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DPChallenge Forums >> Out and About >> 2nd Northeast Strobist's GTG Planning Thread
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08/22/2010 08:12:08 AM · #1
Folks who attended the first NE Strobist GTG have had a little advanced notice of this, but now it's time to put it out here in the open and start the planning! Our goal this second time around is to attract up to 25 aspiring or experienced Strobist-style photographers for a full-day workshop, where we can all share techniques, tips, etc, and build up both our skills and our portfolios.

There's no skill-set required: we welcome anyone. Show up with a suitcase full o' Speedlites, or with just a camera in hand and a willingness to share and learn.

VENUE
I've found us a venue right near Wilkes-Barre, PA, in the town of Forty-Fort. The site itself is immediately off Rt. 309 at Exit 4. It's a 4-story building that used to be a cigar factory, among other industrial-type uses, and has recently been converted into a mixed commercial/residential space.

The cost to us is $300 for the full day. In return, we're free to work in any/all of the following spaces:
- Lobby - fully furnished in an interesting style, plenty of chairs, good window light, etc.
- 2nd Floor - we need to avoid disturbing business for the hair salon, but we can use the ends of the hallways to either side; one side looks pretty industrial still while the other has a rockin' semi-spiral staircase.
- 3rd Floor - completely unfinished, just big open spaces, painted brick walls, and filled with all sorts of interesting stuff that we could work with/around. This could easily become out "command post" for the day.
- Outdoors - there's a patio/dock outside the front doors that's got potential, as well as a metal sculpture garden that's pretty cool. Then there's the parking lot itself, and the highway beyond, as well as the building, that could make good backdrops.

Parking is not an issue, as their lot is huge, and as long as we use the hedgerow slots we could easily fit everyone. There's food nearby (right next door to the "Beer Deli," which is supposed to be good!). And it's really easy to get to the place.

Moreover, we may have another opportunity, if everyone is interested: the building is owned by Ubu Clothing and they may be willing to have someone from their staff on-site for part of the day with a wardrobe of clothes that we can let our models use. The catch is, first they'd have to be okay with the models we get, and second they'd want to be able to use some of the photos for their own promotion/marketing. It's not a for-sure thing, just an idea - personally, I thought it might be cool for us to have that kind of access, and if we did agree to let them use anything, I think they'd agree to credit the photogs. (Check out the Ubu website; they use the same spaces I'm talking about for their shots, so you can see what this could look like.) If we decide not to pursue this, we can still use the building without issue.




MODELS
I've gotten a couple of volunteers (and volunteered!) via PM already, and I'm pretty sure that we can get at least two of the models from last time to come again (Joey and Alli, for those of you who were there). Last time we had a trade-for-CD agreement with the models. Unfortunately there seemed to be some issues getting images to them, so this time I'd like to simply pay the models. It seems easier, and more fair to them. For model fees, how about $20 for a half-day and $50 for a full-day?

I'm planning to hit up Model Mayhem and query some of the more professional-seeming models from the area. Once I know how many people are attending I'll know how many models to book. But I don't think we want too many photogs to a model - it gets hard to take turns :)

DATE
Most importantly, we need to pick a date. I'm assuming that Saturdays are best for the majority of people, so based on that we're probably looking at one of the following dates:

25 Sept
09 Oct
16 Oct
23 Oct

The venue is good with either Saturdays or Sundays - as I said before, if we do pick a Saturday, we just have to be sure not to be in the way of the businesses in the building.

If we need to push into November, I have no problem with that. However, we should consider the likelihood of deteriorating weather by then.

COST
The final per-person cost will depend on the venue cost, the number of models needed, and the final number of participants. Since more people attending will lower the per-person cost, once we have a finalized plan, I'd like to post an invitation on both FredMiranda.com & the Canon Photo on the Net forums. That way we get to stay in the driver's seat, but can hopefully include some other folks in the event. (Unless there are wide-spread objections to this...)

GEAR
Last time around, we ended up with more gear than we knew what to do with. Since we're getting an environmental venue this time, I don't see us needing backdrops. You're best off bringing cameras & lenses, plus whatever lights, stands, and modifiers you typically like to use. (And if you don't have any/many, don't worry - last time everyone was very kind about taking turns and giving people the chance to work with different equipment.)

YOUR JOB
If you're interested, go ahead and reply to this thread so I can start to put together a list. Please be sure to include which date(s) is/are best for you! Once most of the planning is done, I'll post a new thread with just the finalized details.

Hopefully we end up with a good crowd! I know that last time around, we all had a heck of a good time - this time should be even better!
08/22/2010 08:34:16 AM · #2
Pretty sure I'm still interested......
08/22/2010 09:31:16 AM · #3
I'm definitely interested. It looks like a great venue. Oct 16 would be my first choice but I could probably make any Saturday other than Oct 23 work.
08/22/2010 09:57:19 AM · #4
hmmmm..definitely interested. Wilkes-Barre is about 6 hours away for me, though...think I'd prefer the September date, but I'll try to be flexible. How are the hotels in the area?
08/22/2010 11:29:30 AM · #5
I'm interested. Looks cool. It's only about 20 minutes ride for me.
08/22/2010 12:13:20 PM · #6
Glad to see that there's some interest! Those of you who responded without dates, can you let me know when is best for you?

david_c, I'm pretty sure there's everything from your basic Budget Inn up to the fancier Woodlands Resort. Not sure what prices run, but I don't imagine they can be too bad - especially since there shouldn't be anything major happening around that time.

Even if you looked for a cheap room in Scranton (where there's a wide range of hotels), it's only about a 30 minute drive down to Forty-Fort.
08/22/2010 01:33:10 PM · #7
All of the dates are fine for me, but I would vote the sooner the better. The end of october will start getting cold.
08/23/2010 03:43:21 PM · #8
Bump...hoping we can get some more folks interested in coming!
08/23/2010 04:07:29 PM · #9
I'm pretty flexible on dates as of right now....
08/24/2010 04:53:32 PM · #10
Sept 25th sounds good, and so do most of the arrangements! I'll have to read through them more carefully when I have more time though...i.e., the part about models. Has anyone checked if there are model mayhem models in the neighborhood?
08/24/2010 05:26:23 PM · #11
The models are getting paid this year? Just so happens me and my speedo are available that day.
08/29/2010 06:54:25 PM · #12
Anyone else...?

In the interest of keeping things moving along, let's set the date for Sept. 25th. If you plan to come, please sound off so I can get a list going. It would be great to have a rough count by the end of the week so I could start booking the necessary models (as well as the venue).

I'm really excited - I think this could be a great day!


08/29/2010 09:07:55 PM · #13
I will attend.
09/05/2010 08:37:40 AM · #14
Bump...

Anyone else interested? Right now we don't have enough people confirmed to bother booking the space. Chime in and let us know - would this be better postponed for another time?
09/05/2010 06:07:17 PM · #15
You can't cancel. I already ordered the special Michael Phelps Edition Speedo
09/07/2010 09:54:36 PM · #16
I'd be in for the 25th.
09/07/2010 10:58:11 PM · #17
That should work for me.....
09/07/2010 11:27:43 PM · #18
Originally posted by NikonJeb:

That should work for me.....


Oops! I have a Civil War re-enactment that weekend.
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