Took that first step, submitted my letter of intent to join a camera club and this where I am now. I got accepted as a probee and I attended my first meeting and joined the first photo contest sponsored by the camera club.
First of all, it was an adjustment to be back in a formal organization. I missed the structure and this surely gave me a shot of excitement to be back. I'm also back in the city where I started my work and this weekend's photo walk would be in the same block where my first job took place. A run down memory lane indeed, but even more excited about the changes that the three decades brought about.
Talking about structure, yes I had to formally submit a letter of intent, fill up an application form, submit a sample of previously shot photos, a visit to observe one of the monthly meetings, and finally an interview with the board of directors. Long story short, I got accepted as a probee.
But the challenge doesn't stop here. I still have to meet eligibility requirements to become a member within a 2-year period, attend the monthly meetings, achieve a certain number of contest points, participate in other club activities such as exhibits, join photowalks locally and out of country, and do the mundane probee stuff that all probees do. Yesterday I learned to make the cutest blue-tak balls, and now I've been prodded to volunteer to be a program host for a regular event that I haven't even attended in the past. That's just a start! But honestly, I am pretty excited to do all these as I'm starting :-)
So how did my first meeting go? It was great, I introduced myself and mentioned a bit about my previous work and company. I got to talk to a couple of folks who knew about Accenture, and even Andersen Consulting back in the days. It was interesting.
As for the photo contest, I get to submit 2 entries with the theme called "curves ahead." I took one of the shots in Tagaytay after I learned of the theme, made a bit of effort to shoot it, and the other shot I digged up from my "baul" or archives. My recent shot got a 3.5 out of a 5 score which is a passing grade, but my older photo got a 2.8 out of 5 score which is a failing grade. Not so much that I didn't expect this, but I was just happy I was not the only one who had a failed entry. In fact, I was telling one of my mentors that as soon as I saw the photos of others being posted, I knew my entry wasn't going to make it despite hoping it would at least get a passing mark.
Thoughts in my mind: I didn't ask for help first because I want to know how I select photos now so that I can see what's wrong. And because of this, I intentionally didn't ask for help on my first try, although I know that the other club members are very much willing to help even in providing feedback, providing tips, helping select photos and even helping to edit and post process the photos.
Things I learned:
- Never be content too early, do a bit more work and spend more effort to get the best shot. Don't be lazy, success comes from hard work.
- Ask for help, after all that's what I am here for. Admittedly, I intentionally didn't ask for folks to review my entries even after they mentioned it's ok. Because I also wanted to understand my own selection process and thinking and maybe in the next round, I get to find out what I've been doing wrong.
- Don't be afraid to fail, don't be afraid of criticism
- Learn from others, understand why and what makes a good photo, ask!
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