Foothills Photography

Looking for Themes: Parts

2011-06-29T10:18:00.000-07:00

One of the first things a creator is taught is not to include everything. Whether you are painting or writing or photographing, it's rarely a good idea to include the entire subject, and especially steer clear from the habit of putting a subject dead center in your frame. When I taught fiction writing, I would talk to my students about not including every single detail when describing a scene or a character's entire life story. Why not? It's boring. Where's the mystery? Where's the drama? The conflict? This is what readers and viewers want (as do we, as fans of art).

To create visual tension in your photos, place your subject partly out of the frame. This can create a sense of motion (and, thus, mystery: where's that car headed?). It can create a desire in the audience to want to know more.

Pushing the subject partly out of frame means you, the artist, have to decide what to include and exclude and to what border are you pushing it? Push it up, and the subject may look like it's taking flight. Include only a person's hands, and the wrinkles tell the story of a hard life.

This is something I enjoy doing. I like to create interest in a subject that may not at first seem worthy of our attention. By photographing only a part of it, I can draw a person's eyes to it. One of the most satisfying responses I get is, "I never knew a _____ could be so beautiful."

It's nice to be a part of that discovery.

Looking for Themes: Trees

2011-05-06T07:09:00.000-07:00

It's early summer, and I still haven't shot much lately, except for some family snapshots with the little point and shoot, and I'm again thinking about how immersed I was in photography, and how I'm not at all now, and the reason why it could change so quickly.

Water was a theme that jumped out at me when I began considering this topic. It was obvious. And I initially thought that beyond that, not much else would be. I figured I'd have to do some digging and perusing to locate more themes. I was surprised, though, at how many more became obvious with just a quick look through my file folders.

To continue with nature photography, today I'm going to share some of my photos of trees. I'm drawn to them for a number of reasons and on a number of levels. Simply, they are lines. Their trunks create vertical patterns when in bunches and a split-screen when standing alone. Either way, the effect is very graphic and solid, a juxtaposition of positive and negative at its most basic.

Beyond this simple design element, trees are deeply symbolic. They are stoic and powerful. They play an important role in both nature and our own human history. With the bittersweet falling of a tree, we can literally count its age and know its own history. They amaze us with their fortitude. They tower above us, humbling us and our petty issues.

I suppose it's a tree's perseverence that I respect the most. Year after year, they are present, they stand their ground, and they do not complain.

So opposite from so many of us.

-G

Looking for Themes: Water

2011-03-07T08:34:00.000-08:00

I've shot very little in the last few months -- both my cameras have had battery problems, and there was the upheaval of the holidays and a lot of time spent on other projects, all mixed in with the busy-ness of life as an at-home parent.

You know what? I haven't missed shooting all that much.

I look back at my photos from the last few years, and I may as well have taken them a decade ago, they feel so far away. I appreciate them and am proud of the work I've done and how much I've learned in the past five years, but I have absolutely no urge to shoot now.

As with my writing, when I look closely at my photos, I see recurring themes. I don't plan them -- they just happen. I appreciate that spontaneity. I trust it. So maybe these themes will tell me something.

I'm going to try to explore the themes and subjects in my photos to see if I can get to the heart of my 'problem', one that's been eating at me for as long as I can remember: why do I swing so far and so quickly (and so predictably) from one interest to another? How is it possible to be so immersed in photography for several months, then go several more without any urge to shoot? Why does the same thing happen with writing and music? Is there something in my work that reveals a sort of answer?

First up is water. It terrifies me. I have so many negative memories of it: I remember standing on the diving board at swim class, hearing the egging on from friends and lifeguards that quickly went from encouragement to annoyance. It took me forever to jump in the deep end, and when I did, I grasped for the aluminum pole that would pull me to the surface. Helpless.

I remember nearly drowning while racing my brother into deeper water on Lake Sacandaga. I remember being the only one of my friends who didn't swim across the reservoir and back. I remember Dan pretending he was drowning. I remember talking nervously while on boats and making excuses not to walk out to the end of a dock. I have had so many nightmares about drowning, about my kids drowning, about needing to stay afloat, and not being able to.

I am trying to take control of this fear. I took swim lessons recently, and we bought a place on the lake last summer. I've even gone out kayaking by myself (staying close to shore).

And through all of this, water's been one of my favorite subjects to write about and photograph. I understand why people crowd around lakes and retreat to the water when they seek solace. I do the same thing; I just don't jump in like most people.

Is 'jumping in' a metaphor for taking chances in life? For relying on one's simple yet amazing ability to keep yourself afloat? Why have I started to test myself in the water now, when all I've done in the past is admire it from a distance? Is my recent string of disillusionments with the reality of creative pursuits leading to some sort of revelation that I'm spending my life watching and not doing, creating and not being? Do I just need to let go?

Boy, that's heavy for a Thursday morning.

