Hello, Digital Image Makers, Graphic Artists, and Videographers . . .

This Thursday evening, October 16th you are invited to attend an informal “visual extravaganza” here in Douglasville. It’s Digital Image Group time again!

What: Digital Image Group Meeting – 6th meeting ever
When: 6:30 P.M. till we are done (you don’t have to be on time and you can leave when you need to go). Thursday evening, October 16^th  (that’s the day after tomorrow!) and every third Thursday of the month from here till eternity.
Where: St. Julian’s Episcopal Church Parish Hall, 5400 Stewart’s Mill Road, Douglasville GA 301350
Why: Because people with digital still and video cameras, computers, graphics and image manipulation/editing  software need a place to meet, share their knowledge and see what other people are doing in the visual arts. If you desire, you may also show your own images, designs and digital videos to the audience, get some feedback and participate in the discussions.

Admission is Free. A donation of $1 is accepted but not required. Any money collected goes to pay for the rental of the Parish Hall and for a few office supplies and miscellaneous expenses.

Part 1 starts at 6:30 and runs until 8 p.m. It will consist of shorter presentations and discussions.
Part 2 is a 20 minute informal social break from 8 p.m. until 8:20 p.m. -- Chat with participants and attendees. Bring your camera, accessories, prints etc. and ask questions, meet new people, make some friends.
Part 3 starts at 8:20 p.m. and remains open-ended: it goes until the last person has presented. Longer presentations and demonstrations are usually presented later in the evening during Part 3. You may leave at any time, once you reach “information overload” status. Everyone who wants to show their work will get the opportunity, so there is no formal ending time—as long as the presenters and audience last. This is your chance to enjoy visual arts in a highly condensed discussion group.

If your schedule won’t allow you to make it to part 1, plan on coming to part 2 or 3 of the evening or any time in-between.

Bring as many of your images to show as you can fit into 10 to 12 minutes, or bring videos up to 12 minutes in length. We give you the floor for your 10 minutes of fame. At the 10 minute mark, a chime will sound and you have 2 more minutes to wrap it up. A few presentations may last longer depending upon the need and interest of the presenter and group.

Don’t have anything you want to show? Come watch what other people have to show and participate in the discussions. Bring guests or your whole family if you like. If they get restless you can leave at any time.

The Digital Image Group here in Douglasville/Douglas County is all about seeing the variety of work by local  visual and multimedia artists, and showing some of your own digital creations to an enthusiastic audience. DIG promotes “visual education,  entertainment, discussions, social interaction and presentations to a live audience.” The audience and presenters range from beginners thru intermediate and advanced amateurs, up to and including career professionals who make their living with photography and video in this area. Presentations consist of images, videos, software and equipment demonstrations, image making techniques, tips and tricks.

DIG does not promote contests —The Sweetwater Camera Club is an excellent venue for this activity and we encourage you to check out both groups. We will be happy to put you on the SCC mailing list as well. It meets the second Thursday of each month in the same building as DIG. A number of people in this area are members of both groups. Eventually DIG will promote educational classes and courses in the visual arts. The SCC promotes lectures by semi-pro and professional photographers, contests and field trips as well as gallery shows.

Digital Image Group is dedicated to finding out where you are in your visual arts journey – to give you a place to show your work easily, then motivate and help you to develop your unique vision. Show, Tell, Listen, Learn, Discuss, Collaborate.

Bring  your images and digital videos on a CD or DVD, jump drive or digital film chip—we have a multi-card reader. We project your work up on a 9 foot wide screen. You may also bring prints to show everyone.

Bring some refreshments if you like . . . for yourself or enough for some others. We can always use beverages, ice & cups. Eventually we will get this portion of the meeting better organized.

DIG is open to people of all ages. Show up for an evening of visual enjoyment and learning.

Just like this email, DIG is a flow of consciousness, a visual run-on sentence. You can project your images, talk about your work and get some audience discussion going. If you are a beginner, you belong in this group. If you are advanced, you should come prepared to show others what you know and what you are learning. Bring your camera equipment, laptop computer, photo album, prints—whatever visual arts you are into.  

It’s O.K. if you haven’t made a decent image recently . . . our goal is to motivate and stimulate you to start creating again and keep on, to find out what moves you inside and go for it. If you have been making images for years, this is a way to display some of your work and teach others about your methods and goals.

Whether you are a beginner, intermediate or advanced image maker, an artist, an illustrator, graphic designer, amateur or professional photographer, we hope you will join this harmonious group of life-long learners.  The concept of the group is very simple, very informal and we will do our best to keep it pleasant and well focused.

To become a member, all you have to do is show up. That makes you a member.

If you have further questions, don’t hesitate to call me at 404-210-5985. If you can’t make it to this month’s meeting, plan to come next month, Thursday, November 20^th. 

Our corporate sponsors include:

Tim Collins, the publisher of the Chapel Hill News & Views, who is providing magazine space and printing to show our work to an audience of 40,000 or more and help us attract talented visual artists in this area while we entertain the masses.

The Douglas County Chamber of Commerce are sponsors through their support of our activities and ongoing promotion of the DIG organization.

Gene Spicer of Cartridge World-Lithia Springs provides a number of special services to this group. His company sells some of the best and longest lasting printer cartridges money can buy.

Jerry Leath of The Great Frame-Up provides special frame pricing for anyone associated with DIG. If you need framing, go see The Great Frame-Up on Highway 5 in the Publix Shopping Center.

Norma and Richard Nichols of Art on Disk Corporation are providing the computer and video equipment, publicity, website and marketing labor to help make this group successful.

An anonymous sponsor provides the projection equipment.

And best of all, our friends at St. Julian’s Episcopal Church are providing us the place to meet. We thank them for their service to us and to this community.

We are open to other corporate sponsorships. This group will be independent of any other arts or photographic organizations so that it can maintain its autonomy and find its own direction.

Come join our monthly visual arts celebration! Hope to see you there!

Richard