Some Proposals for Site Changes

Our web site is looking a bit dated, so I thought I'd make a few changes. Let me know what you think.

First, I'd like to update the Locations page to have a lot more links to our favorite photography locations in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. So, send me any suggestions for your favorites and I'll get them added in.

Second, the Tips page is looking very dated and anemic. Most of the tips don't really apply any more due to the changes in applications--CS4, Lightroom, Aperture, etc...So, I was thinking of changing it to a Links page, much like other regional forums. I'll add links to local stores--Pro Photo, Glasers, etc...equipment review sites, photography tips, training, etc...let me know what you'd like to see on that page. also let me know if you're completely opposed to giving the tips page a decent burial.

Finally, our last official event was in the fall of 2007. It's time to resurrect the PNWNP event activity. I am currently trying to negotiate a group rate discount for a day at Northwest Trek, and with spring time coming up there will be lots of opportunities to put events together--flower shoots, spring color, coast, etc...we can set up events in any of our states and they can be 1/2 day, a full day, or even a weekend long gathering. So, let me know what you'd like to see and we'll try to put some events together.

Even though I am not a PACNW resident, I like your suggested changes. I've been a fan of the PACNW regional forum for some time and love the northwest (I live in the Midwest but am most active on the RMNP forum). I'd love to see some of the favorite locations of the PACNW and hear what you all think of as classic photo locations so when I visit I have an idea of where to go. Hope you don't mind me lurking~ you give me inspiration in these gloomy Midwest winters!

David,
They sound like great ideas and been a long time in coming. I think the tips page should be given a decent burial... My favorite places to shoot are the Painted hills, Bandon, Salmon river trail, Columbia gorge (east and west) and the Metolius river area.

The changes sound great and are needed. Hoping some of the get togethers we used to have will come together once again..

All good ideas David. Thanks for taking the bull by the horns!

I will be delighted to take part in any of the events. I will be so happy to finally see real faces behind the forum nicknames..

Those sound like great ideas and plans David! Did Erik mention to you my recent idea for an event? I'd love to see a meet-up where we bring prints to show. We are able to critique and share web format images all the time, but a lot of us like to perfect our prints too. If we had a get together where we all brought a few of our images, we could compare what looks good and discuss what's working best for everyone.

Thanks for the comments everyone. Amy, it's nice to see someone from the midwest. Welcome!

I'll get working on the changes this weekend.

John, let's talk some more about the print idea. If we can find a location where we can meet, show the prints, and maybe eat/drink, I think it would be a blast.

I fully support the changes and I have LOTS of great places to shoot around the Seattle area.

I also like John's idea of a "Share the Prints Event". This would be most wonderful!! We would of course need to do one in Oregon/Portland area and one in Washington/Seattle area. I will even go so far as to offer up our humble home to host the Seattle area event. I will of course confirm this with Nancy...! We've done other events at our house so this isn't anything new for us.

Would folks be interested in an evening of sharing workflow/processing ideas? We hook up a puter to the big screen so we can all watch as we tackle various methods in Lightroom and Photoshop. Nancy and I have hosted this kind of event in the past and it was a blast!

Dave , this sounds great I would love some get togethers. Rick a workflow session would be great, love the ideas of johns as well.

I, too, like the idea of a social gathering that has a workflow track. I've taught some Lightroom workshops, plus it would be a nice way of my getting to know everyone. What I find useful is showing a few ways to improve one or more images.

Rick, is your HDTV or projector calibrated?

ME

David, a few years ago we had a "tech" event at Mark Hudon's house and everyone brought a print to exchange, nothing huge, I think we said the limit was 11x17 or something like that. Each photo came with a verbal story about where it was captured. We also talked Photoshop, ate a bunch of pizza and had some beer, sat around and talked. It was an excellent evening. Something to think about having again sometime, I think.

I like all of your ideas. I really enjoyed the events I attended, which led to other outings with forum members. The weather wasn't always great, but the camaraderie always was.

Favorite places not mentioned yet: Steens Mountain/Alvord Desert, Malheur WR, Ridgefield WR, Ecola St Pk, Silver Falls St. Pk., Southern Oregon Coast (Bandon to Brookings)

Michael my plasma screen is not calibrated. Absolute color calibration isn't what's important since we won't be creating anything for final production. What is important is being able to easily view the process at hand.

