Christmas Day

We woke up and had another small Christmas with Evelyn and Gene. Gene is doing better - so the family has decided to let them have a chance to stay independent.

We leave Amarillo around noon on Christmas Day. We've never travelled on Christmas Day before. While there are gas stations open - restaurants were pretty much all closed. In Amarillo, the only thing open was a sitdown Sushi restaurant. Since we got off around lunchtime for our 8 hour drive to Breckenridge - we got things at the convenience gas station to get us started. The gas stop at Clayton (with so much closed, I was not taking any chances of running out of gas!) provided meaty burritos. And another convenience store in Colorado Springs provided the low carb energy bars that have been a staple on my low-carb diet.

We get to Breckenridge in time to hit another convenience store to have breakfast items - cereal, milk, juice, etc.

Because of Gene's illness, we did not know whether we would make it to Breckenridge this winter. But as we drop into Breckenridge from Hoosier Pass - it feels like we are coming home.

Christmas Eve

We arrived in Amarillo on the 23rd. When we saw Gene first thing Christmas Eve morning, we knew we were headed to the emergency room. His left eye was swollen like a tennis ball to the point he could not open it. A call to the physician on call led us to the hospital emergency room in case complicated tests were necessary.

The hospital was quiet on Christmas Eve. I went to the coffee shop to get coffee (and hot chocolate for Henry) all around while we waited for Gene to be seen. We were fortunate that the diagnosis was either an allergic reaction or the beginning of shingles. We got in early, were seen quickly, and were ready to leave by the time everyone had drunk their coffee. Definitely a blessing to get Gene back home rather than have another hospital stay at Christmas time.

Our niece, Staci, had a wonderful Christmas party for the whole family. While we have not made a practice of going to Amarillo for Christmas, there is something very special to be surrounded by loving family and friends at Christmas. I will have some good memories from this Christmas.

Christmas Cards on the Road

We only stayed in the Austin area a few days. We went by the Hubbard Museum of the American West to see my photos that made the exhibit. Then we spent four days at Bosque del Apache. We explored three other lesser known wildlife refuges in New Mexico.

But I knew that it was time to get the Christmas cards printed and delivered. I had done the preliminary designs in Amarillo. When we were in Austin we packed up the printer and the extra ink cartridges. One of the evenings at the Bosque I started printed out the cards. But, unfortunately, I ran out of a couple of colors of ink. So the next day at the mid-day break from photography we went back to Socorro where we were spending the night. We drove all around town looking for the office supply store we had located on the web. Turned out it was on the square. It was a cute little store with a little bit of everything. My printer requires 8 different colors of ink. They had two colors - not enough demand to stock all the colors. Naturally they were not the colors I needed. The other small complication in the first print run were some strange yellow spots. ARGHHH! But I did get enough printed to get one batch mailed off in Socorro.




When we drove through Albuquerque, we found the Office Depot near the interstate, and I stocked up. That night in the Comfort Inn in Las Vegas, we hauled all the stuff up the stairs to our room. And began the print process again. This time I was successful in getting all the cards printed and mailed off in Las Vegas.



And, for those that want to know, this Santa is VERY special - my kids know their daddy is the REAL Santa Claus!

A Photographer's Winter Morning

Early morning is a special time. Symbolically it is the start of a new day. While I am not a "morning" person, sunrises are worth getting up for. As a photographer, getting to your photographic spot well before dawn is important. Part of the experience is seeing the world turn from a dark, black and white place in a crescendo of brilliant colors. That first hint of glow in the east is a promise of a new beginning. And the sky joyfully gets brighter and brighter until the glory of the sun finally breaks the horizon in a golden burst.

The early morning is also a good time to view animals. We had a chance to go back to Bosque del Apache in New Mexico. In the winter months thousands of snow geese, sandhill cranes, and other water fowl migrate here to spend the winter. Arriving at the refuge before dawn allows one to experience these beautiful creatures' morning rituals.

