Bill, if I understood your request accurately, you wanted all of the ideas we have generated so far in one place? So I went back through all of the emails that I went around before John set up this group. I started with your original email, then started adding thoughts from the rest of us, attempting to organize them into things like marketing, etc. Hope this was what you were looking for and that it helps.
Dan
Hello Again,
Sorry for the long letter to follow! Hope you will stick with me….
First a big thank you to all of you for helping me out with this. I know that a few of you are on the fence this year or not able to come at all, but I still want to hear your thoughts on the matter. It is a big help for me to bounce some of these thing off you rather than put this part out for the general public and all the confusion that would bring. The event can’t be all things to all people and I think too many voices would not be a good thing. We’ve all seen where that can lead!
The list of you getting these email blasts is as follows. Most of you have met each other before, but you’ll notice also Clay, Kerik and JDC whom you may not have met. You all may know their work as well as know them from online. Kerik is teaching a workshop this year and hanging around all week, so you’ll all get a chance to meet him then. JDC was responsible for much of the organization of the first APUG conference in Toronto and he has been a great help in crafting a strategy and feeding me ideas. Clay, who unfortunately can’t come this year, has become a good friend and I value his input as I do all of you. He will also hopefully be a part of Photostock 2010 which I am already setting my sites on.
Everyone…. Meet everyone.
Daniel Lin -
kdlin@earthlink.net
Dan Henderson -
dan.henderson@comcast.net
Kerik Kouklis –
kerik@kerik.com
Andrew Moxom -
amoxom@comcast.net
John Powers -
jpp18@uakron.edu
Jerry Basierbe -
jbasierbe@twmi.rr.com
John Callow -
jdc@jdcallow.com
Marc Akemann -
mnakemann@mac.com
Clay Harmon -
clayh@clayharmon.com
Joe Smigiel -
jsmigiel@kvcc.edu
Don Barber -
dlbarber2@verizon.net
Ike Eisenlord -
david@davideisenlord.com
You’ll notice all your email addresses are in the cc box of this letter. Simply use the reply to all button when you have something for all to hear, or you can simply reply just to me if you think the group doesn’t need to hear. I think you all know how it works.
I will start with a basic rundown of where we are now and the basic schedule as it now stands. You’ll notice the week is set-up with the workshops starting on Saturday the 20th and running through to Friday the 26th. Fees for them is above and beyond the basic registration fee, but those who take workshops will have the registration fee waived. Most of the people seem to start coming on the Thursday judging by past years, but more seem to show up earlier every year. I fully expect people not attached to the workshops to come early as well and I want something for them to do. This is where I hope some of you might like to guide small groups shooting. I’ve even wanted to schedule one or two groups as overnighters up in the UP. A great tour could be made up of sites including Fayette Ghost Town, Big Spring, Munising Falls and Pictured Rocks. We could even schedule a Pictured Rocks boat tour out of Munising. I can make hotel arrangements and we can charge a fee that would cover lodging and each guides time. There are many possibilities and many of the people coming seem to go off on their own anyway. We could add some structure to that.
Before I get ahead of myself, the rundown as it stands follows…
Photostock 2009
June 19th – 28th
Friday, June 19th – Official start of the event. I expect few aside from those taking the first workshop to arrive this day, but this will be a good chance to orient those who start early. I figure a campfire, meet and greet and preparation for the first workshop day.
Saturday, June 20th - Beginner’s Wet Plate with Joe Smigiel and I begins at my property. (fee: $375.00 including lab fee) We’ll start early and work until it is too dark to make exposures. This weekend would be the perfect opportunity to set up other shooting excursions. Think about it, come up with a plan and I will handle details of advertising and booking. Dan Henderson has mentioned he might have an interest here, so if anyone wants to get with Dan on this…
Sunday, June 21st - Final day of the wet plate workshop. We will again work through the day on this. Kerik arrives on Sunday and I will either pick him up myself at the airport, or ask someone else to do this if his arrival comes during the workshop. Airport is in Pellston unless he comes into Traverse. I figure a collective dinner and campfire Sunday night. If bad weather, we head to the Legs Inn to drink!
Monday, June 22nd – Kerik’s one day digital negative workshop will be the precursor to both his gumover platinum workshop on Tuesday – Wednesday as well as Sandy’s carbon transfer workshop on Thursday and Friday. We already have a couple people doing all three. There will be a fee for this workshop alone or a combined fee for doing both or all three. Monday is also open to other potential group outings. Evening for socialization, dinner, shooting on the beach, etc.
Tuesday and Wednesday, June 23rd and 24th – Kerik’s gum over platinum workshop. ($400.00 including lab fees) We expect both Kerik and Sandy’s workshops to be pretty intensive as there is a lot of ground to cover. For this reason they will start early and press on until later in the afternoon. Evenings for a swim, dinner, shooting, group outing, etc.
Thursday and Friday, June 25th and 26th – Sandy’s carbon transfer workshop ($400.00 including material fees) Again an intensive workshop and very full days.
