10 posts :: Page 1 of 1
I would be willing to chip in some bucks for more programs..count me in
Just so we are clear, we cant charge admission for anything we do at the Senior Center.
If members want to donate money that's one thing, but requiring attendees to pay would be another.
One thing we can do though is raise membership fees. I'm not quite sure how the fee of $26 is determined (which is our present membership fee) but if we are going to start offering quality programs, it would certainly justify an increase.
Considering that 5 of the meetings a year are competitions, that leaves 7 meetings to fill. If we were to book three quality speakers a year, the rest of the meetings could be supplemented with local instructional speakers.
To pay for all this, I would propose raising dues to $76 a year. Presently, we charge $26 a year (that's $3900 if we have 150 members) and our programs are mediocre. At $76, we will have a total of $11,400. More than enough to pay for some good celebrities. We may loose some members, but I think once word gets out about our programs, I'm sure membership will go up. I might add that the Palmdale Visual Arts Group charges $70 a year for membership and members still have to pay to attend workshops less their membership discount.
One problem with all this is that the senior center requires free admission, so that would allow the general public to attend at no cost. The only solution would be to find a place other than the Senior Center to hold the event. That would allow us to require payment at the door for anyone other then members. It would also raise the cost to hold the event.
Some other options would be to get sponsors such as Canon, Nikon and Epson to help supplement the additional cost.
One other option would be to pay the Senior Center for the use of the room for that particular night but if I remember right, the Senior Center cant except payment, only donations, so I think that would end up being a no go. I also think they have something in their charter that forbids it.
Ya know, this is all about what this club wants to be. Does it want to grow into a major organization or be just a local camera club. A lot of these organizations like S4C and PSA started out small and grew by increasing their value. Quality programs and quality leaders are the key to reaching that goal. It's up to the club to define it's goals for the future. (and with that I will stop since I'm starting to stray off topic)
Anyway, that's my 2 cents !!!
If members want to donate money that's one thing, but requiring attendees to pay would be another.
One thing we can do though is raise membership fees. I'm not quite sure how the fee of $26 is determined (which is our present membership fee) but if we are going to start offering quality programs, it would certainly justify an increase.
Considering that 5 of the meetings a year are competitions, that leaves 7 meetings to fill. If we were to book three quality speakers a year, the rest of the meetings could be supplemented with local instructional speakers.
To pay for all this, I would propose raising dues to $76 a year. Presently, we charge $26 a year (that's $3900 if we have 150 members) and our programs are mediocre. At $76, we will have a total of $11,400. More than enough to pay for some good celebrities. We may loose some members, but I think once word gets out about our programs, I'm sure membership will go up. I might add that the Palmdale Visual Arts Group charges $70 a year for membership and members still have to pay to attend workshops less their membership discount.
One problem with all this is that the senior center requires free admission, so that would allow the general public to attend at no cost. The only solution would be to find a place other than the Senior Center to hold the event. That would allow us to require payment at the door for anyone other then members. It would also raise the cost to hold the event.
Some other options would be to get sponsors such as Canon, Nikon and Epson to help supplement the additional cost.
One other option would be to pay the Senior Center for the use of the room for that particular night but if I remember right, the Senior Center cant except payment, only donations, so I think that would end up being a no go. I also think they have something in their charter that forbids it.
Ya know, this is all about what this club wants to be. Does it want to grow into a major organization or be just a local camera club. A lot of these organizations like S4C and PSA started out small and grew by increasing their value. Quality programs and quality leaders are the key to reaching that goal. It's up to the club to define it's goals for the future. (and with that I will stop since I'm starting to stray off topic)
Anyway, that's my 2 cents !!!
I would love to have speakers of the quality that Sue is talking about come to our meetings. Yes, I would also be able and willing to pay for it. Maybe we could have them come for a day long (or so) workshop? I really love the oppurtunity to improve my photography and totally expect to pay for it. After all very few people can or will work for free.
No, we can’t charge admission at the senior center, and yes it is open to everyone. To hold an event at another location, we would need to pay a lil chunk of money just to rent space. We would need space with a drop down screen. How many of those are in the AV? I’m hoping that most LPA members would be willing to donate a small amount (perhaps $5-$10) when we have a higher end program. Am I dreamin’?
True that raising the annual dues to $76 would allow money to pay for several well known out of town photographers/instructors per year to conduct a program for the LPA, but think that for many, that amount is out of the budget. Of note, the Santa Clarita Photography club has annual dues over $70 per year, but a much smaller membership. It would be quite reasonable for us to have some sort of a dues increase though. When was the last time it was ever raised? Dean??? To take a jump from $26 to $76 would be a hardship on many of our current members, and lots of pressure on the VP to keep coming up with higher end programs. The well known photographers that travel/ do programs/ teach lessons are very busy, and requires a bit of juggling to get a date that works for both.
I’m willing to pursue bringing the highest quality program I can find, up to 3X a year, if I know that I have the LPA board beside me, and have a pretty good feeling that those LPA members who are able, will contribute up to $10 for the program if needed.
I like Helen’s idea of having someone come up to do an all day workshop. If we did that at Cedar Center, I think we could have people sign up and charge for the workshop. Right Arley?
