P3D Re: Stereo clubs need active members

["Dr. George A. Themelis" <DrT-3d@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

>    Hey Dr. T,
>    
>    You're a member of OCC, and if you were a REAL stereo 
>    enthusiast you would hop on a plane and get your butt 
>    out here once a month!! :) :)


Hey Dr. Harolddd,

Let me explain... :-)  The first Tuesday of the month is also
the meeting of the OhiO Stereo Photographic Society, of which 
I am a founding member and an officer.  So, even though I would 
love to fly once a month to Oakland, I have to stay here to 
participate in our OSPS meetings.

Member participation must be the biggest concern of any stereo
club.  There are various ideas for increasing member participation.
Choosing the appropriate time and location is one.  It would be
ironic if the Oakland club does not meet in Oakland but the
Detroit club does not meet in Detroit (moved a few years back)
and we don't meet in Cleveland.  Safety and easy access are
important factors.  

A good program encourages participation.  Our program includes 
a mixture of workshops for beginners, invited guests, stereo 
programs and competitions.  For example, this coming Tuesday,
a leading authority in stereo matters will present "Tips for
Using a Manual Stereo Camera".  That's a good enough reason to
see visitors from Oakland attend our meeting!  On February,
another Workshop is "Stereos With a Slide Bar".  Pretty exciting!
Officers must get other members involved.  Forget this "volunteer"
stuff!  Assign tasks.  (There is a reason they called me "Dictator
of 3D"!!!)

Finally a good newsletter is, in my mind, necessary to promote 
club activities and encourage members to attend future meetings.  
Our last newsletter (Stereogram 3.3) features detailed reports of 
our October meeting, illustrated with 5 pictures taken during the 
meeting and also the slide that won first place and "People's Choice" 
awards.  Also, interesting general articles like "Photo-3d, The 
Stereo Mailing List" and the continuation (Part 3) of the Stereo 
Photography Tutorial (by the same leading stereo authority), titled 
"Exposure Challenge".

We (OSPS) are fortunate to have a large enough membership (50 
members so far, plus 44 subscribers to our newsletter) and decent 
participation (our last meeting was attended by 39 people).  
Even though we do not have the long history of Oakland and Detroit,
we hope to continue for many years to come to promote stereo 
photography in this part of the world.

For more information on stereo clubs worldwide, please visit:
http://www.stereoscopy.com/clubs/
If your club is not listed there, please contact Alex Klein at:
webmaster@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

LONG LIVE STEREO CLUBS EVERYWHERE!!!!

George Themelis, OhiO Stereo Photographic Society


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End of PHOTO-3D Digest 3049
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