Mini Meet

[olrac]

Anyone up for a mini meet either of the first two saturdays in October?

That being said where would we go?

Docklands could be good?
Is there somewhere in the suburbs people would like to go?

[PiroStitch]

I'm up for it. That's next week isn't it?

I think I have a shoot on Sat morning, still tbc, but after that it'll be fine.

Cheers,

Wayne

[stormygirl]

I'm out for Sat 1st but nothing on the 8th (unless there are storms, in which case I'll be out chasing....and photographing!)

[wendellt]

Hi Melbournians

Are any of you guys and gals going to take adavantage of the many photographic opportunities being held at Federation square with events like the Fashion @ Fed Square initiative?

Showcasing new designers and models Last thursday of every month

this month september 29
spring racing, latest fashion and formal wear for the latest in race savvy fashion

day session exhibition & market
where: The Atrium at Federation Aquare
time: 12 noon to 5pm
FREE ENTRY

Evening session parade & exhibition
where: BMW edge at federation square
6pm to 8pm
cost $20
bookings: 9655 1900

I love melbourne and fashion wish i could attend but work does not permit me galavanting around especially on weekdays but for you lucky melbournians it's a great chance to shoot fashion parades which are very dynamic, exciting and a great learning experience to hone your photographic skills.

You guys should organize a meet to coincide with these events.

[camrak]

Hi!


For me 8 Oct. it's ok!
I will be happy if I meet somebody with NIKON this 8.10 saturday

[Aussie Dave]

Hi all
has anything been decided upon as yet ? It appears that Sat 8th is quite popular thus far. Would a Sunday (say Sun 9th) be out of the question, instead of a Saturday ?

Also, I am not sure about everyone's availability to personal transportation (ie. car), however I've thought of a few places which might be different to the standard Melbourne CBD shots:

- Geelong
- Dandenong Ranges
- Portsea (& back beaches)
- Werribee Gorge
- Mt Macedon/Hanging Rock

Quite a mix of places here and as they are all some distance from the CBD, I'm not sure how keen people would be to travel. If enough people with cars were interested, the group could always meet somewhere and carpool to the intended location.

Just a thought. I am hoping to make it but cannot confirm at this stage.

Anyone have thought on my ideas, or have other suggestions ?

[DaveB]

Sat 8th or Sun 9th should be OK either way for me.
I'm happy to travel a bit (hell, I drove to/from Dubbo to judge in a national comp last weekend and will be driving to Toowoomba soon!) and in fact will need to visit Geelong one day that weekend anyway.
Any of those locations would be fine for me and I could even give 1-2 people a lift from eastern-ish suburbs.

I've got my fingers crossed that my new tripod will have arrived by then!

[Deano]

I'm up for the Saturday or Sunday. A little travel is OK too.

Cheers
Dean

[meicw]

I can only come on the Sunday, as I work on Saturdays.

Regards
Meicw

[Nicole]

I think out of the city would be nice for a change. Another idea is Arthurs Seat (they have Seawinds Gardens there as well).

The Dandenongs might be a good one with the tulips, many gardens and of course wildlife/birds.

[resnikov]

The Dandenongs might be a good one with the tulips, many gardens and of course wildlife/birds.

Grants picnic ground in the Dandenongs has some really good birds and you can get really close ie they sit on you

[olrac]

Looks like an overwhelming response for the 8th.....

Where to go where to go????

The dandenongs are good
so is arthurs seat so long as you dont go on the chair lift......

[resnikov]

my vote is for the dandenongs cause then i can leave the wife and new-born with friends in the dandenongs whilst i go out

[PiroStitch]

No go for me anymore on Oct 8 Shoot, party and dinner = full day

[Alex]

No go for me either. Have something on on the 8th.

Alex

[DaveB]

Well it's now Tuesday, and the weekend will creep up on us soon.
Reading back through this thread there seem to be 8 people who've indicated interest in Saturday, so we should look at locking in a plan soon.

Does anyone have concrete ideas of where/when to meet? If it's going to be the Dandenongs, WHERE in the Dandenongs?

[DaveB]

Well it's now Tuesday, and the weekend will creep up on us soon.

<looks at watch>
<rings doorbell>

Hello?...... Anybody home?.....

<wanders off, muttering "I think they must be asleep">

[stormygirl]

G'day Dave,

I'm unfortunately out on Saturday morning, and I can't confirm anything for the arvo at this stage. There is also rain forecast for Saturday....still early so that may change!

Good luck, and yes, I think everyone is asleep!

[DaveB]

Indeed the forecast for Saturday is for "Rain periods", with the trend for Sunday onwards being "Rain at times." I'm certainly going to be out shooting on Saturday and probably Sunday too.

Of course, the rain does serve to clear the air for nice shooting with saturated colours in the "between" periods...

[joolz]

Sorry,
I have a wedding shoot on Saturday.
I might swing by if you all go to the Dandenongs (reception in Mt. Dandenong).

[olrac]

I now have an auction to attend on sat so I cant go....

Boy do I feel bad

[Aussie Dave]

I don't think this weekend was meant to be for a mini-meet !

I cannot make it either...

[DaveB]

Boy do I feel bad

Good, 'cos you started this!

As far as I'm concerned I'm not locked into Saturday. Sunday is an option also (although I want to drop into the camera swap meet in the morning).
I'm not locked into the Dandenongs either. We could do something low-key like a trip to Blackburn Lake Sanctuary on Sunday if that was easier for people.

