See, they listen

I'm a member of the local photo club. Or camera club, or whatever.
It might sound like a confession of some sort, and partly it is, but I also got a reason or two for doing it. First of all that's all I "do" when I'm at home. OK, a truth with quite a few modifications, but at least that's all I'm doing that most people would be able to refer to as a slight proof of me trying to have some sort of social relationship with somebody else but the closest family. That's also a truth with quite a lot of modifications, but still I'm probably not too visible to most people when I'm at home and away from the sea. Nobody I really know are making a big fuzz of it either, as they know my job requires not only a few sacrifices through a normal year. Many, as it happens.
Anyway, to get my back ends out of the house sometimes I thought I might just as well join the photo club rather than the gardening club or something like that. Just so I would have a slight idea about what to answer should anyone think it would be wise to throw a question into my direction or something. 
But enough of that, and over to more of the same.

It's a great collection of snappers among the members in there, even though the majority are only busy collecting pixles when pointing their cameras all around the place. The only person I've been talking to yet, who is also having a bit more than just the usual historical interest in working with film, would be the polish girl. A young individual of the sorts she is, mind, but that just makes it better me thinks. I like young people trying film, and I can't deny that little fact. 
There's a meeting in this club every first Monday each month, but I miss most of them, of course. Normally I will maybe attend 3 or 4 meetings each year, which of course is not very good if you're still thinking this is the only time I'm close to having a social relationship with people. I assure you again, it's not the entire truth about that matter. 
It's a great club, obviously, because members are winning nice prizes and such. Getting their names mentioned in big books and all sorts, which is great I think. I have not had my name, or any of my snaps for that matter, printed in the book yet. 
First step is to enter something, obviously. I never really even get to that point, normally. One day I might find something I feel like throwing in, should I at any point find myself to have made a decent enough print, and then it will be the issue with work of course. There are time limits, you know, and good old Murphy's law will most likely also have a finger deep into that matter. I'm over 50 now, so I can assure you I'm old enough to be able to say something about things like that. 

So what do I do to look important when I finally attend one of the monthly gatherings every now and then? Well, I try to listen to a few of the things being said or told for a start, and then I usually put in my vote for the best picture of the evening. I never seem to vote for the right one though. A different snap will always win for some odd reason. 
And I usually bring a camera. This time when the snap below was snapped, probably a year and a half ago or so, I think I brought a Nikon F3 or something like that. At least it was a good one no doubt, and I snapped up this trio. A trio of artists, to tell you the full truth about it. It's the polish girl, the lawyer and another guy which I'm not at all quite sure about the origins of. But he's a great photographer anyway. And I mean great. The same thing goes for the lawyer as well, selling big artsy snaps combined with paintings stuff sort of things. 
And then there's the polish girls snaps, which are just in a league of their own in my opinion. I don't know if she's won any prizes either, but she should have I can assure you. I know for a fact she won a very nice stipend over in Poland some years ago. Oh yes, she's educated in this field we are talking about and everything. 
Anyway, I sort of dozed off and looked away from what was going on up there at the podium, and used about 1/60 sec. of my life to make this one. 
It's not going to win any prizes either of course, but at least I got it saved. Right there inside my archives, on some film or the other.

See? They Listen!