The Scheme of Things.

[ABERS]

Having been busy this week, printing, mounting and framing a panel of six prints ready for the club's annual exhibition, I got to thinking about where photography ranks in life as far as I'm concerned.

Apart from day to day life I suppose it currently ranks fourth in importance as far as I'm concerned after gardening ( the impending Spring effect), sport (watching only nowadays), and family activities. I pop in here daily in the vain hope that there is something of value or interest either in the galleries or forum, but that's only because it is to hand when I check the news and sport and occasional spam email from Amazon. I haven't clicked a shutter since last October and my attendance at the Club is somewhat erratic.

Where does photography rank in your life? What other photographic activities do you get involved with other than CC?

[Sandy]

I suppose photography is slightly higher maybe number 2 after my sisters and friends. I'm in Maidstone Camera Club and in the Disabled Photography Society and join in with other groups which have outings in the summer. I'm attempting my CPAGB in April which is well under way just need to select my strongest 10 prints out of twenty I have printed. I'm also entering Salons to see how far I can get. Though the Disabled Photographers I got a press pass for the IAM games in London so now I'm into sport photography and trying to get all sorts of sport photos. For example last Saturday I went to Lee Valley to see the Masters and they did not mind people taking photos. I have also been asked to take photos for English Volley ball a couple of times which gives me more chance to take photos, however I sent them twenty last time which they liked but none of the photos would have done any good in club competitions.

Sandy

[jinky]

Photography is ranking lower and lower these days. Got my last paid wedding on 21st March and that will be me done with paid for shooting and hoping I`ll be a bit more interested in picking up the camera and going for walks with it. Just resisted the urge to buy another compact camera system kit and instead have ordered an LX100 with the aim of  carrying it in my pocket and getting some half decent shots as I walk / taking it on my trips where it is hand luggage only. Seems of late the only time I do any serious shooting is for paid work or when travelling. It`s behind family / and health and fitness moves currently and I am aiming to develop my ukulele playing and maybe join a bowling club in April.

[David Blandford]

Spending time with my family comes first for me, however in joint second I have many interests including caravanning heritage diesel railway locomotives and nature as well as photography.  As I work shifts which include weekends I do not get much time to spend on any of these ! So I now try to combine them e.g. spending time with the family in the New Forest and taking my camera along as well. It does help that my wife enjoys photography as well !
Thats my secret, and it works for me ! As I get to enjoy the best of both worlds. 

[Simple]

Family comes first, but photography takes up a large part of my life. I helped a friend set up as a pro with a studio and shop. That took loads of hard work and it was photography 24-7. Luckily he has landed on his feet with assignments and contracts so I have more time for myself again, but I still teach 4  photography classes a week and run 2 photography clubs. I don't do weddings anymore unless it is for ridiculous amounts of money, not that I am worth it, but I just hate doing them.

[Hinfrance]

Family first, then friends and music, then, on the right day, photography.  But to be truthful making and listening to music has always been my passion. I started public performance before I was a teenager,  and although I no longer play in public,  I spend a lot of time in my study, headphones on, guitar in hand, keyboard live and Studio One running on the PC. I've just ordered an Akai MIDI controller, so that will be more complexity to get my head around.

I try to keep up with the challenges here and on Flickr,  otherwise my cameras would rust away, and anyway I need to get out from time to time.

[Oldboy]

Nature photography is my life now. I walk miles every day hoping to capture magic moments but more often than not the weather doesn't play ball. What has surprised me is how often the weather forecasters fail to predict the correct weather. They have state of the art computers, sensors that upload data every minute of the day, satellites that cover the globe but they still can't get the forecast right! 

[jinky]

Nature photography is my life now. I walk miles every day hoping to capture magic moments but more often than not the weather doesn't play ball. What has surprised me is how often the weather forecasters fail to predict the correct weather. They have state of the art computers, sensors that upload data every minute of the day, satellites that cover the globe but they still can't get the forecast right! 

Too true Oldboy. There is no other profession that would get away with so many erroneous pieces of work. I swear the only time they get it right is when they say how the day started out on a lunchtime forecast.

