Networking

[Cparoyan]

I'm trying to teach myself photography and I'm at the point now where I need to go out with actual photographers that know what they are doing so I can practice, ask questions and get some help. I'm not quite at the ability level to be comfortable as a second shooter yet. So far I have connected with one person who was extremely helpful and let me tag along at a charity event and gave me some good pointers. Overall though, I'm finding it tough to find photographers to connect with. Any thoughts on how to network and get some practice with actual professionals?

Thanks!
~Cheryl

[DanK]

Perhaps join a photo club. There are several in the Boston area. The oldest is the Boston Camera Club, which meets in Brookline. there is also the Boston West Photographic Society that meets in Framingham. you can probably find more by googling.

[Cparoyan]

Thanks Dan! I will have to check that out. I work in Brookline so that's perfect!
~Cheryl

[rpcrowe]

I agree with the concept of working with a photo club. I belong to a consortium of photo clubs in the San Diego area. These clubs frequently have shoots. In fact, there are probably about two or three shoots a week. The shoots are free and no one in in any pressure to produce images for clients. Therefore, we have more time and patience to help other photographers and often get some ideas from others. The talent and experience level of the photographers on these shoots varies greatly, so no one is afraid to ask questions. additonally, there is usually someone at the shoot that can answer the questions. There are, however, some photo clubs that have more meetings than shoots. I would not want to belong to that type of club...

On the other side of the coin, although I no longer shoot professionally, I will sometimes volunteer to cover an event or activity. In this case, I feel a requirement to obtain the best possible images and often don't really have the time or the interest to help a fellow photographer. In fact, other photographers often get in my way...

One more thought... A professional having a second photographer on a shoot can be counterproductive in another aspect. The second photographer is usually there to gain experience and, once that experience is gained, can become a competitor...

[Cparoyan]

Thanks Richard. I'm finding that to be very true so it's hard finding people that don't mind your company and aren't looking at you as possible future competition. I didn't even know that there were photo clubs so this has been very helpful!

Thanks!
~Cheryl

[Melkus]

Since there was no clubs here to join or anyone I know of that dose photography I had to teach myself by means of places like CiC and all the other many on line web sites that have tutorials and videos about this hobby. I then took what I read or the info from the videos and put that into practice. Might be slower than being in a club and having someone to show you but you can learn a lot on your own.