Pictures in the Park and other sundry stuff

One of the ways in which I make sure to stay active is to volunteer in local photography groups.  One such group is organized through Meetup.com and we affectionately call ourselves the Denver Photowalk Group.  (Pretty original eh?)

Our fearless leader has taken some pretty impressive initiative to organize several walks over the course of the next 12 months.  He’s asked us to also throw out any ideas as we move into 2011, and a few are percolating for me.  Here’s what I’ve come up with thus far:

Pictures in the Park

I forget where I saw this before but the idea is kind of fun.  Here’s whatcha do:

Step #1:  Get a bucket full of cheap candy.  Spend maybe $5-$10 at the dollar store and get some variety.

Step #2:  Create a poster or something that advertises your outing with a catchy or pithy slogan.  Something like “FREE CANDY!”  or “CLICKS FOR CANDY!”.  You get the idea, and be creative.  You want to attract people.

Step #3:  Assemble your groupies and start snapping each other.  If you want to push things a little, have some strobes around on portable light stands (that catches eyes too!).  When people approach, just say something along the lines of “We’re practicing photography, and would love to take your picture!  We’re giving away free candy for just a few minutes to practice posing and lighting.”  If you want, you can set up a download place on your website (or Flickr if you are working on the cheap) for people to visit afterward and get copies for themselves.

Step #4: Have fun!  Learn from one another and share techniques.  Collaboration and free exchange of ideas are key.  In sharing what you know, you may also learn from others.  The end result:

  • People have fun pics for free
  • You get to practice posing and lighting
  • The event may encourage others to join the group and have some fun

Other Sundry Stuff

Frequency

As you may have sensed by now, I have decided to take a step back from blogging every single day this year.  The looming deadlines of writing intensely every day for a number of years has taken its toll, and I must admit, the quality is not what I am used to producing.  Instead, I will be blogging and writing less often.

Journals

That being said, I do enjoy writing.  I really do.  And evidence indicates that people enjoy reading what I write when I take my time and produce good quality material.  So, I will be putting out one journal article each and every month.  The blog version will be an abbreviated version (think Reader’s Digest), and a longer version will be available on a subscription basis.  While I’ve not decided exactly how that portion will work, it’s something I’d like to give the dedicated readers, listeners, and supporters on a premium level.  So, look for some announcement on that soon

Podcasts

The toughest part of starting something is knowing when to say when and stop.  The podcast is a tough call, because while I love putting them together, it takes a huge chunk of time to schedule guests, record a discussion, post production, upload and host.  They will likely not disappear entirely because I think everyone enjoys them when they do happen.  But at the same time, I don’t want the quality to suffer there either.  So, when time permits, yes, these will continue.  It always helps here to have reader input – if there’s someone you’d like me to chat with, or a topic you’d like me to address, let me know in the comments or via email!  I am always open to suggestions and ideas.

Webinars

This is perhaps the most exciting thing that is forthcoming…a major sponsor and supporter of the blog is Nations Photo Lab and they have given myself and Kerry Garrison of CameraDojo.com an opportunity to publish live webinars once a month for free to share with the community.  These webinars will cover a wide range of topics, we’ll likely have guests, and basically be another venue to give back to the community that has been so generous to us.  There are several spots left, and we are assembling a waiting list as we can accommodate 100 people in the event.  To register, stop over at http://livelearninglab.eventbrite.com to register for the first Live Learning Lab sponsored by Nations Photo Lab and hosted by myself and Kerry Garrison.  It’s gonna be fun, you’ll get a great inside scoop on some of the nitty gritty on Lightroom 3, and best of all – it’s free!

Well fellow photogs, bloggers, and readers, that’s about it for today.  Let me know your thoughts on the new “agenda” for 2011.  What kinds of groups do you participate in?  Got any event ideas?  What about the podcast and journal topic ideas?  Share those as well, as moving forward, a lot of the content will hopefully be encouraged or at least initiated by you! Happy shooting and have a great weekend!  With that parting thought, here’s my parting “shot” of the week – a nice assembly of lines and shapes while waiting in Denver Airport:

Airport Shapes

Airport Shapes

 

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