Writing On Our Pages
Tag: journey
My Photographic Journey – Part 3a – Camera Clubs/Photographic Societies
Camera Clubs/Photographic Societies were such a huge and integral part of my journey in Photography and those experiences cannot be summed up in just one post as there were several facets that I would like to cover.
When I walked into a Camera Club for the very first time, I was an extremely shy 23 year old (I can hear Perc Carter laughing now…). I’ll never forget my early visits to Campbelltown Camera Club in 1986. I joined in June of that year.
I still have the T-Shirt, though I doubt it would fit me these days!
Apart from ‘not being comfortable in a roomful of strangers’, as the prints started to go up on the print stands, I felt both inspired and inadequate at the same time.
I had been shooting for about 3 1/2 years and was starting to feel a bit more happy with what and how I was shooting. I knew there was room for improvement though. There always is…much more improvement when I saw what was in front of me!
The images in front of me were awe-striking. I had no knowledge at that time of how long some of my fellow members had been involved in photography. I had arrived as a member just in time for the ‘Top Shot’ Competition. I had never even considered going into a competition with my photography. Photography was just for fun.
Charlie Cowell won the overall Top Shot that year with a Still-Life image that had a background where ‘light just disappeared’ into the background.
I had been trying to shoot various Still-Life scenes but my backgrounds were awful. I sat there wondering how he did it and commented so to another member. The member said, ‘why don’t you ask him?’
Summing up the courage, I did. ‘Black Velvet’, Charlie said & proceeded to tell me what to buy and where to buy etc. I still have that piece of Velvet 35 years later…
I started to enter the competitions about a month later. Club competition entries, if successful, were awarded a Merit or Credit by the visiting Judge who evaluated the images on display and suggested points for improvement.
I learnt so much going along to Campbelltown Camera Club in many ways, the competitions being just one of them.
It certainly helped build up my ‘photographic confidence’ over time and also, being exposed to a new group of people helped start me on the road to ‘general self-confidence’ too.
Over the next few articles, as I continue write about my Photographic journey, I will explore other facets of my wonderful experience of being a member of a Camera Club/Photographic Society.
A few years back, Campbelltown Camera Club changed it’s name to Macarthur Photographic Society. To find out more about MPS and how being a member can improve your Photography, click on the following link. https://macarthurphotographicsociety.org.au/
Till next time.
Written by David Johnson
27 February 2021
Process
Books
Drifting
Glimmers Of Light
This is, essentially, a hard post to write as 2020 obviously has not been a very good year in terms of the raging bushfires that caused destruction and death here in Australia early in the year and in other places around the world as well.
Then, of course, Covid-19 arrived seemingly, resembling a bad B-Grade Sci-Fi movie script that is causing illness, death, isolation and financial troubles etc.
I see a lot of posts on Social Media saying things like, ‘Farewell 2020, what an awful year,’ etc. This is quite understandable given what has happened/is happening.
Whilst overall, 2020 has been an awful year I believe it is a good exercise to turn the microscope on your own life and see what positive things have happened to you individually in this remarkable (for the wrong reasons) year.
We were not affected by the bushfires ourselves, though some people we knew were which did set the emotions running. Covid-19, however, affected our livelihood with both the Finance and Marketing sides of the business taking a huge hit due to lockdown etc.
Things on that front are in recovery mode now thankfully, largely due to my wife, Susan on the Finance side and an awesome group of people that she is working with. I have recently become part of that team.
The following ’things that went right’, although insignificant in the world as a whole, were significant to me/us.
Business/Work
- Completion of my Certificate IV Finance & Mortgage Broking course which allowed me to become a Finance Broker (after leaving a part-time role with a Bank) in December and better support Susan
- Attaining a new part-time role as an Entrepreneurship Facilitator (mentoring/assisting start-up businesses)
- Am currently studying the Diploma of Finance & Mortgage Broking
Toastmasters
- My involvement in Toastmasters International is approaching its 13th year early next year and this year provided a few highlights including achieving the following:
- Distinguished Toastmaster (highest education and leadership level)
- Completed my High Performance Leadership Programme
- Completed by role as an Area Director
- Completed my role as a Club Coach
- Completed my role as President of Gledswood Club
- Received my first Triple Crown Education award
- Received a Leadership Excellence award
- (My Club), Gledswood Toastmasters achieved 10/10 becoming a President’s Distinguished Club. My Co-Club Coach Rhys Tague, the Executive and all the members contributed here and we are all continuing to grow the club
- I was the Toastmaster for the first time at a Division Contest
Creative Pursuits
- Joined Red Point Artists Association at Port Kembla, NSW
- (At date) have completed 704 Watercolour Sketch’s a Day in a row. The goal back on 26 January 2019 was to acquire the habit of a ‘Daily Art Practice’
- Starting using Dip Pens for the first time
- Had a group of my Paintings on display for the very first time
- Sold my first and second paintings this year
- Recommenced Oil Painting
- This year I managed 100 posts on this blog for the first time ever
- Have now written in excess of 400 Poems (300 on this Blog)
Some ‘not so good things’ have also happened this year, presenting us with challenges we have or are in the process of overcoming in health and other areas. I think it’s important to learn from them but not dwell on them.
If you would like to, apply that Microscope to your own life and see (despite what has happened this year on the world stage), what good things have happened to you this year? If you want to, list them in the comments below or just comment generally.
Thanks to May @ Forever and Everly for the inspiration to do this post. You can check out her Blog here: https://wordpress.com/read/feeds/59870465/posts/3090980068
Wishing everyone a Happier 2021!
Written by David Johnson
31 December 2020
The Steps You Take
Christmas Time
Cup Of Life
New Light Emanating
