Members of the Sweetwater Camera Club and those who aspire to be members:

This Saturday, March 1st, those of you who are interested in participating in our first field trip of 2008 to Callaway Gardens, please meet at the Douglasville City Hall Parking lot at the corner of Church Street and Price Avenue in downtown Douglasville. (City hall is at 6695 Church St, Douglasville, GA 30134). We will be leaving to go to the Day Butterfly Center at Callaway Gardens at 7:15 A.M. The trip is about 76 miles and will take approximately 1.5 hours riding time. This day trip will last as long as people are willing to take photographs. We hope the event will remain loosely organized.

You may park at the City Hall parking lot and hitch or share a ride with others. This parking lot is right next to the Douglasville Police Station as well as right across from City Hall.

Here are the particulars: We will be carpooling-- so if you can provide rides for more than yourself, please feel free to offer someone else a ride.  Norma and I will be taking our Dodge Caravan Minivan which holds 7 people and all their gear. So far, we know of three others who will be riding with us, so we can carry two more. There will be others driving, and a few people will meet us at Callaway rather than traveling to City Hall first. 

When we get to Callaway Gardens, we will try to meet up as a group just outside the gates so we can attempt to qualify for a group discount. The fee to get into Callaway is $13 per person. The group discount, if we qualify, is $10.80 per person. The estimated time of arrival is 9 a.m. The park opens at 9 a.m. coincidentally.

If you would like to discover more about Callaway Gardens, visit http://www.callawaygardens.com

For those of you who have paid your dues for this year, Bravo! You will need to bring at least $13 to get in and money for lunch. Lunch will be handled individually, so you may bring your own or eat at the Gardens Restaurant (might be more expensive than outside the park) inside the park, or find some other suitable eatery outside the gates. These field trips will always be loosely organized to maximize people’s enjoyment and freedom while minimizing the complexities.

For those of you who haven’t paid your annual dues of $18 per person or $30 per family, our treasurer Jim Gardner will be on hand . . .
For anyone who would like to make this excursion their first visit to the Sweetwater Camera Club, you can join on the spot and go with us.

Although the fieldtrip committee hasn’t specifically adopted a policy about guests, I will go out on a limb here and say that if you want or need to bring a guest with you and you are a member, your guest is welcome so long as you both have transportation and understand that photographers require patient companions. There’s nothing worse for a photographer than to take an impatient person along on a shoot. However, we do want everyone to have an enjoyable time, and we might just recruit some new members while we are at it.

Callaway Gardens does not allow tripods or monopods inside the Butterfly Exhibit. Please adjust your shooting techniques and equipment selection accordingly. However, you may use tripods and monopods elsewhere.

After we spend our time in the Day Butterfly Center, there are other things to see and photograph in the Callaway Gardens area. For example, there are lakes, a Discovery Center and amphitheater, trails, and other activity areas. It may be a little early for wild flowers, although there are some already coming up in yards here in the Atlanta area, so you might find some there. Here is what their website has to say:
“Daily admission to Callaway Gardens includes the Virginia Hand Callaway Discovery Center, Day Butterfly Center, Sibley Horticultural Center, Mr. Cason's Vegetable Garden, Callaway Brothers Azalea Bowl, Overlook Garden, Discovery Bicycle Trail, Pioneer Log Cabin, Ida Cason Callaway Memorial Chapel, nature trails and daily programs.”

This is a great opportunity to practice your Macro Photography skills and amplify your own photo inspirations. We have created a photo album area on the Sweetwater Camera Club forum where you can upload some of your best photos of the day for others to study and admire. More information about how to do that will be forthcoming. Also, the next photo contest at the monthly meeting on March 13th will include the field trip category – Callaway Gardens and any images taken during this field trip. 

Just a reminder-- that field trips are the perfect opportunity to learn from your fellow photographers. Sometimes just a few good helpful tips or a glimpse at someone else’s photo equipment can make a big difference in the directions you choose for your art and craft in the future.

So, we will see those of you who wish to attend either at the City Hall or at Callaway on Saturday. Please let us know if you are planning to attend and where you plan to meet us all. You may log into the forum to leave your registration information or respond by emailing Richard Nichols or call 404-210-5985.