Denise is right.
The problem is that there isn't a lot of land along the coast and the little available is very high in price. Newport is relatively cheap when compared with Cannon Beach or Seaside.
With Gas prices what they are now, just a few miles north or south doesn't provide much relief - if you want to search, the communities just south of Newport are Waldport and Yachats (Florence is way too south). Just north of Newport is Depoe Bay, and Lincoln City.
Going inland there is nothing but forest until you cross the Coast range into Corvallis or Albany or Salem (but these are way too far - that's 50-80 miles of dark driving late on Saturday night. And the deer population has exploded in Oregon which improves your chances of significant damage if you exceed your headlight distance).
Good luck!

Good morning;

Denise, thank you for providing information on housing accomodations. I have a room for Saturday night. It looks like this is going to come together very nicely. It is amazing what can be done with e-mail, cellular telephones, and a credit card!

Enjoy;

Ralph Javins

I am sorry if this has been discussed already but is there some sort of plan for this meeting? I think it originally was going to be sort of a meeting about coating glass plates, is that still on the agenda? Is there a plan for a photography outing or two, or is this more a show and tell and perhaps drink a beer sort of thing. Both seem interesting to me but might change where I think I should stay.
Dennis

Dennis
You may be combining a Kirk Keyes- Denise Ross Workshop on emulsion Coating in mid August with this get together. And we are also hoping Denise will share with us.
We're working on an agenda, but it will likely include some joint image making at one or more locations, a dinner (dutch), evening discussion, presentations, open mic(that's your opportunity to showcase work and/or present something of Analog Photographic interest), etc
Sunday morning may find us making images at someplace

Details will be released later in August - plenty of time left. If I were you - I'd book a hotel while cheap(er) rooms still are open.

Don for Denise-Robert-Don and whoever else wants to help us plan this thing....

Hi All,

The planning for our inaugural APUG-PNW meeting is coming right along. Here's what we know now: We have scheduled the meeting room of the Newport Visual Arts Center for 1:30 - 6 pm on Saturday, September 13 and from 9am to 5 pm on Sunday, the 14th. We're planning on having field trips both mornings (there will be good minus-tides) and a few process demos, along with plenty of time to share portfolios and get to know one another.

If you have any great ideas to share or if you'd like to volunteer for something, feel free to step right in!

And here's the Yaquina Bay Tide table:
http://hmsc.oregonstate.edu/weather/tides/2008/sbsep2008.html

Cheers,
Don, Robert, Rich, and Denise

Where in Newport, is the meeting?

KK

Newport Visual Arts Center

http://www.coastarts.org/home.cfm?dir_cat=43258

Be sure to read the announcement posted earlier at
http://www.apug.org/forums/forum61/53432-us-pacific-northwest-gathering-sept-13-14-2008-a.html

By way of getting the creative juices flowing:

The meeting won't officially start until 1:30pm on Saturday, but we're planning on having a fieldtrip or two Saturday morning. Does anyone know how these things are usually done?

I think it would be fun to have one group that goes out with their large format gear agreeing to mentor a newbie. That would give the roll film and digital folks who want to make the jump to big cameras and sheet film a chance to see the game in action. Of course, that would mean that we'd have to come out from under our focusing clothes and relate a bit!

I don't know what happened to my previous group post... but we'll try again.

I just joined this group, if you'll have me. I am a film photographer in orbit roughly around Blue Moon Camera in North Portland. I live in the St. Johns neighborhood and have recently resumed film photography, going back to using a Pentax Spotmatic and branching out now into MF and LF. So far, my only LF gear is a 3/4 finished home-made pinhole camera that uses 4x5 film. I would like to eventually get a 4x5 view camera, too.

I am unable to come to Newport this year, but if there are future gatherings I might be able to plan ahead and get away.

Robert and everyone else, thanks for forming this group. I was hoping APUG members in the region would organize.

I won't be attending the gathering, unfortunately. Something about a 25th wedding anniversary... (mine.)

