My friend and photography mentor Bill Yates opened his exhibit "The Year of the River" last night at the Jacksonville Art Walk in the gallery at the Main Public Library. The exhibit is part of the Jacksonville Community Foundation Individual Artist grant Bill received this summer. Bill's exquisite and compelling images of the river reminds us of the grandeur and beauty of the St. Johns, and of the ever changing weather conditions that provide a constant feast for our senses. Of special interest is a series of 9 water abstracts, arranged in a 3x3 grid on the east wall. Yes, this is Yates exercising some of his creative muscle.
The rain kept many of the Art Walk regulars away, so I was fortunate enough to have Bill all to myself for our photo session. Come view this exhibit if you want to see some examples of a master photographer who knows and loves the St. Johns River. And visit his gallery, Flat File, in Five Points.
Harris Neck National Wildlife Refuge
A little off the beaten path between Jacksonville and Savannah is the Harris Neck National Wildlife Refuge converted from a WWII Army airstrip. It includes about 2600 acres and a paved road from which numerous hiking trails are connected. Of course I was after some interesting trees. As soon as I arrived the drizzle started, and increased to a light rain soon after. At a certain point the rain begins to interfere with the sharpness of an image, so I drove in and basically waited for about an hour. One thing to remember when the humidity is hovering around 90%, taking a camera from a cold air conditioned car to the outside is like having a glass of iced tea at the pool - instant condensation on the lenses. It took another 15 minutes to stabilize the moisture. It's also handy to have your lens hoods on as it keeps the water droplets off the lens. Nothing like discovering that your last 20 shots have nice round globs all over them (been there, done that).
It was easy to just pull off the road and hike in to catch a great tree. But standing there for just a minute must have sounded the dinner bell for the mosquitoes. At the marsh near the entry to the park were thousands of white ibis off in the trees. At one point they all took off and filled the sky...camera was in the car. This is a great birding area and listed on the Colonial Coast Birding Trail.
More images of the Harris Neck NWR can be viewed here.
Sidney Lanier Bridge - Brunswick, GA
in Places
I've seen this bridge many times from I-95 right outside of Brunswick. From Harris Neck NWR, I stayed on US 17 to experience coastal Georgia. There is so much lost cruising on the interstate. If you're not in a hurry, taking the side roads is always more rewarding. The day continued to be very overcast. The base of the bridge on the north bank is very accessible, with a part of the old bridge remaining as a fishing dock. Nice planning. There was a family fishing there and no one else in sight. I'll certainly head back up to re-shoot and to see if the bridge is lit at night. It's a remarkable structure.
More images of the Sidney Lanier Bridge are here.
The magical trees at Wormsloe
Today I drove to Savannah to meet with my friend Jeremy Woodhouse who was taking a southern city tour for stock images. While researching great places to shoot I came upon the Wormsloe Plantation, which is the colonial estate of Noble Jones, one of the original English settlers who came with James Oglethorpe. What attracted me about the site was the avenue of trees at the entry which is 1.5 miles long. The overgrown and ancient live oaks provide an impressive presence as you approach the property. The long tangled branches reach out overhead forming a tunnel. The weather was hot and humid and luckily overcast, as the intermittent rain fell throughout the day. The mosquitoes and yellow flies were in full force. The place was virtually empty, I saw maybe 4 other people there in 3 hours. I had a perfect time, Jeremy was there all of 5 minutes as he shot the obligatory view of the avenue and was off for downtown.
PS: I give credit for the recommendation of this site to Robert Hitchman whose excellent publication, Photograph America, is my first source for great shooting locations.
More Wormsloe images can be viewed here.
Poster printing at Costco
in Links, Project Archive
I've always used Costco for my 4x6 family shots and for our Photographers for Freedom project. They were always fast, good, and CHEAP. Last week I decided to try some 12x36 panoramas and to also develop a poster print that I could use as promotions. Our Costco here in Jacksonville uses a Noritsu 3411 digital printer which is a $200,000 beast that cranks out 2000 4x6's per hour. To get some decent prints you need to use the printer profiles on the Costco Photo Center web site. Go to the bottom of the page and click on Printer Profiles, and this should take you to some pages by Dry Creek Photo (the profile providers). On these pages you can locate the Costco store in your area and what profiles you will need. Follow the instructions to download the profiles and then do the softproofing in Photoshop. Before you upload you need to convert the image to the profile while saving your JPG. All of this is described in detail on the site, but if you have any questions let me know. When ordering online there is no option for the larger sizes, so I just upload as a 4x6 and then give the boys a call to tell them what's coming. Make sure you specify NO auto corrections. Steve and Allen at the Jacksonville store keep their Noritsu tuned up everyday, and I've never gotten a bad print. Oh yes, the cost of a 12x36 is $4.90.
