At this morning's LPA Breakfast Dean mentioned the problem of getting photo news, like the Saddleback Butte Competition, posted in the AV Press. Over the last couple of years I've heard the same complaint from other folks making it a persistent problem.
Given any problem there are usually many possible solutions and the rusty gears in my head started to grind out an idea.
We could create a web site to, essentially, compete with the AV Press, at least as far as local photography related news is concerned. This could be done by a) creating a page on the LPA web site that would be easy to get to (we already have News/General), b) a separate web site that would be for non-club news and meant for the general public, c) a page off some other local web site such as Jim Greenleaf's www.ilivetoday.com which he runs out of King's, or d) take over an existing web site such as the Lakes and Valleys Art Guild (LVAG), http://www.lakesandvalleysartguild.com/, which is widely known but rarely updated (my recommended venue).
That is the core of my idea. Such a site would allow the club to "get the word out" even when the AV Press is reluctant to participate, and help advertise the LPA. The "devil is in the details," as they say, so I'll add some thoughts on how it might operate in the real world, though these thoughts shouldn't be used to constrain or kill the core idea.
This is going to require one or (probably) more volunteers, a typically rare commodity. Normally I would say that since this is my idea I will take the lead on it, but I can't since it looks like we'll be out of the area starting about Thanksgiving. However, this would be an opportunity (every problem creates an opportunity) for folks to introduce themselves to, or practice, photojournalism. At one time the LPA had a not-so-well-known workshop on studio photography. This could be set up as a workshop in photojournalism with participants writing up articles and posting photos related to art competitions, interesting local events, and other items of interest. It would also allow folks to write and post longer, and more, articles than would fit on our monthly LPA Newsletter.
There may even be the possibility of going into a partnership with some other entity, such as a journalism professor at the college to expand on the core idea. It may also be possible to co-opt some of the members of the local artist's community to help out, especially if it's done through taking over the LVAG web site. Taking over the LVAG site would help bring the photographers and non-photography artists closer together to creat a larger artist's community, something in keeping with Lancaster's cultural goals. Artists, photographers (who are artists), and journalists (who are also artists) working together to make Lancaster a well known artist's community?
Practically speaking, this doesn't even need to be a formal LPA activity, anyone can take it up.
Well, enough rambling for now. I would love to take this on myself but all I can do at this time is throw out the idea and open it up for discussion. Thoughts anyone?
Given any problem there are usually many possible solutions and the rusty gears in my head started to grind out an idea.
We could create a web site to, essentially, compete with the AV Press, at least as far as local photography related news is concerned. This could be done by a) creating a page on the LPA web site that would be easy to get to (we already have News/General), b) a separate web site that would be for non-club news and meant for the general public, c) a page off some other local web site such as Jim Greenleaf's www.ilivetoday.com which he runs out of King's, or d) take over an existing web site such as the Lakes and Valleys Art Guild (LVAG), http://www.lakesandvalleysartguild.com/, which is widely known but rarely updated (my recommended venue).
That is the core of my idea. Such a site would allow the club to "get the word out" even when the AV Press is reluctant to participate, and help advertise the LPA. The "devil is in the details," as they say, so I'll add some thoughts on how it might operate in the real world, though these thoughts shouldn't be used to constrain or kill the core idea.
This is going to require one or (probably) more volunteers, a typically rare commodity. Normally I would say that since this is my idea I will take the lead on it, but I can't since it looks like we'll be out of the area starting about Thanksgiving. However, this would be an opportunity (every problem creates an opportunity) for folks to introduce themselves to, or practice, photojournalism. At one time the LPA had a not-so-well-known workshop on studio photography. This could be set up as a workshop in photojournalism with participants writing up articles and posting photos related to art competitions, interesting local events, and other items of interest. It would also allow folks to write and post longer, and more, articles than would fit on our monthly LPA Newsletter.
There may even be the possibility of going into a partnership with some other entity, such as a journalism professor at the college to expand on the core idea. It may also be possible to co-opt some of the members of the local artist's community to help out, especially if it's done through taking over the LVAG web site. Taking over the LVAG site would help bring the photographers and non-photography artists closer together to creat a larger artist's community, something in keeping with Lancaster's cultural goals. Artists, photographers (who are artists), and journalists (who are also artists) working together to make Lancaster a well known artist's community?
Practically speaking, this doesn't even need to be a formal LPA activity, anyone can take it up.
Well, enough rambling for now. I would love to take this on myself but all I can do at this time is throw out the idea and open it up for discussion. Thoughts anyone?