Hamilton Camera Club

First off let it be said that I had two fun years at this club where I met a lot of interesting people. With that being said, do not join this club if you aren't under retirement age or exclusively interested in bird photography.The club is very exclusive and makes no attempt to cater to people who may have to work weekends, only scheduling workshops and trips on weekends when younger people may be forced to work. There's also a sense of elitism where the people with the highest ranks are the ones to get the most coverage, discouraging people from even trying as they have no chance of being considered for Photo of the night because the Masters submit the same derivative photos and take the glory.There is also an incredible bias in the judging against Bird or Flower Photography; if its a bird photo the judges will praise it to high heavens, while interesting experimental photography is scoffed upon because their judging adheres to an antiquated method of judging based on objective technical goals rather than whether the picture is any good. So you have situations where your photo is shown and the club members gasp in awe of the photo, but the judges give you barely a passing mark because it doesn't rigidly adhere to their antiquated view of photography, meanwhile someone submits a blurry photo of a bird or flower and they lather it in tongue baths.The speakers have also declined in quality. One year there was an incredible speaker named Freaktography who was an Urban explorer. He was charismatic, had great shots, and interesting stories. However the older people complained because he was Inappropriate" because the nature of his art included trespassing which perplexingly upset old folks and as such speakers like him were replaced with more older people who don't do anything but show pictures of birds.If you are retired and like looking at pictures of birds

I have belonged to several camera clubs and the one thing that I must say about the Hamilton Camera Club is that it is the members are very friendly, warm and inclusive of all who join the club. This club offers more in the way of programming than any other club in the area. There are monthly outings, and workshops in addition to the regular club meeting nights. Every genre of photography is submitted by our members to clinics which the purpose of is to receive feedback on images submitted from trained qualified judges via CAPA (Canadian Association of Photographic Art) and OCCC (Ontario Council of Camera Clubs). Both digital and print images are entered into the Clinics in categories of Nature, Creative, Pictorial and Assignment (the assignment being a topic picked by the members each year). At in person meetings members mingle and all feel welcome unlike some clubs that it can take up to 2 years feel that you are noticed or welcome. My very first meeting at Hamilton Camera Club was such a pleasant experience that I joined at the very next meeting. I have never regretted that decision. There are members like many clubs that are retired or have been doing photography for many many years and are very accomplished. All of these members are very willing to help newer photographers with suggestions and tips on how to improve their images when asked. If you are looking for a club that offers you the opportunity to learn and improve your photography in a fun social environment Hamilton Camera Club is the place.

10+ year member of this club. Love taking photos of local musicians and you will typically find me at the Casbah. I have learned a lot from this camera club especially Macro due to teachings of our local Bug" Lady. We have a varied membership that more than a few enjoy Bird photography