Warning: one time I exported a set of 4x6's from Lightroom with a ProPhoto color space assigned. The colors on the prints were awful. I took my laptop down to the Costco store to determine that this was a problem. If you are not going to use the supplied profiles, be sure to use either Adobe RGB or sRGB color space when exporting images.
Our Costco is expecting a new printer in September that can produce 20x30's for $8. I can't wait!
For more information on preparing your files for printing at Costco please visit this excellent blog post by photographer Philippe Cailloux http://photsy.com/blog/?p=457.
Giving new life to a remote
My trusty RS80N3 remote has been through the war, and it finally showed signs of imminent death (a remote allows you to release the shutter via a switch instead of mashing your camera with your finger). Symptoms: push button - no shutter release, push button harder - no shutter release, slam remote against tripod 3 times - shutter releases. This begins to look rather awkward when you are in the field, slamming your remote before you take a picture (a strange ritual at best). B&H showed $49.95 for this remarkable, high tech piece of electronic wizardry. Why was it so expensive? One way to find out, tear it apart.
Easier said than done. On the back are two tiny Phillips screws. I mean these are so tiny you need a magnifying glass to see that they are Phillips. Of course I tried to losen them with tool that was one size too large. You get that sinking feeling when the tool begins to turn a little too easily...nice, a stripped head. Two weeks later Dorian found a nice miniature screwdriver set at the "Shack" for 8 bucks and I gave it a go again. This time it took a small pair of vice grips around the screwdriver to finally break these bad boys free. And voila, it was opened.
I fully expected to find a few integrated circuits and a fancy reed switch inside. But to my surprise, three wires and three pieces of metal, with the button forcing contact between the metal pieces. Wow, Canon manages to turn $3 worth of materials into a $49 accessory. So what could be the problem with my intermittent firing? The solder joints looked good, must be the wire where it enters the case. On more than one occasion I managed to catch my falling camera with the remote. Or I've grabbed my camera body in haste only to find it tethered to the remote stuck deep in the camera bag. Ouch. I managed to reproduce the behavior by bending the wire, so I decided to amputate a section of the cable that could be bad...snip. I cut the cable about 2 inches from the plastic case.
The grommet that holds the cable where it enters the plastic case is rather tenacious. Takes a good yanking with the vice grips. After that is free you have to reattach it to the cable. I ended up using a bit of soap and water to slide it on, with some vice grips pulling it through. Then you need to get out your soldering iron to remove the old wire and attach the new one. Three connections, that's it. Takes about an hour. Now I am back in business, although my remote is about 6 inches shorter. I figure I have enough cable to do this at least 4 more times!
Zipcar Rentals - Why didn't I think of that?
Just when you think that no one can come up with any more creative solutions to transportation in the city, enter the Zipcar rental system. We were just in Boston to help my son move and he arranged for us to get a Zipcar for the day, and then two other times for runs to a picnic and to Costco. The cost? $7 and hour, which includes gas. How does it work? You apply for an account. As an MIT student you get a discount. This has all your pertinent info. Everything is done online. Zipcars are parked at most major parking garages, near the dorms, etc. Just a few cars per spot. Reserve online and pick up at the designated time. Key entry is with your card through a sensor on the front windshield. This unlocks the car, the key is always inside. Drive your car for the time you reserved. If you are running late you can call the reservation system and increase the time if there is no one waiting for the car. If you are late...major penalties, like on the order of $75. Need gas, there is a gas card included, just return the car with at least 1/4 tank. Problem with the car, just call in, to report a dent in the door at pickup or to report that your car is not available. Whoever came up with this is brilliant. Sorta like FedEx, a change in the paradigm of how we think of a service like car rental. I can see that this is the future of rentals in the city. Instead of a 6 day rental at Avis ($465) plus all the associated gas and parking fees (say $150), the Zipcar ended up costing less than $200. Ok, enough of the advertisement...try to rent one if you can. Boston is also home for the Institute of Contemporary Art. We found the exhibits to be excellent and were surprised to see the entire works of Shepard Fairey (the creator of the Obama Hope poster). The building is also quite unique and we enjoyed the quality of the interior spaces and the views of the waterfront from within. There were also very nice public spaces on the exterior facing the water. Worth a visit.