[ABERS]

Aside from slagging off Met Men/Women there's a wide range of views on where photography fits into people's lives. There doesn't seem to be a burning passion motivating anyone apart from Sandy who has set herself defined targets as to where she wants to go with her photography.

I've met Sandy on several occasions and know she is a determined person and I know she will get to where she wants to be. 

Do you set yourself any targets? Experience has taught me that just meandering aimlessly along with no particular purpose is pretty non productive.

I could never see the picture a day for a year being more than a imposition of will rather than an exercise in creativity. Have you considered embarking on a 'project' e.g. making a book of your work, creating a panel of a dozen pictures on a theme, trying for an award, RPS or PAGB as Sandy has indicated?

[spikeyjen]

Photography probably comes second for me (after my family of course) but I also share it with a number of other hobbies that include scrapbooking, growing my own vegetables. travel, (currently travelling through Canada and the US) and sports of many kinds.
I was president of our local camera club, offering beginner support and education, running tutorials and the like as well as organising outings. so you could say I"m passionate and spend many hours on my photography. While I would like to start entering National and international comps, but I don't believe I am good enough as yet and am still to learn the art of Lightroom/ Photoshop comprehensively. Each year I set myself some targets (ie last year I wanted to master black and white and also make friends with my macro lens - I won club awards for both so was pretty happy with this outcome.
This year I am focussing on street photography, working with a Tamron 24-70. but i'm finding it takes a lot of guts to put a lens in someone's face to take a photo  (it is only March so I have a whole year ahead)

nice discussion threat Abers, looking forward to hearing from some others

[jinky]

When I retired from my real job I did set myself some photographic targets about doing some study ( completing an online course which taught me something about the mechanics / technical aspects mainly) and then set myself a task of getting some work in print which came off quite nicely followed by a 3 year (which became 4 year) embarkment on getting paid photography work. That again worked out OK, exceeded my expectations in fact given that I never spent a penny on advertising other than £50 on a batch of leaflets most of which were recycled!

I guess now my emphasis is on documenting my travels - producing DVD slideshows set to music and photo books of every major trip we make, Within those trips I set myself challenges to work with particular lenses by restricting myself to amount of gear taken. As I`ve decided to end my paid work I will be doing more of this sort of thing and maybe entering the odd competition I see coming up. I have a notion of doing a project on the area I live in but not decided yet whether this will be historical or about characters. I`d love to focus on characters but only have a handful in mind and need to know more. I`ve no interest in PAGB or RPS though have looked at them in the past and having dropped in to the local photography clubs a few times have seen little there to attract / hold me. It`s a shame that Flickr Leeds is less active than it used to be although I have joined a Facebook Yorkshire Photographer group and may go along on some jaunts with them through the summer if going to locations that appeal.

[ABERS]

When I returned to photography seven or so years ago I quickly embraced digital and rejoined my local club and the RPS. The club, with 160 or so members is particularly active and was where I found help and advice a plenty, especially in the 8 or so groups that specialise in various genres and activities, i.e  Monochrome, Pictorial, Studio, Natural History, Outings, Post Processing, Projects and Distinctions. The monthly and annual competitions are always well supported and always generate much conversation, mostly banter, following the results.

Over the years it has been particularly active in helping members gain RPS distinctions, and it is remarkably noticeable how the photography of those members trying to gain those distinctions improves once they set their stall out to achieve it. I always looked upon the gaining of a distinction as a personal challenge and as a level of expertise that one shouldn't fall below if you actually gained one, a bit like playing to a golf handicap. 

The RPS is a Marmite thing and you can be as active or not as you wish, but again there are numerous activities that take place over the year mainly to help you to improve.

I'm seriously thinking of entering the PAGB scheme of things, just to see how my work stacks up in their eyes. It's just a bit of a challenge really.

I enter work in several annual salons/exhibitions with patchy results, but it is always a boost when you get an acceptance, knowing your image/s will be seen by a good cross section of the public.

So here on CC members are involved in a wide range of photographic activities, some in areas where others deign to tread.