The snow geese stay together in flocks of several thousand. They come and go in a noisy group of powerful, beating wings and loud, honking calls. This year they seemed to make one initial move before dawn filling the sky in the distance with beautiful white graceful V-shaped lines. So our first task each morning was to discover which pond they had chosen. Our first morning was the coldest, the ponds had a layer of ice. We found many of the snow geese asleep on top of the ice. The beautiful golden rays of the rising sun gave them almost a heavenly lighting. It was fun to watch them wake up, go through their morning grooming rituals, and then doze off again, floating in the water with their heads tucked under their wing.



As a photographer, I wanted to capture their incredible take off. I discovered that you do have a few moments warning. Something will startle them, they all begin honking. Sometimes it is a false alarm and they settle back in to splashing and grooming. But other times, that caucophony of sound is the signal, and they all leave the pond at once.


Each day I positioned myself in a different place to try to capture the magic of thousands of birds in close proximity taking to the air at once. I tried slow shutter speeds to catch an artistic blur and I tried faster shutter speeds to get sharp details on each bird.




The sandhill cranes have a total different morning regimen. The frantic flight of the geese leaves them undisturbed. The cranes leave for the feeding grounds in family groups of two to five. They run across the ice or water in order to gain enough momentum for flight.


There are also signs to watch for to be prepared to capture their take off. You will see a group begin to stretch their necks out together in one direction. It is almost as though they have to psyche themselves up. If you are patient and quick with your shutter finger, you can catch them in the act of running and slipping clumsily on the ice before they are finally airborne in an incredible graceful flight. Because so many congregate on the ponds, you have plenty of opportunities to practice your panning and your eye-hand coordination to capture their beauty and grace.

Independent Living

It is a natural desire to be independent. Two year olds express their indepence as they use the word "NO." High school kids can hardly wait to turn 18 - longing for indepence from their parents. They have to learn that being fully responsible for themselves can be challenging. And they make mistakes-and learn from them, and continue to grow and develop.

When people live long enough, they reach what we sometimes call the "declining years." As a culture we value independence, taking care of ourselves. Especially for people who lived through the depression years, being independent and not needing "help" is an important part of their self-esteem. But old age robs us of many dignities - and independence is one of them. Role reversal is difficult for both generations. For the aging, it is difficult to admit that you don't remember well enough, you don't see well enough, and you don't hear well enough. We have a mental image of ourselves - an idealized one - where we can do everything needed. But sometimes the reality is that age has robbed us of some abilities that we had when we were younger.

For the caregiving generation, it is difficult to know how to handle some things. My mother-in-law, Evelyn, so much wants to be able to do everything herself. And she has always been a capable, hard working individual. But at this period, she is up several times during the night with Gene. It is hard for her to remember all the things that are on the caregiving schedule for Gene. And the schedule is complex - first thing in the morning, blood sugar reading, one pill before breakfast, breakfast, 9 more pills, using the vital signs monitor, something that resembles a bath, shaving, lunch, mid-afternoon pill, supper, after supper pills. Not to mention, getting shoes on his feet, foot massages, keeping the feet propped up, therapeutic exercise, deep breathing, monitoring the fluids he gets during the day, and following a diet restricted by so many physical problems.

My quandry today is how much should I just do the things to keep things optimal for Gene's possible recovery and how much should I step back and see how much Evelyn is actually capable of doing. Are my assumptions incorrect, can she really do more than I think? (They did better using the monitor this morning than I expected - I left them alone to see what would happen.) If I let her do all of it for several days, will she get too tired? I truly don't want to hinder her ability to care for herself in the long run, and yet, I know that the physical care for Gene at this point has the potential to ruin the good health she has now. It would be easier if they were not fretting because they feel like they are imposing on us. It would be easier if they had had more realistic goals concerning their old age. They truly intended to take care of themselves until the very end in their own home without involving their children in their care. A noble goal, but very few people are lucky enough to achieve that.

How do you communicate these issues, how do you help them understand that this is the natural cycle of life, how do you help them come to terms and be fully at peace?

While I was beginning this entry, Evelyn came in. I had a chance (once again) to try to talk with her about some of these issues. We both had tears in our eyes.

