View Camera Conference

[steve simmons]

I am wonding if people have reviewed our program and if they have any suggestions for additions? Our conference is scheduled for April 23-25, 2004 in Monterey, CA. The program schedule is on our web site

www.viewcamera.com

Many manufacturers and distributors will be there and this is a great opportunity to see a lot of new and used equipment. The trade show is free and no pre-registration is required.

steve simmons viewcamera magazine

[darter]

You are exhibiting a persistent west coast bias. Why not have the conference in Cape May, Newport or Bar Harbor?

[John Kasaian]

Steve,

I'll be there!

The program sounds fine.

Ideas?

It might be fun to document the old buildings at Ft. Ord before they're torn down. I don't know if they are controlled by Cal State U., Monterey Bay, The Ft. Ord Reuse Authority, or the Army.

Another piece of interesting architecture would be the Naval Postgraduate School---the fabled old Del Monte Lodge before the Navy took over in WW2---I'm not sure how that would be possible in the post 9-11 enviornment though(maybe a presentation on "How to get permission to photograph on Military Installations" would be a valuable addition!)

Theres also the 10' high cement artichoke in Castroville;-)

I think the classic old 1920's boardwalk in Santa Cruz will still be boarded up for the Winter, but Moss Landing is(I hope----maybe its been cleaned up)a visually interesting waterfront, especially the old boat graveyard.

There are also the old spanish missions in Carmel and Santa Cruz.

There is so much to shoot!

Cheers!

[Richard Martel]

How about S.Florida and the Florida Keys for a change of pace....Richard

[Frank Lahorgue]

Your announcement lists print sharing as opposed to portfolio reviews -- how does that work? What are the rules?

I'll be there with my West Coast bias firmly in hand.

[John Kasaian]

Phil,

I recall last year the conference was in New Mexico, which dosen't even have a coast, but is in the middle somewhere between the Gulf Coast and the Pacific Coast, and is only just barely "West of the Rockies." ;-) I'd be all for traveling to a New England,/Deep South,/Mid-West,/Frozen North/Carribean conference and would certainly make an effort to attend if possible.

IMHO though, it is not enough to simply say "where" you'd like to see a conference(or any activity)held, but state facts supporting "why" ---not only distance(if that were the case, Shawnee Mission KS would logically be the Convention Center of North America) but what kiind of community support the organizers can expect. Monterey CA and Santa Fe NM are FWIW, very receptive to artists and tourism.

Cheers!

[Alex Hawley]

I'd go for Shawnee Mission John, just about 90 miles drive for me. Not too photogenic though unless the attendees go on a LF shoot through downtown Kansas City.

[james mickelson]

No matter where conferences like this are held, there will always be many who would enjoy seeing it closer to them. But there are many reasons why Steve felt Monterey would be a good location. It offers many photographers different subject matter. Monterey is one of the most varied locations in the West. Not just for the architectural, landscape, or portraitists among us but becuase the vendors who foot the bill, are ammenable to the location. It offers lots of motel/hotel rooms, many restaurants, fun things like aquariums, missions, art galleries, historic sites, and the ease to get to. No matter where it is held, it is not always convenient and inexpensive. But it is cheaper to fly from Miami or JFK to SF than to Shawnee or The Sand Hills. I like the location and I'm sure the vendors do too. But I would also love to go if it were in NY or Chicago.

[steve simmons]

THanks for the comments.

New Mexico is mostly east of the Rockies. The Continental Divide is between Gallup and Grants which is west of Abq.

Documenting Ft. Ord is a good idea. I will see what is possible. Jack Boucher, a longtime photographer with the HABS program, is on the arch. photo panel. He can talk about solving these problems.

I have asked several times for suggestions about more eastern locations. All I get is a vague request for Florida, New Hampshire, downtown New York City (this would really make it expensive). If anyone has specific suggestions about a facility in a location please let me know.

Portfolio reviews are where you present your work to a specific reviewer for a 30 minute critique. It is a formal and structured affair. Print sharing is where anyone can bring prints in to the room and share them with anyone else who is there.

I will keep listening.

steve

[Michael Kadillak]

Surely, everyone would like to have the conference within a reasonable drive from their home base, but that is not always possible. However, at the end of the day, it will be the attendance numbers that will determine if the upcoming conderence will be successful or not. Good, bad or indifferent, a location (or the perception of it that right or wrong becomes reality) is the key driver. As this venue gains experience, I would expect there will be certain "areas" to hold this event that will do better than others.

If I were making the call, based upon the View Camera magazine subscription database, I would produce some statistics to determine where the reader concentrations were optimal and take it from there. I was honestly surprised to see after exceeding expectations on the first conference in New Mexico that there was any need to change. But it is not my call.

I want to give Steve a high five for what I think is the best View Camera magazine (Jan/Feb 04) put out in a long time. Fabulous job!

[steve simmons]

I want to give Steve a high five for what I think is the best View Camera magazine (Jan/Feb 04) put out in a long time. Fabulous job!

--Michael Kadillak, 2004-01-25 16:29:15 >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Thanks. We try our best every issue. Some are better than others - it may depend on the mix and how that hits a particular reader's interests.

David Muench has joined us as a contributing editor and will be making a contribution several times a year.

steve simmons

[Andre Noble]

I am interested in the old Fort Ord too.

I was on base for a few months in '89 when the Army was there. There was/is a small Greyhound bus depot on base which I recall had the character of a bygone era for some reason. The interior may be fun to explore technically. There are other interesting bldgs there too. In '97 it was still possible to access these areas by car in which some of the neat buildings were located. However, since then there are signs all over warning against trespassing to the interesting base areas, if I recall correctly from a trip there a few years ago.

But if someone can scout it and give us the green light in terms of permission to access and we can plan to do something formally/informally as a group, then I'd drive up from L.A. to attend the conference.

[steve simmons]

I will work on a day long field trip to Ft. Ord. It will have to be on Thursday the 22nd as the 23rd is already booked for trips and instructors and Saturday the 24th and Sunday the 25th are full of panels and reviews.

steve simmons