Ideas for a photo club needed

Hi There Everybody-

It's been a while since I've been on here and it's great to be back. I have a question for you all.

I participated this year in the Scott Kelby world wide photo walk and we all had such a great time over the two day event that we decided to start a photo club in our area. So since this is from the ground up, I thought it would be good to reach out to my fellow Nikonites and ask you all who have been involved in a photo club what ideas you could give me as we start our own.

Any and all ideas are welcome.

Thanks you all in advance for your time.

Sincerely- Douglas

Being a former resident myself, I can tell you there are already a few well-established photo clubs in the Columbus area already. The one in Westerville is particularly nice. My first suggestion would be to check those out first because it's easier to join a club than start a new one. Also, be sure to visit MPEX as I know they have info on several clubs. If nothing else, checking out a few clubs will help all of you get some ideas on how to start a new one if your manifesto is different.

That said...if you do end up starting you own, the best course of action is to get down in writing what your goals are. Are you just going to meet up once a month at a coffee shop and head out to take some pics photo walk style? Have monthly themes? Collect dues to possibly fund trips, hire pro level speakers or models? Does someone have a studio you can work out of? Will you build a website to recruit new members and grow?

I second what Anthony said about joining vs starting a club. I was a member of Tehama County Photo Club for a while and the people were great. We some full timers and even a photography and PS teacher for a local college which was cool. They changed from a website to Meetup for posting the ins and outs of the meetings and events. 1-2 times a month they would get together for walks or events such as craft fairs, nature hikes, or other event going on. They also helped with 3 county fairs and the art exhibit so that was always cool.

Anyways good luck. A group of like minded people can be fun for learning and sharing photos and ideas, online or off...

Hi There- Thanks for the advise. After talking to the guy who is heading it up, I think well start with the 6 to 7 people who are interested in this and when we get together, well see where it goes and just have fun with it along the way. I don't want to put the cart before the horse, so we'll go slow and see how it grows. Thanks for your time and advise.

Sincerely- Doug