I am trying to understand how to prepare for it. Is it something that we bring our PSD with some sample work, and then we present how we got the final result layer by layer? I would love if it were like that. I would LOVE to learn other people's workflow and maybe benefit from that. However, a computer with PS and a connection to a projector would have to be provided.

Cezar I can provide the home in Snoqualmie WA and the laptop connected to a 50 inch Vizio plasma screen.

We can easily accommodate 10 people in our great room. We've done many of these in the past and they have always been a big hit. We even buy pizzas and soda and ask for donations to cover said costs for food/beverage. We ask that folks abstain from bringing alcohol.

If you have problem images absolutely bring them! We try not to go into these events with a cast in concrete agenda. Instead we go around the room and get a feel for what folks are struggling with and go with that. By leveraging the combined skills in the room it's rare that not one of us has a solution for a given issue.

I'd certainly be game for a workflow GTG, but not so much interested in NWTrek.

I'm going to spin off some of the comments made by Rick Lamb, and wonder if, while we're talking about group activities, we shouldn't have at least two sub-groups, one for Washington and one for Oregon? They could collaborate on some events that would be centrally-located, of course, but I don't see a lot of Seattle photographers being able to make it for a group shoot at Bandon, just as I wouldn't expect many from Portland (let alone Corvallis or Eugene) being up for an event at Shi-Shi or Hurricane Ridge.

Wow, this is weird. I thought I'd stepped into the past!
First, welcome home David! :) I missed you.

I'm game. I'll show up when I can. NW Trek is a fun day trip. I would not want to combine that with a workflow workshop. What we have done in the past is a short field trip followed by pizza or a potluck and workflow discussions. When we do that, we hike one of the trails near here. We could do a morning hike down to the lower lookout of the Falls, or up the Middle Fork trail.

Cezar -- we did nothing that formal.

David -- I am still amazed to see you as moderator again. WOW.


James, I think we just need to set up the events and keep them open for whomever. It makes it more fun. Some of our really good friendships came from events on this forum where people from both states joined up. Speaking of which, David, how about another Rainier or OLP trip?

Bryan --- Tin Cup Joe falls? This spring?

It all sounds wonderful to me. I'd be excited to meet so many of you, whose presence I know on the Forums, that I have never met in person. I'd favor a GTG for shooting, once in awhile at least, that would be of interest and easily accessible to both WA and OR members. Perhaps a summer weekend? Mt. St. Helens, for instance?

Thanks David for drumming up some interest again.

Thanks for all the great suggestions folks. I think there are a couple of get togethers in the works here, so I'll followup with potential hosts and get more information. Here in Portland, I wonder if we should try to reserve a back room at a pizza joint or something for John's idea of a print exchage/show?

I'm working on the site changes, so you'll see them trickling in...

Nancy - if you're up for it. Until the Forest Service repairs the Middle Fork Road beyond the Taylor River, its a 5 1/2 mile hike each way. I almost went in last week but decided I didn't have quite enough time to allot to the hike with a comfortable level of daylight. Should be good in a couple more weeks though.

David- Reading through the posts I see you're looking at a regional get together. I hope you don't mind if I post something about the Rocky Mtn. Nature Photogs shindig for informational/planning purposes for a PACNW get together. The annual shindig was last night and was held in a print shop (Qube Digital-one of the forum members works there) in Denver. People brought food, beer, pop, or money to buy pizza. There was a vendor who did plaque mounting and brought some samples, tables for folks to show their prints, a slide show of images from forum members, and a print exchange (at least 8x10 size- several people had plaque mounted their images and nearly all were at least mounted on foam board). I'm guessing about 50-60 photogs attended (I was one of only 2 female photogs- it's a bit strange to not have more women involved in this field). The shindig is an annual event during the "down" season and many people end up planning future photo trips with fellow forum members. All in all, it was a great time and very nice to put names with faces. We artist types sometimes like to put strange pictures as our profile image so it can be tough to figure out who you're talking to online. If I can help in any way (from a very long distance, albeit), please let me know.

Amy, those are some great ideas. Thanks! I agree that we need more female participation. I am not sure why there's not more participation--you, Catherine, and Nancy...hope I'm not missing anyone...what's weird is that I know a great many female professional photographers...maybe they just don't have the time to contribute...not sure.

Anyway, I am going to start another thread on the two state get togethers...stay tuned...

David! Only just now did I notice that you're back as moderator! Wow! Welcome back!

Thanks Mark, yeah, I thought I'd try to stir up trouble again...having fun.