Routine

Well, we've been here in Amarillo 3 1/2 weeks now. We've settled into a routine that seems to be working. I'm trying to do three meals a day with fresh fruits and vegetables. So far I've been pretty good about sticking with my diet (except for Thanksgiving Day). I weighed at Curves last week and it looks like I've lost 5 lbs since I got here.

I have always believed that every age has its challenges. I remember when my kids were babies - and everyone thinks babies have it so easy - because everything is taken care of for them. But some of my friend's babies had colic - that is NOT easy. Infants get sick and can not tell you where it hurts. Teething is painful and makes them fretful. Learning to walk is also a challlenge- toddlers fall down many times before they get the hang of walking. The twos and fours are times of learning to assert oneself and still learn the discipline of obedience. The school years bring the joys of friendship and the pain of rejection. My kids are now in their young adult years where they are establishing their own patterns for living - which is another set of challenges.

Here with Evelyn and Gene, I'm getting to watch again the frustrations of aging. The other day Gene told me he had some advice for me: "Don't let yourself get old." While we laughed together, the sad reality is that if we are fortunate to live long enough - we WILL get old. There are things we can do along the way to take care of ourselves - like we maintain our cars - diet, exercise, mental exhertion. But there are so many other factors we have no control over - our genetics, accidents, the illnesses we have- that make each person's old age different. My inlaws were active people - when they first bought the lake house, they had a big garden, they took the boat out on the lake, they walked to and from my sister-in-law's house. But with each passing year, activities began to slow down. They walk slower, they don't try to do as much. It is a gradual process.

How will I fare in old age? I'm already telling my daughter some things for her to remember when I get there. I hope that I can maintain a good attitude, minimize the complaining, and be cooperative with what my children think. My inlaws have set a good example - they face each day and take them as they come.

We are in good spirits for the most part. Right now Gene seems to have a good day and then the next day he doesn't seem as well, and then he'll have another good day. Today started out as a "bad" day because he fretted about something over night and did not get much sleep. However, this evening he surprised us big time by coming out on his own to the den where Henry and I were. He spent 30-45 minutes visiting with us out there. He was not even huffing and puffing when he got there. Definitely a count your blessings moment.

Thanksgiving

I was planning to spend one of the holidays with Henry's family this year - we've always lived far enough away that getting back to Amarillo was difficult. We had the largest gathering of family in a long time, and it was a sweet day. But also bittersweet, because Henry's dad was too sick to come. We have a wonderful family photo, but we were missing two . . . . Henry and his dad. I've thought about using my photoshop skills to take a photo of Gene at the house and try to work it into the shot. And I had meant to take a photo of Henry after he got over to our niece's house - so the lighting and background would be easy. But it has been a difficult choice - do I really want to take photos of Gene at this final stage of his life? Do I really want photos to remind us of how weak and feeble he has become.

And yet, when some of us gathered at the house with Gene Thanksgiving evening, I took photos. He's had time with these grandchildren- and he's had time recently with all of his children. As photographer, I have helped document the memories of these last times with Gene. I look at him and find myself being grateful for these last minutes in his presence. I have been grateful that I've had opportunity to try to make him physically comfortable.

Today I also got to spend time with Debra and her fiance, Jonathan. After the week in the hospital and the worry over how to best care for Gene, it was a pleasure to share memories of places we shared with my mom. Thankfully, Jonathan was patient. My mom would have been especially pleased at how much he enjoyed the trip to the ranch and some of the strange plants that grow there. Because I drove, Jonathan and Debra sat in the back - leaving the front passenger seat empty. How fanciful of me to think how appropriate that was - as that is where my mom would have been sitting. Surely some part of her joined us today - as Debra relived things we did with her grandmother. Even if only in our memories.