The nature of Acadia
There is something about Acadia National Park that draws you in. It isn't the throngs of tourists crowding the roads and beaches, the screaming kids at the visitor's center, the ravenous mosquitoes, or the rainy summer days (I do happen to really love crummy weather!). There is something that connects you to the rocky coastline and deep forests, crystal clear lakes, and breathtaking vistas. Two days is not enough to take this in, but we do with what we have. When planning these trips it's always hard to anticipate what the "mood" will be when the end of the week approaches. We always feel rushed to return home, to tend to "things", to handle business. Why? I wish I had reserved a few more days of my life to enjoy this place. Will there be another time? I hope so.
"High season" in Acadia (July 4 - Labor Day) means you will have to deal with people, kids, and high prices. There are a few decent places to stay that won't break the bank. I found a nice clean room at the Sunnyside Motel and Cottages just at the turn when you enter Mt Desert Island on Hiway 3. It's about 10 miles from the park entrance.
Penobscot Narrows Bridge
My love affair with bridges comes with my background as a structural engineer. I just can't resist a beautiful bridge. Heading north US1 on the way to Bucksport ME, this bridge suddenly appeared. There was no question about getting off the road. I got off at the observation point, then crossed the bridge to the north bank, and went down the service road to the base. After about an hour it was time to go, but next time the plan is to arrive near sunset to capture some night shots.
A transformative week in Maine
How would you define personal transformation? Fundamental change? Enlightenment? Increased understanding of self? A new direction? All of the above? Last week I attended a workshop at John Paul Caponigro's studio in Cushing ME. It was a gathering of JP's alumni group called Next Step. As the newest member in attendance I really didn't know what to expect. I had meet many of the members online through Facebook and our Yahoo Group. It's amazing how well we can get to know someone through an online experience. The group was also there to attend an opening for their work at the Maine Media Workshops. This was a project all had been working on for almost 2 years, and included generation of a body of work, an artist statement, a book, a website, and 2 framed pieces sent to the show.
Through 5 days of discussion, review of work, creative exercises, and plenty of Q&A with JP, I learned a lot about my work, where I was with respect to my growth as an artist, the areas I need to work in, and the questions I need to constantly ask myself so that I can be effective in attaining my goals. My BIG suggestion to all of you who are reaching out to grow and progress in any endeavor - find a group, find a mentor, find resources, find support. There is power in the collective thoughts of like minded people. Ideas, encouragement, constructive criticism, advice, etc., etc. The most profound aspect is the power of your own contributions to your group, by contributing you get more. It's the universal law of giving and receiving, the more you give, the more you receive.
One of the highlights of the week was a visit to the home and studio of Paul Caponigro (JPs dad). Paul lives deep in the woods in an ideal creative environment. Paul presented to us several of his original prints included in his Megaliths monograph. It was an amazing experience. We watched in anticipation as each print was pulled from boxes of archived prints. And then we received the full explanation of when, where, and why each image was taken. Paul is deeply connected spiritually to his work. I gained a new appreciation and insight to this dimension of art...the relation of the work to the artist. Typically this is the part that I begin to glaze over. For the first time I began to see how fundamental and important this connection is.
Cruising Alaska's Glacier Coast
We just finished a 7 day cruise with the family aboard the Princess Sapphire. This was my first "big ship" excursion. The thought of taking a jacket, tie, and dress shoes was disheartening. These items would take up valuable space that could be used by "essential" photo equipment. Hauling around 50 lbs of gear, a tripod, and laptop really doesn't leave a lot of room for extra clothing, much less more shoes. I guess I'll never travel like a normal person. I can't imagine having TWO pieces of luggage just to carry clothes and stuff.
