MERRY CHRISTMAS SNOWMEN!!

Not much happening with photography - but I did want to share something with you pertaining to Christmas tree lights, LED lights, Snow Men!! ; )  Went to my family Christmas Reunion last weekend, and my cousin brought us all a fun little treat!  Made us feel like we were kids again!!  Hah!  He brought 3-D glasses that have been programmed right in the cellophane lens to see at every LED light - snow men!!  How fun is that!  It works on little tree lights as well as big store lights - as long as they are LED!  So I put the 3-D glasses in front of my Canon lens, and took a few shots of the Christmas tree lights so I could share it here with you!

Is that fun or what??  I know it's getting late, but if not for this year - maybe next year - you can purchase them online at:  www.holidayspecs.com  or 800-767-8427.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Tamron Lens

A couple of weeks ago I purchased a Tamron lens, 18 - 270.  I did this because I was getting tired of carrying around two lens: my primary 18-55, and my long lens 75-300.  Changing out my lenses only happens when I'm really out in the field on a trip and so actually, I rarely did whip out my zoom.  But still I'm carrying two lenses and I thought by getting this all-inclusive lens my problem would be solved.  Well, I wasn't happy with it.  Number one, the zoom was not that smooth and so hence not so fast.  Secondly, when you pressed the shutter button there was a lot of movement, which I realize (and was also told by the professionals in the store) that was the stabilizer.  There was movement when you pressed the shutter button and movement after the shutter had closed and re-opened.  So you didn't really know if you were taking a solid, focused image.  I went back and forth in my mind over this purchase and finally took it back.  I hadn't registered the lens as I wasn't that sure about it in the first place.  So the store did take it back, with a 10% less re-stocking charge.  But, hey, that's okay, I just didn't want to be stuck with a lens I wasn't going to use.  I don't have that kind of money.

I've been working on and off on some images I took for a family portrait session.  As I'm working on these images, I'm wondering how many images other portrait photographers take in one sitting??  Just curious.  I mean, when is enough, enough??  I'm being more and more selective as to which ones I pick to include in the CD.  When the customers are friends, it's always kind of touchy in that they are going to want even the ones that aren't so good.  But again, I am being more selective!

Christmas is keeping me busy with decorating and starting to shop, so don't know how much will get done in the way of photography this month.  Will be working at the High Hand Gallery two times month, and I just posted more images on their FB page.  And I will have to come up with two or three new pieces for January.  Hope you are having a wonderful holiday season so far and wish me luck with sales in the gallery!!  I need it!! ; )  Here's an image of mine that is 'seasonal' to say the least, and I've hung it up in the living room for the holidays!  It's printed on metallic paper and looks fabulous, I must say!

Alcatraz Prison, CA

Here it is another week gone by before I've made my next post!!  That's crazy!  Pretty soon it's going to be Thanksgiving, then Christmas holidays!  Life just goes by, just like missed photo ops!!

I was driving down the canyon road this morning into town, and I had my camera in the back seat.  I wanted to take some shots as the fog was creeping in making for some sweet views, and then in the misty rain the fall colors of the live oaks really stood out in shades of orange and yellow!!  But it was raining - I missed the opportunity.  So now I'm hoping I'll find it again tomorrow morning.  It's still raining now.

I have been working and re-writing on my new web site.  Added my photography history with galleries and shows I've done, as well as, adding some helpful links.  I plan on adding more links.  Don't know if it's that necessary now that the internet is so THERE!  All you have to do is type in a description of what you're looking for and two seconds later it's there.  Added another gallery the other day:  Alcatraz Prison, CA!!  You might want to check it out for yourself.  Here's one of the images from that gallery:

When I was there standing on the first floor of the prison, I looked up through the grate to the second floor.  And it was eerily drawing me in.  That place can be creepy, but also pretty awesome.  I know it takes your mind back to when the prisoners were there under the surveillance of the guards.  The building was cold, wet, dark and dingy, but made for some awesome black and whites.  I love old historical places.

One thing I'm struggling with is whether or not I want to make a Facebook page of my photography only.  I don't know.  But then if I did, my blog could be posted there too and draw in more viewers to the website.  I'm still thinking.  Beyond that I need to make a decision as to "if" or "when" I put up my prints for e-commerce.

EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE

So apparently my external hard drive is full with only 24 kb left.  That's probably why my PC is running slow??  I don't know.  I'm heading over to Best Buy to talk to a GEEK and probably purchase a humongus hard drive to make my life easier - hopefully.

