

Anyone here fancy running a studio workshop for us 'studio virgins'??

 

[FranchiseJuan]

certainly studio work is very lacking in my repetoire, but do want something that can give pointers and instruction, not just 'get on with it'

Will have a mull over it.

Anyone here fancy running a studio workshop for us 'studio virgins'??

Maybe I should clarify..... When you join, they give you a studio acredition corse. This is basically to tell you how to turn the lights on, how to attach modifiers, and where everything needs to go once you finished.

At the sessions, there should be someone to setup the lights, and so you turn up and shoot. If you don't know what to do, you can ask whoever is in charge of the night, or watch what other people are doing. I don't think you are completely left to your own devices. At least this was what I was told.