The Delta Digital Camera Club

On Saturday, July 21st I had the opportunity to attend my first camera club meeting. 
It was very fun and informative. The Delta Digital Camera Club was formed for photographers who live in our area which is the area in Northern California collectively known as "The Delta".  It's the easternmost part of Contra Costa County.  The problem with living in an out-of-the-way area is that all the meet ups and camera clubs are a 30 to 40 minute drive for us people that live in towns like Brentwood, Oakley and Discovery Bay. Now that I have one so close, it will be easier to belong to a club.


Mr. Wayne Francis of Brentwood formed the club using a website called "Meetup" (www.meetup.com).  Meetup is a site that caters to basically any group of people who have the desire to enjoy an activity with a group of like minded individuals. If you have a hobby or interest, check meetup for others who enjoy the same activities. If there's no meetup already in place, then start one!  

Many different types of people with a variety of skill level 

To open the meeting, we went around the table and introduced ourselves. Those of us attending the meeting were from many different walks of life. There was a retired marketing executive, a school web administrator, two  professional photographers, a financial professional and so on. The skill level went from beginner to experienced pro. In fact, one of the attendees only uses her iPhone as her main camera. We come from all walks of life. But we all have one thing in common, the love of photography. 

Many different ideas on where to take pictures

We also went around the table and gave our ideas about where to go and take pictures. Of course most of the suggestions I'm sure you can guess: Yosemite, Yellowstone, Grand Canyon...etc. 
What is really eye-opening are the places locals suggest to go and take picture and I've never heard of these places! 

• The Vasco Caves? (http://www.ebparks.org/parks/vasco) 
• The Western Railway Museum in Suisun? (http://www.wrm.org/) 
• The precision flight team that practices almost every weekend at the Byron airport? (http://www.patriotsjetteam.com/) 

Where have I been? Not in a camera club that can give such great ideas, that's for sure. 


So, maybe you don't need help with your photography. Maybe you have plenty of friends. Maybe you're thinking you don't need to join a camera club. I'm thinking it's a good idea to join one, because now I have eighteen new friends to meet with, share ideas and take pictures.






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