Emerald Bay Photo News and Updates

Thanks to all the contributors, participants, and bringers of delicious food items, the First Ever Bend Slideluck Potshow last Friday was a resounding success!

Far more people than expected showed up (a random count put the number around 25 - when at most 15 were expected) - standing, crouching, and squishing themselves into the cozy living room at our host Matt Preusch's house to catch a glimpse of the outstanding eye candy so many contributors served up.

And they've proven once again, that we photographers really aren't solitary creatures, but rather beings who become social under the correct circumstances - such as having the possibility to talk shop with a peer, ogle someone else's work, or simply feast on free food and drink in combination with all of the above.

A few special thanks go out to these folks:
1. To Matt and Diane, who so graciously and generously hosted the event in their home. I hope no red wine was spilled ... ;-) ... and to Matt for bringing the idea down from Seattle in the first place ...
2. To Tom Merrow, without whom this event would not have been possible, for he provided the hard-to-find digital projector that allowed everyone to show their work (and in addition, he even wowed us with his beautiful work).
3. To everybody who brought food and drink. This potluck rocked! I've hardly ever been to one that furnished so much delicious and various foods.
4. And finally to Sol Neelman who let me fondle his brandnew, 2-day old Canon 1Ds Mark II, and provided the evening's most memorable quote:

Rob Kerr to Sol: "So have you broken her in yet?" (referring to Sol's new camera)
Sol (grinning) to Rob: "Yeah. I popped her cherry at a news conference yesterday."

- proving once again, that (male) photographers don't view their cameras as mere work tools, but rather as .... uhhh ... companions.

Equally surprising was also that most folks dished their images up in digital form. Which was damn lucky for me - for my old and trusty Sawyers Rotomatic 600 A slide projector of course picked this very day to croak ...

So to wrap it all up: Slideluck Potshow rules! Suggestions for next time's date and place are being taken now (email them to me). We're also looking for a fitting theme - something photographers can (but don't have to) abide by when selecting slides for their show. It can be nature-related, travel, political, whatever. Again, email me for suggestions.