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The Morro Photo Expoby Jerry KirkhartAbout 18 months ago, John Sorgenfrie and Phil May approached Morro Bay Mayor, Janice Peters, and Morro Bay Chamber of Commerce CEO, Peter Candela, with an idea designed to enhance the self-perception of the Morro Bay community. John owns TJA Advertising, which handles the marketing for Morro Bay Tourism. Phil, a retired television writer and producer, moved to Morro Bay some six years ago. In his words, "Conservation is forcing us to redefine our community. Our greatest resources are in our natural beauty. . . the beach, ocean, wildlife, flora, fauna, protected harbor, waves, open-ocean accessibility, and a welcoming community. So why not shine a spotlight on those assets? They represent our cause for local pride. For most of us, they are our reasons for living here." John’s and Phil's idea in creating the Morro Photo Expo, was to establish an annual event designed to celebrate the area’s natural beauty. Phil goes on to say that, "It [the Expo] represents a future of clean tourism, appreciative visitors, and economic benefit. In the Morro Bay area, one can point a camera in any direction and capture beauty." A goal of the Expo is to teach photographers about the area and their photographic equipment, enabling them to improve their imaging processing skills in an ideal location where so many photographic opportunities prevail. The event will be using the Community Center, Veterans' Memorial Building , Morro Bay State Park Museum of Natural History, and many local photography "hot spots." The Expo has expanded with the aid of a board of directors, which has been meeting for several months, and has evolved into an exciting event. The board consists of: Phil May, Dawn Beattie, Garry Johnson, Howard Ignatius, Ed Cox, Janice Peters, and Jerry Kirkhart. The website (Morrophoto.com), developed by Stu Helmintoller, describes the leaders, the events, and the many choices of activities. It is suggested interested parties bookmark the site, as more events will be added as the Expo evolves and improves. The Expo will take place on October 23rd, 24th, and 25th, 2009. A visit will give web surfers all the information required to get a sense of the events and the classes offered. Once you have navigated around the site, you need to register ASAP because the price is going to increase at the end of July from $75 to $99. Early registration will ensure the early bird price for those classes and activities capturing your particular interests. Even after July 31st, the price is still very, very reasonable for such an event. The first two days offer many events, classes, and activities supervised by several excellent leaders. (All are described on the website). If you are a beginner or an advanced photographer, there is an event for you. Participants will enjoy meeting like-minded photographers, while learning photographic techniques from highly regarded experts, many of whom are published. These workshops, tours, and classes are for smaller groups of photographers and will be providing hands-on guidance. You will get to try what you have been taught, so bring your cameras, tripods, etc. Then on Sunday, October 25th, George Lepp will anchor The Expo with a full-day workshop entitled "Fulfilling the Promise of Digital." For those who may not have heard of George, he is one of North America's best-known contemporary outdoor and nature photographers. His keynote all-day seminar promises to be a real treat for everyone and is included in the price of The Expo. Note that The Morro Photo Expo is an excellent compliment to the Morro Bay Winter Bird Festival held early in January, as our goal is to improve camera techniques for that event. I want to thank the Board for their input in contributing to this article.
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