A NOTCH ABOVE PHOTO CLUB
NOTES FROM THE APRIL 8th, 2017 MEETING

Attendees: Tim Williams, Allie Redfield, Scott Matz, Mary Williams, Zachary Sar, Karina Snow, Bob Thibault, Bob Lamanna

Tim Williams, the club organizer through Meetup.com, welcomed everyone; people introduced themselves and spoke about their photographic experience. Zach agreed to take notes for this meeting – a job which will rotate each time. The minutes from the previous meeting were approved.
Tim presented a summary of the club questionnaire. With 11 responses so far, the take-home summary:
1. Fairly even split between wanting to learn more essential facts and advanced shooting techniques. These two topic groups comprise the greatest interest for our initial focus.
2. Post-processing and printing represent a secondary but significant level of interest. At present, slightly more than half our members print their own photos.
3. Members also want to show their new understanding & skills in field trips, hikes, & photo assignments.
Tim explained the reason for the change in venue to Bethlehem Library conference room. Members agreed with the change and commented about how nice the facilities are. We cannot use the name of the Library or other businesses as an endorsement, and we can solicit only non-cash contributions from 3rd parties. Scott will inquire about non-cash support from camera manufacturers. The group favors continuing to meet on the 2nd Saturday of each month at 1 PM and decided to drop plans for an evening meeting. We currently have this room reserved through August, and Tim will cancel reservations for the April 25th evening meeting.
Tim has placed a notice about our meetings in the Monthly Events schedule of the Courier, Coos County Democrat, and Plymouth Record Enterprise. He has also placed a listing with NHPR. Scott volunteered to place a notice in Trendy Times.
Tim has extended our Meetup.com account for 6 months at the reduced rate of $9.99/month ($59.94 total). It is scheduled for automatic renewal on Sep. 30th unless we cancel. Allie gave Tim a $10 donation, and Bob Lamanna and Bob Thibault each gave him a $20 donation. At some point the group needs to defray the costs that Scott has incurred in creating a website for the club.
We have no new information about the requirements for joining the New England Camera Club Council (neccc.org) – an umbrella organization of photography clubs.
Scott presented his work to date on developing a website for A Notch Above Photography Club. Various design possibilities were discussed and members made suggestions. In addition to providing on-line info about our club, it will be possible for individual members to display their photographic work. There should be a private page for members as well as a public blog for others to comment. We could also announce our next meetup on this website. Scott is continuing his work, and everyone appreciates his efforts. Zach checked on-line, and found “ANotchAbovePhotography.com” domain is available.
Tim gave a “snapshot” presentation about “The Exposure Triangle” – how to work with ISO, shutter speed and aperture to creatively control your photography. Several members expressed a need to follow this with “hands-on” experience using the controls on their own cameras. Zach volunteered to demonstrate this at our next meeting.
Tim distributed handouts of his snapshot presentation and “Useful On-Line Photography Links”. He also passed out two summaries about “Mirrorless vs DSLR Cameras” and “How to Choose a Camera”. There was a brief discussion about these last two topics.
The group agreed to a photo assignment of “First Signs of Spring” to be accomplished between now and the next meeting, where our photo(s) will be shown and critiqued. Scott will also give us a further update on website development at that meeting.
We discussed the need to divide up responsibilities, probably on a rotating basis. Allie volunteered to “announce” the next meeting on Meetup.com (and via email to those members not on Meetup), and she will send out the agenda for the meeting, respond to RSVP’s from new attendees, and send reminders. Bob Lamanna and Bob Thibault will come early and make sure everything is set up for the meeting (especially cables to connect laptop). Karina will take care of any cleanup after the meeting.
The meeting adjourned at 3:20 PM.