Why you should join a camera club in 2025

By Dr Don Munro | 4 February 2025

One of the secrets of many successful photographers is that they are active members of their local photography club.

Professional photographers join clubs to escape from the stress of running their businesses so they can work on their passion projects. Semi-professionals use clubs to practice their skills in a supportive environment.

Hobbyists join to develop their creativity with like-minded artists. And beginners join clubs to learn from others in ways that are impossible with internet-based courses.

But what do camera clubs actually do and how can you make the most of your local club?

Captured by Mosman Camera Club member Robin Moon, her image Penguin Portal was taken from a zodiac at water level in the Lemaire Channel in Antarctica in 2022. “Whilst slow cruising through an iceberg 'graveyard' I was immediately attracted to the shape and texture of the hole, the sharp icicles and the patterned ice behind,” she says. “I knew instantly all that created the basis for a strong image. Initially the scene was empty and after asking my zodiac driver to swing back around to ensure I had not missed the best possible composition, the little Adelie appeared. In post processing I moved him to a more prominent place, hence creating a composite. The Adelie peering at the water whilst the jagged icicles melted above him ,became a metaphor for his fragile existence in a pristine wilderness slowly affected by climate change.” Sony A1, FE 100-400mm F4.5-5.6 GM OSS lens @ 400mm. 1/2500s @ f6.3, ISO 500.

So, who goes to clubs?

You can find camera clubs (also called photography clubs) on every continent on the planet. There are over 600 clubs in the USA, 500 in the UK, and clubs are very strong across Europe and Asia.

In Australia in 2023 there were more than 270 clubs with around 9,500 active members, compared with the 14,500 paid photographers in Australia. Australia’s clubs are based throughout rural and city regions.

People from all walks of life join camera clubs. You can often find current or retired professional photographers, industry representatives, fine art practitioners, academics, art teachers and students.

But in most clubs, the majority of its members are men and women who are current or retired nurses, engineers, concrete pourers, carpenters, farmers, public servants and others – a diversity of people with a common passion for photography.

Clubs range in size from around 10 members to clubs with hundreds of active members. While most clubs support all types of photography, there are also specialist clubs. Some focus on creative photography only.

Others are digital only, with no face-to-face meetings. In NSW there are also specialist Mandarin and Cantonese speaking camera clubs.

As with many community organisations around Australia, the median age of club members is in the 50+ range.

This can be daunting to younger photographers at first, but older members have a wealth of knowledge to share and are very encouraging of young photographers.

Captured by Hornsby Heights and Pennant Hills member Jonathan Holliday, his image Abandoned Grader was his first opportunity to capture an aerial shot of the old grader at Lake Tyrell, Victoria, using a drone. Post processing included a first attempt at a sky replacement (with a separate sky shot from the same location) to provide the dramatic scene. DJI Air 2S, 22mm f/2.8 lens. 1/1600 sec @ f2.8, ISO 100, -0.7 ev.

What clubs do

Photographers have always valued getting together with their colleagues to share tips, learn new techniques, build networks and develop their creativity. The best clubs do the same – inspiring, motivating and educating people in the art and craft of photography.

The most common activity in almost all clubs is the photography competition. The club identifies a particular topic to photograph each month or so.

Members shoot images based on that topic and present their best shots to the club, where a trained judge gives feedback and suggests ways the images could be improved.

This process will be familiar to all professional photographers. It is similar to being given a brief by your client that you shoot to, and then your client selects the best shots.

Two Giraffes by Pennant Hills Club member Don Dickins. “Our club had organised a special outing to photograph Taronga Zoo, and I was keen to photograph a giraffe where its eyes could be seen. Often in bright light, the eyes just appear as black spots. I was fortunate enough to get two giraffes together with their eyes lit. With some processing I was able to fade the background so that the subjects were better defined.” Canon 5D Mark III, 150-500mm lens @ 370mm. 1/1250s @ f9, ISO 1250.

Unlike commercial photography, however, judges score each image and, at the end of the year, the photographers with the most points are awarded trophies.

This competition process requires a rigorous approach to planning, taking, processing and presenting your photographs. It is a good discipline to embrace, even for those who are more interested in collaboration than competition.

Seeing how others in your club interpreted the same topic, and hearing a judge’s comments on everyone’s photographs, will also improve your photography.

Given the importance of having skilled, independent feedback, the peak photography organisations in each state carry out structured training for judges.

In NSW, for example, judges learn through face-to-face workshops to analyse, interpret and score photos, as well as give constructive feedback on how to strengthen the composition, technical qualities and emotional impact of the image.

Similar training is provided in all the states, albeit in different ways. In Victoria, for example, judge training is provided primarily through a three-stage, online course; while in Queensland judges learn through mentors and using an extensive judging manual.

Salt Flames by Timothy Moon was taken over Lake Tyrrell in the Mallee District of Victoria. “The flow of groundwater into the salt lake along with the wetting and drying process lays up salts and displays the underlying iron rich red soils,” he says. DJI Mavic 2 Pro @ 26mm. 1/320s @ f5, ISO 100.