Peter Gomena

Note to the Dread Pirate who posted below: Perpahs arrangements could be made to do a photographic tour of Cathedral Park. I'll bring that enlarger I promised to give you.

--Gary

DreadPirateRobins where you at the Blue Moon employee show reception the other day. I think I saw a pentax on a shoulder but seems to me it was on Z.

OK I am in for the Newport meetup. I am coming over on Tuesday to have more time for daily photography and will stay there in Newport the whole time. Anyone else going early and is anyone interested in chow and ale in the evenings? Isn't Rogue there?
Dennis

PS the current plan is to bring the 8x10 and the Rollei

Latest news -- Vaughn will be giving a carbon printing demo!
Stay tuned for the rest of the schedule for the weekend of Sept 13-14 -- its almost done. (and Rogue brewery is on the schedule)
Don

Good morning, Denise;

I like the idea of having an "Introduction to Large Format" seminar. I just received a Sinar F-1, and I might be just a little bit beyond the "this is a lens board" stage, but not too much. This seemed to be a reasonable way to go with some consideration given to the concept of "portability." Yes, I do carry my stuff at times. I do not see how Don does it with a 12 by 20. I also must remember to never challenge him at arm wrestling.

Enjoy;

Ralph Javins

When they ask you how many megapixels you have in your camera, just tell them; "I use activated silver-bromide crystals for my image storage medium."

Hi Ralph,

Congrats! on your Sinar. You're going to have a blast. Don't over-worry about learning the movements. The great thing about view cameras is everything is right there on your ground glass. I couple of pointers and a little practice will set you right up. And, it can be really simple. For a couple of years while I was very busy with non-photographic life (is there such a thing?) I put a 90 mm lens on my 4x5 field view and just left it open and set from 10 feet to infinity. A large format point and shoot! It kept the photo-stopping inertia down to a minimum.

Are you planning on coming to our little analog party in September? I'm sure Don will give a great Intro to LF. I've never seen a 12 x 20 camera in 'real life', but Don would be a right guy to haul one around. Good call on not challenging him to to an arm wrestle .

Cheers,
Denise

Ralph

I'll be happy to help you learn movements on your new sinar (congrats! welcome to LF - we're a friendly group - there are no "Secrets"). Bring the sinar along and you can follow along. Do you have loaded film holders -- bring them! (tripod, meter, loaded holders,darkcloth, focusing loupe, lens, cable release).

Don

Good morning, Denise and Don;

Yes, I am planning on coming to Newport. I have turned down an invitation to show the solar and wind powered ham radio station at the Walla Walla Sustainable Living and Renewable Energy Fair that weekend.

Don, I do have all of the things you suggested in stock, and I am planing on buying at least three more 4 by 5 film holders. The old Gossen Luna-Six and Weston Master II light meters should feel right at home. While I feel that the old Davis and Sanford tripod will be the best suited to hold the Sinar F1, I do need to come up with a 3/8-16 TPI bolt to hold it onto the tripod. If not, there is a Bogen/Manfrotto that might be pressed into service. (I have always felt that you cannot have a tripod that is too stable and too solid for holding a 35 mm camera still.) There is also a Polaroid back for the F1, so with the Fuji film equivalent, I can see the mistakes I have made in just a minute after I have taken them.

Enjoy;

Ralph Javins

When they ask you how many megapixels you have in your camera, just tell them; "I use activated silver-bromide crystals for my image storage medium."

Ralph N7KGA
de Don AC7ZG

That would be interesting to see what you've done with your station....

Good morning, Don;

I recognize your call sign. You are with the Willamette Valley DX Club. I am a member of one of the competition groups, the Western Washington DX Club. If you were at the Butterfly Hotel (the Monarch Motel in Clackamas), you might remember me as the tall guy with the camera on the Custom Brackets rotating flash bracket who took photographs all the time. If you go to the WVDXC web site, you can see some of what I handed to Al Rovner, K7AR, at the end of the breakfast activity Sunday morning. That was straight off the CF card right after the event. I think of it as just journalistic photography, but at least it is something that was on the web site Monday evening to show people a little of what we did that weekend.