Life Musings

Henry's dad, Gene, is in the hospital right now. At 85 (almost 86), things can happen very quickly. While he had slowed down a lot over the last couple of years - he and Evelyn have been able to stay in their home, drive to church on Sundays, and maintain independent living. Three weeks ago, Gene was in the hospital for gall bladder and pancreas issues. Saturday he was admitted to the Cardiac Care Unit. We have both heart issues and kidney issues at this point. Most of our news has not been good. But as I have encouraged others to do: I want to list the things I am grateful for.

1. We have excellent doctors - we have confidence that they are competent and that they are trying to do everything that they can for Gene.

2. The nursing staff have been helpful, friendly, and are taking very good care of Gene.

3. Debra encouraged me to get started with Curves and work on my weight this year. I have the energy to do the things I need to do here.

4. Our preacher, Roger, sent me an email yesterday - his prayer: the perfect will of God for Gene. What more could I ask of God, but for his perfect, wise divine plan for Gene to unfold?

5. Gene was alert and much like his old self tonight. I even got him to crack a smile and chuckle a couple of times.

Life is uncertain - we will enjoy the time we are getting to spend with the family up here - and we will be grateful for the days that we can talk with Gene and spend time with him.

Lost Maples - Day Two

While the morning started out cloudy, I was quite pleased because I have learned that the filtered light provides more even lighting for foliage. You have to frame your shot without the sky, but with the magic of photoshop the colors come out much better without the sun washing them out or creating deep shadows.

Over the next couple of weeks, I will be posting some of my shots from this trip on my website:
Lost Maples Photos

For several reasons, I've been doing a lot of self-portraits lately. For one thing, I am trying to explore the income possibilities of stock photography. I need to improve my skills in photographing people. Things I learn in taking my portraits and the post processing will help me with other projects. For another, I am the one model who is always available (ha! ha!) Since I have lost so much weight, the Curves people have been asking for a photo - and I wanted a good one for them. Getting back to the stock photography - they seem to want "real" people - so since I am a "real" person - some of the shots I am doing will get sent to Alamy Images. We'll see if any of them sell.

Lost Maples

Living in the Austin area, I miss some of the brilliant colors that I remember from fall in Amarillo. In the Austin area, the fall colors are muted. There is yellow-brown, red-brown, brown . . . . . . My tallow trees (not native) have a pretty yellow and pink color. And the china-berry trees also are yellow.

While I had visited Lost Maples before, we had never gone in the fall. The color comes and goes quickly. While the kids were in school, there were too many activities going on to take off to see the maples here. But this year was my opportunity. I had been told that around Halloween is the peak time. When I first called to get reservations (November 1st), the park told me that the trees were still green - next week would be better. When I called the state office to make reservations, they said the 7th and 8th was too early - it would be another week (and no there were no available reservations THAT week). So I decided to go ahead and come this week. The reports said there was color in the canyons. I was planning to take the long hikes - so surely I would find some nice locations for fall photographs.

As we drove into the park, the first things I saw were the young maples around the visitor center in full color. Ahhh - fall color. I was able to extend our initial reservation through Thursday - so we were set.


The first afternoon, I took part of the Maple Trail. This trail follows the creek and comes back through the maple grove. I chose to stay along the creek both directions looking for reflective shots in the afternoon sunlight.

Wednesday

As I started my drive today, I could see some blue sky peeking out from behind the clouds. I started my drive going down the Hudson River on the east bank. As I began to see the Catskill Mountains, they "called" to me. So as the sky was definitely clearing, I crossed the Rip Van Winkle Bridge and headed into the Catskill Park. As my elevation changed - so did my weather. I went from fall - to snow covered winter scenes-and then back to fall. My focus for the day seemed to be to find waterfalls and streams surrounded by fall foliage.

It was a good day.

New York

I woke up to rain this morning. Not unexpected, but still disappointing. Since taking photographs in rain is not a lot of fun, I decided to explore some new territory. I headed west into New York State. I crossed over the bridge at the far south end of Lake Champlain. The mountain on the west was beautifully colored -well worth coming back for on another trip in better weather. I drove north following the shoreline. I then headed into the Adirondack Mountains. As I went up in elevation, the rain turned to snow. I got a few winter pictures, but I was not really dressed for snow. While my suitcase was heavy, I really had packed light planning to layer. I was thinking fall, not blizzard. I drove through the Lake Placid area - seeing the ski jump site and some of the other Olympic facilities.



