Minutes of May 9th meeting

[Margaret C. Benmore]

SSI Photo Club

May, 2012  - Minutes

 

1.  Opening remarks:  

         Curt opened the meeting with a reminder to see Pat Page with your cheque in had for Eclectic Vision’s to ensure your participation…. Come on everyone – it is time to strut your stuff. 

Our student guest this year is Ben Beaver for GISS – recommended by his Art teacher because of his keen interest in photography.  Many of you will have seen his work already on the website.  He certainly seems keen and definitely has good eye for design. Well done Ben…

Other new members include; Gord Singbeil form Fulford, Bill Mahon, Susan Betchelor ---- welcome all it is nice to see you all and look forward to playing together on the website, at the meetings, Monday Coffee Klatch and of course at the special playdates we arrange every now and then…. We are all learning about this wonderful medium from each other and pushing it in many different directions…. It is always nice to have a new set of eyes and new ideas… welcome.  

Trudy Sloan is moving up to Comox/Courtenay area and will be missed by us all – though I think she will still be very much part of our Website activity…. Good luck on your new adventures Trudy --- you go girl….

Simon Henson is taking a bit of a sabbatical from the club to concentrate on his wonderful nature photography…. Can’t wait to see some of this work Simon and we miss you and await your return….

We now have 83 members registered with the club….  The little Club that grew and spread like moss (broom) all over the island coffee shops…  watch for your fellows works on the walls…  It is wonderful to see so many of the members interacting on the website….  It is always fun to look at pictures and exchange views and ideas….  Everyone is soooooo nice and gentle with his or her feedback.  

 

2.  Announcements/Opportunities: 

         Embe’s Bakery Café:  the manger’s of Embe’s are looking for some frame images for their Sub Shop next door to the bakery… another eating venue… seems to be a pattern building hear… See Dave Bartels blog on the website – go for it all – it is another opportunity.

 

          Fernwood Cafe:  

         Jennifer is always looking for people to fill her Photo wall with beautiful images for month long shows.  Each show will be of about10 images, will have a month of display time with an opening coffee klatch opening… great opportunity in a lovely location…

Contact Jennifer Shaw [e-mail]  or drop by the Fernwood Café – great coffee and cakes – try the almond square thingy --- well worth the trip… …

         Velo Village: (Bikes)

         Curt reports for Anna McColmn (away on well earned holiday) reports everything going well -  keep an eye on the website for updates – there is a message from Curt there now… Come on out everyone …  frame them up --- we want to paper the island with great, good and interesting Bike Images….

Venues will include:   Hanging Day is June 19^th – the day after Eclectic Visions comes down…. Anna is looking for volunteers to hang, distribute and help out… let her know if you are going to be available to give a hand…

             a)  TJ's Coffee House will be a hanging a bike themed selection of photos submitted by members of the club. Probably 5 or 6 photos - so get to Anna quickly if you want to show there.  

             b)   ArtSpring will be the centre of the Velo activity and we have been invited to show on the walls of the main galleries... the floor space will be used for other purposes, but the walls will be blank and available...  (June 19-26) great opportunities for us all... contact  Anna or Curt for information. 

              c)  Fernwood Café -Jennifer (as above) is looking for Bikey type images for the wall for the period of mid June to mid July

             d)  Embe’s Bakery Café --- more images required, here too…

 

           Roasters Café:  (Country Grocers)

         The next show is July         Anyone interested in showing there should contact Cliff Kelly – it takes about 6 images and can be a solo or combined show….   It’s fun to see your work brightening the day of the local denizens hanging out in the coffee show and they do notice and comment on them..    Curt, Avril and Doug are showing there for the month of May… three very different perspectives of the world – have a looks see…. Well done guys…

 

         Eclectic Vision (the Club's annual show at ArtSpring):

         June 1-18 - this covers 3 weekends. Details are on the website and available from Curt Firestone – our esteemed El Presidento at [e-mail]     He is doing a wonderful job managing us all through the process once again.  Thanks Curt for all of your hard work.  Come on out everyone and join the fun… put in some of your work, volunteer at the desk during the show --- that is always fun people watching..  Don’t forget come out the reception on June 1 --- there will be food with some pretty wonderful photography… lots of variation I am sure….

         There is a sign up list for the sitting schedule for the show --- or let Curt know when you are available… it really is fun… [e-mail]

         The show hanging will be June 1 from 9 -2 by Bob and Wendy – I am sure that they could use some help if you drop by…

The reception is once again been overseen by Trudy Sloan and she can always use a helping had if slinging food and setting a pretty table is your thing…

         Wendy Rosier [e-mail]  is overseeing the PR department and has arranged for posters handouts and Sandwich boards… she does need some help with driving around the Sandwich boards and picking them up again after the show is over… contact Wendy if you can help her out…. It is a beautiful time to drive around the island spreading word of the show….   Wendy also has handouts and posters available for you to spread around…. It is a like a reverse Easter egg hunt…. You can only put them where there isn’t already one…   see how many you can score… your car windows give you a free point…   They are also available on line in email form from Wendy…

Rachel will again be doing the labels for the show…. Please give her the information that you would like on the label; title, name, limited technical information --- she will be posting guidelines for labels on the website..... Please don’t forget to put the same information on the back of your framed image so that the labels can be matched to the images easily during the hanging..

