Two modest proposals

[Struan Gray]

1. Could we have a section to collect all the image posting threads? I lose track.

2. How about a year-end tip jar for the moderators?

[darr]

Thumbs up on both suggestions!

[Preston]

I'll second both suggestions!

-Preston

[Henry Ambrose]

Excellent!

[Mark Sawyer]

2. How about a year-end tip jar for the moderators?

Don't tip them too much, they might fall over...

[Dave Jeffery]

#2 sounds good

[Kirk Gittings]

Thanks for the suggestions. We are discussing them now.

[Steven Tribe]

Apart from these 2 proposals, I would like to suggest a PROJECTS/MATERIALS section.
This would include restoration of cameras, woodwork, leather, metal work and lens work (including the always actual, canada rebalsaming!). These projects seem to attract a lot of interest ( as , for eample, the Century project at present) but often last for months or years. It would be easier of newcomers to find information on where to buy and how to do it as regards repair, refinishing and replacement. I would have thought that this section could be a more concentrated area for materials and specialist knowledge and links. One of the advantages would be the availability of non-commercial (not to compete with the buy and sell section!) materials. I have a current example for my own restoration: I needed a small amount of genuine cuban mahogany (2x20x3mm) to repair a slight damage on a 10x8 cycle poco. This wood is unavailable (species protected since 1946 and almost extinct anyway). Eventually, I bought an Butler's tray/legs from around 1900 made of this material. As you can see, I will have quite a lot of a material in surplus. I would prefer to make this available free of charge to restorers through this "projects" section, cut to the size wanted, rather than use the buy/sell section!

[eddie]

great ideas!

[ljsegil]

I'll add my support for both of the original proposals and the later Projects proposal as well. Perhaps a section of a gallery forum could be set aside for the early work of new adherents to LF and allow more extensive suggestions/critiques from the more expert members to enable the learning newbie (still consider myself one about two years in, probably will be so for twenty more, if the stars so align to allow me the time) to better progress in their work, perhaps without having to make every mistake in the book for themselves. I wouldn't have minded skipping a few, and don't look forward, other than as a necessary learning experience, to those mistakes I have yet to stumble upon but inevitably will commit (at my rate of progression, I have probably even screwed up a few things as yet undiscovered and undescribed by the photographic community, but unfortunately also unnoticed by my still relatively inexperienced eyes as well). As the credo at Faber University read: "Knowledge is Good". Indeed, it probably is (in most cases anyway).
Larry

[GPS]

...
As the credo at Faber University read: "Knowledge is Good". Indeed, it probably is (in most cases anyway).
Larry

I dare to disagree with the credo. Knowledge in itself is neither good or bad - it is its use that is good or bad.
Yes for the proposal of Projects/materials.

[Colin Graham]

As the credo at Faber University read: "Knowledge is Good". Indeed, it probably is (in most cases anyway).
Larry

Hmm, how did that FU fight song go again? :D

[Jim C.]

I second what Steven Tribe posted earlier about a Projects / Materials section, there's a lot of excellent information here on restoring old view cameras, and it's hard to find the pertinent info needed for a project since they're buried within posts sometimes with a high noise to signal ratio.

[Ralph Barker]

A new sub-forum has been added: Image Sharing & Discussion.

Description: Post your own (large-format only) images for sharing and discussion. Critiques should only be offered if requested by the original poster.

[Struan Gray]

Excellent. Thanks for getting it done.