Camera Club BUDDY applications

Thank you for volunteering. Helping new members find their feet in the group makes all the difference between someone enjoying the club and jumping in, or feeling nervous and giving up.

Please fill in the form below to apply. Once the new members have joined later in December and requested a buddy I will match you up. I try to match gear and location but it’s not always possible. This is what’s involved:

Week 1

Make contact with the new member via email and agree a mutually convenient way to chat, eg. email, FB messenger, whatsapp. Say that no question is too small, and they should feel free to ask you anything about the club. (If you get a question you don’t know the answer to just loop me in to the conversation.)

Offer to collaborate on the new joiner’s first project. This can involve:

  • checking in each week to see how you are both getting on

  • making sure the new member isn’t overwhelmed

  • bouncing ideas off each other

  • sharing progress before posting in the group, suggesting which images to share

  • providing reassurance that photos are good enough to share in the FB group

Week 2

Both buddies ask a few questions of the other person so they can introduce them in the FB group. eg. what do you like to photograph, how long have you had a camera, where do you live etc. Once you have a few details, each please introduce the other in the FB group. Include a favourite photo that the other person has taken if you want to but that’s optional.

Week 3

Check in to see that your buddy:

  • has found how to log in to the Thinkific camera club site

  • knows to start with the current project - they don’t need to work through the whole archive

  • knows that if they don’t fancy the current project at any time they can dip into the archive

  • knows what the header competition is

  • has found the Units section for the FAQs

  • has found the critique thread and knows how it works each month

  • has found the Announcements with the threads for the current project

  • understands that the group is more relaxed than the AYWMC groups, and people are welcome to post outside the threads and can post anything off topic they like related to photography

Week 4

Find your buddy’s posts in the FB group and leave comments. If they haven’t posted remind them that it’s a non-judgmental group and encourage them to post a photo or a question. They may feel nervous coming straight from AYWMC especially as many CC members are now a couple of years into the club. Please reassure them that all photos are enjoyed by everyone, and we hope they will continue to make progress on their own journey rather than comparing to others.

Ongoing

Every buddy pairing will be different, but please continue to ask questions and offer help both ways. New members may be interested to know that one of the most common reasons given by old members for wanting to be a buddy was that it would encourage them to be more involved with the camera club. So you are both holding each other accountable: it’s not a top-down “old member to new member” relationship, it will hopefully mature into a two-way peer-to-peer relationship.

Don’t forget to click the “Submit” button.