"Photostock", as it has become known, began in the summer of 2006 as a gathering of photographers who for the most part, had never met before. It grew out of a post I made on a popular analogue film site called A.P.U.G., an invitation to photographers in the Great Lakes area looking to meet like minded people. I invited anyone wishing to come to join me and camp out on my wooded property near Cross Village and the Lake Michigan shoreline that I love to photograph so much. Many of my most favored photographs from the last 20 years were made within miles of this spot and knowing the area well, figured it would be great place to gather and use a a base for our personal shooting  expeditions. We are located in close proximity to some of the most beautiful places in Northern Michigan and there is much to see and photograph. We had almost 20 people that year and it created an informal, educationally, socially and creatively gratifying foundation for what has been building ever since. Now coming up on the 4th annual gathering, it has expanded to almost 10 days from the original 3 and we have had visitors from far and wide, some very wonderful photographers. Last year over the course of 7 days, we had nearly 80 people attend and it is my hope that even more will attend in years to come. I am committed now to keeping the event alive, each year bringing diverse and talented people together so that we can all share knowledge, experience and grow as photographers. This year even more is being offered by bringing in world class photographers such as Shelby Lee Adams, Sandy King, Kerik Kouklis and more. Having them here to lead workshops, presentations, demonstrations and discussions is an honor for me and I hope to be able to continue bringing this caliber of people for us to learn with and from. As long as there is interest and support from our community of photographers, I will be putting on Photostock. Along with the expansion this year have come a few changes, the biggest and most reluctantly taken has been the addition of a registration fee. As a lot of you reading this may know, the first 3 years of this event were free to all attending, but unfortunately the growth in numbers has brought with it certain needs. Facility fees, speakers, instructors, etc. Although I will still be offering limited, free camping on my property as well as holding the workshops there earlier in the week, the impact of the entire event has become too large for my facilities. The road has been paved since the last Photostock making parking a little more problematic and my as yet unfinished house had literally pails of wet sand after talks and presentations held there after last year's rain. The time has come to move the bulk of the activities off-site to a place better suited to handle the numbers. We are now centering the activities at the Birchwood Inn over on the lakeshore road, which is where many of our guests have been staying anyway. They have been offering discounted rooms for the last 2 years as well as doing all they can to accommodate us. They have 2 large meeting rooms where we can congregate as well as a very nice courtyard for outdoor activities and demonstrations. Also being on the "Tunnel of Trees" shoreline road, it is still in close proximity to many of the places people like to photograph. This year with the addition of world renowned photographer Shelby Lee Adams, we are also reaching out to the local community that has expressed interest in seeing his presentation by holding his event at The Crooked Tree Art Center in nearby Petoskey. Paid registrants from Photostock will have this event included, but remaining seats will have a ticket price for locals not attending the broader event. It is a wonderful facility with a  beautiful auditorium in a refurbished church that holds 250 people and has modern projection and sound facilities. Perfect for our needs, the CTAC will even be a co-sponsor for the 2010 event that will be even more ambitious. Next year we plan to have an exhibit by our keynote presenter as well as exhibition space for Photostock guests. Here's to hoping you will join us this year and in the future! I look forward to welcoming you to Northern Michigan this summer. Bill Schwab