Leader News & Updates

• By Brian Stevens (0)

• More fun on Flickr and Deadlines

  Posted October 3, 2011

  Hey everyone,

  It was wonderful meeting you all on the walk! I always enjoy meeting other local photographers with so much passion and creative vision. I can’t think of a better way to spend a beautiful Saturday in October!

  Now let’s keep the fun going on the Des Moines Worldwide Photo Walk flickr group (http://www.flickr.com/groups/wwpw_dsm/)! The group is public for viewing but you have to become a member to post (Jeremy and I will keep an eye on the moderation queue for quick member approvals). Here you can post images from the walk, chat about the walk or post fun ideas and questions! We love interaction and this allows both Des Moines walks to share with each other. For anyone who isn’t a member of flickr don’t worry it’s free, easy to sign up and even easier to navigate. I look forward to seeing you all there and viewing all the wonderful images from the day! I’m pretty sure you’ll be seeing some fun images from Jared there too!

  Just a quick reminder that you need to submit your one image for prize consideration on this page (http://worldwidephotowalk.com/walk/des-moines-ia-united-states/) by October 7th, 12 PM EDT. We’ll be then picking the local winner by the 10th! Look for more details on the flickr page and there is a timeline on the main Worldwide Photo Walk website.!

  Thank you again for a wonderful walk,
  Brian

• Posted September 30, 2011

  First of all, I would like to thank ALL of you who have signed-up for the walk. I can’t believe what a great turn out both Des Moines walks and Iowa in general has had.

  I hope everyone is excited for the photo walk tomorrow! I walked the route today and I think we’ll have some great things to photograph! Remember this is not a race, there isn’t any prize for finishing first and there is no shame in being the last one there either. This is just a great chance to make some new friends that share the same interests, start thinking more creatively and hopefully have some great photographs to share (I will admit though that I would love for someone from Des Moines to win the grand prize though)!

  Please check the city photo walk page for any updates (http://worldwidephotowalk.com/walk/des-moines-ia-united-states/). Also check out the main photo walk page to test your login before tomorrow and for additional insights at the bottom (http://worldwidephotowalk.com/). The start time is still 10:00 AM and I expect to be there at least 15 minutes early. We’ll meet inside the lobby at the Art 316 building (316 SW 5th). We will have a quick “chat” before taking off and hopefully this will give anyone running late or lost a chance to make it. Should you find yourself late or lost please don’t hesitate to call me (515-229-8409).

  I will have name tags so you won’t have to try and remember everyone’s name each time you address them. I will also have a general map of the route but I will tell you there are some spots where I’ll let you choose (such as the alley route or around the block by sidewalk… just little detours). The map is really to show the basic route so anyone not familiar with downtown can find their way back and to help so you don’t have to feel glued to the group at every second.

  Okay, down to business…I thought I’d like to share with you some tips and reminders for the walk:

  * Wear comfortable clothing – we’re going to WALK, so wear something comfortable (i.e. shorts, rubber shoes, etc).
  * Watch out for the weather – So far the weather looks to be great please make sure you wear sunscreen if necessary and help keep any eye on your fellow walkers since we will be out in the sun. I don’t want to see anyone hurt from sun exposure. There doesn’t look to be any chance of rain but should you want to be extra prepared and if you don’t have a rain cover then a large gallon ziplock (with the zipper) baggie does a great job to cover the camera or lens also small kitchen garbage bags can come in handy for rain protection.
  * Food / Snacks – You might get hungry during the walk. Just remember that we’re still doing a photo walk, you might end up eating and not shooting anything.
  * Water – I would recommend bringing a bottle of water during the walk.
  * Think Safety – I can’t stress this enough, watch your gear all the time and be sure to secure your cell phones and wallets, that way you still have some money to buy coffee or muffins after the walk.
  * Remember to walk in pairs or in groups – This is a social event. Get to know new people. We’ll definitely see some familiar faces in the group, but it doesn’t hurt to go with someone you don’t know and get to know them. I will be trying to generally keep the group together but some will be faster than others and we are all adults.
  * Help others – We’ll be having a mixture of experience during the walk. There are some experienced/professional photographers, so this might be your opportunity to learn from them. For the experienced/professional ones – it’s always good to lend a helping hand and remember that you are never too good to learn a new trick and sometimes going back to basics can be a good thing.
  * Shooting Reminder: Make sure to watch other photographers. Don’t get in their way while they’re shooting and let’s keep “over the shoulder” shooting to a minimum please. We can all find interesting things to shoot or different ways to shoot the same scene.
  * Finally, HAVE FUN! That’s the most important thing. Mingle with the group, get to know everyone. It’s going to be a fun day and we’ll all have a chance to share our photos after the walk.