Other club activities

Some clubs focus strongly on developing the creativity or photographic “voice” of their members. These clubs typically invite specialist guests to present talks, run workshops and conduct educational outings.

Portfolio projects, where a small group of club members work together for six months or more to create their own photographic series, are popular. These clubs often organise exhibitions of their members’ work within the club or in public venues.

All clubs encourage social and professional networking and provide a supportive social environment in what can otherwise be an isolating occupation.

Captured by Mosman Camera Club member Timothy Moon, his image The Podium was runner-up in Commercial Category of the Australian Photographic Prize 2023. The right hand side of the image has been mirrored to remove buildings in the back of frame on the left, with a colourful sky blended in to match the overall colour palette of the image. Nikon D85, Laowa 12mm lens. 1/200s @ f9, ISO 400. — Captured by Mosman Camera Club member Timothy Moon, his image The Podium was runner-up in the Commercial Category of the Australian Photographic Prize 2023. The right hand side of the image has been mirrored to remove buildings in the back of frame on the left, with a colourful sky blended in to match the overall colour palette of the image. Nikon D85, Laowa 12mm lens. 1/200s @ f9, ISO 400.

As well as events within the club, you may enter inter-club events and meet and learn from other clubs in the region.

Some clubs go further, and take photography into their community. Some country clubs organise the photographic exhibition for their town’s annual Agricultural Show.

These exhibitions encourage hundreds of people, especially young people, to take photographs, often for the first time.

Another club, with a nearby children’s hospital, organises an annual photographic competition for its members where the images are judged by children. The winning images are then displayed in the children’s hospital, bringing joy to young patients in otherwise sterile-looking wards.

Another benefit is that Club membership can give you exclusive access to discounts and other benefits from sponsors and supporters.

The Commute by All Creative Central Coast president Michelle Kennedy. “I love creating images of animals behaving like people and giving them personalities that we can identify with,” says Kennedy. “Each animal on the train represents someone different, and I take careful consideration to get the perspectives, shadows and colours of each element just right. There is something in every corner of my image and I hope people want to know what happens when they get off the train! The image was captured with multiple cameras and lenses, with every element photographed by Kennedy and composited in Adobe Photoshop.

In addition, there are club members who have honed their skills in clubs before winning international competitions with cash prizes, being recruited by major photography brands, or exhibiting in photographic art shows.

Most clubs provide a mix of all these activities. One meeting may have a photography-related speaker, and the next a photography competition. There may be outings and special learning events.

Look around for a club that suits you – there are plenty to choose from.

Pro-am photography

Some people may be surprised at the carefully organised, professionalised approach of photography clubs. After all, aren’t clubs meant to be amateur?

Photography clubs are proudly amateur in two ways. Some of the world’s most famous photographers were amateurs – Alfred Stieglitz, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Jacques Henri Lartigue and Vivian Maier, to name but a few.

These skilled, creative, ground-breaking photographers did not earn their living from photography – they were amateurs. Clubs continue this long tradition of welcoming all people interested in producing high quality, beautiful photographs for pleasure.

The not-for-profit structure of clubs also reinforces the values of collaboration and education rather than commercialisation.

Joining a photography club also makes you part of a much greater cultural venture. Australia’s camera clubs are arguably the most enduring institutions in the country involved in creating and exhibiting images of Australian people, places and events.

Damselfly by Don Dickins. “As I am often not able to get away from carer duties at home, I escape to the bush reserve over my back fence to indulge in some photographic therapy. Damselflies are a tiny wrinkle in the light but with a macro lens and a lot of patience we can see them up close. Often small things processed in black and white have greater visual and structural impact without the distraction of colour. Canon 5D Mark III, EF100mm f/2.8 Macro USM lens. 1/80s @ f6.3, ISO 2500.

Club members are often visual storytellers, showing scenes of Australian life to the public and recording important events, in our unique Australian daylight, and often with our distinctive Australian sense of humour.

Joining a camera club means you become part of this greater visual arts movement, one that is under-funded and under-recognised it is true, but one that is important in forming and expressing Australia’s cultural identity, and showing Australians images of what we value as a nation.

What next?

Becoming a good photographer takes practice. A camera club will give you many opportunities to practice photographing, processing, printing and presenting images.

You can enter competitions, create a portfolio, and possibly see your images exhibited. Most importantly, you will be surrounded by people for whom photography is their passion. You will learn far more about photography, and far more quickly, from participating in a club.

What if there are no clubs near you, or your local club is not providing what you want? Don’t despair. Contact the peak photography organisation in your state – they can advise you on how to start your own club. You will be very welcome! ❂

Find your local Australia camera club

Where	Estimated clubs and members	For more information
NSW and the ACT	80 clubs with 2,500 members	NSW Federation of Camera Clubs
Queensland	49 clubs with 1,900 members	Photographic Society of Queensland
South Australia	31 clubs with 750 members	South Australian Photographic Federation
Tasmania	5 clubs with 70 members	Tasmanian Photographic Federation
Victoria	70 clubs with 3,500 members	Victorian Association of Photographic Societies
Western Australia	32 clubs with 845 members	WA Photographic Federation