But hours driving in snow without my four wheel drive vehicle (think security blanket) left me a little tense. I made my mental plans to stop when it got dark. I made it to Utica just after dark.

Vermont

While it seems a little strange to be in New England struggling with weather issues from a hurricane in Florida, such is life. I will be trying to find fall color until Thursday when I will fly back to Texas to attend a friend's wedding. Naturally the weather forecast all week is rain, snow, clouds, more rain. I am used to this. After all, while only the STRONGEST winter storms bring rain to Death Valley, it has rained on me every time I've been there!

I got up this morning to a gray sky. I took the time to rearrange my baggage so that each night I would only carry in small needed items - NOT the big bulky suitcase. I got all my camera gear out in easy reach in the car and cleaned the sensor and the lens I use most frequently. I had picked up some information yesterday at the Vermont Visitor's Center. After checking out the routes that still had color as of October 20, I headed north up highway 5 following the Connecticutt River.


I saw a side road marked "Old Connecticutt River Road" and took it. There was some lovely foliage with reflections on the smoothly moving water.











Closer to Windsor, I found a waterfall just begging me to photograph it. While I shot it from a couple of angles, looking at the shots closer tonight, I wish I HAD stood in the middle of the road . . . . On the other hand, from the middle of the road, you did not see the bottom of the waterfall. I DID want the fall foliage as part of the shot, but my nit with my favorite shot is that one of the branches crosses the waterfall. I have some new techniques to try on some of these shots, but for now I am posting my initial processing.

I followed the route listed in the brochure most of the day. After turning on Highway 4, I plotted the route again. The recommended route turned south on 100A. I had no need to make a loop and staying on 4/100 seemed to follow the river. I took another turn on some side roads and was rewarded with some shots that may work out. I had seen Texas falls on the map. I could not remember if Henry and I had been there, so I headed in that direction. Highway 125 is marked as scenic. I definitely agree, a narrow curving road through the mountains. While I got to Texas Falls while there was still light, I chose to enjoy them and not fight the fading light. But I also chose to spend the night nearby in hopes that the sky will be brighter in the morning.

I found my motel and my dinner at the next town. I've caught up with my blog and I'm hoping for clouds with only a little rain (I CAN hope, can't I?). I'm going to study the map a little more to choose a general route for tomorrow.

After the Convention - Heading for Adventure

After the Alamy meeting on Saturday, I walked around the Time Square area. Every other trip to New York, I have attended a Broadway show. I walked the theater district, but I did not find anything that jumped out at me. While I would like to see Brooke Shields, she is appearing in the musical "Chicago." I have seen the Broadway play once as well as the movie. Since I really don't like the premise, I was not tempted. I chose to eat at a French restaurant I had passed. Then I headed back to the hotel to finish the Photography blogs.

I tried to find a way to rent a car from the city to start my explorations. When the first car rental place said no to dropping the car off elsewhere, I was tired enough that the train ride to Connecticutt sounded like the best option. Sunday morning was the dreaded "moving day." I repacked my belongings - how did it get so heavy . . . . . . I must be more tired than I thought. Fortunately, Penn Station was one block away - two blocks to get to the entrance I thought was the right one. Stairs . . . . . I made it up stairs with those same belongings several days ago. As I stood there pondering whether to walk around to another entrance, a kind gentleman said, "May I help you?" With a sigh, I said yes and watched him walk those heavy bags down the steps. I got my ticket purchased and did not have long to wait. Down the escalators with those big bulky bags . . . . .Finally, on the train - one bag stored by the door, the other two in the overhead shelf. AHHHHHH. I pulled out the items I thought I would use - my Bible, my journal, my computer, my ipod . . . . About an hour down later, I realized that all I really needed was the IPOD. The station stops were short - so I loaded everything else back - so I could get off fairly quickly.