But I think there are still 4 or so others who had expressed interest. I wonder how many of those will wake up and tell us they have Saturday commitments already.

[Nicole]

I don't have any commitments yet. However last night a friend of mine died of a heart attack so I'm not sure when the funeral will be. If that is not on the weekend it would be good to get out and think about something else! I'm still keen on the Dandenongs don't mind if we meet up somewhere else.

[PiroStitch]

I don't have any commitments yet. However last night a friend of mine died of a heart attack so I'm not sure when the funeral will be. If that is not on the weekend it would be good to get out and think about something else! I'm still keen on the Dandenongs don't mind if we meet up somewhere else.

Sorry to hear that Nicole.

I'm definitely out this weekend so no go from me.

[meicw]

Sunday is fine with me. One BIG problem. I dont have a car.

Regards
Meicw

[baboo]

So just to be clear ...

Have we decided on anything?

[DaveB]

Have we decided on anything?

Gawd no! What do you think we are: organised???

[Hudo]

Hi all,

Heading to Portland on Friday and will do the Great Ocean Rd thingy and have a swim wear shoot Sat in Portland. Sunday the same but in Melb but since that's not confirmed if you meet Sunday I'll come along.

Nicole, since I last saw you I now have some new glass. A 80~20 f2.8 and the 80~400VR you convinced me to buy but as yet not used it as it only arrived Tuesday.

Mark

[DaveB]

Well the weather forecast is now "Showers" for Saturday and "A few showers" for Sunday. With not many concrete suggestions forthcoming, I've decided my own plan is this:

On Sunday, go to Blackburn Lake Sanctuary after lunch (~1pm) for the afternoon. It's not far from Blackburn train station (a bit of a walk, but not miles-n-miles) and I'm sure we can pick people up from the station if required. There's scenery, birds, macro subjects and more, and there's a visitor centre with shelter at the northern carpark if necessary. If no other suggestion arises that's what I'll be doing, but if anyone cares to come up with a better plan (Saturday or Sunday) I reserve the right to change my mind.
For me Sunday morning will be at camera and computer swap meets.

Sad to hear your news Nicole. Hopefully we can provide some respite from the sad bits of life!

[baboo]

Hey Dave, I'll probably be there if that's the plan.

Any chance you'd be able to give my camera a clean prior to any shooting? I've ordered a cleaning kit from Quality Cameras but won't get it until next week.

[DaveB]

Sure - it won't take long.

[Nicole]

I may go up to the Dandenongs in the morning and then meet up with you guys after that. What is with this weather! Typical unpredictable spring I guess. My dad just came down from Qld today and it's 34 up there. In any case overcast weather will open up other opportunities.

[meicw]

That sounds good to me. What time etc? A lift from the station would be appreciated, but not essential. If a meeting point could be arranged, I can walk

Regards
Meicw

[kipper]

Just to let you know Nicole I went to Tessellars on Monday, $14 was a rip off imho. The area near the entrance had a lot of dead tulips as it's coming to the end. The fields still had quite a lot of tulips but it was very hard to get decent shots given the hilly terrain and lots of trees surrounding the farm.

I was trying for a similar style to Dees (FlipFrog) from the tulip festival he went to in America. However I couldn't get a perfect straight horizon with blue sky as the hills were all around

There are some fairly decent shots to try out with lines and stuff in the fields.

[Nicole]

Thank Darryl but I'm probably going to Sherbrooke to check out the birds and see if I can find any swamp wallabies.

[kipper]

Good luck. Let me know what you find in your outings bird wise.

[stormygirl]

No can do on Sunday either, Guy's. It's my Nephew's 3rd Birthday Party.....and of course Bathurst is on!

There's always next time......

Sorry to hear your news, Nicole, my thoughts are with you.

[DaveB]

Forecast for Melbourne Issued at 0505 on Saturday the 8th of October 2005

Saturday
Showers. Possible hail and thunder in the afternoon. Fresh west to
southwesterly winds developing in the afternoon.

Max 15

Sunday
A few showers, mostly morning. Min 9 Max 16

I'm planning to be at/near the visitor centre at the car park at the northern end of Blackburn Lake Sanctuary at 1:30pm on Sunday. I'll probably be bringing one other non-DLRUsers photographer also. Just look for people with cameras and tripods (the tripods will probably give it away) and use the magic password "DSLR Users".

If you want a mobile # for a contact just PM me.

[DaveB]

(reposted from old site)

In the end only myself, Hudo (and his daughter), and my brother-in-law turned up. In the end it wasn't a very photographically-productive afternoon, but we had a good gas-bag as we wandered around the park.
We had fun anyway - hopefully next time we'll see more faces...

The water level in the lake is significantly higher than it was on my previous visit. Most of the boardwalks are underwater:

[baboo]

G'day Dave, sorry, I had planned to turn up but as per usual, got caught up in something. Glad to hear that at least the conversation was good.

[Nicole]

I had no excuses.

I wasn't really in the mood for it but it's good to see you guys had a nice time despite the amount of water! Can't believe there is so much water.

[Hudo]

Hi,

I posted on the old site and looks like just b4 all the issues happened. Anyway, Dave thanks for organising the outing. Hopefully we'll have a few more members along to the next meet.

Mark