Friday evening will be the final weekend opening reception, the first day for many. Shelby Lee Adams will be arriving at Pellston Airport at about 6:30 PM. I’ll get him checked into his room and then to the Birchwood Inn fireplace room and veranda for a meet and greet, refreshments, etc. Shelby will also be participating in a roundtable discussion with Kerik and I on the business of “fine art” photography. This may be Friday night as well, but I am also looking at Saturday afternoon for this.
Saturday, June 27th – Today I would like to set aside for demos, portfolio sharing and shooting. I was also planning a small trade/swap meet where niche market businesses could show of their wares, but JDC has advised this didn’t work well at the APUG conference. I’m still chewing on this one. I’m thinking of inviting those people to make a small sponsorship donation in return for exposure on any handout materials, banners and such. They would also be offered a physical presence, but I’m not sure how that would look yet. If you have any thoughts on this I am listening.
Shelby Lee had asked if I would teach him the wet plate process, so part of Saturday morning will be spent doing that with Kerik and Joe. All are welcome to hang around for that too. I’m thinking all of this will happen on the grounds of the Birchwood so we are all in one place and don’t have to go back and forth between my place and the hotel. We may also do the discussion spoken of earlier in the afternoon. There is also someone that will be demonstrating Polaroid transfer and emulsion lifts and I am working on a couple others. Again, if anyone has any ideas, let me know.
Saturday night will be the big night with Shelby Lee’s presentation. I think he will also do a portfolio showing and book signing that night. His publisher is sending books in the event anyone wants one signed and people can bring the ones they already have. I’m looking to have this in Petoskey at the Crooked Tree Art Center due to the fact that he will also draw from the local population and not just us. I recently gave a talk there and was told by many that they were excited to have him in town. The theater there seats 250 and I really think we can make a pretty good dent in that. The area is a lively summer resort area with a well educated seasonal population. I’ll be running ads in the local resort papers as well, so I think he will be a very good draw. I will definitely need help there, so I hope I can call on a few of you to have my back. Someone to handle Shelby, take tickets, etc. The art center has a staff that is more than willing to help as well.
After his gig… we party. J
Sunday, June 28th – Pretty much the usual break down day. We do have the opportunity for an organized event of some sort for those that don’t leave early. Thoughts on this are most welcome. I have to have Shelby to the airport by 11 AM, and we are not yet sure of Kerik’s schedule. So both of them might be out for a Sunday gig. We’ll have to see about this as things develop.
Almost last…., is financing this thing. I’m nervous about asking for a registration fee this year, which is why I am gifting a small print with registration. I know the $50.00 may be a lot to ask people considering the economy and the fact it has been free for the past three years. I’m hoping the print will take a little of the sting away. The thing is, I’m not looking to make money on this, but I certainly can’t go out of pocket either. There are going to be some really great people here… Shelby, Sandy King, Kerik are all world class dudes and it is costing a little to bring them here. Sandy and Kerik have been kind enough to do it for workshop fees. Shelby however isn’t doing a workshop, so I have to come up with his fee, travel and lodging. I’ll level with you all and say that he is charging 1500.00, plus I have to get him here. He is on a shooting excursion at that time working on new material in Kentucky. He has to get himself to Louisville where I’ll have him a ticket first to Detroit and then to Pellston. That is costing an extra $700.00. I know it sounds like a lot, but it is a reasonable fee considering Sally Mann would have been much higher! J (I’m working on that for next year, but keep that under the hats) There will also be facility fees, etc. If I split local proceeds for that night with Crooked Tree, it may be better… I’m still negotiating that. I figure we could fly with 50 registered, but it would be even better with 100. Fifty would give us 2500.00 which will cover Shelby plus some. I am going to donate any of my fee from the workshop with Joe to the cause as well. More is better as there are other costs…. Local ads, printing for brochure, maps, etc.
Now last but most important… I will soon open paid registration with $50 being the early fee with the print as a gift. After say, March 15th it will go to $75 with hopes this will give people early incentive. If by the early registration deadline I do not have enough signed up, or little momentum, I will have to pull the plug. I can’t leave Shelby, Kerik and Sandy as well as all of you and others that register hanging until the event and then call it off if no one is signing up. What I am hoping is that all of you will help me hype the thing in a non-aggressive way if you know what I mean. I will be advertising on APUG and Sean has agreed to help with that as well. I’ll also be broadcasting it to both my newsletter lists that go out to about 1500 people. My hope in that is that some will register so they can get the print, even if they don’t plan to attend. They are a truly great list of people and have been very supportive. If all of you could slyly mention it on other boards you may hang on… facebook, LF, PhotoNet, etc, that might help too. I hate to ask because you’ve all been so good to me already. Just tell friends, etc…. anything you feel comfortable with. I don’t want to start flame wars and that kind of thing, so use your best judgment. I think you know what I am getting at? Also, if you know of places I can advertise online or off, let me know. Cost is a factor though, so keep that in mind.
This has gone on too long for one letter. I’ll let you all chew on this and get back to me with thoughts or suggestions.
Hope this works guys! If so I think it will be a good time.
Thanks for listening,
Bill
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Bill Schwab Photographs
www.billschwab.com
North Light Photographic Workshops
www.northlightworkshops.com
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