Zoom and Camera Club Presentations

 Zoom and Camera Club Presentations

Most of my `blogs` have been where I am showing recent pictures, or as more recently, advertising my latest YouTube video. This entry is slightly different in that it is more about my thoughts on camera clubs, and how things have changed with the advent of `zoom`. 

During the last two years the use of zoom has become common place and it has certainly changed the landscape of camera club presentations. When we first went into lockdown, zoom became a lifeline for camera clubs, and enabled many clubs/societies to keep going. Although zoom cannot provide the `face to face` enjoyment of meeting friends socially at a club, it did enable most clubs to survive in very difficult times. 

From my point of view, as both a speaker and camera club member, I have found it has both good and bad aspects. Initially, I absolutely hated zoom. The first two talks that I gave were (from my point of view) disastrous. I was new to the technology, and didn`t understand it.  Because I did not have a good microphone, I used the computers microphone, so people watching my first two talks said the audio was poor.  It also felt very strange not getting the normal interaction that you have when personally visiting a club. 

Because I had committed to give zoom talks to four clubs, I told myself I would do those four, and that would be it.  I was finished with giving presentations via zoom. However the third and fourth talks   went much better. Having bought a decent microphone by this time, the complaints about the audio ceased.  By the fourth talk,  I was also starting to get used to speaking to a computer screen and dealing with less interaction. Consequently I decided to carry on with zoom. 

There are certainly disadvantages to zoom, but there are also many advantages.  

 So what are the disadvantages of Zoom ? 

1.   It stops club members meeting up and socialising, which is one of the reasons a lot of people join camera clubs in the first place. They like to meet up, chat about equipment, locations, software, and give their opinions on whether the judge/speaker was any good. (Usually after he or she has gone !)

2. Zoom does not work for a print talk. Whilst zoom is quite O.K. for digital presentations, it is definitely not a medium that is suited to print presentations. 

3. The speaker misses the `interaction` that you get from personally being there in front of a club. For example :  When visiting a club I would always try to say something light hearted towards the start of the talk, mainly to see what sort of reaction I would get.  If they laughed at the first joke, it would be an enjoyable evening because it meant I would get some interaction from the club members. Unfortunately with zoom you do not get this, and initially I found it quite disconcerting.

3. Some clubs are very `anti` zoom. I have a club quite near me who used zoom at the start of the pandemic, but now will not entertain the idea . Some of their comments are that zoom is too `sterile` and not enjoyable. Whilst I accept some of their arguments,  I feel they are missing out on a lot of good presentations by taking such a dogmatic attitude. 

So what are the advantages of zoom ? 

1. The speaker/judge does not have to travel to the clubs location . With a digital zoom presentation, the speaker /judge can give the talk or judge remotely.   From my point of view , this is a big advantage. Although I had previously travelled long distances to speak to clubs, as I get older, I am no longer willing to do this, and will now only personally visits clubs that are within an hours drive of my home.  With the amount of traffic on the roads these days, travelling long distances both to and from clubs is no fun.  More often than not, you must leave in rush hour traffic to ensure you get to the club on time.  On the return journey, it is not unusual to encounter road closures and diversions. On one occassion, I was returning from giving a talk in Kent and encountered three road closures/diversions on the way home. This added over an hour extra on to my journey. I eventually got in at 1.10am ! 

2. Zoom allows clubs to have speakers/judges from much further afield. Previously , clubs had to really take into consideration the economical cost when booking speakers/judges . If the speaker was travelling a long distance, this pushed up the travel expenses, so most clubs tended to book speakers /judges from their own region. Because they are having to select from a smaller area, this tends to restrict the choice of the speaker/judge that is available. 

With zoom, distance is no longer an issue. I have given and watched zoom presentations all over the UK.  This year I have given 4 talks to Ireland, 3 to Scotland, 4 to Wales, 3 to the west country and 8 to the North. I also gave a talk were the club was `twinned` with a club in the USA, so I had people watching my talk in both this country and California.  I would never have spoken to these clubs if it had meant travelling to them. 

3. Adverse weather conditions are no longer an issue. With the camera club season being mainly in the winter, there have been times when I have travelled to clubs in various weather conditions ie: icy and flooded roads and in foggy conditions.  Now that I can `speak to a club` from the safety of my home, adverse travel conditions are no longer an issue. 

4. Some clubs allow visitors from other clubs to watch speakers. (often for a small fee to club finances) . I have seen four talks from respected speakers that I would not have been able to see if they had not been via zoom. Once again due to travelling distance. 

Hybrid Meetings  

Some clubs (mine included ) started having hybrid meetings at the start of this season. This is where club members can meet at a club, - the speaker giving the talk remotely via zoom. The zoom presentation is then projected onto a screen via the clubs laptop and digital projector . Club members who do not want to physically go to the club can still watch the presentation at home. 

This appears to be the best of both worlds. It allows club members who want to meet up at the club the chance to see a good presentation, whereas the members who do not feel happy returning to club meeting can still watch at home.  

The success of my clubs hybrid meeting was mainly down to the work that our technical members did beforehand. They had three `trail runs` to sort out all the technical aspects, but come the opening night of the season they had cracked it, and the presentation went well. 

Unfortunately the success of hybrid meetings is largely down to the Internet signal at the club house, along with the availability of the required equipment and the neccessary technical knowledge to make it all work!  For some clubs this has been fine, but others have been unable to get this to work successfully, particularly if the clubs venue`s WiFi signal is weak. 

The first hybrid meeting at our club worked very well. We had a good turnout, and the speakers voice came through clearly. Her pictures also looked very impressive when projected onto the screen. After the initial promising start, we have since found that as winter has kicked in , more people are tending to watch zoom presentations in the warmth of their homes than having to brave the elements and go to the club ! 

So what are things to look out for when a speaker is presenting to a club via zoom. 

Once I start a zoom talk, I prefer it if the host mutes the rest of the club. That way you do not get distractions like feedback, dogs barking, telephones ringing, doorbells going or people chatting during the talk.  If anyone has a question they can always ask at the half time coffee/tea break as well at the end.  They also have the option of putting a question in the `chat box`. 

I like to log on to the meeting for 10-15minutes before I start talking . It gives me time to settle in and check everything is working correctly. My talks are usually in two 50minute sections with a 10-15min break in the middle. It gives people time to have coffee/tea, and I can answer any questions at both the break and at the end of the talk. 

I personally do not allow my presentations to be recorded. Initially I did, but having heard of occasions of clubs sending recordings on to other clubs, I decided to stop my talks being recorded. 

So will zoom last ?  

Eventually, (and god knows when) things will hopefully return to normal. Will most clubs revert to normal and only have meetings where we physically meet up ?  Will some clubs stay as `on line` clubs and just have zoom meetings ?  I know of some clubs that have doubled their membership since zoom , while other have loss half their membership. 

Whether you like zoom or not, I personally think it is here to stay. I think the `genie is out the bottle now` and as much as some people may dislike it, I do not see it ever going back in. 

Will  judges/speakers be willing to travel long distance to clubs any more? It will be interesting to see how camera club meetings develop.