6^th PENTAX DAY (PART II)

This year there were more pictures on display than in past years and also their quality was better. The contest saw many pictures nominated from different authors. Members who exhibited their pictures were Bafico, Baghino, Bertozzi, Bonazza, Chesi, D’Amicis, Franchino, Ianeselli, Lastrucci, Moriglioni, and Romano. The number of authors didn’t increase over past editions; it was the average quantity of pictures for each author that grew.

A landscape color image by Maurizio Bertozzi prevailed in the photo contest dedicated to the late Luciano Nustrini. Maurizio’s pictures were digital prints made by him, and that’s sign of changing times.

The quiz introduced a change, in order to help participation: Dario wanted to make our life easier and suggested three possible answers from which you had to choose the right one for each question. The winner was Gianfranco Chesi, which hit 17 questions out of 20.

It is likely I had the most pleasant task for this year’s Pentax Day, since I had to select the models at Milan agencies. The allowed me the opportunity to learn the model agency world. At the end I relied on First, one of the most important agencies in Milan. I saw ten girls from which I chose Isabell, a Hungarian blonde girl and Gloriana, a brunette from Sicily. As usual, we had vintage cars. Due to limited outdoor space, we had to show just three of them. There were three British two-seaters of the Sixties: a green MG Midget, a white Morgan and a red Triumph TR3, thus making the Italian tricolor. Assisted by photographer Maurizio Marani and Diana, Dario’s exuberant sister, those present could start to shoot the girls either outdoor with the cars or indoor at Manfrotto area up to lunchtime.

The lavish buffet offered by Protege was served outdoor under the shadow of very large beach umbrellas and was obviously very appreciated by everybody.

I was at lunch with models and Sandro Iovine, editor of "Il Fotografo" photo magazine, with which our club has started to work with. On that occasion I asked his impressions about our Pentax Day, which were widely positive. Mr. Iovine congratulated us on good management and excellent quality of pictures on display, that he didn’t expect for such an event.

Afternoon continued with planned Annual General Meeting. The agenda dealt with some topics that led to a relaxed discussion. Special interest raised when Dario proposed the idea of an absent member about the possibility to turn Spotmatic magazine into an online publication, downloadable with password, in order to save on printing and postage.

All those present were contrary to that proposal. Some said that we couldn’t do that as long as the club will have just one member unable to access the Internet. Other, me included, think that printed paper still is far more appealing and comfortable than any virtual magazine.

In any case, we are considering to continue collecting the four issues of each year, together with the pictures of the Pentax Day, into a CD-ROM to be available at the end of the year.

This talk gave birth to the idea for publishing the book about the screw mount Pentax cameras as an alternative to printed paper, given the difficulties in finding a publisher. We could release an interactive CD-ROM with text and pictures, so that anybody could then print the most interesting pages for themselves.

The meeting came to its end with the approval of the balance, since club board stays in charge for two years and there were no planned elections this year.

Afternoon shooting session took place at the Hotel swimming pool, among curious looks of tourists and excitement of the photographers portraying the maidens only dressed in their swimsuits.

Here I want to thank First model agency, which allowed us to have two professional models at our disposal, and especially Isabell and Gloriana, for their helpfulness and kindness in accepting the many requests from members.

The day closed with the customary awards ceremony. This edition’s prizes went to the already mentioned Gianfranco Chesi for the Quiz and Maurizio Bertozzi for the most voted picture, while the member coming from farthest away was Paolo Boccalini from Rome. All them received Pentax binoculars offered by Protege. The Luciano Nustrini prize also included a plate from Arenzano municipality.

Furthermore, the club wanted to award some small thanksgiving trophies to Gianfranco for his exceptional dedication in managing this event and to Maurizio Marani for his expert and continued technical support for the shooting sessions on various editions of the Pentax Day. Special thanks also went to Mr. Giorgio Ghiringhelli for supplying the vintage cars from his collection and to Arenzano municipality for logistics and printing posters.

The 6th Pentax Day saw a good participation of members from Northern and Central Italy, also considering that the date coincided with the second ballot in local elections in some cities. At the end of the day, we registered 48 members, 8 of which were new members.

Some ideas for the next Pentax Day turned up, but nothing has yet been decided. It would be appropriate it to take place in Central Italy in order to allow participation of members from the South, which were not present at the recent editions because of distance.

Dear members from Central Italy, come closer! This year demonstrates that a single club representative, with good commitment and support from the club board, can manage a successful Pentax Day: we are waiting for your proposals!

6th Pentax Day Report (Part I)
6th Pentax Day Report (Part III)
6th Pentax Day Report (Part IV)