After the stop where they switched to a diesel engine (from the electric one I presume), I decided that lunch might be a good idea. I negotiated my way to the dining car (which was at the back of train.) While it was just a simple heated chicken sandwich, it tasted mighty good. At last we got to Hartford, where to my dismay it was down the stairs with the big suitcase to get off the train. The conductor was offering to help people . . . .sigh . . . . the big bag DID get off the train with me. From there it was not difficult to get to the taxi and then off to Bradley to get a rental car. My taxi driver was one of the most talkative ones I've ever had. He was from Africa and loves being in the States because we are free. He dropped me off at Budget. I asked for four wheel drive - they gave me a Trailblazer much like my trailblazer at home - complete with a Texas tag! Later in the afternoon, I realized that while it is a SUV, it is NOT four wheel drive. There is snow on the ground at the higher elevations in Vermont. But at least I have the ground clearance and the confidence to take this vehicle on dirt roads that I would not have wanted to take a car on.

I drove north through Massachusetts, enjoying the fall colors around me. I headed west in Vermont on highway 9. I immediately head out on those little dirt roads hoping for some little streams. All I found the first day was some very pretty foliage next to the road. I kept taking little roads - and finding myself looping. As it got dark, I headed back to Brattleboro for supper and a Motel 6.

A Victory for Me

This is the third year I have submitted photos to the Hubbard Museum of the American West's Photo Exhibit. Last year I had two photos that made the exhibit. I received a letter today that notified me that four of my images made it this year!

While these are "baby steps" in the process of trying establish a career as a photographer, I am very grateful that my work will be displayed. It is a beautiful museum and the photos last year were outstanding. I am also eager to learn which photos were chosen. Hummmmm . . . when I can make it to Ruiodoso to see the exhibit?

Rights Managed vs Royalty Free

Well, before this event, I was sceptical of Royalty Free marketing. When I posted my first images at Alamy, I listed all of them as RIghts Managed. And while I still remain skeptical of the "penny" stock agencies, I am now more convinced that I need to market my photos both ways.

The panel I went to this morning had an incredible array of stock photography companies represented. I was especially thrilled to hear the representatives from Getty and Corbis talk about their company, their strategies, and how it works. But the entire panel was impressive - so much knowledge and skill to learn from at one time!

Interestingly enough, the sales price for Royalty Free images is going up - there is a big demand for this type of image. But there is still a demand for Rights Managed. Big companies sometimes want exclusivity for the images they use in an advertising campaign. Between Tom Grill's session yesterday and the information presented today, I have a better idea which of my images should be marketed as Royalty Free and which should be Rights Managed. And I have a plan to shoot several sets of images specifically for the Royalty Free market. To put it simply . . . . images that are unique, difficult to classify, and expensive to obtain should be Rights Managed. Images that are strongly conceptual, can be used in many ways for many products should be marketed as Royalty Free. Go to an agency such as Getty or Alamy and browse the Rights Managed and Royalty Free images. I think you'll spot the difference.

Turning Your Images into Gold - Marketing your photos to the Consumer

I found this session extremely informative. Because nature photography is my first love, I think this is a direction I would like to explore. I can visualize some of my best work framed on someone's wall.

The moderator was Jeff Sedlik. He runs his own business and distributes posters himself. He did a great job presenting the pros and cons of doing it yourself versus being represented by an agency.
Jeff Sedlik
Jeff Sedlik - Jazz and Blues Master

Martin Lawlor from Bruce McGraw Graphics (I'll add a link here when I find a good one for his company) and Phil Jackson from Bruce Teleky - American Vision Gallery (an art print poster distributor) both gave presentations using photos they market.
Bruce Teleky - American Vision Gallery

The highlights of information from this:I gathered that when you are marketing posters from these big entities - they would prefer to have an exclusive arrangement with you. They have many distribution channels and are already connected with the big retail chains, home interior networks, furniture stores, etc.

When targeting consumers, you are talking about posters, framed prints, greeting cards, mugs, t-shirts, calendars, mousepads, bags, etc. Branding your name will help increase sales of these products.

