So, I figured it was time to actually do something new, you know? Get out of the house. I landed on photography. Found this local club, thought, “Yeah, this could be cool.” I was keen to get started and see what it was all about.
My First Steps and Their Cold Shoulder (Or So I Thought)
I walked into that first meeting. There was a bunch of folks there, all looking like they knew their stuff, chatting away. Me? I just had my old clunker of a camera, nothing fancy. I decided to just sit back for a bit, listen carefully, and try to soak things in. Didn’t say much at the start. And boy, did I feel it, or at least, that’s what my perception told me. It was like they looked right through me. My gut feeling was that they probably thought, “Here’s another one, won’t last a month.” Just another face in the crowd who’d disappear soon enough.
But I was pretty set on giving it a real go. I wasn’t gonna let that initial awkwardness get to me. So, I started going out after those meetings to practice. They’d talk about different techniques, like capturing light trails from cars at night. That sounded interesting. So, I’d grab my camera, my slightly wobbly tripod, and head out into the dark. I stood there for what felt like ages, fiddling with all the settings. Aperture, shutter speed, ISO – all that jazz. Honestly, most of my first attempts were a complete disaster. Photos came out blurry, way too dark, or completely washed out. It was frustrating as hell, let me tell you.
- I remember one particular night, I was trying to get a decent shot of car headlights streaking by. I must have spent a good two hours by the side of a busy road, cars whizzing past.
- Got home, eagerly loaded the pictures onto my computer. Mostly junk, to be honest. A few were okay-ish, but nothing to write home about.
- But I kept at it. I did some reading online, watched a few tutorial videos to get some tips, then I’d go back out again, trying to apply what I’d learned. Little by little, I started to get a feel for it.
This whole routine went on for a few weeks. I’d show up to the club meetings, listen to the discussions, then go out and practice what I’d heard. I still felt like a bit of an outsider, though. They all seemed to know each other well, always talking about expensive gear I’d never even heard of. My perception of them was that they were a bit cliquey, if I’m being frank.
The Little Showcase Thingy
Then, one evening, they announced this little informal showcase they were planning. “Just share your best shot from the last month,” the club leader said. My first thought was, “No way.” I almost didn’t bother submitting anything. I thought to myself, “What’s the point? My stuff isn’t nearly good enough compared to theirs.” But then, something in me just said, “Ah, screw it, what have you got to lose, really?” So, I went through my recent photos and picked one of those night shots, one of the light trail ones that wasn’t completely awful. I took a deep breath and sent it in, not expecting much at all.
At the next meeting, they started putting the submitted photos up on a projector for everyone to see. When mine came up on the screen, there was a moment of silence. My stomach did a little flip. Then, one of the older guys, someone I thought was super serious and probably looked down on my old camera, he spoke up. He goes, “Hey, that’s actually pretty good. Nice composition on that one.” Then a couple of other people nodded and made some positive comments too. I was genuinely surprised.
Later on, after the main presentation, that same older guy came over to chat with me. He said, “You know, when you first joined, we kind of figured you were just testing the waters, maybe not super serious about photography. That was our perception, and it was clearly off. You’ve obviously been putting in the work, it shows.”
What I Figured Out From All This
It was a real eye-opener for me, that whole experience. It made me realize that my perception of them was off too. I thought they were being standoffish and exclusive, but maybe they were just used to people drifting in and out of the club, not sticking around. And their perception of me? Totally based on my initial quietness and my beginner-level gear. It wasn’t malicious or anything, just… human nature, I guess. We all make quick judgments.
After that little showcase, things definitely changed for the better. I started talking more in the meetings, asking questions when I didn’t understand something. And they, in turn, started including me more in their conversations and sharing tips. It just showed me, you know, how much we all operate on these initial perceptions we form. And sometimes, you just gotta push through that, show people what you’re about through your actions, rather than just sitting back and assuming what others are thinking. It was a good lesson, that whole thing. And it really made me stick with the photography, too. Still got that old camera, by the way, and I’m still learning.
