Photography BOF defunct?

[Jinx & Wayne]

The photography BOF appears to be defunct.  The link from the BOF page is broken and the email address for the organizer gets no response.  Is anyone aware of a photography group here in escapees?  Jinx and I began taking photography seriously over the summer and are interested in contacting others.

Wayne & Jinx
2017 F-350 diesel, dually
2006 Carriage Carri-Lite 36KSQ

[Kirk W]

Call the business office and they should be able to tell you if there have been changes that were not yet published or a new contact.

[whj469]

And the BOF is?

[sandsys]

BoF stands for birds of a feather which stands for groups of people with similar interests-- In this case photography.

Linda

[Kirk W]

11 hours ago, whj469 said:

And the BOF is?

From the Escapee literature:

Quote

Escapees BOF (Birds of a Feather) groups are comprised of people who share a common interest. In order to belong to a BOF, one must be a member in good standing of the Escapees RV Club.

Birds-of-a-Feather (BOFs)

[whj469]

Thank you

[mptjelgin]

On 11/13/2021 at 6:43 AM, Jinx & Wayne said:

The photography BOF appears to be defunct.  The link from the BOF page is broken and the email address for the organizer gets no response.  Is anyone aware of a photography group here in escapees?  Jinx and I began taking photography seriously over the summer and are interested in contacting others.

Wayne & Jinx
2017 F-350 diesel, dually
2006 Carriage Carri-Lite 36KSQ

There are a lot of photography forums, groups, etc already in existence covering pretty much every camera brand and type of photography that exists. I am genuinely curious what you would be looking for in an Escapees BOF group specifically?

[Jinx & Wayne]

7 hours ago, mptjelgin said:

There are a lot of photography forums, groups, etc already in existence covering pretty much every camera brand and type of photography that exists. I am genuinely curious what you would be looking for in an Escapees BOF group specifically?

I suspect I'm looking for the same things people from other BOF groups seek.  Camaraderie, information from other Rvers specific to photography such as place to shoot in certain areas, locations of good camera shops about the country, photo techniques, morning coffee over the keyboard reading posts from folks who've become friends.  By way of example, there are other quilting groups but there is a quilters BOF.  I'm human.  I'm a herd animal.

Wayne & Jinx
2017 F-350 diesel, dually
2006 Carriage Carri-Lite 36KSQ

[Kirk W]

8 hours ago, mptjelgin said:

I am genuinely curious what you would be looking for in an Escapees BOF group specifically?

Am I correct that you aren't familiar with the "Birds of a Feather" concept? There is a wide range of common interest groups with purposes just as wide ranging. One of the most active is the "Doves" who are associated with the American Red Cross and who do all sorts of disaster assistance as well as a blood drive at each Escapade. Amateur Radio has rallies, Boomers and one or two others have gatherings at Quartzsite, there are Christian service groups like SOWERS & NOMADS, and a total of 38 such common interest groups. For a complete listing and how to contact them just sign into the member section of the Escapee Website and look in the directories menu. 

Edited November 15, 2021 by Kirk W
finish post

[fpmtngal]

I’m semi-active on a photography forum and used to be very active on another one (now defunct).  I can definitely see why someone would want to join an Escapees BOF photography group.  I’d be attracted to something like that, while I enjoy seeing/reading things that semi-pro and pros from around the world post, I’d also like something that’s more on my level.  When I asked about a new battery charger that my manufacturer came out with that had a USB-C cord, I wanted to know what types of charge rates I would get using the USB-A outlet connected to my trailer’s 12V system.  That was greeted with “huh?” answers, while many here would know exactly what I was talking about.

[2gypsies]

The BOF groups need leaders and participation to keep them going.  If it seems to have gone by the wayside perhaps you can start it up again.  Maybe do an article for the Escapees magazine to generate interest.  Contact Escapees for information on how to get it going again.