We left Jacksonville on one of my favorite 6 AM flights. Boy how I hate getting up at 3:30 in the morning...maybe if I went to bed before 1 AM I wouldn't be so grumpy. We picked up my mom and had an uneventful flight to Memphis, then Seattle, and on to Vancouver where we met the kids who few in from New York and Boston. Vancouver is one of my favorite cities. It was great being back in Canada. People are friendly and seem to be happy with life, unlike walking around Boston or New York where people always seem to be yelling at each other.
Our hotel was the Blue Horizon on Robson St. Very nice accommodations. We had a corner room on the 23rd floor with a great view.
Day 1 - Heading north out of Vancouver
The next day we headed over to The Hudson Bay Company to pick up some souvenirs for the Winter Olympics. It will be crazy in Vancouver next year. Then on to Canada Place to catch our ship. The whole embarkation process was impressive. A long line but very orderly and things kept moving. Reminded me of queuing up for Space Mountain at Disney. Checking in 3000 people is not an easy task but these guys have it figured out. Our "state room" was very nice, the ship being less than 5 years old. We had upgraded to a room with a balcony which I highly recommend.
So what are the expectations of a photographer going on a family cruise ship? To be honest, they were low. I mean really, you are out in the ocean in a huge boat moving at 20 knots, going shopping, and eating 24 hours a day. I came for the ride, to relax, eat, and enjoy some family time. I had no real strategy for shooting or adding to my body of work. I was in for a surprise.
Day 2 - The Inside Passage
The weather in Vancouver was perfect, sunny and 70 degrees. As we headed north the clouds started to roll in. The weather report called for intermittent showers. Most of Southeast Alaska is within the boundaries of the Tongass National Forest, which is considered a rain forest, so what do you expect, Florida sunshine? Yes it did rain, mostly drizzle, with nice clouds and fog, and all those extra weather features that photographers love. We cruised all day as we made our way up the coast. From the balcony it was like watching the Discovery Channel live. There was a calm and peace to the passing water and coastline. Small inlets, groups of trees, rocks, and the absence of any evidence of man.
Day 3 - Ketchikan
Population 8000, Alaska's 5th largest city. Makes you realize how desolate this part of the country is. Without the cruise ships (I counted 4 big ships anchored) there would be almost nothing here. We had no planned excursions, so we just did a walkaround the city. I also for the first time felt the presence of the size of the ship. It is an enormous vessel, dwarfing everything around it. All of the docks and facilities are fairly new and built by the cruise lines. All of the big stores in the ports are owned by the cruise lines. Hmmm, makes you wonder about this. One thing is for sure, this is a BIG business and someone is making lots of money.
The incredible scenery continued to unfold as we cruised to Juneau.
Day 4 - Juneau
Alaska's capital. Population 31,000 (half of a football stadium). One Wal-mart, one McDonalds. Also home of the Mendenhall glacier, which we took an excursion to see. My very first glacier! Amazing. A living, breathing, river of ice. The viewing areas were a good half mile from the glacier. We had only 1 hour to view. The helicopter tour was $400, so the bus tour will do for now.
Day 5 - Skagway
Skagway was the point of departure for those heading north to the Yukon Territory during the gold rush. A narrow gauge railway was built to haul people and supplies inland. We took a ride on the train, 20 miles uphill to the White Pass summit. The construction of the railway was an amazing feat of engineering through some amazing scenery. I hung out on the platform between cars, freezing, and loving every minute. I've never shot from a train before. Judging from the number of images I had to toss, it was clear that the speed, the bumps, and the lack of a tripod (r u kidding?) would offer some challenging shooting conditions.
Day 6 - Glacier Bay
What's nice about this cruise itinerary is that you are gradually exposed to more amazing views. The scenery was really getting interesting, and the entry in Glacier Bay was nothing short of amazing. There is something special about seeing and experiencing things for the first time. The shipboard viewing was ideal. Maybe a smaller vessel would be better but I was doing just fine on my balcony, watching the views unfold. The ship was perfectly silent as it slipped through the water, delivering new visuals every minute. I brought 2 bodies, and it was convenient to just switch to wide angle and then telephoto. At one point I switched out my 24-70 for my 300. There was almost too much to digest.
