I dont belong to a club, nor do I wish to. I recently went on a course with some people who were very involved in a photography club. The views of competition judges seemed to dominate their interpretations of the landscape we were in, and stifle any individuality in their subject choice. I have a group of good friends that I have met through photography courses, who meet up periodically for the day or for a trip away with the cameras. We share images amongst ourselves, and know each other well enough to give critical feedback if needed. And then there's this forum - I agree there tends to be a lot of 'great shot' comments, which are very nice for the ego but dont really help you improve. I want to know why it may or may not be a 'great shot', and try to give reasons when I comment. But I think that, with time, you develop a network of friends on here too that you can be a lot more direct with, and who understand your criticism isnt a personal attack.
All in all I prefer to build my own network rather than use a formal club setting, but each to their own.
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