Rash of Camera thefts in Salt Lake City

We just got this information from a local photographer. 
I’ve been warned of this recently by SLC police while on a location shoot as well.  I didn’t know it was so well organized.

Hey Everyone,
 
In the last 2 months there have been a record number of cameras that have been stolen out of the cars of photographers. It looks as though there is a very organized ring of theives that are targeting the SL Temple and Downtown area. Here’s what we know so far. There are scouts that find the photographer and will follow them to their car. They then text the description of the vehicle and location to a driver who is already on the road. The photographers is then followed to their next stop and within a couple of minutes of stopping the gear is stolen.
If the car has been locked with a remote, the code is picked up and they get in. If the car is locked traditionally they use a screw driver and punch out the lock.
So far I have identified 9 photographers who have been targeted and lost everything. KSL did a story on the this and had their camera stolen right after finishing the interview at Pictureline.   KTVX had one of their cameras stolen during a lunch stop at Tony Caputos downtown. 
The stolen gear is not showing up on ebay, ksl or Craigslist. I believe after my research that there is an underground society of meth users where the stolen property is not fenced in the usual fashion but rather bartered among themselves and then eventually taken out of state. 
 
1. Insure your equipment
2. Take your CF cards with you
3. Be very aware of your surroundings and take note of anyone who might be watching
Feel free to contact me with any information. You can also speak to Christopher Krause at Pictureline.
 
Thanks,

Skip 

Skip Huntress Photography 
http://www.skiphuntress.com
huntressphoto@hotmail.com 
801-299-1166

IPPA Followup (late)

Wayne Gillman and I manned a table at the IPPA annual convention October 27th.

 Met some neat photographers and answered lots of questions about usage rights contracts and the like.  12 people added their emails to our email list as well.

Feedback continues to be positive regarding more business oriented classes and that will continue to be our focus for the coming year.

Questions, comments and volunteers always welcome and appreciated.

 

S

Blake Discher seminar

Blake’s seminar was great.  Very informative.  Looks like more clients are seeking unlimited usage these days and this trend will likely continue to grow.

We had over 20 members, nonmembers and students show up.

 

More of these events in the works for 2010 so get on our email list if you want to know what’s coming up.

S

IPPA Annual Convention

I know this is short notice.  IPPA is having their annual convention this Saturday thru Tuesday.

Info here.

We are being offered two for one discounted admission for ASMP members.  Register here.

Looks like some interesting speakers and information.

 

Stephen

New Website

We have the go ahead to start on our new chapter website. 

YaHoo!

If there is anyone interested in helping out (especially if you know Druple) shoot me an email.  We need a few more hands to get things moving by years end.

We will be building it with the backend of the new ASMP.org site.  So things will look similar.  Content is customized by our chapter and I hope to add features like a calendar and other chapter specific info.

Once completed, this will be the jumping off point for promoting  Chapter photographers/resources and Utah as a commercial photography destination.  There are a few opportunities we have to do marketing to the western US, including the west coast, at little cost to the chapter.

I need a few people to assist with this as well.

So sorry for the gaps in updates.  We have alot of good things to come and, hopefully, revenue to generate.

 

Thanks

Stephen

Dick Durrance Event

Yikes!

Been a while since I’ve updated you all.  Lots to catch up on.

First things first.  We had a great evening with Dick Durrance last nite.  Over 60 people attended the event we held in conjunction with Pictureline.  He is a wonderful, dynamic speaker with a rich photographic carrer.

A reminder that we have Blake Discher speaking about negotiating with clients on November 4th.

More news to come on lots of things.

Stephen

What your board is up to

We have a few things on the horizon.

There is another seminar in the works for June.  Jey Kinghorn, one of our newly relocated members , will be giving a seminar on post production and workflow.  Details still in the works.  Jay is a digital imaging and color management consultant as well as a sponsored Olympus photographer.  Should be a great time.

As several emails from national have mentioned, the asmp.org site is being completely redesigned.  as part of this effort, chapters can choose to creat  their own site from the templates and database the new national site will provide.  We are looking to implement this option for a few reasons.  Members will have one profile and portfolio to manage instead of two.  The look and feel of the site will mirror nationals, keeping us looking contemporary.  It will also reduce the chapters back end maitainence  and give us added tech support.

At the Bradshaw leadership conference, I was informed of an offer from AdBase.  They will provide a mailing list of photography buyers for our region for one year, at no charge (!).  The conditions stipulate that the list be used solely for promoting the chapter, not individual members.  I’m still getting a handle on details, but it is a great opportunity to promote all of us and to generate some more work.

Another reason to spruce up the chapter website.  This is still several months out as far as being operational.  updating our individual site would also be a good idea.  I’ll post updates on going live as I get them. 

 

That’s it for now.

As always, you input is appreciated.

S

What we are up to

We, the board and I, have been spending much of our time with fairly boring nuts and bolds things in our first few months.  Next week I’ll post information on some of the projects we are working on…

The Utah sales tax audit has taken up a bit of time as you might imagine.

I’m hoping for an update on that soon as well.

 

S

Regarding the Scott Highton Petition

I’ll keep this short. 

I’ve signed the petition for his removal from ASMP.  I agree with all included in the email sent today.  Having met and interacted with almost every board member and many staff members at the Bradshaw leadership conference in February, I find almost all of what Scott is saying or implying to be false.

It is a huge drain on all of our time and resources.

So if you agree with the petition, please sign it.  And if you don’t, let National know as well.  This is an unpleasant task and our leadership needs to know where as many of us stand as possible to make a good decision.

 

Thanks

Stephen

Taking Control of your Career Housing

I’m opening up comments on this post to facilitate housing for those coming from out of town.  So if you need a place or can put up a fellow member, please add a comment.

Start you post with Needed or Available to make searching easier.  Then put in all pertinent info.

Thanks

S