Where do we go from here?

The Teton Photography Group (TPG) has grown in the last five months from a vague concept to a viable organization and partner with the Art Association of Jackson Hole. We have this website managed by Mike Cavaroc, a Facebook page, a Google Plus Community, a Twitter presence, and an active email list. We have somewhere between about 75 and 100 self-declared members, many of whom are regularly active on the electronic media. We have three public programs under our belt and have presenters committed for the next 6 months. In September we will have our first all-day public photography symposium on Outdoor Photography. You must agree that we have come a long way. My question in this posting is “Where do we go in 2014 and beyond?”

The group has chosen an administrative model of loose organization with a volunteer Steering Committee consisting of 8 members with broad photography backgrounds. This model allowed us to avoid the cost and hassle of becoming a free-standing not-for-profit organization under a 501(c)3 umbrella but also put the burden of planning and organization on a small number of members. I would like to solicit input from all members about the direction we should go in the coming year.

The Steering Committee has amassed a list of about a dozen specific topics for presentation next year and several categories of topics we would like to explore in some semi-structured manner. Some of the general categories include: composition and aesthetics, technical aspects of image capture, photography gear and gadgets, post-processing software and techniques, photo critique and commentary, photo travelogues and shooting locations, learning from the greats, and specialized photographic skills. Our 2013 public programs have attempted to sample several of these categories.

The Steering Committee has also discussed many types of activities we would like to pursue beyond the structured public presentations. Some of these activities include a quarterly newsletter, quarterly photo contests or competitions with exhibitions of submitted work, all-day symposia on specific areas of photography, expanded electronic portfolios, syndication of member blogs, a gear swap, photo sales events, an expert discussion forum, a local Teton ‘stock photo’ agency, tag-along local photo shoots, and various social events like pot-luck dinners and wine tastings. We are strong on ideas but will need dedicated help from our members for execution.

So back to my original question – where should the group go in 2014 and beyond? I hope you will share your comments and thoughts on this blog page or on our social media sites. We need specific ideas and specific people to carry-out the ideas. We are all fortunate to live in or visit this beautiful area and to have such tremendous local photographic talent.  Our future as an organization is very bright so long as we have committed members who are willing to share their talents and dreams. Thanks for being a part of the TPG. I hope to hear from you soon.