[mptjelgin]

8 hours ago, Kirk W said:

Am I correct that you aren't familiar with the "Birds of a Feather" concept? There is a wide range of common interest groups with purposes just as wide ranging. One of the most active is the "Doves" who are associated with the American Red Cross and who do all sorts of disaster assistance as well as a blood drive at each Escapade. Amateur Radio has rallies, Boomers and one or two others have gatherings at Quartzsite, there are Christian service groups like SOWERS & NOMADS, and a total of 38 such common interest groups. For a complete listing and how to contact them just sign into the member section of the Escapee Website and look in the directories menu. 

No, you would be incorrect.

My question to Wayne and Jinx was what they would be looking for specifically from a photography BOF group.  Since photography is an extremely popular hobby with no specific limitation or adaptation based on being in an RV (or not), I was curious about their particular take on what a BOF group would offer them that perhaps is not already available. 

I have been involved in photography at a fairly intense level for a long time, and have participated in a few message boards devoted to photography. There is an enormous amount of information currently available and I was curious about the appeal of reviving a defunct BOF. Wayne and Jinx, and later "fpmtngal" have indicated what they would find valuable about a BOF. So question answered. 

 

[2gypsies]

Years ago we joined a few BOFs.  One purpose was to arrange get-togethers with like-minded RVers, and discuss and do things together.  It was a way to meet other RVers with the same interests and have an enjoyable few days or weeks together.  We made life-long friends through our BOF contacts.  For photography I would guess they'd meet up and do some photo shoots together, talking techniques and equipment and returning to compare photos, etc.  It makes it a lot more pleasant than getting on a forum or reading an article about photography.... just another extension of a hobby.

[Trailer4Two]

Wanted to let you know that RVillage has some photography groups that are moderately active. One on photography of all kinds and one for birders. 
 

It would be fun to be able to meet up with other birders and photographers to just go out and play. I have checked out some “class tours” and they are very expensive. I am an advance beginner, meaning that I no longer shoot on “auto.” Lol 

 

 

[Kirk W]

The most common cause of BoF groups closing is an unwillingness of anyone to step up and run things when a person who has held it together for a long time retires and nobody is willing to step up. We were part of several BoF groups at one time that ended for that reason.  There was a group called Workers BoF that was for work-camping folks, but volunteer and paid that was quite active when we joined and they even had a quarterly newsletter and cost only  a few dollars a year to pay for mailings. The editor of it retired and the found someone who took over the news letter and membership, shifting the newsletter to digital. She tired of doing everything after a year or so and stepped down so the group fell apart. The BoF coordinator at the time convinced me & another SKP to take it over as an all internet group without the newsletter. We managed to hold it together for several years but when we were unable to get anyone to help organize a gathering at Escapade for several years, or anywhere else at any location, both of us stepped down after several months of efforts to get replacements. There are a few of the BoF groups that have been well organized for years and that continue to get people involved but far too often some of the largest groups fall apart when one or two key people tire of dong all of the work. 

If you want to have a BoF then you need to step up and help whoever is doing the organizing of it. 

[Jinx & Wayne]

22 hours ago, Trailer4Two said:

I am an advance beginner, meaning that I no longer shoot on “auto.” Lol 

HAHAHAHA.  Yeah, I'm in the same boat.  When I get to intermediate stage it will mean that I sometimes make better choices than "auto" would make,  Spent several hours shooting at the Tampa Zoo yesterday.

Wayne & Jinx
2017 F-350 diesel, dually
2006 Carriage Carri-Lite 36KSQ

[Trailer4Two]

I have been taking some online classes through Udemy which have given me more confidence to take chances. We are in Pensacola and it has been cloudy making me play with the exposure compensation and white balance more. 
 

We will be I in the SW on March so I am looking forward to some large vistas!

[Jinx & Wayne]

The scenery there is fantastic.  Good shooting!

I highly recommend The Great Courses, Fundamentals of Photography.  Its a series of 24, half-hour lectures by a NatGeo photographer.  The course retails for about $250 but it is often on sale for $40-$50 if you keep watching. You can find it for less, used, on Amazon.

Wayne & Jinx
2017 F-350 diesel, dually
2006 Carriage Carri-Lite 36KSQ

[Trailer4Two]

Bingo!!! 
I don’t know how but I found a group called “SKP Photographers BoF” on Facebook. I just joined  so I don’t know how active it is but there are some beautiful pictures! It was weird that they did not ask for me to verify my SKP # but FB is strange sometimes. Lol

I also discovered that the POC listed online is different from the POC in the magazine. 
 