Day 7 - Prince William Sound and College Fjord
Back in the day glaciers were named after colleges. So there are the Yale and Harvard glaciers, Barnard and Smith, etc. I'm sure the Native Americans had names for all of these things. Why do we insist on re-labeling everything once we have "discovered" them? It's arrogant and disrespectful. Western civilization has its way of putting its mark on things. As we cruised into the fjord there were at least 5 glaciers in view. The ship parks itself in the middle of all this and slowly rotates, offering everyone adequate time to view the sight. After 3 rotations we made our way out towards Anchorage.
Day 8 - Anchorage and the flight home
It's always sad to be packing your bag to head back to civilization. We disembarked at Whittier, and took a 6:30 AM bus ride to Anchorage where we toured around until our flights at 4:40 PM. Flew to Seattle, then the red-eye to Atlanta, then on to Jacksonville. It was a long day(s). Good to be home to 95 degree heat and 90% humidity!
Overall the cruise was wonderful. A great time with the family, ate way too much great food, and the service was excellent. My first exposure to the beauty of Alaska was perfect. We covered a lot of ground at a reasonable expense. Would I do another big cruise to Alaska...possibly if the family factor was involved. Cruises are nice because it brings everyone together, but allows each person to do their own thing. A great vacation model. If you want a Disney-esque Alaskan experience take a cruise, otherwise train for the Iditarod.
Graduation MIT Style
On June 5 Donald graduated from MIT with a BS in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. This was a dream he pursued all through middle and high school, which goes to show that you can accomplish great things if you put your mind to it. There were over 2300 undergraduate and at least that number of graduate degrees awarded that day, yes it was a long ceremony. Commencement was given by Deval Patrick, the governor of Massachusetts. Donald said he fell asleep. Great...so much for our future in the hands of these kids.
As I was watching these young people fill the courtyard I felt a sense of pride and hope for our ability to work through the current crises surrounding us. There were some pretty smart people here and I'm sure most of them will contribute solutions to many of our problems. Let's hope they get to it quickly.
Jaffe Center for Book Arts
On the FAU campus in Boca Raton, FL is a hidden secret among book artists - the Jaffe Center for Book Arts. It houses a collection of over 6,000 artists' books, selected for their artistic expression, aesthetics, and unique book structures. Truly a one-of-a-kind collection. It occurred to me that as I attempt to assemble folios of my own prints, that the container should reflect the spirit and craftsmanship of the images, as opposed to some manufactured stamped out folder from Office Depot. In fact, a collection of prints bound or loose, is in every sense an "artist book". Just as a mat and frame enhance a larger print for display, a folio should serve a similar purpose when carrying a group of prints. My next project is to design and create a folio product with the artist book in mind. It's amazing how creative and beautiful some of these handmade books are. Many are produced as limited editions, and sought after by collectors and museums. Combining the medium of artist book and photographic folio does not seem to be a common practice. Perhaps one does not want to be distracted by the other. Are you a photograph or are you a book? I saw a few very beautiful photographic books in the Jaffe collection, some with minimal text, others with loose prints and pages. Anything is possible.
We were very honored to have time with both Arthur Jaffe, original donor of the collection, and John Cutrone, Program Director. Their love of books is evident. Thank you gentlemen for sharing your passion with us.
New York fieldtrip
Dorian and I flew to New York to meet with my old boss from 20-20 and his wife to be tourists. A good time to re-visit some of my favorite sites: Statue of Liberty, Wall Street, Ground Zero, Times Square, and the Brooklyn Bridge. New York is a wonderful place for walk-around street photography. There is always something interesting to see. It's interesting to return several times to a place to see what new images can be captured. The differences in season, time of day, our own disposition, and random occurrences all help to create variety and serendipity. As we build our bodies of work around certain subjects, it's always good to have different perspectives...it gives some depth to your collection.
We also managed to spend an afternoon at the NY Photo Festival in Brooklyn. I enjoyed touring some of the galleries but my boss was not into some of the "fine art" photography on display. To be honest, I really don't understand some of the photography that is shown these days. I can really appreciate a landscape or photo journalism project, but the images of a dumpster in an empty parking lot and the x-rays of a toy (a whole wall full of them) just doesn't resonate with me. Well, I'm not about to get into a rant about the state of contemporary photographic art...maybe I'm just not there yet on the cerebral level. I look for images I can relate to and be inspired by. I don't have to like it, but if it communicates a message or emotion, then I enjoy the viewing experience.