  WHAT TO BRING:

  1. First, your camera. That’s the most important thing. Don’t forget it. Don’t have an SLR? That’s okay! Just bring whatever camera you have. Make sure your batteries are charged and you have enough memory cards to capture the world around you.
  2. Lenses – Bring 1 or 2 lenses… generally a wide and a zoom lens would be good so that you can cover a lot of things. It really depends on how you usually shoot, but as much as possible, I’d advise you to travel light.
  3. Bag – If you have a bag that doesn’t scream ‘Hey, I’m a camera bag’, use it. That way, it doesn’t draw too much attention. What if you have camera bags like Lowepro that has a rain cover (I do)? I guess that’s an exception to the rule, especially if it rains.
  4. Tripod – I leave this up to you. There might be some nice scenes that you might get a benefit from this but given the time of day/light/etc I know I won’t be bringing mine. Don’t forget to bring your cable release if you will bring your tripod or set the timer. Just make sure your tripod is light enough so you won’t be carrying something heavy. You don’t want to be running back to your car halfway through the walk if you don’t have to.
  5. Monopod – Mine might make an appearance.
  6. Batteries – Make sure they are charged

  What happens after the walk?
  Well we socialize at West End which has great coffee and a wonderful atmosphere. After that you upload your best image to the city site if you want to be considered in the contest. From there I will be picking the winner to go on towards competing for the grand prize. The grand prize winner and honorable mentions will be announced on the Worldwide Photo Walk web site. There are instructions on the dashboard (after logging in) on how to upload your images after the walk. We’ll talk about this a little more after the walk at West End Architectural Salvage. So again… test out those logins!
  I’ll see you all tomorrow,
  Brian

• Email coming soon

  Posted September 30, 2011

  I just wanted to send a quick note to let everyone know to look for an email with all the walk details around 7 or so tonight. We have had a fair amount of last minute sign ups today (3 in the last hour or so) so I want to try to catch the most amount of walkers without having to send multiple messages. As a note I also will be posting each email as an update to the walk page because I don’t always trust that emails through the photo walk system go through.

  My wife and I did walk the route today one more time and it’s long but lots of great photo ops! Also the West End is reach and anxious for our group at the end.

  So keep an eye on you inbox for something around 7.

  Thanks,
  Brian

• Posted September 26, 2011

  Are you excited for this years Worldwide Photo Walk… I know I am! Just 5 days and we’ll have to drag ourselves all out of bed for a nice morning walk (not normally a morning person but for you guys I’ll make an exception).

  Keep an eye out for an email Thursday or Friday (I don’t want to send too early and miss too many late signups) with some hints/tips for the walk, suggestions on what to bring, etc. Also in that email will be my cell phone number should you be a little late and need to catch up! We’ll be starting at the studio and then keeping it a little more urban for this walk ending at West End… I was tempted to start there for the coffee!

  This will be a really great time and I look forward to meeting all of you and seeing some great images. Photo Walks are a great way of expanding your creativity by looking at your everyday world in a different light (something we can always bring into day to day photography). Couple that with seeing how other photographers look at a scene and you have a recipe for great imagery and learning.

  As a reminder make sure if you have friends that want to participate that we get them signed up ASAP and if they can’t make the morning walk then by all means catch the night walk (http://worldwidephotowalk.com/walk/des-moines-ia-united-states-east-village/). If you can’t make it on the walk (which sucks but I know things come up) then please let us know as soon as possible and we can clear your space so that others might have the opportunity to join.

  So keep an eye out for that email and I look forward to seeing you all very soon!

Comments for this walk 4 Responses to “Des Moines, IA United States”

1. Jerry Ranch says:

   October 2, 2011 at 2:08 pm

   Thanks for the great walk Brian

   Reply
2. Debbie Bates says:

   October 2, 2011 at 8:21 pm

   Enjoyed an interesting walk. Will plan for next year if possible.

   Reply
3. Julie Ten Kley says:

   October 4, 2011 at 6:27 pm

   I will be doing this next year! Thanks Brian for a great route.

   Reply
4. Jerry Ranch says:

   October 7, 2011 at 8:50 pm

   don’t we get to see what our fellow DSM walkers uploaded??

   Reply