When thinking of prints for home decorating, one interesting aspect is thinking in terms of pairs of photos that can be displayed together.

One of the advantages of going into the retail market is that it diversifies your income stream. At Kathy Adam's Clarke's "How to Survive Your First Five Years", she talked about having many different ways of generating income (pieces of a pie so to speak) in order to earn your living with photography.

There will be a pdf that I am looking forward to receiving. While I won't pass much of that on - as I consider that it might be proprietary and was intended for those of us that paid to attend the seminar, you can get information about these kinds of companies from the book, "The Photographer's Market."

John Lund finished the presentation. I immediately recognized his work - think the dogs playing poker. He has done an excellent job finding innovative ways to market his work.
John Lund

While I don't know yet if my work is high enough quality, I am certainly planning to explore this area of photo marketing.

PhotoPlus Expo - More Interesting Booths

Phototek
I’ve been doing some still life photography in various rooms of my house. When my daughter, Debra was away at college I used the desk in her room to set up flower shots. I had heard about special light “houses” or light boxes and I knew that some people constructed their own. I saw several lights at booths, but the one I liked best was at Phototek. I chose one 24X24X36. It came with a black and white liner and I bought the additional “wide angle” one so I could do horizontal shots. I already have two studio lights – so I did not buy their lights.
Phototek

WestCott
When I first bought studio lights, it was an experiment – so I bought just about the cheapest ones my local photo store (Precision Camera) had. I discovered that I would indeed use them. I also discovered the room I was working in got very hot. I tried bouncing the light off the ceiling, as well as shooting with them directly. I bought plastic diffusers (which never seemed to fit correctly) and I tried shooting through white material. So one of the things I was looking for was an upgrade for my lighting.
I did look at AlienBees, but they are strobe lights. The helpful staff there told me that I would need a flash meter to set my exposure. Sigh . . . . . one more thing to learn to use. I am spoiled by my in camera meters. I had been by the Westcott booth and drooled over one of the lights they had. They had a professional model and their rep was extolling the virtues of the cool lighting. She was cold. I priced it the first time and walked away . . . . . But after checking out AlienBees, and knowing there was a show discount . . . . . I went back and got their Spiderlight TD5. I bought one with a “kit” because I already have a reflector that I can use to balance the light. Perhaps next year I’ll get a second one. I got the light, a bracket, a soft box and a lightstand. And then of course I saw some portable backgrounds (made similarly to the fold up reflectors) that I would see myself using a lot.
Westcott

AlienBees Flash Units
Whereas I looked at their lights and perhaps one day I will go that direction, the item they have that I do drool over is the portable power system. I did some bluebonnet portraits this year and tried to use my car inverter to power my lights. Something did not work the day I tried it . . . . but at least the sun cooperated. The power systems look like they might work with my existing lights and perhaps my new one. (And I did fill out the card to win a set of their lights . . . . . .)
AlienBees

Lee Filters
While I did not spend much time drooling here (I already have Lee ND gradient filters). I like their filters MUCH better than the Cokin filters I started with.
Lee Filters

Friday's Sessions

The first session I attended was "Your Picture How to Get Published."
The moderator was W.H. Hunt with panelists, Elizabeth Blondi, Kathleen Klech, Jodi Quon, and Kathy Ryan. One was photo editor for Conde Nast's Traveller magazine. One was photo editor for the New Yorker magazine. It was interesting that it is amazingly easy to get your portfolio in to these people. They all preferred prints (even prints you have made yourself) over CD's. They each presented photos from photographers that had impressed them and that showed how that led to an assignment with their magazine. I was impressed both by the creativity and that many of these photos would not win at many of the online contests where I have been participating. While most of my work does not really fit the needs of these publications, I learned about a new contest to enter at the Santa Fe Workshops.