-G

Teaching

2010-11-16T06:24:00.000-08:00

Emily

Last fall, I taught my first photography course. It started up when I met a family at an art show a few weeks earlier. We got to talking about photography and cameras, and then they asked if I taught classes. I hadn't, but said I could, and after a few phone calls, we set up some times. The daughter in the family asked some friends to join, and we eventually had a group of five.

I chose a few local spots at which to meet -- a DEC nursery, a state park -- figuring they would give us good opportunities to discuss composition. We talked about vertical and horizontal lines, eliminating background clutter, and the rule of thirds. After each meeting, the students emailed me some of their photos and I'd respond with feedback and suggestions.

Taylor

Hope

It was the best kind of experience -- accidental -- and it reminded me of what I truly enjoy, whether it has to do with photography or some other pursuit. I really, really like to teach. I love the learning process, being a student, being a teacher, and just experiencing knowledge being passed on. From taking classes myself in art and literature, to teaching composition and creative writing, to teaching my daughter to play guitar and my son to read, I enjoy every bit of the whole experience.

Stephanie

The students were great listeners and real troopers, too, considering the wind and cold we dealt with. I was truly impressed with their work. They applied the techniques we discussed and in just a few weeks, each individual's style was evident.

Here are just a few of the student photos. You can see them all here.

Thanks for looking,

Valerie

The Voyage of Life

2010-11-16T06:23:00.000-08:00

As an at-home dad, I don't get a lot of time to myself, and usually when I do take time for myself, I golf or go out shooting or I run errands in peace, savoring a few minutes of uninterrupted sports radio. But recently, I chose to forego that sort of excitement for a more subtly stimulating trip to the museum. I hadn't been feeling very inspired lately, and it had been a few years since I visited the Munson Williams Proctor museum in Utica. Plus, I wanted to visit the only camera shop within two hours of home, so off I went. It was an hour drive each way, meaning I'd have two whole hours of sports radio and music. Uninterrupted. Amazing. From previous visits to MWP, I remembered Jackson Pollack's enormous Number 2 and Thomas Cole's Voyage of Life.

I also remembered wandering around the museum during high school field trips with Mr. C. Looking back, I was even more thankful for those outings -- not only for the escape from school for a few hours, but for the opportunity to wander, to stare, to stand still. This time, I wandered and stared, but also talked to the gallery assistants about when and why Cole's works were moved to an alcove, about the designing of the museum itself, and about Ann Reichlin's 914 Whitesboro Street project, in which she captures "that state between falling apart and building, that tension between what was and what might be." She writes that she is "fascinated by the idea of potential embedded in the states of abandonment, demolition, and buildings in the process of construction. Once a building is falling apart, one imagines what it might have been."

This project hit a nerve with me, as I've always been drawn to abandoned places, trying to recreate their stories, the world in which they thrived, and the moment at which it was decided that people would leave them forever. Ironically, I realize now that her exhibit is no longer at MWP. It's been deconstructed, removed, and all that's left are a few photos, I assume. Needless to say, most of my time that day was spent in that room, thinking about abandonment, the passing of time (the Voyage of Life...), and the bittersweet understanding that nothing will last -- not a photograph, not the memory of someone who took that photograph, not the digital backup file, not the name, nothing. And as depressing as that may sound, it's liberating, too. It's actually a nice thought, when you think about it. Nothing stays, so why stress over it? We're all blips in time (food for worms), and our homes are just piles of wood and stone, and even famous and not-so-famous works of art disintegrate in time, bridges crumble and whole towns are abandoned, so why worry so much? Sometimes I wish we lived closer to museums, but we don't. It's nothing to stress over. G

A New Old Way

2010-10-28T09:51:00.000-07:00

click for larger photos

Like most photographers today, I shoot digital. I do have a film SLR and I use it from time to time, but I'm not as patient as I'd like to be. Also, I've never worked in a darkroom. Instead, I send out my film for processing and printing.

Back in the late 80's when I attended SUNY Oswego, I wanted to take the photography courses, but I could barely afford to pay for laundry as it was. I was a dual major in English and Art, but took illustration, painting, and drawing. Those supplies were expensive enough. I knew from friends in the art department that photography was not a cheap pursuit. It wasn't a huge disappointment or anything. I just thought it was a cool medium that I thought I'd want to explore some day.

I feel now as if I have somehow cheated, jumping right over film photography and landing in the world of the digital darkroom, where things seem...easier. I don't know if they are; that's just my perception. Sitting at the computer working in Photoshop doesn't seem as blood-and-sweat as standing in a cramped darkroom, dodging and burning, mixing chemicals, and drip-drying prints. I would guess that that feeling has something to do with the ingrained guilt of growing up Catholic -- you feel bad even when there's nothing to feel bad about.

Some day, I'd like to try out the darkroom experience, just for the sake of it. There is that idealized image of the lone artist laboring away under a red light, watching as his/her work fades into being.

I'd like to try that and see just how wrong that idealized image is.

