Long Lapse

I can't believe that it's been almost four months since my last post. I hope I haven't lost all my readers because of this lapse. I have to report that I haven't been idle during this time. I mentioned we would be building an addition on our house for Mom and this is nearly complete. With one of the wettest summers, and I use that term loosely, everything took weeks longer than it should. My photography, too, has suffered due to lack of good light, the expense of driving and the time to set off to search for adventure.
We've also started a side line to my business. Our 7 year old granddaughter, Stephanie, has been taking photographs since she was about 5. This past week, I taught her how to make some of her better and more interesting images into note cards. We spent this past weekend at the Sandwich Fair where she spent time talking with customers who showed an enthusiastic interest in her work Of the 60 note cards made up of nine designs, she returned home with only 36 and was very excited to find that people loved the image of her cat, Mrs B, and her ponies, Fancy and Lily. In the next post, I'll tell you about the foliage season and what's on tap for the next couple of months. The image I've posted is Steph's photo of Mrs. B.

The Catch 22

Today, I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed and melancholy. I glanced at the rather thick stack of show applications that have been arriving almost daily. These demand my attention both in the filling out and the paying of the requisite fees so that I can fill in my show schedule. The problem is the coffers are nearly depleted so the writing of the checks is nearly impossible. And I can't add more money to the checking account until I exhibit and sell some product. You see my dilemma?This is what is commonly referred to as a "Catch 22". For those of you not familiar with the reference, I'll explain. This was the title of a movie from the 60's or 70's where a guy wanted to get out of the service. He tried to convince people he was crazy so they would release him but in order to be released, he would have to ask to be let go based on his craziness and a crazy person wouldn't know enough to ask to be released. I can't pay for upcoming shows without money and I can't get money without participating in those very same shows. So, here I sit, trying to figure out what move to make next. I think the guy in the movie had the easier task. Now for those of you asking about the latest and greatest of Red Sox nation, I can only give you a sample of the 2007 glory taken in Florida.

Show Calendar Begins To Fill

And just as the subject of this post mentions, I have begun to fill in dates on my web site calendar as to where I'll be displaying my work this year. In fact, April is already fairly well filled in. If you'd like to check up on my whereabouts so you can view new images, just click on the link on the right side of this blog which will take you to the monthly calendar.

And another search engine has done it's job and found my blog. I'm still amazed that what I write here can be detected by others who may be looking for me to type in a specific word or phrase. I was contacted by The Boston Globe reporter, Mark Levenson, who was doing a piece on The RED SOX and how difficult it is to get tickets to the hottest club in town. I guess I should have been less shy about calling him because although I gave him plenty of material by e-mail, he didn't use any of it in his very interesting article. He did catch up with my very good friend, Bob Kidder, another fan who has even had his tomb stone etched with Red Sox sentiments. I'm a fan but he's way more than that. This reminds me to watch what I say about whatever I may be wanting to write about.

Playing Catchup

My apologies to you all. I've been ill since the Friday afte Christmas. It wasn't anything earthshattering but it sure put a crimp in my style for the entire month of January. I'm back now and have a few things to tell you about. The first is that we had an average 2007 show season . With the current economy, I'd say that was pretty good. Most people have limited funds to spend on "extras" because of the rising fuel and heating costs. So to say that our 2007 season was average is a big thing. It could have been a lot worse and that would have forced me to take a serious look at choices that I would have had to make. Those choices would have included the need to tighten the belt by keeping my shows close to home, reducing inventory in the galleries and retail shops or even entertaining the possibility of halting my photographic career altogether until the economy has a chance to recover, giving people the ability to appreciate art once more.