Well I am back from a 5-day excursion to the big City of San Francisco.  We had great weather - sunshine every day.  Hardly any people during the week - but WHOA come Saturday it was as though it were a great big ant hill with people scurrying all over the town!  Crazy!  If you're headed that way anytime soon or just any time, go during the week!  And if you want to go see Alcatraz Island, purchase your tickets way ahead of time online.  That's the only way to go.  I did that for us and I notice the sign said, "Next available tour date - MONDAY"!, which was almost a week away.

I stopped by the High Hand Gallery to check out the re-hang that went on while I was out of town - and it's really awesome.  I had two artist friends tell me how great it looked - specifically my black and white photos of The Getty Museum and Bodie Ghost Town!  They were right.  During the last two months of the year, the gallery puts up two Christmas trees to hang some art pieces on them.  I didn't do any small pieces as I have in the past, and it just doesn't work for photography - at least not for me.  I thought I would just make Christmas cards - people like cards, so that's what I'll do.

More pics later when after I install my new external hard drive and get things settled on my PC!!  Again, thanks for spending time with me and for your support!

WEBSITE UP AND RUNNING!!!

I got my new website up and running today - with just a little assistance - powered by Redframe.  I uploaded three galleries for now and will continue adding galleries as I go along.  Later, too, I will add the e-commerce - we'll see how my public responds! ; )  I love the new look and I can change the layout from time-to-time too.

I'm going to send out an email to my friends and family members to let them know of my new website and maybe hear what they have to say too.  I'm always up for improvements, and believe me there is always room for improvement.  Thank you for those who have continued to read my blog, and maybe now there will be an even larger following.  I'm learning on a daily basis of the importance of SEO:  Search Engine Optimization!  I had to look that up! ; P

I'm in a good place right now and am going on a photo shoot.  Hope to have some new images from the bay area real soon!  Check back again!

Here is another black and white Getty Museum image for your enjoyment!

 

New Website

With the upcoming demise of my old website, I finally got in gear today and started working on the new one.  I pretty much spent all day on it.  Got the basics going, dialogue About Me, and all that other stuff; uploaded two galleries to it.  Wrote a lot of notes of other galleries I want to add, with one gallery devoted to some of my own favorites, rather than posting more of my older stuff.  I want fresh and new!! ; )

The new hosting company is RedFrame.  They seemed to be one of the most reasonably priced web templates, including hosting and e-commerce with no commission taken.  I won't have my e-commerce up right away.  I'm just concentrating on designing and completing the galleries for now.  Then Blue Cat Studio will help be re-direct this Blog to the new website, and tie up any loose ends.  For the most part I am doing the work.

Worked my two shifts at High Hand Gallery (within a 5-day period) learning our new POS (Point of Sale) system.  I think I'm getting it down.  There are approximately 33 artists learning this new system so it will probably be a couple of months until we all are on the same page.  But I really like this new system.

This weekend I will be taking in three new images of the Getty Museum in Los Angeles to High Hand for the new re-hang.  I posted one of the images my last post, and here's another.  I really get a little crazy when I see such great architectural designs for many of the museums.  They are a piece of artwork themselves!

Black and White Images of Getty Museum in Los Angeles

It's been a hectic summer with family injuries, losing loved ones, and ending it with a newborn.  Life is sad and yet amazing at times.  Now we're rolling into fall.  I love fall with all the changing colors of the leaves of the trees.  I guess I'm trying to ease into the fact that I haven't written much lately.  So much going on.

This past Thursday night was Auburn's last Artwalk of the 2013 season.  I am showing at the local Naturopathic business in Auburn.  We had great weather this year (last year it was storming with lightening and rain!)  A lot of traffic and visitors coming in to check out my European images.  Finally I was able to show them all in one place!  Received numerous positive comments.  And lucky for me, Naturopathic wants to keep my artwork in their business thru April of next year!!  Awesome.  This will give me longer exposure to the community for possible sales!

I've been printing out images from Bodie Ghost Town (2012 Series) onto Museo Silver Rag.  Then matted and framed them and they are hanging in High Hand Gallery thru the end of this month.  In the meantime, I've been printing out even newer images I took at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles this summer.  Since they are an architectural series with stark contrasts, I've printed them on metallic paper to enhance the image even more.  Next step is to mat and buy frames for this series.  Here's one of them.

Yesterday and today I've been spending many hours on the computer looking up various websites for photographers.  I've been watching tutorials and almost falling sleep at it too!  My website will no longer be, as my current hosting company is updating their servers and my website will not survive!  I need to create a new one, on my own I might add!  Ugh!  Learn new things!  It's hard! ; )  But it has to be done.  So that's where I'm at.  I'm hoping I can transfer my Blog over to the new website so I don't have to start from scratch!