True that raising the annual dues to $76 would allow money to pay for several well known out of town photographers/instructors per year to conduct a program for the LPA, but think that for many, that amount is out of the budget. Of note, the Santa Clarita Photography club has annual dues over $70 per year, but a much smaller membership. It would be quite reasonable for us to have some sort of a dues increase though. When was the last time it was ever raised? Dean??? To take a jump from $26 to $76 would be a hardship on many of our current members, and lots of pressure on the VP to keep coming up with higher end programs. The well known photographers that travel/ do programs/ teach lessons are very busy, and requires a bit of juggling to get a date that works for both.
I’m willing to pursue bringing the highest quality program I can find, up to 3X a year, if I know that I have the LPA board beside me, and have a pretty good feeling that those LPA members who are able, will contribute up to $10 for the program if needed.
I like Helen’s idea of having someone come up to do an all day workshop. If we did that at Cedar Center, I think we could have people sign up and charge for the workshop. Right Arley?
This is it; I couldn’t say it any better so I am quoting Arley
“The only solution would be to find a place other than the Senior Center to hold the event. That would allow us to require payment at the door for anyone other then members. It would also raise the cost to hold the eventâ€
“The only solution would be to find a place other than the Senior Center to hold the event. That would allow us to require payment at the door for anyone other then members. It would also raise the cost to hold the eventâ€
I did some checking... there are rooms/screens available at the Larry Chimbole Conference Center (next to Palmdale City Library) and here are the fees/details.
Manzanita Room - up to 270 people, 2 large drop down screens, digital projectors in the ceiling and you only need to bring a laptop. Cost $123 an hour, plus a $250/day screen rental. So for 9 hours, $1357 just to rent the room. Plus the fee to the program instructor. Cost prohibitive because we'd probably only get 25 people and the space rent would be $54 each, plus the the fee to the instructor/ program person.
Various Downstairs Rooms - 30 to 50 people depending on the room, and free use of a portable 6'x8' screen. Cost $43/hr. For 9 hours, $387. ($7-$12 per person for the room, plus the fee to the program instructor. Not bad even for a shorter program. Too bad the screen is so small.
Deposits are required on both rooms, of course.
Manzanita Room - up to 270 people, 2 large drop down screens, digital projectors in the ceiling and you only need to bring a laptop. Cost $123 an hour, plus a $250/day screen rental. So for 9 hours, $1357 just to rent the room. Plus the fee to the program instructor. Cost prohibitive because we'd probably only get 25 people and the space rent would be $54 each, plus the the fee to the instructor/ program person.
Various Downstairs Rooms - 30 to 50 people depending on the room, and free use of a portable 6'x8' screen. Cost $43/hr. For 9 hours, $387. ($7-$12 per person for the room, plus the fee to the program instructor. Not bad even for a shorter program. Too bad the screen is so small.
Deposits are required on both rooms, of course.
The Cedar Centre would most likely be the cheapest especially during the week. They are non profit and we may be able to work something out to share any profit. It all depends on who's running things over there and who's on the board. I've been out of touch for a while. Ann Trusty would know more, I think she is still a member. I'll see if I can get some info.
I'm thinking maybe free !! or at least at cost but like I said, it all depends on who's there and whether they remember me. I have a lot of chips to case in if there still good.
I'm thinking maybe free !! or at least at cost but like I said, it all depends on who's there and whether they remember me. I have a lot of chips to case in if there still good.
Sue I would definitely rather pay more at each event with the special speakers.
I would definately be willing to pay. I'm taking the photography class at AVC and I'm sure if someone let the photography classes over there know we would have plenty of people for a workshop.
10 posts :: Page 1 of 1
Next Competition
Date: 19-May
Venue: AV Senior Center
Theme: Birds
Submission Deadline:
12-May 11:59PM
12-May 11:59PM
Mark also teaches classes that would be more appropriate for a Workshop night, as they are more "lessons" than programs. Topics are numerous, but think think many LPA members might be interested in learning about B&W Photography, or Sports & Action. John Shedrick is your Worshop Chairman, and is always open to suggestions.
I would love to see Mark Comon return to do another program at the LPA!!! If you are interested too, let me know which program(s) you'd be most interested in.
Another person I am working on to come visit the LPA is Rob Sheppard, and it's looking good! He is the editor of PCPhoto as well as Outdoor Photographer magazines, group editorial director of all Werner Publication photo magazines (PCPhoto, Outdoor Photographer and Digital Photo Pro) and is the author/photographer of over a dozen photo books, including Adobe® Camera Raw for Digital Photographers Only, the PCPhoto Digital SLR Handbook and the Epson Complete Guide to Digital Printing.
More good ideas too... I'd like to give the invite to Don Gale, whose passion for teaching and his award-winning photography, has earned him national recognition. Numerous articles and interviews have appeared featuring Don on air and in such publications as Outdoor Photographer, Rangefinder, Studio Photography and Tamron's Viewfinder. I'd also like to give the invite to George Lepp, one of North America's best-known contemporary outdoor and nature photographers.
Set your wishes and goals high, right?
We do have an annual LPA budget to keep in mind, so if you needed to kick in a a few bucks (less than the price of the "early show" and a whole lot more fun/informative) for a great program, would you be willing to do it?
Sue Craft