Camera club talk

Bit of a new one for me.
I've been asked to give a bit of a talk along with a display of some of my macro shots and a demonstration of my technique at a camera club, (theres a member with a large garden thats has a wide variety of plants and bugs) or so ive been told. There's no camera club near me, I've never been to one, this invite was from a kind of friend of mine.
He is aware that this is not something I have done before, and has said it would be very informal.
What should I expect and more importantly what are they likely to expect ???

Although I haven't done anything like this before, I'm not overly concerned about the talking Bit, as it's something I'm comfortable talking about.

Any thoughts, advice or tips

Derek

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I know what i like, If not always why.

The only advice I would give you would be to talk to the one of the club's committee, or a regular member if you know one, to find out the style they like, i.e. lots of talk about the kit, or not; lots of detail about what settings you used for each image, or not; lots and lots of images, or a smaller number but explored in a bit more depth.

A quick discussion with someone from the club in advance will give you a steer.

Phil

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K-5iiS; K-r; ME Super; ME; DA* 16-50 f2.8; DA 18-135 WR; DA 55-300 WR; HD DA 15mm F4 ED AL Limited; FA 50mm f1.4; A50mm f1.7; DAL 18-55mm; M40mm f2.8; + assorted non-Pentax lenses

My Flikr Page link

I think you just need to go with the flow Derek - if you're comfortable with your subject (and you clearly are) then it will flow more smoothly. People who attend these talks aren't usually looking to catch you out on anything - they want to learn and to share their methods and experiences. I suspect you'll come away from it both imparting and gaining knowledge. Enjoy, if I was in your neck of the woods I would love to come and heckle, sorry - I mean listen

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LennyBloke

We recently had a new member with some nice macro shots and when someone asked for a camera recommendation he replied “an expensive one”! What he meant was a body that worked well with high ISO numbers and he never used flash nor tripod and of course nothing could compare with his Nikon D810 which he liked to remind us several times. I of course sat in smug silence out of politeness but I thought his manner arrogant. I know you of course wouldn’t fall into that trap but it struck me it would have been far better to just say “this is how I do it, there are many other techniques equally valid and effective but I find this works for me.”

Ps Good luck!

Cheers Phil, John and Rob.
Plenty in there for me to think about and sort out a plan.
I have plenty of shots I can use as examples, along with some, also ran shots, too if only as an example of what was off or went wrong (depending on the group)
Ha ha John I could well imagine you heckling me 😁😁😁, you could join me in promoting the pentax brand 😁😁😁
Rob, I would never stand on ceremony around what I use or how I use it. 👍🏻
It's not really about the gear, Gear does help, but it's not the be all and end all. I've had great tips and help on here, down through the years, I hope to be able to pass some of that on to others, along with some actual shooting on the day as well to try out some of the different techniques discussed in the earlier part.

I'm kind of looking forward to it now, whereas I was a little apprehensive at first.
It's not for a few weeks as they have a couple of other topics planned first. So I have plenty of time to prepare

As ever the help and advice on here is second to none 👏👏👏👏

Cheers guys 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

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I know what i like, If not always why.

Whaaat!

😂😂😂😂😂

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I know what i like, If not always why.

Derek - I attend lots of lectures/presentations at my local club (I've been a member for 18 months). I attend the ones in which I have an interest in the subject matter and look to learn a few things. The best presenters are relaxed and enthusiastic about their topic. I always enjoy seeing a few 'fails' along the way and a good presenter will talk about their learning journey too. Gear/location/planning/execution/composition they all make up a great presentation - offer to take questions as you present and you'll start to get a view on what people are interesting in hearing. Best of luck

Cheers David. That's pretty much how I see it going ( at least in my head anyway 😂
Pretty much plan on talking about my progression in macro shooting.
I have no qualms talking about what didn't work. I can't talk about what I don't know. 😁

Cheers again.
Derek

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I know what i like, If not always why.

The best "talks" at the local camera club have always been those in which the talking is either to accompany practical demonstrations and example images, or to answer members' questions. The key to your own success, and the success of the talk, is the same as with many activities, including photography - preparation and practice.

Several days before the meeting, get everything that you want to include in your presentation ready - prints for display and/or images for projection. If you are going to demonstrate macro shooting, prepare camera(s), lens(es), laptop, plus any other kit required. (It would be good if you could tether your camera to your laptop, linking that up to the club projector, so that your audience see the results quickly and clearly - liaise with the club secretary about this.)

Also days before the meeting, prepare some brief notes (e.g. on cards) regarding what you want to say, show, and demonstrate, and sort them into some sort of sensible order. For the practical part, get your own gear and subject items ready (don't rely on anyone else supplying plants or bugs). Rehearse exactly what you want to show them, keeping it as simple as you can, until you can feel sure that your demo will proceed without any hitches.

On the day, make sure batteries are charged, and memory cards are in the camera, then check and pack everything for the talk. Arrive early at the venue to set up and check your stuff is all ready and working, so you can begin immediately after you have been introduced. If you are well-prepared, you will be more relaxed and confident, and no-one should notice that you are well-prepared, unless or until they think about it afterwards.

"Before anything else, preparation is the key to success." - Alexander Graham Bell.

Cheers.
Philip

All good solid advice,, cheers Philip, I have a couple of weeks to prepare, so I should be ok,
Thanks for all the help, I really do appreciate it

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I know what i like, If not always why.

Is this a print talk or a projected image presentation? If the latter find out in advance whether you have to resize your pictures for projection. Most camera clubs projected images have to be sized at a maximum of 1600m wide and 1200mp deep.
David

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PPG: http://www.pentaxphotogallery.com/artists/davidtrout

Good point David
I'll clarify that 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

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I know what i like, If not always why.

Also, find out what sort of projection equipment they use, make sure you have suitable connecting leads for you own (laptop?) and, if possible, borrow/use similar projection equipment to do some "dry runs" so that you know how it works.

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K-3 II, K-3 and a K-70 from SRS (having now relegated the K-30 /"K-50" to a backup body), & some Sigma and Pentax lenses (and a lot of old 35mm gear!)

Cheers John,

I may be wrong but I have a feeling that it may be a bit more basic than you in the UK and the rest of the modern world might be used to. It is Ireland that we are talking about here, itll probably be in one of 2 places, Pub or cow shed

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I know what i like, If not always why.