The complete, portable, self contained, self powered, self sustaining, independant, 100 Watt HF amateur radio station that can go on any airliner in the world? Yes, and it can go longer than I can without being resupplied. This was developed originally for our trips for the IOTA Programme under the RSGB. (OK, for the non ham radio people in the reading audience: IOTA, Islands On The Air Programme under the Radio Society of Great Britian, a group whose emphasis is making radio contacts with people on islands around the world. This is a little like collecting baseball cards. Many of the 1170 islands and island groups recognized under the program are uninhabited, so some of us go out to them and "activate them," or put up a radio station on the island and try to provide as many radio contacts as possible with people around the world.) The source of power is a combination of three 60 Watt solar panels and a 400 Watt wind generator. The solar panels have a carrying container. The wind generator lives in a regular suitcase. Gel cell or AGM non-liquid electrolyte lead-acid batteries are carried in a fiber glass case. The 25 foot mast for the wind generator breaks down and is carried in a ski bag. The vertical antennas I carry go into another ski bag. The radio equipment goes into an airline carry-on bag. It also has application for disaster communications under the Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network when all of the normal supporting infrastructure is gone. Areas of interest for this have included Louisianna, Haiti, and Cancun and Cozumel following various hurricanes.

Don, there may be many things we can discuss.

TU ES 73 AC7ZG DE N7KGA

When they ask you how many megapixels you have in your camera, just tell them; "I use activated silver-bromide crystals for my image storage medium."

So that's where His Alness got the photos!Great job. Al does anexcellent job doing the convention.

And you'll find an article in the NCJ for Mar-Apr on N6D.

Bring your sinar - -you can set it up and we'll go over movements on your GG without having to bend down hihi ;-)

Good morning, Don;

Under the heading of "there may be many things we can talk about," let's add disposal of photographic chemical solutions, septic tanks and drain fields, and the gumint.

Enjoy;

Ralph Javins

When they ask you how many megapixels you have in your camera, just tell them; "I use activated silver-bromide crystals for my image storage medium."

I am going to Newport on Tuesday and will be staying at the Waves. I am not familiar with the areas around there that are good for photography. Anyone have suggestions where I might be able to spend good amounts of time with cameras?

I am going to be without computer or cell phone but will be at the Motel every day.

Dennis

Dennis:

I'll start the list from Florence, about an hour south of Newport and head north. These are just the highlights. There is also many charming smaller waysides and pullouts along Hwy 101 that will catch your eye. You'll want to buy an "Oregon Pacific Coast Passport" to hang from your rear view mirror. It will let you park at the public places along the coast a whole lot cheaper than paying at each stop.

The Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area, Sea Lion Caves ($), Heceta Head Lighthouse, Cape Perpetua (If you go here at low tide, there are some great rocks on the south side of the headland. Take the trail down from the parking lot. Don't forget the mountain on the east side of the highway. There are killer views and an area of old growth Sitka spruce. The visitors center has trail maps.) Yachats, Seal Rock (We'll all be there Sunday morning, but not long enough. At lowish tide, park at the small parking lot at the bottom of the hill north of town and hike back south along the beach to the stacks.) All of Newport, of course (the harbor, jetties, bridge, two lighthouses, bayfront, estuary trail at Hatfield Marine Science Center.) Otter Rock Loop including the Devil's Punchbowl, Fogarty State Park, Depoe Bay (make sure you see the underside of the bridge by taking the pedestrian path from the whale watching interpretive center across from the stoplight on the north side of the bridge.) and the Drift Creek Falls suspension bridge (http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/siuslaw/recreation/tripplanning/tillnewp/trails/driftcreekfalls1378.shtml)

Have a great time!!
Denise