I went to two different camera clubs here in the city. Both times, everyone started out super friendly and happy to see someone who wasn't over the age of 60 attending. Then they asked what I shoot, because apparently they both like to have these silly little Nikon vs. Canon debates (as if Sony, Pentax, Hasselblad, Leica, Fuji, etc. didn't exist). When I told them I shoot large format, it seemed to make people angry. Like they couldn't understand why'd I'd shoot film when digital was obviously superior in every way. They tried their hardest to convince me that I was wasting my time with film. I found that so odd that these guys, who clearly spent the majority of their lives in a film only world, would be so hostile towards the medium. Anyway, rather than argue, I just didn't go back. I was hoping to learn some stuff from them, but they were mostly just bad amateurs and retired Sears family portrait photographers who had more money than sense (as evident by all of the trips to Africa and Asia to photograph wildlife that they took).
Sometimes when I take my large format cameras out, I'll get random people who come up to me and ask me if I'm a professional photographer. I tell them no, and they generally seem disappointed. Then they ask me about my camera and why I still shoot film. They're usually a lot nicer and more interested in learning how the process works than most of the digi photographers I meet. They really love to look through the ground glass and see the upside down images after I've shot! I generally don't mind talking to them, unless I'm in a hurry. Then again, I really like learning from others and teaching people what I know.
