Musings on Groupings

A few things this week were on my mind when it comes to photographers (and people in general) in how we identify ourselves with various groups.

There are formal groups where one makes a financial commitment to become a member, such as the Professional Photographers of America or the National Press Photographers Association. There are semi-formal groups where one might not need to make a monetary outlay, but there’s still a process to join. Think of a meetup group. And then there are informal groupings we all belong to based on the choices we make or what we share of our work. “Wedding photographers” or “Fuji shooters” or “black and white photographers” might come to mind.

Whether we’ve joined a group by paying them money or we’ve joined a group by participating in the behavior that defines that group, either way, we’re part of the group. Folks will judge us based on the groups we’re in. Folks will judge us based on past experiences with other members of that group. They might have an increased respect based on a good experience, or they might think negatively of us based on a poor past experience.

As Seth Godin says, People like us do things like this.

We’re also in groups involuntarily. It could be a group based on our gender, or our ethnicity, or some other trait where we became a group member at birth. People make (often incorrect) judgements about these groups as well.

I’d encourage us all to bend our groups a bit. Strive to make our groups do better things. This applies whether it’s a group we’ve joined voluntarily, or whether it’s a group we’re in whether we like it or not.

Own your group and make them what you can. Realize that the groups that were right for you at one point may no longer be the right fit anymore. As our lives move on to different seasons, perhaps it’s time for you to move into different groups.