I wouldn’t belong to a club that would have me as a member…

One of my photographic heroes, Jean-Loup Sieff, had a rant, which I’m recalling here badly, about camera club people being bearded pipe-smokers with patches on the elbows of their jackets being more into gear than the art of photography.

Tonight I had such a camera club experience.

A certain meetup group put out a call for folks versed in studio lighting to help teach their courses (for free as far as I can tell). Courses they claimed they could fill, for money, every night of the week. So a dozen of us turn up, do the round of introductions. Introductions where I admit I went to a few of their meetups when I first came to London, but that I settled on London Calling Photographers and more recently Sachin’s SMUG meetups as being my style. However, of the group, I reckon I was in the top third in terms of photographic and teaching experience.

Once the intros were done, I was taken to one side and told because I wasn’t a regular club member, they didn’t want me as a teacher.

Face. Nose. Spite. Cut. Also: wow.

Anyhow, I’m definitely going to run my course again. Just need to refresh the burble and the handouts. Soon!

Also the Tabernacle (pictured) in the armpit of Notting Hill/Westbourne Park is an interesting venue.