One of the great things about a group like the Asylum is the chance to spend some time with other large format photographers actually making photographs. We like to get together, visit different locations and make some photographs. We generally try to "plan" group outings every month.
Outings are typically held on the third Saturday of the month. We pick a location as a group and everyone is basically on his/her own as far as travel arrangements, any overnight accommodations, food, etc. We do try to discuss some possibilities for lodging on the list and forum before an outing.
We try to schedule outings for different areas in the Midwest. The Outings buttons to the left are descriptions of outings the group has made, planned outings is just that and suggested locations is a list of places that might be of interest for future outings.
Some of our outings are even more informal with a member saying "I'm going to be at xyz location this weekend doing some photography, if anyone is interested feel free to come along". If you are going to be spending a day doing photography and would like some company just mention it on the mailing list!
For our more "formal" outings the day often goes like this-
We usually meet at a restaurant at 8:00AM in the general vicinity of the destination. This gives us a chance to eat, socialize, eat, do any final planning for the day and eat. After breakfast we head out to the chosen location en-mass. We don't usually have any strict schedule nor indeed any schedule at all, nor do all members necessarily stay together in one large group.
Around noon or one we get together again for lunch. Sometimes this is a lunch prepared by volunteers in the group at a picnic area and other times it is at a local restaurant. This again gives us the chance to socialize and discuss the "techniques" we seen each other use during the morning. After lunch it is back out for more photography which consumes the remainder of the afternoon.
Depending on the location some people will choose to head home following the afternoon's shooting and others may choose to meet once again at a restaurant to talk over the events of the day.
Some previous outing locations have been-Turkey Run State Park
Starved Rock State Park
St. Joseph Michigan and Grande Mere State Park
New Salem Village Historic Site near Springfield, IL
Monticello, Illinois
Garden of the Gods, Shawnee National Forest, Southern IL
Pullman District, Chicago
Pictured Rocks area, Upper Peninsula of Michigan
I&M Canal (various locations from Lockport to LaSalle, IL
Baraboo, WI
Ft. Madison, IA
and many more.