An exciting new venture - annual photography campouts

The committee is excitited to announce a new venture involving one or more annual photo campouts, which will launch in 2018. These campouts will be scoped and organised solely by members under the leadership of a State/Territory BLP representative. That person will scope a suitable time during the calendar year and a venue with wonderful birds to photograph. The campout will run for 4 days across a weekend. Ideally the venue will have a place where those attending will be able to gather during the mid-part of the day to discuss bird photography and learn more about processing images. BLP will ask for a detailed proposal (details to be released after June 2017) from the State Representative and if approved the BLP committee may at its discretion provide subsidised funding for the event. This may, I repeat, may be in the form of subsidised travel for an experienced photographer to act as a mentor for the campout. Campouts will only be considered in States/Territories where the BLP committee has endorsed a representative. Campouts will be by registration and an attendance fee, the details of which are still being discussed.

We now seek expressions of interest for a State/Territory Representative in Western Australia, South Australia. Northern Territory, Queensland, NSW (including the ACT), Victoria and Tasmania.

Excellent, very exciting news. . .

Bruce.

Yes I'm sure it is Jill and such a good idea that the BOCA instigated; I didnt engage in this part of BOCA, I was working at the time, not living in Victoria and my 'spare' time was spent as an BO editor for terrestrial bird manuscripts. BOCA is part of our proud part of our history, should not be forgotten but it is now the time for BLP to put its stamp on bird photography until we become something other iteration at some future time.

This revised format ie structured photography campouts is in response to BLP members spread across the country contacting me and asking when DPITB would be in their 'neck of the woods'. For some places never, as we need to ensure that BLP is not exposed to significant financial risk, which means that cost recovery requires a certain participation rate. Running an event in Perth or somewhere else in WA, perhaps Broome, would require WA member undertaking most if not all the work and the associated logistical issues. We also have no WA representative on the committee to take charge. As a professional organisation it also means that BLP has to ensure the success of the event and in some places we have no real idea as to how many members might attend and how difficult it would be to attract speakers and project subsidise travel cost. This would be less of an issue if we were not a voluntary organisation and charged several hundred dollars registration - neither of which are viable.

The committee agreed that this new format had significant merit, it provided a photography event that is clearly needed in remote and regional Australia and it is really these regions that the campouts target, not something close to any of our capital cities. It also engages members - if members want this to happen, they have to be prepared to take on the organisational workload.; the committee is is completely overloaded with work.

The is the first of the non-elected committee endorsed roles that are essential to ensure the success and future growth of BLP; so come on fellow members it is time to raise a hand and say - i can do this

Regards
Graham

While I welcome this development, it is hardly an 'exciting new venture'. This is how DPITB started and the unfortunate name was chosen because the campouts were actually in the bush. I recall there were very successful 'structured photography campouts' at Gunbower Island (Murray River) ,Gluepot Reserve (SA), Bowra Station (QLD) and Ingham (QLD) with many members camping at Mungalla Station. After the merger of BOCA and BA, our membership grew and more people wanted to attend DPITB campouts but because of the numbers and logistics, this became more difficult to arrange at bush locations. We nevertheless had an excellent get together at Newcastle where the event began to look more like a bird photography conference rather than a campout. Geelong looks even more like a bird photography conference and it is regrettable that we did not have the wit to call it the National Bird Photography Conference. This is calling a spade a spade, leaving know-one in doubt about what it is we are up to.

Tom Oliver was one of a number of members who enthusiastically tried to help members to learn the craft. He was not alone and his contribution does not stand out more than some others. I therefore think it was a mistake to call our conference the Tom Oliver Congress. By overlooking the important contributions of others we risk their alienation from the BLP family and by calling our event a 'congress' smacks of hubris.