CNPA Member Photo Album

[cesar]

I was fortunate enough to take part in the recent CNPA Midlands Region Outing, organized by Don Wuori to Cades Cove. It all started early Thursday morning at the Lowes Parking lot here in Columbia. It was obvious from the beginning that this outing was well organized and a lot of research and effort was put into it by the coordinator. We left Columbia at around 7:00 am, the first stop we did was at New Found Gap, at this point some of us didn’t know each other but it wasn’t long until we started having fun, taking pictures of each other, group shots, Don was getting on our faces with his Fish Eye lens capturing potential award winner photos (under the scary category that is…) and at this point I ask my self, what can we do with these photos. Would it be possible to have a section on the website where we can post photos related to official CNPA outings??? I’m not talking about Nature Photos, I’m talking about photos of members, funny photos, member being goofy , group shots, a photo of someone standing in the middle of the river with his or her tripod and camera, photos of people laying down on the grass getting the shot of day, photos of tripods lined up along the side of road, there is so much more that we can share with others by doing this. I know that this website is all about nature and I respect that very much. But, I also think that this could be another tool to share what goes on behind the view finder; we always share what goes on in front of the lens but very little about what goes on around the cameras and tripods and the people that we get to know.

Anyways, I thought I’ll throw this idea out there and maybe get some feedback from others. I know that the final decision will be made by the website officials whether to support this idea or not.

Ask your self one question… Do I have a photo that will fit into this category???? I bet you do!!

[rpk717]

Cesar,

We are working on something related to outings that will be regions related. We're not there yet and with renewals coming in it will be delayed for a while. Thanks for the suggestion, I'll discuss it at the next board meeting.

We ask for those exact images of members on outings for a slideshow at the annual meeting. We have been doing that for several years now.

[epayne]

I think that your idea for a gallery of shots OF members is an excellent one. I know the shots of members at the annual meeting is always well received and there are some shots I would like to see again. We in Charlotte submit images of our members for display at our December monthly meeting which is a social more than an informative meeting. These shots are then forwarded to be used in the annual meeting presentation. I second the idea for a forum area for members doing what we do in the field. I have several to post when such a gallery is created.
Best regards,
Edgar Payne
Charlotte region

[hartfield]

I think it would be great to have a place to post pictures of people on CNPA outings and also people who are engrossed in nature photography. That is an important part of the experience.

I don’t want to see pictures of children and grandchildren, but that is obviously not what you are talking about here.

My biggest fear on this is that I know Don Wuori has the goods on me – close, up fisheye, scary, but very funny.

[mrsisu]

I think the idea of a forum where members could post images as per Cesars suggestion is a very good one. It will go a long way to connect members to others within and out of local regions with it more likely for folks to get to know others in this way, I think, than if members posted them on a regional basis. In addition David is correct - I do have some images of him that should bring a smile to the viewers faces.

[jrosamond]

Great idea. The "Boys in Rut" photo deserves to be shared with others.

[rpk717]

What do we do if someone posts an image of a fellow member in an embarrassing pose that angers the member who is in the image? I can think of many instances that would anger the me if someone would post a shot of me in a unguarded moment. The images shown at the annual meeting are screened for this type thing and we have excluded images we felt were inappropriate. On a forum there would be no such screening.

Don, you know what I mean?:)

[jrosamond]

Ooh. Good point Robert. I didn't think about that. This is why you make a good web moderator.

[squatty420]

I actually think it is a good idea but also see the "dark" side of what could happen.

Just think what someone could do with some of those shots with some creative skills in photoshop! SCARY!!! :D I hate I missed the Cades Cove outing :mad:

[hartfield]

We should not bail out on a good idea just because we are afraid that something will be offended. Even as it stands now, some pictures could be offensive. Wording can be offensive. For the most part we have to act like responsible caring adults. For the most part I think this is true (except for the one on the Cades Cove trip, just kidding). When someone acts inappropriately then steps need to be taken to remove the post. If a single individual continues to make poor judgments after the warning then that person should be dealt with up to the point of being kicked out of the club.

[rpk717]

We should not bail out on a good idea just because we are afraid that something will be offended. Even as it stands now, some pictures could be offensive. Wording can be offensive. For the most part we have to act like responsible caring adults. For the most part I think this is true (except for the one on the Cades Cove trip, just kidding). When someone acts inappropriately then steps need to be taken to remove the post. If a single individual continues to make poor judgments after the warning then that person should be dealt with up to the point of being kicked out of the club.

We have had members quit CNPA because of being offended by other members already. There is a lot that goes on behind the scenes.

You have to remember that "someone" not "something" might be embarrassed. You haven't seen the images submitted for the AM slide show. I think you would be surprised at a couple of them.

All that said I will be discussing this at the next board meeting and if a majority of the board wants to go forward with this idea then it will be implemented.

[mrsisu]

ah yes I do recall some images of me that I would rather never see again! I wish there was a way to proceed with this idea however, and it would be nice to trust in people but unfortunately that doesn't always work out. Is there a way for somebody to screen images before they are actually posted? Not trying to make work but just trying to figure out how to make this work.

[cesar]

I can see and I do understand the big concern here but, I think that we should be able to reach a level of trust and good judgment; after all we are adults here. What if before the image gets posted, the person that has the photo makes contact via email with the person or people that are in the photo and get their OK before the image gets posted. This will avoid the screening and the parties involved will be under the agreement that the image is appropriate to be share with others.

Just another thought!

Cesar

[rpk717]

Is there a way for somebody to screen images before they are actually posted? Not trying to make work but just trying to figure out how to make this work.

Sounds like a volunteer to me!!

What if before the image gets posted, the person that has the photo makes contact via email with the person or people that are in the photo and get their OK before the image gets posted. This will avoid the screening and the parties involved will be under the agreement that the image is appropriate to be share with others.


Setting up rules for forums and having folks follow them are two different things. I think we all know how well that works out. Many have seemed to get upset with me trying to keep within what I think are a simple set of rules for the critique forum. This would be an easier opportunity for abuse and I'm hesitate to take on more criticism for trying to enforce yet another set of rules.

As I said, this will will be discussed at the next board meeting and I'll post back the results of that discussion. I can think of a couple ways to make this work.

[squatty420]

Sounds like a volunteer to me!!

That's what it sounded like to me too! GET 'EM Don! :D

[jenniferbrown]

Maybe I"m making things too simple here, but here's my 2 cents...

If the thread was only for posting photos of members taking photos, wouldn't all of the "problem" shots be removed from the picture, so to speak? Granted, some members seem to be able to contort themselves into odd/extreme positions, but are they embarrassing or offensive? I would think of those instances as being demonstrative of someone being in better shape or more flexible! ;)

Thanks, Robert, for listening to all of our ideas and taking them to the board for discussion and consideration.

[jckegley]

I took a chance posting David Hartfield on the image critique. I know David and pretty much thought he wouldn't mind. But I understand Robert's reservation.

Sometimes you have to do and ask for permission later.

1. What you could do is have people sign a disclaimer before any such outing, that photos of yourself may be posted.

2. Another option is to ask the personnel in the photo (after the fact) if it is ok to post.

3. The last option is to hope people use good judgment and just go with the flow.

The first two options add overhead to the fun and administration of outings and the website.

The last option (#3) looks the best, but low and behold, that one time you offend someone..... yuck.

I love this idea, and was totally into Cesar’s post, but after thinking about it, and writing this post, the repercussions sounds too dire. I am not for this idea now.