Have posted more complete notice here:

https://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?156941-Washington-DC-Metro-LF-Meetup

Idea is to get together, shoot, share prints, share stories, plan some activities, etc. and have fun. Inspiration is that Beer and Cameras looks fun, but doesn't seem to be in our area. Goal is to meet a couple of times a year. The odd, one-offs don't seem to happen, so setting a goal for quarterly might actually make a one-off work.

Happy to host at my house in Annapolis to start. Happy to meet elsewhere too. No hang ups. Open to all, and happy to discuss whatever. Happy to welcome photographers of all stripes with an interest in LF, or willing to join those who do.
Will entertain "guests", "one-timers", and all format shooters... but with the caveat that this is not likely to be a venue for Street Shooters any more than a marching band is a good place for a cellist. Big crowd? Not expected. Date is still fuzzy... but thinking is April 25th or later.

Let me know if you have an interest.

I’m up for it, though I ‘top out’ at MF. Maybe I could bring the donuts.

Absolutely. What MF rig are you shooting?

Count me interested.

JWMster said:

Absolutely. What MF rig are you shooting?

Click to expand...

Pentax 6x7. I heart my 6x7. I would, though, love to see LF in action.

Great camera and format. Love MF myself. Took my TLR to France 2 years ago. "LF in action"... not sure if there's a lot of "action" so much as a lot of set up. Glad to welcome you aboard. Will be looking into see what's involved in getting access to some of our local sites.

The Flying Camera is more than welcome and invited to come. Was hoping to hear from you.

I'm interested as well. I love visiting Annapolis.

So here's where we are: We have 7 of us interested: 3 from Photrio and 4 from Largeformatforum.

First step: DATE is to pick a possible Saturday's for a 1st meeting: (4/25), 5/23 or 6/06. Sunday afternoons are also open those weekends.

Second step: TIME With local drive times, we live downtown, so it's basically 25 minutes off the Beltway 95/495. There is a local parking garage up the street and it's about 5 minutes away, but too far to carry gear. We have 2 hour unmetered but photo license plate tagged street parking nearby (if available). And yes, they are fierce about parking enforcement here, and moving your car "doesn't count as a restart".... so take the civic dudes seriously. These guys are similar to Georgetown in their vigilance, keep your plate in memory, and will accelerate the next parking fine to $200 in a heart beat. Ouch.

Third step: ACTIVITY. My suggestion for round one is to meet at a local pub (or my house) for a "Beer and Cameras" or "Beer and Prints" type discussion of what we're about with LF, how it's going, and maybe discuss what to do beyond that as a group - if anything. We could also do a group shoot somewhere - but many of the local places may require work on getting tripod clearance these days (don't know, but I am looking into it).

Practical Follow-up: We will need a single communication contact point for all of us. Email is the easiest and probably best to make sure we can reach out to each other in the event something changes somewhere along the way where a website is simply inefficient. Therefore, if you want to push ahead, please feel free to private message me your info on this forum.

FWIW, my personal perspective I'm tending to favor the later dates as pushing beyond the current COVID-19 panic period and back to something more normative... which is why I've put 4/25 in parens.

PHOTRIO won't let me edit the above to add a simple: THANK YOU for your interest, I am encouraged by this, so let's proceed to the next steps!

I'm available any of those dates - I just checked my teaching schedule and I don't have classes then (I'm doing my Intro to Platinum/Palladium in mid-April, and the advanced class in early May). My suggestion, since you make it sound as if parking near your house may be an issue (I'd hate to put time limits on something because the parking thugs might get you), it might be better to meet at a restaurant/pub. If I knew Annapolis better, I'd make a suggestion of a venue, but I'd say keep it somewhere that is brightly lit and quiet. Maybe set the time for a meet around 2-3 pm, so we're between the lunch and dinner crowds.

Another possible option is a public library - I don't know where the nearest one to you is, but they A: usually have parking, and B: often have meeting rooms you can reserve for little/no cost.If there is a cost to reserve one, I'd be willing to chip in toward covering it.

Seems like you read my mind as that's actually close to what I was thinking. Thank you.

I am in Ohio on 6/06, so I second (or third, I guess) the 5/23 option; I do hereby furthermore support the mustering of our conventicle at a pub because of parking, and, er, well, a beer might get things off to a fine start as well.

Good to see the action here. While subject to the COVID-19 updates, if we get back to normal life in the 8-week time frame, the 5/23 looks like the best option for now and I'm dropping the 4/23 option entirely as unrealistic according to CDC's expectations.

Like the option of a library and there's a good one nearby but Saturday shut-down for many Naptown places seems to be 3:00pm. Tad early. And that particular library's re-open date (it is a rebuild grand opening) hasn't happened and is now likely delayed. So I'm making assumptions that round one of quarantine will end in time, and going to suggest a pretty decent, low key place: 49th West. Good coffee, but I'll have to check whether it'd be quiet enough then. I usually go there evenings for Jazz. But I have a buddy who telecommutes to his law practice by day from the coffeeshop in the front. Will try to contact them... which ain't a cinch in these times.

Worst case, we can move back to my house and I'll get temp parking permits as needed.

Let me add that if you are thinking of coming - ESPECIALLY given the up and downs of these days, please send me your contact information. It will not get resold, misused, etc. by me, nor I think any of our likely attendees. If you have a better idea - maybe a meetup group - I'm open to that, too. Say the word. Largeformatforum guys are also s-l-o-w-l-y eventually checking in, so if our health holds and they lift the panic, I think we'll have a useful session. Look forward to meeting everyone!

Folks:

I regret that since the 5/23 target for our meet-up now looms and our local establishments remain closed, it seems right to post-pone this event until the Fall. At that time if we're fortunate to see the the sun shine on these ambitions - we may plan on a get-together with the perils of a friendly and casual meeting and greeting have been debugged, and these things become fun again rather than a source of familial challenge, worry, etc.

Until then as was said on Hill Street Blues, "Be careful out there!"

Regards,
Skip Mersereau

Prudent. Fall is gorgeous around here anyways.