Next on the agenda was: Turning your Images into Gold
Moderator was Jeff Sedlik, Panelists Martin Lawlor - Bruce McGaw Graphics, Phil Jackson - Bruce Teleky (art print, poster distributor) and John Lund (Animal Antics - everyone has seen his dogs playing poker images)

This session really fits the photography that I do. Jeff Sedlik got started when his first child was two - as a way to plan for college. You can market yourself - printing your own and finding distributors or you can license your work. It seems that many of the companies want to carry your work exclusively. And you get a better percentage if you go directly to them rather than through a stock agency. (You can have other work out for stock.) So I'm glad I learned that early in the process. Home decorating is a big part of this business model. So you want to think of photo pairs and "suites." I will certainly follow up on the information from this panel because I think my photos might fit with their needs.

My last session was "Maximizing Stock Photography Income" by Tom Grill
This guy was amazing. He conveyed a lot of information in a short period of time. Some of my friends and family will rue this day as I am likely to start bugging them to ask as models as I try to implement some of the ideas. While many of these shots may not be my favorite thing to do - they could certainly provide an income stream that would allow me to pursue the outdoor photography that is my first love. Concept photography has been mentioned to me before and is critical to getting your work used for advertising purposes.
Tom Grill

I took time to attend the special event: An Intimate Conversation with Three of Photography's Icons: Joel Meyerowitz, Douglas Kirkland, and Elliott Erwitt
Joel Meyerowitz spent 8 months documenting the cleanup at the World Trade Center. He went every day. His current project: he will be photographing all of New York's Parks. Like another professional photographer I have met, boldness is one of his characteristics - his story of how he was able to get in to the Trade Center site is a lesson in persistance. Douglas Kirkland is a celebrity photographer - you will recognize some of his photos of famous people. Looking at how he used lighting in his work is amazing. Elliot Erwitt's work shows the power in black and white photography. He was a street photographer and his photos are well worth studying.

I will come back and add more to this post when I have more time.

PhotoPlus Expo - More Interesting Booths

Interesting booths

PhotoStockPlus.com
A place to sell your images online. A form of stock photography – they charge you for a website to show your photos – within a network where buyers come looking. . . . .
They also allow you to showcase images from event photography – they will do the prints and ship them right to your clients.
Photo Stock Plus

Santa Fe Center for Photography
Project Competition Dec 1st deadline
Portfolio Reviews - a juried portfolio review event $495 Deadline for entries Dec 1st
The Singular Image


CPAC Imaging Pro
I met Susanne C - she was impressed with this program. It is designed for portrait photographers to do retouching. It had a nice system for changing out backgrounds. And of course, smoothing out facial skin, removing blemishes, etc. I liked the demo, but if I understood the salesperson – it was too high priced for me to buy right now.
CPSAC Imaging Pro

Portrait Weavers
I really enjoy the tapestry throws I have bought or been given over the years. Portrait Weavers allows you to take one of your photographs and have it woven into a throw, a pillow or a tote. You can even make wall hangings
Portrait Weavers


Palm Beach Photographic Centre
11th Annual International Festival of Photography & Digital Imaging
This is too near the NANPA event, but it looked interesting.
Palm Beach Photographic Centre

FastBack Creative Books
I got to look at a couple of their sample books. The quality looked very nice. They offer both hard bound and paperbacks. You can design your own book – or you can pay extra for them to design it.
FastBack Creative Books

ColorVision
ColorVision had a booth. Since a Spyder screen calibrater is in my future, I picked up their brochure.


Bergger Digital High Definition Fine Art Papers
I’ve just started playing with putting my images on textured specialty papers. So I was interested in their PN33 textured cotton paper. I also picked up materials on PN61, another textured paper and Pn62 – a cotton rag paper.
Bergger Digital

Premier Imaging Products
Premier Imagaing Products also had papers that captured my interest. My favorite was their Luster Rag. But I also liked their Textured 300g, the Canvass Matte, and their smooth velvet.
Premier Imaging Products

MPIX
I’d already heard great things about this printing company. I got to see sample prints from their metallic paper. I will definitely try this out with some of my work. They will also mount photos on either canvas or matte which produces a nice finished product. I got small samples of their prints – which was nice so I can look at it more when I get home.
MPIX