Some goodies from Times Square, this place was really hopping on a Friday night:
For Everglades Exhibition
Today Dorian and I drove to Gainesville to see an exhibit at the Florida Museum of Natural History titled: For Everglades - photos by Clyde Butcher and Jeff Ripple. Extraordinary. I've been to Butcher's Big Cypress gallery and have to say that viewing the large prints in the museum/gallery setting enhanced the viewing experience by providing the space required to view prints of this size. These images are simply unbelievable. Adjacent to this museum is the Harn Museum of Art, where we viewed the exhibition: Landscape Perspectives: Highlights from the Photography Collection. These museums are associated with the University of Florida and offer a superb resource to anyone who can get there. Admission is free. Whenever you can, check out local museums and galleries to seek out inspiration and view works of exceptional quality. It's all there, you just have to find it.
Details, details...
Don't sweat the details? I think not. Execution on the details is critical to getting a business going.
Sales Tax: If you are selling any product in FL you need to collect sales tax. It's the law, there's no way around it. Just because you are a staving artist doesn't give you a reprieve from the tax guys. So you need to apply for an ID, pay your dues, and report every month (don't forget) your sales tax collected, even if it is zero. Yes, this is a pain. Don't forget you can give your local suppliers your resale certificate and ID to avoid paying sales tax on supplies you are reselling, like frames and mats, stuff from Staples, etc. Every bit helps.
= OPEN FOR BUSINESS
Merchant Account: Do you use a credit card? And do you think your potential customers use credit cards? There's nothing more convincing to a prospective customer that you are a total amateur than an inability to do a basic credit transaction (I know this from experience). Cash or check only? I don't know about you but I don't carry $200 in cash nor do I carry blank checks. So what makes you think your customers do? I called my banker to get a Merchant Account set up through First Data. I know I could have probably saved some money by going online and finding Joe's Credit Card Clearing House, but when it comes to swiping cards and having money being transacted, I want the security of knowing I can call my banker when there is a problem, and have funds deposited directly into my account. I will probably be going through PayPal for my online sales, but my bank is fixing me up with a small terminal to swipe or enter cards for $15/month. I'm ok with that.
How much photography did I get done today?
My first gallery sale
Art Walk was great. There's nothing like selling a piece of your art to get validated. At least that was my feeling last night. My print "Refection on the Bean" was purchased by a very nice lady from Virginia who was visiting Jacksonville on business. The exchange we had was quite comical, I think she told me 3 times that she really wanted to buy the print. I didn't believe her. Then she asked if I took Visa, and I gave her a blank look. Yes there needs to be money transacted. I asked the gallery manager and my "experienced" gallery friend what to do. They didn't know. Isn't anyone prepared to sell anything around here? We got things resolved, and as it turned out, I had the only sale in the gallery that night. Rookie's luck!
I spent most of my career selling in some form or fashion. If it wasn't selling software at trade shows it was selling capabilities to clients or selling concepts to internal managers. Selling art is a different experience, especially when it is your own. I can speculate that photography is different than selling, say, the sculpture you've been working on for 3 years, or your original oil painting. That must really be emotional for the artist, to physically part with your art.
So now I have a customer. I love customers and I have missed having them ever since I sold my other businesses 9 years ago. The pieces are now coming together, some product, a customer, a venue to sell, and the confidence to keep going. Just need a little (lot) more of the above to make a business of it.
Learning by printing
It's been said many times before, your best education on fine tuning your images is by printing. I don't mean 4x6s at Costco, I mean printing at least 10x15 or larger. Everything is evident at these sizes - color, tonality, detail, shadow, highlights, sharpness...I mean everything. Prints don't lie. They are the moment of truth for your work. Plan on spending a lot of time, paper, and ink on getting the output the way you want it. Every variable imaginable comes into play...color management, paper, your mood...so get ready to be schooled!
