Family Reunion Disposable Camera Alert------- Plan Do Check Act

Number 1 ---- I wish I would have hired a professional photographer. When calling guests we were going to ask if anyone was willing to be the family reunion volunteer photographer. Several young people said they would have been; had they been just asked. If no one volunteered it was my intention to hire a "wedding" type photographer. Well midway through the reunion we realized we had few photos being taken. So a guest ran to the store purchased 8 portable cameras, labeled each one as Himan Reunion 2012, distributed them to the tables, encouraged people to take candid shots at the reunion and reminded to leave the cameras at the tables as a thank you for the event planners. This I have been told is common practice and known to the guests whom have attended enough weddings, affairs to realize the cameras are to be used and left on the tables. Out of the 8 cameas distributed only three cameras were left. These cameras had just a few photos taken on each unit. Nevertheless I completed the rolls and submitted them to Walmart for processing. I guess people do not understand labeled cameras are meant to stay at the tables. In defense of our guests ---- it was one family (NOT HIMANs) that scooped up at least three of the cameras for their own use. We never met most of them and do not expect to ever see these people again.

To make matters worse, I finished up the rolls and took them to Walmart for processing. Then to CVS for processing and this is where the story gets screwy,

At CVS the clerk said there was a law passed in California banning the use of the chemicals use to process flm. (bleach?) and someone came and took all their chemicals to process film out of the store. At Walmart they said the health department declared it as an unsafe hazardous material and process for OSHA standards. Walgreens knew of no law or OSHA ruling but offered to assist me in sending the film out for processing. It would take about 10 days to finish the transaction. So I hurried home to investgate on line what was going on. The internet findings although addressing the issue fails to explain the reasoning for this halt in practice. Therefore I am thinking this is just another dinosaur practice being phased out by modern digitized cameras and new technology.

ERGO IF YOU ARE PLANNING A WEDDING, REUNION, or HOLIDAY PARTY and wish to preserve the event in photos. Do not use disposable cameras unlss:

1. You have secured a place to process the film first. 2. You get contact information for anyone using them and explain the photos are to be shared. That you will be glad to share but you have gone to a lot of expense and trouble to plan this event and sharing the photos of the event would be a more fair act to everyone attending. Please excuse the ISO terminalogy but I speak Production Engineering and it is just how my brain processes data. In a series blogs I will outline my actions to facilitate a family reunion in a most improbable family. I will explan the actions and checklists to PLAN the reeunion. I will share the actual event. The DO I will blog about the evaluation of expectations and realities. Which by the way; the realities far exceeded any expectations! The CHECK The follow up actions and summary. The ACT Sayig this I just wanted to skip quickly to this important lesson learn because who knows when I will complete my PDCA analysis.