Clubroom Improvements

[John]

We are now in a position to consider what improvements may be needed in the clubrooms and would welcome your input.

We have invested in a new Projection Screen, spearheaded by the group on members who tested out the alternatives for us. This will be fitted tomorrow, ready for the first Monthly Competition on Thursday.

We are currently in the process of obtaining a radio mike system to assist those who are finding judges and lecturers hard to hear.

More of the good black seated chairs seems an obvious choice as we are now often running close to capacity.

Please think of what improvements you would like to see. Suggest them here in this thread, or speak to any committee member and let's have a proper feel for where you think we can improve our club.

No promises that everything can be done, but we'll do our best!

[Brian]

One thing I thought of last night though I think it would be more a community or clean up night is to give the alley a bit of a tidy .. or is this not our re-mit ? .. I know there was a larger amount of glass bottles outside adaps last night than normal ...

For the club room .. I think maybe getting some newer books .. maybe on more general subjects like those "great places to visit in the UK" type of things or city guides maybe .. also the cabinets and or the book shelf could do with something happenig .. even if its just being moved ....

The chairs, as mentioned by Len is a good idea too, they could be sorted ..

Maybe getting some new frames for the old archive photos and get osme back on the walls .. also getting some of the really good ones from recent years and get them framed too .. for the future archives ....

[John]

Replacement roll black backdrop.

[bert haddock]

Hi Folks,
As white is the background used for most family and portrait images a white roll background would be a usefull addtion to the colours already in the clubroom.
Bert.

[Theo Dibbits]

You asked.

1 Pictures. And I do not mean a bunch of prints that folk have forgotten to pick up over the last couple of years.
We need a picture gallery that shows the work of the club over the past 12 months or so. I know that there is a chance that the pictures may get slightly damp but that is better then gathering dust on top of the cupboard or under the bed. Maybe we can use the pictures used for the external battles etc.
Can the pictures entered for the projected competitions be put on a continues slideshow (without a lot of work) and at least once more be projected say from 7.30 onwards?

2 Balance the heating system. Whilst folk under the rotisserie are stripping off Joe is shivering in the back. If need be we will have to increase the insulation in the back and maybe install some additional heating. Can the overhead grill elements be controlled individually?

3 With the club growing and winter coming up the club room is getting very congested.(long may it last) Adding chairs will help with the seating but will make moving around even more difficult. Maybe there are ways to utilise the space between the main room and the toilets better. Switching the entrance round would give more space at the back.
If any one can come up with a better solution to the projection table complete with all the cabling etc it would be great because it really is an obstacle. (overhead mount?)

Theo

[Cookie]

I think thats a defo Len.
Could it even be moved further back into the space behind to give a little bit more space in the main part of the clubroom..... Major work I know.

Glenys

[John]

Could it even be moved further back into the space behind to give a little bit more space in the main part of the clubroom..... Major work I know.

That is unfortunately not possible as the wall with the hatch is the outside wall of the original building. The rest is an extension and of a totally different fabric to the main building.

Improvements to the kitchen though can happily be added to the list.

[Paul Jones]

Hi Folks,
As white is the background used for most family and portrait images a white roll background would be a usefull addtion to the colours already in the clubroom.

Our members seem to be wanting to do more studio work and are visiting other studios such as C Studios in Wigan and ARC, Preston.

If we have funds available, I'd like to see the club buy a decent 3 head studio lighting kit - Bowens preferably or Elinchrom - together with light shaping modifiers (softboxes, snoot, barndoors, grid, gels).

To go with this, I'd suggest a roll of white and a roll of black background paper.

The club's Portaflash kit can be kept and used for additional effect lighting (eg backgrounds).


This kit can then be used to perhaps form the basis for an ongoing series of ADAPS Studio Photography Workshops, which I don't mind helping with.

[lenh]

Hi all
For many years the club has had a set of amatuer flash heads, I think that we have out grown these now with a growing number of new members wanting to try studio photography. My surgestion is the purchase of a good set of semi pro studio flash heads (Elichrom or Bowens), as Paul said these can be purchased as a set of three at a resonable price from some supliers. If perchance further funds were avaliable the purchace of further chairs to match our existing chairs would be an advantage & the ditching of some more of our bent steel & plastic chairs, which we seem to have a in spades, making room avaliable in the rear of our rooms. The comfort & inprovement of equipment for our members would seem a logical use of spare funds.
Len Hudson - president

[John]

Thank you for the ideas so far.

Keep these flowing as this list will be printed off for the committee to discuss in October.

Committee members: you may have gathered some ideas in verbally. Either bring them along to the committee meeting to add to this list, or add them here now so we're sure nothing gets missed.

[Alan Duckworth]

Cleaning up the entry, as previously suggested, is a good idea, it would cost nothing, other than perhaps a couple of large stiff brushes, and a shovel or two. I've done it before, with our existing brush, it did not last, but it got rid of the broken glass that was strewn everywhere. (we were parking on the entry then!)
Another thing that comes to mind, is the grid near the door. On clean up night I cleared bottles from it, but was unable to clear it any further, because of lack of stout rubber gloves. I mentioned that I would bring then the following week, but a fellow member pointed out the dangers of plunging into the unknown - viz - discarded needles by junkies, nutters etc. Something needs doing with it, as it floods when it rains. Alan D.

[Andrew Shepherd]

I certainly support comments around studio lighting/backdrops. Given the size of the clubroom there is a great opportunity to create a better studio set-up, which I know members can already use if they bring their own lighting, etc. I'd be more than happy to contribute for the private use of the studio too and, like Paul says, we could arrange more studio workshops (which are always well attended).

I appreciate there is a cost to setting this up, but I think we could recover the money from hiring it out to members/workshops and I think it will also help to attract more members.

Andrew

[markculshaw]

Could we possibly have outdoor lighting installed at the side of the club room, as during the winter months the alleyway is virtually pitch black. Lights could be controlled via a timer.

i agree with Theo's suggestion about the heating and also bert's and paul's suggestions re the backdrops and studio sessions. We could hold regular studio workshops (fashion,glamour etc) which the club could charge a nominal fee for the revenue generated from these sessions could then fund future club improvements, so the more our members use the facilities the more goes into the pot.

- just a thought

[Tracey McGovern]

Hi

A couple of members asked me to add the following suggestions to the list, although these have already been mentioned, it's good to see the ideas reinforced by other members:

1. Replace the rotissary heaters with something that will warm the room gently rather than scorch the faces of the people sat under them . Hallogen heaters were suggested although I don't know how effective these are and neither did the suggestee - maybe this could be something we can look into.
2. Proper studio lighting, soft boxes etc - this seems to be a popular suggestion.
3. Black and white paper rolls for studio work.
4. Get rid of the mis-matched tables, cupboards etc and have something that looks a bit more modern and matching.
5. More chairs.

I personally think that having some kind of studio set up is a great idea and Mark and Andrew have some good points about it paying for itself and more by allowing members to hire the club with the set up. I know that Wigan Studio is very popular and there's not much too it there, I'm sure we could do something similar, maybe utilise the back area (as you walk through to the toilets) a bit better for this kind of thing.

Tracey

[John]

Thanks Len, Tom and I are visiting the supplier in the morning.