A Hectic Week

Right now, I can't find where I put ... Well, it doesn't matter what it was. I'm in the middle of preparing for a reception in Waterville Valley this evening, a show in Franconia on Saturday and a show in Whitefield on Sunday. I have a pile of new work in the studio to go to the ARTS Gallery in Lisbon on Monday and another pile beginning to grow for the new location at the Thyme To Heal Holistic Center in Bath which will open while Carl and I are touring the Pacific Northwest. Carl is out on the deck putting a coat of polyurethane on an accent table which is being auctioned off to benefit the Caregiver's of NH later this fall. He did a granite and tile mosaic on the top before staining the oak table to look as if it were walnut. The first coat of poly darkened it in a very nice way. I've been so busy I haven't even had time to take any photos. I'm beginning to pack for our trip but I really can't think about it seriously until I get through this next week. So, wish me luck. I'll get through this rush of activity but when I do, I'll really need the guided tour service that I volunteered my father for. I sure hope he takes his vitamins and gets lots of sleep.

The "Bear" Facts

A constant theme among visitors to my exhibit last weekend was how prevalent the opportunity to see and photograph bears had become. In fact, several visitors even had images to show me on their digital cameras or cell phones (never thought I'd use that word while talking about photography). It turned out to be one of those days where I felt conflicted. On the one hand, I was looking at some wonderful opportunities captured by enthusiastic viewers and on the other hand, I was tent bound at an event designed to sell my work. In hindsight, I can't say I would have preferred to be out in the woods waiting for such an encounter. Several years ago, I came to the realization that in order to be successful in my business venture, I would have to self promote. I do that by meeting and greeting the public to show them my work, answer questions and generally be an ambassador for the craft I've chosen to practice. It means long hours of smiling (that comes easy) under less than ideal conditions, (heat, cold, rain, wind and even a snow flurry or two) while visitors wander through to view my work. It's all worth it, though, even replying to the occasional odd comments that make me shake my head. I often tell people how there are three elements to a good image; right place, right time and have camera. This means the camera should be on the seat and turned on at all times. I didn't follow my own advice yesterday when a bear walked casually across the road in front of my truck. By the time I stopped, unzipped the camera case, turned on the camera and began to focus, he was inside the tree line. So, here is my latest animal image. This bear wasn't going any where.

Home, Sweet Home

We returned home last night from the Home, Garden and Flower Show in Fryeburg, ME with mixed emotions. Sure, it's always good to be home where the beds are familiar and you can get comfortable by lounging around the house in your bath robe. But, there's a lot to be said for being on the road as well. For instance, we talked with hundreds of enthusiastic viewers during the three day event. So many of them had kind words for my work and I talked with several camera enthusiasts who asked for tips about purchasing new equipment, what kind of software I use and even where they might go to have film developed. Do people still use film? The answer is YES and I always recommend they go to a reputable camera shop to have their images brought to light. Let's face it, people. You truly get what you pay for and the one hour " shop while we zip your film through our handy machine " places are not treating your images with quality and respect. It does matter! A camera shop will take the necessary time with your raw film and won't short change you when it comes to the exposures. The Fryeburg show was a great experience and I'm looking forward to exhibiting there again next year. We talked with a number of other vendors who say that the wet weather we experienced ( it rained most of the weekend ) only dampened the clothing of the people there. The spirit was still there. There is one drawback to returning home, however. I have a mountain of laundry to do and the suitcase needs to be repacked for our next adventure. We leave on Thursday evening for Washington, DC ( remember the aborted trip from six weeks ago when we got the Nor'easter? )

Lists Can Make You Crazy

The list I mentioned was getting smaller. Items were getting scratched off each day, sometimes a couple of them. I began feeling really good about myself and then, just when I was about to see the bottom of the list, I had to start adding things once more. For instance, today I finished this season's spring and summer card selection for two of the five galleries that I exhibit in. And I delivered a CD with some images to the production team at WREN which stand for the Women's Rural Entrepreneurial Network. It's an organization that helps small cottage industries to thrive and grow with sound business practices and help from people who've been there. Anyway, they needed some photographs for an upcoming issue of their magazine and several of my images were just what they were looking for. Sorry, got sidetracked there for a minute. Now, I've been asked to exhibit some of my work in a storefront on Main Street in downtown Littleton. WOW! People pass this window by the hundreds every day and I get to have the space for three weeks. It's a great opportunity to get my work seen by loads of people, but I wasn't planning on the extra framing and production just now. I'll need to come up with around eight pieces in the next day or two. This charming little girl is my granddaughter, Stephanie who is trying to convince the little dog that she is the boss.