Another Forum Bites The Dust

[mrca]

Ever notice how some accuse others of what they are doing? You know, like insulting people a couple times then when called out accuse others of trolling? The hypocrisy of some folks knows no bounds.

I just remembered, the last time cgw went snark someone chimed in with him...you. I'm wondering if you are in fact the same jerk? Cgw hasn't responded so is either hiding under his desk again or you are the same person. In hiding til throwing the next hand grenade. Here's the definition of troll: One who posts a deliberately provocative message to a newsgroup or message board with the intention of causing maximum disruption and argument. Look like your 2 posts and his insults? If the shoe fits, wear it.

 

[CherylL]

I can't recommend highly enough joining a local club that critiques members images every month.

There is a large club the next city over. A young friend went to one meeting. He was laughed at because of his age and his entry level camera. At the time I thought about going, but changed my mind since I had an entry level camera.

The young friend found a local portrait photographer that mentored him and he was her 2nd shooter for weddings. Fast forward 8 years and that young friend is now working on a journalism master's degree. He was one numerous awards.

My local FB photography group has meetups and the seasoned help the newbies. All levels are welcome. At the last meetup I shadowed 2 professionals and listened to how they directed the models. A very good experience! There was a discussion on the FB page about clubs and competitions. Most were not interested in competions and the general consensus was that the FB group had no egos. Most that come to the meetups I would estimate are in their 20s and 30s. A few more older. Sometimes I think I am the oldest at the meetups. The great thing about the group is that age and experience doesn't matter.

 

[mrca]

There is a large club the next city over. A young friend went to one meeting. He was laughed at because of his age and his entry level camera. At the time I thought about going, but changed my mind since I had an entry level camera.

The young friend found a local portrait photographer that mentored him and he was her 2nd shooter for weddings. Fast forward 8 years and that young friend is now working on a journalism master's degree. He was one numerous awards.

My local FB photography group has meetups and the seasoned help the newbies. All levels are welcome. At the last meetup I shadowed 2 professionals and listened to how they directed the models. A very good experience! There was a discussion on the FB page about clubs and competitions. Most were not interested in competions and the general consensus was that the FB group had no egos. Most that come to the meetups I would estimate are in their 20s and 30s. A few more older. Sometimes I think I am the oldest at the meetups. The great thing about the group is that age and experience doesn't matter.

My experience has been that most meetups and photo groups are a sea of gray hair. Old folks. Younger folks are eagerly welcomed. In CA I shot with folks 20-30 years younger, we shared a passion for mastering the craft. There may be a few aholes in any group but of the numerous groups I have been in over the decades, they were rare and often shunned by the rest of the group. It's not about the gear, there are plenty of folks making stellar images with less than top of the line or "professional" gear. I always tell this story, as we old folks tend to do, I went to a professional competition and met the visiting judge an on field photographer for a pro football team. When he realized I was part time, he gave me the cold shoulder and walked off. He showed his images taken with a $10,000 lens and $5000 camera. Typical football shots. When my image came up in judging he came out of his chair to take a closer look, and said it was fantastic and he had to know who and how it was taken. When winners were announced, they called out the speakers awarded photo he picked and when they called my name, I stood up and his jaw hit the floor. I made sure to say it was taken with an entry level d200 and one of the 10 all time worst lenses of all time from nikon per Rockwell. You can make stunning images with even a cell phone. The reason I post here is to encourage folks to master the craft. If someone is so rude as to mock your gear or age, realize they are jerks and ignore them. We have trolls like that here, keep striving to learn and improve in spite of them. I think in most groups you will find some gear collectors who are not photographers. They only want to talk about gear and never show photos except of their gear. They might scoff at less high tech gear, it's all they know. But there are folks in most groups for whom the image is the goal and you should be able to learn from them. Many of us older folks owe the folks who took the time for us and want to pass on that knowledge and encouragement. I am a firm believer in you don't know what you don't know and although I hate getting up early, drag my butt out of bed on a saturday morning to judge local competitions to help the folks here. Sounds like you are interested in learning and folks here are willing to help. Age and experience shouldn't matter in those groups, they are for fun and learning and sharing the passion for photography.

 

[snowbear]

Let's keep it civil, everyone, or the thread gets locked, and offenders risk timeouts. If someone has an issue with another member, send the mods/admins a PM - don't air it in public.