CRITICAL --- all entry forms need to be in accompanied by a cheque by May 25,

Sales at Eclectic Visions…all items for sale at the show must be identified on the entry form submitted with your work….  There will be racks available from Avril for the Cards and the Painters Guild is again making available their bins for displaying Shrink-wrapped prints for sale….   And we understand that Rachel has a new line of tee shirts available this year… that I want to see…

Biographies:  Please send Curt -  [e-mail] -  a 1 page (letter size) biography for the desk binder at the show, by May 25th…   It should include something about you, your approach to photography/image making, technical information if you like, philosophy and if you like a picture of you… people like to learn a little something about the people who produce the images they like… who they are, what motivates them.   

 

          Lady Minto, and Harbour House Slideshows:

         Wendy Rosier  reports  our next  project, collecting Summer and Fall or whatever shots for a new slideshow/video to add to the Harbour House and Lady Minto monitors, we need horizontal (landscape) images with a Spring theme.  They should be 1920 px x 1080 px at least and saved in high quality (100%) Jpeg file format.  When you have something to send in, email Wendy at  [e-mail]

 

         Harbour House Wall Space Opportunity: 

         There is still an opportunity if anyone one is interested in exhibiting their work on the walls of Harbour House (Lobby and Restaurant, I think) they should contact Nathan at Harbour House for details and information

 

         Roasting Company:  Doug has mounted the monthly shows at Roasting Company again and they are showing on the big screen at the whim of the staff.  Doug is building a library of our photographs for them to choose from… so if you do not want your images shown please contact Doug and he will edit them out… do NOT ask the staff at the Roasting Company to do it --- We lost the whole collection that Doug had been building previously because of that action…. Please just let Doug know and he will take care of it… thanks… There was discussion about editing the show and the general consensus was that it should be totally democratic as it has in the past… everyone’s work should be included and Doug may reorder if it flows better….

 

3.  Educational Events: 

         Cliff Kelly is trying to get an idea of the numbers of people who would be interested in doing a Playdate at the Duncan Raptor’s Centre…  Number of people, availability, weekends/weekdays?  If you are interested let Cliff know when you are available… There is a blog on the Website….

 

At the meeting this month Curt facilitated a discussion around a Shutterbug magazine article…. Lots of questions answered by various member and lots of ideas exchanges… ideas like a sock/rock stabilizer, using a time release.  Curt has posted the link on the Website….  But you missed the made on SSI ideas and they are special… come on out and join the discussion….  Thanks Curt… it was really informative, every little hint helps…

        

Does anyone have any suggestions for future Educational events – so far we have had wonderful presentations and they are all very instructive and inspiring...  If you have any ideas contact any of the Exec. We will point it in the right direction….  [e-mail]  [e-mail] , [e-mail] , [e-mail]

        June’s Educational Presentation: as yet there is nothing planned – any ideas or contacts welcome --- 

 

4.  Next Meeting: Wed. June 13, 2012 - 7:00 pm - Portock Portable...      The theme of the June meeting will be “Anything You Want”.  Anything that you are playing with and want to share or ask the group’s opinion (always freely given, want it or not)… or a favourite from the past… your choice….   To quote Bill Gardam    " I am sure we have people in the club who may be taking photos in rather specialized fields , say portraits, or night photography, who never show their work and talk about their processes simply because it is never ON THEME."  This is an opportunity for members to strike out into their own world without a worry about theme compliance.  Forward your 2 images to Doug as soon as possible as this is going to take some creativity on his part to choreograph.

 

5.  Evening’s Member’s Show --- the theme was “Spring !!!!!”  Doug’s nightmare pictures of flowers and more flowers… I think he was delighted with what people did with Spring !!!! – yes there were flowers, lots of flowers…  but they were beautiful, colourful, inspirational, and came in all sizes, shapes and settings… they were wonderful..  Other things trees, Baily Beautiful Bridge, bike springs, trains, seeds, humming birds, garden tools, rowers, kids, peacocks, and orchard fairies… … definitely capturing the essence of Spring well.   Well done everyone it was a lovely show and you can see it again at the Roasting Company… with a cup of coffee or bowl of soup --- Rumour has it the best in town.

          

If I have missed anything please feel free to add it on --- or make editorial comments...  and corrections… this is a participatory sort of minute’s thing  … thanks.   

Cheers… MCB 

[Curt Firestone]

One small correction...the EV participation fee of $60 is now overdue.  The entry form and bio must be in my hands by 3/25.

[Avril Kirby]

Well done again, Marg--nothing like a bit of rah rah to get us all enthusiastic and you do that so well.