While our club meetings and photo shoots take place in person, our Photo Share meeting takes place once a month on Zoom. 

Why Zoom?  First, it’s very convenient:  no travel needed, which can be important for some members who prefer not to drive at night, or for others who live some distance from Kings Park.  It’s also convenient for viewing the photos being discussed.  No worries about trying to see over some tall guy.  And no worries about arranging a meeting location.

How does Photo Share work?  Attendees send two photos (with variations) to Eric by noon of the day of the Zoom meeting (usually the second Monday of the month.)  Eric gathers all the photos he receives and sends them all back to the attendees via WeTransfer.  This gives attendees time in advance to look over the photos to be discussed.

What kind of photos should I submit?  It’s actually better not to submit your best photos.  With perfect photos, after expressing our admiration, there’s not much more to say.  Members are encouraged to submit photos they themselves might have questions about.  And this is where “with variations” comes in.  You might have a photo taken from two different angles.  Or a photo in B&W and color.  Or a photo in which you have questions about the cropping or the exposure.

Do you have to submit photos to attend the Photo Share Zoom meeting?  Definitely not.  But it’s probably more interesting when you have “a stake in the action.”

After the Photo Share meeting, Eric usually writes a summary about some of the photos that were discussed, and that summary is added to the list of Photo Share summaries on the club’s members only website.

The Zoom link is posted on the Event Calendar, with the WeTransfer email, and on the club Facebook Events page.  Some members attend from unusual locations.  We have one member, a doctor at Stony Brook ER, who has logged in when on his  break.

The general vibe of Photo Share is very relaxed.  We are very supportive of each other, and we usually find something positive about every photo.  Sometimes that can be a bit of a challenge, but we have a good time together, and a certain trust has built up.  

Here are some samples of photos we’ve discussed in past Photo Share meetings:

The first photo was the original.  We debated how to draw more attention to the woman, and we finally did it with a mask in Lightroom.

In this set of photos we debated whether the background was essential for context or a distraction.  We chose the former.

In this pair we debated between the B&W and the color.