I've just finished printing 9 - 11x16.5 prints for my Art Walk opening on Wednesday. Worked on it all weekend. I guess an artist's work is never done. I can keep iterating on these prints forever. Knowing that each trip trough the machine is costing me about $3, that's as bad as Starbucks. I need to find a way to sell these "artist proofs," more like "artist goofs" if you ask me. You hate to throw them away, maybe a gift for Uncle Stanley, he won't notice that there is a slight red cast on the bridge image...
Here is the little promo piece I made for the showing. Since I'm tucked back in the closet I need some signs so my friends can find me. Next item to tackle is the pricing. Need to factor in the cost of the goofs for sure, and the mats, frames, time for printing...oh and the trip expenses to get the image, all the workshops to learn how to do this stuff, my camera equipment...looks like $3,000 an image should cover that nicely. How's that for recession pricing?
How is your printmaking coming along? Don't settle for "good for the web". If you're making images as art, your art is your image...your PRINTED image. That printer in the corner of your studio is probably pretty lonely. Fire it up and make some prints, improve your images, and have something to show all your friends (and most importantly YOURSELF) that yes, you can produce a print.
My first gallery showing
"Please join me at my first Art Walk showing at the Greenleaf Gallery, 212 N Laura St, this Wednesday, May 6 (across the street from the new library). I’ll be there with 20 other local photographers and artists from 5 to 9pm, rain or shine. Drop by to say hi and have a glass of wine."
How did I get into the gallery you ask? It's an interesting story and shows the power of networking, leaning on your past, and having a website. When I attended the Riverside Arts Market 2 weeks ago I met an interesting photographer, Bill Yates. Bill and I hit it off immediately, being that he was a graduate of RISD same as my daughter, and his wife was a big fan of Diana's on Project Runway. Bill and I got together that week to explore some ideas and view each others work. Bill is setting up a new gallery called Flat File (more on that later). Bill also mentioned that he was having an opening at a gallery downtown and invited me to attend.
The gallery is named Greenleaf and located right across the street from the Jacksonville Museum of Contemporary Art and the new library. It is in at the center of the art district in Jacksonville, if there was such a thing. Greenleaf Gallery is run by a small group of artists named Southlight, and they found this great space temporarily, and invited about 20 other artists to show for the opening. Little did I know that one of the Southlight artists is an architect named Michael Dunlap who is also a very accomplished photographer. Dorian and Michael worked together at her first place of employment (MacDonald and Gustafson Architects) over 30 years ago.
I spoke to Michael and he asked me if I was still doing my computer things. I pulled out my card and said no, I'm embarking on a new career. Michael was a bit surprised and said he would take a look at my work on my website and we might talk later. I received an email from Michael the next day and he told me to come in during the week so we could talk. When we met that Monday he said he wanted me to show some prints for Art Walk in May and June. BINGO!
This validates some important lessons for me:
- Get out and network with other photographers. You can't get anywhere through isolation.
- Draw on your past contacts and associations. Everyone comes from a unique background and situation. Use it.
- Your website is your calling card. Someone can spend 2 minutes browsing your site and determine whether they want anything to do with you. Make sure it represents who you are and the work you do.
I think this is going to be a turning point for me for my future as an artist. I'm excited about it. I'll let you know how it goes, right now I need to print and frame 9 prints...and my desktop computer's power supply just died!
Inspiration from Jim Henson
"I don't know exactly where ideas come from...it's just a matter of us figuring out how to receive the ideas waiting to be heard." - Jim Henson
Today we drove to Orlando to view the Jim Henson Smithsonian exhibition at the Orlando History Center. I'm a great fan of the Muppets and it was very enlightening to see how Henson's career developed and how prolific he was as creative genius. From early starts in TV commercials, to Sesame Street, to the Muppets, to movies like the Dark Crystal...the list goes on. I also realized that as a businessman, Henson was very aware of not only what the market needed, but how to build an organization that enabled him to enlist the talents of others and to leave a legacy of accomplishment. They don't make them like Jim Henson very often. Try to catch this exhibit if it comes close to you.
"I've always been in awe of the incredible beauty of every last bit of design in nature." - Jim Henson
After the museum closed we walked to the Church Street Marketplace and to my surprise it was largely abandoned. This used to be a happening place. Very sad. A huge condo was in the main square and the security guard said it was in foreclosure. Rough times everywhere.
