Manchester Photographic Collective or MPC for short is a collective that holds photo walks bimonthly around the city centre where members can socialise whilst making photos.
After joining the collective in January my confidence as a photographer has grown significantly. My initial aim was to have a photographic outlet where I didn't have the pressure to produce imagery for a specific project whilst having the chance to network. Having the freedom to make images without worrying about if they are perfect or not has allowed me to become far more flexible in my approach of wanting to make work without overthinking anything too much.
The collective has also been a great opportunity to meet individuals from a varied range of creative and non creative backgrounds.
On my first walk I was invited to introduce myself where I was from and so on. I was glad to hear that I wasn't the only student and new comer to join and was pleasantly surprised with the amount of people from industry that had decided to join the collective.
During one conversation I got talking to the photographic lead of the o2 Academy in Manchester. I asked how he got into his position and he replied by saying that consistency was key. Although he didn't have any formal training or a photographic background as a hobbiest and gig goer, he was able to build up his portfolio as well as network his way into his senior position.
I left feeling as though it really is not what you know but who you know.