Hope this helps  

 

 

[franco-bolli]

On 1/23/2022 at 8:03 PM, Jinx & Wayne said:

The scenery there is fantastic.  Good shooting!

I highly recommend The Great Courses, Fundamentals of Photography.  Its a series of 24, half-hour lectures by a NatGeo photographer.  The course retails for about $250 but it is often on sale for $40-$50 if you keep watching. You can find it for less, used, on Amazon.

Wayne & Jinx
2017 F-350 diesel, dually
2006 Carriage Carri-Lite 36KSQ

Don't miss the author and pro photographer, Scott Kelby's books on Amazon.
He has a whole series of books (I've read some or them) for shooting with and Iphone, or digital Camera and the follow up processing you could do with Lightroom and Photoshop.

He explains the unique aspects of the subject matter of lighting and composition, then shows you how he sets up the shot, including camera settings as well as lighting angles, and then shows his result, in non professional photographer terms and tells you how to use the equipment you have without needing to buy expensive gear to do so..  My images have improved since reading his books on digital photography.  He has tips on how to edit (discard pictures) on the fly, so that you don't have 300 pictures of flowers to go through when you get home.
No I don't get a kick back from telling you this about the books.

search "Scott Kelby" on Amazon and judge for yourself.

 

BUT None of what I have above, addresses the Photography BOF group. I had hoped to meet some of them at the last Escapade, in Rock Springs.

[Jinx & Wayne]

Trailer4Two was absolutely correct.  The BoF has moved to Facebook.  Against my better judgment I reactivated my Facebook account to access it.

Wayne & Jinx
2017 F-350 diesel, dually
2006 Carriage Carri-Lite 36KSQ

[Kirk W]

On 1/24/2022 at 12:21 PM, Trailer4Two said:

I don’t know how but I found a group called “SKP Photographers BoF” on Facebook.

I wonder if they are a real Escapees BoF, why are they not listed as one? I suspect that may be that they are now accepting members who are not members of Escapees RV Club, which is required to be a BoF and to use the Escapee name.

[Trailer4Two]

19 minutes ago, Kirk W said:

On 1/24/2022 at 12:21 PM, Trailer4Two said:

 

I wonder if they are a real Escapees BoF, why are they not listed as one? I suspect that may be that they are now accepting members who are not members of Escapees RV Club, which is required to be a BoF and to use the Escapee name.

There is some disconnect going on. The Admin contact and the POC listed online are the same but the contact listed in the magazine is different. Still trying to sort it out. 

[Kirk W]

39 minutes ago, Trailer4Two said:

Still trying to sort it out. 

I think that I heard that Lou Petkus had passed away, but I'm not certain of that. It may be that it is the same group but that the BOF listing has not been updated.

[Georgianne]

Hi all!
Popping in to help clear up a few things.
Sadly, yes, we lost Lou Petkus a few years ago, relatively suddenly. In his absence, a couple who were active in the BOF stepped up and took leadership, and are the contact you see now in the magazine. 
I reached out to our chapter/BOF Directors, Jimmy and Lockie Sailer, for more information on the overall situation. Since taking over the BOF, life events have led Brock and Janine to come off the road for the foreseeable future, and we received confirmation today that they are no longer able to lead the BOF. Lockie is now reaching out to the BOF members to see if there is interest from another member in taking leadership of the group. 
Regarding the Facebook group, it is a legitimate group. It was created before many of the Facebook group admin tools existed, so I presume Lou had his own way of verifying membership. Currently, it is still active with posts from members. 
Once a new leader steps up, the Escapees marketing team will work with that person and Lockie and Jimmy to help them resolve the concern over the open FB group. If leading this BOF sounds appealing to you, please reach out to Lockie and Jimmy at chapterdirectors@escapees.com.

 

TLDR: The Facebook group is still valid and the BOF still exists. Our Chapter/BOF Directors are seeking a new leader for the BOF so we can get information updated on all fronts.