I want to go "old school," as they say, to some degree. I know how important it is to study those who came before you. Like learning blues riffs on the guitar or copying word for word your favorite writers in order to get a better sense of their style, their cadence.

Other older techniques I'm interested in -- going backward to go forward? -- are pinhole photography and lomography. I love the gloomy, fuzzy quality of older photographs. The over-saturated colors of 1970's pocket cameras. The soft focus of the earliest cameras.

I recently bought a zone plate from Pinhole Resource. Basically, it's a camera body cap with a tiny hole drilled in the middle. It's more complicated than that, but you get the idea. I went out shooting by the Black River in Watertown and these are some of the shots. At f/45, the DOF is enormous and of course, the necessary shutter speeds are slow. It was fun. Kind of the best of both worlds -- a simple lens (if you can even call it that), combined with the instant review of digital. It's a beautiful thing.

G

Final Show of the Season

2010-10-05T11:52:00.000-07:00

Harvest of the Arts 2010

On October 2nd and 3rd, I went back to where I started -- the Harvest of the Arts in Lowville, NY. Two years ago, I set up for my first show at the Harvest. I had no idea what I was doing, what to sell, how to sell, what people buy, and would people buy my work.

Two years and a dozen or so shows later, I'm still unsure, but I've also learned a lot. I'm having fun and meeting a lot of nice people. The 'oohs' and 'ahhs' from people who walk into my booth are much-needed ego boosts, and surrounding myself with my own prints for two days is both exhilarating and horrifying.

While I've learned a lot about photography in just two years, there is also much, much more to know, of course. And, thankfully, I continue to enjoy learning about the processes that take photos from 'eh' to 'wow'. Having made a break from fifteen years in education -- as an aide, a counselor, a program coordinator, and a college professor -- it's comforting to find myself wholly and happily studying something new. For a while there, I felt I was drifting at sea.

Still, teaching remains a possibility. This weekend, I had a number of people ask if I taught classes. I have thought about it briefly, but hearing the interest this weekend has made me consider it even more.

Along with the how-to book I'm planning, and the courses I want to study myself....and the restorations I'm working on....and the commercial jobs that came up this weekend...teaching workshops would keep me pretty busy. And happy.

G

From the Kite Festival, which coincided with the Harvest this year.

One Extreme to Another

2010-09-30T07:52:00.001-07:00

So, I did a show two weeks ago that was, um, less than spectacular. I wasn't very prepared. My stock was thin, for one thing, especially compared to another photographer who had bins and bins of prints for customers to browse. Plus, I suffer from not having easily recognizable images. I have a few of the area where I was, but none of them sold. Hmm...

What I was told by a number of people was that I was doing the wrong kind of show. That I would do much better at a show in a bigger town, not a small tourist community in the mountains. That I should do shows in Utica, Syracuse, Rochester. That my work -- mostly macros and abstracts -- would sell better in those places. Maybe they're right.

Still, I wasn't happy with my effort for this show, and was feeling a bit desperate to cap off the weekend on a good note. Luckily, the sunset was throwing beautiful colors across the Moose River.

Feeling better, I poured myself into restocking for the next show, including many newer images. The show is this weekend, and I'm nearly done with all the framing and matting. I've ordered these nifty rack cards, advertising my restoration services, and I've written an artist statement to post at the show (apparently, people actually read them and feel more inclined to buy when they know a little about you. Go figure!) So, from doing the bare minimum for one show, to going all out for the next show, I've been experiencing some extremes, from complacency to andrenaline.

Meanwhile, I've also been playing around with some new abstracts. I suppose it's a far cry from the Moose River landscapes in terms of style, but you could make the point that they look like landscapes themselves. In a way, all these images are part of the bigger picture, isn't it? Just like these extreme mood swings. Huh, that's something to ponder.

As always, these and many more can be seen at my online gallery: www.foothillspix.com. Thanks for reading,

Bronx Zoo Portraits

2010-09-09T07:09:00.000-07:00

Had a chance to see some primates up close and personal. I love the emotion in their eyes.

This, I think, would be an awesome job: official zoo photographer. No, not the kids with cotton candy on their faces -- the other animals.

f/2.8 @ 135 mm, 1/30, ISO 800

f/4 @ 135 mm, 1/60, ISO 400

Canadian Excursion

2010-08-31T10:53:00.000-07:00

I recently went on a photography excursion in St. John, New Brunswick, during a cruise from NYC to Canada. David Connell was our guide.

We first stopped at Reversing Falls (which is actually rapids...) to see the water flowing toward the ocean. It was pretty uninspiring, but I did manage to find this fisherman on the shore with the bridge in the background.

click pictures for larger image

We then drove southwest to Lepreau to see a beautiful series of falls. I've always had trouble capturing the blur that flowing water can make. All my shots end up blown out, so that the falls looks like a big white blob. David gave me some tips and I took a few dozen shots -- most of which I was happy with.

Then it was on to Dipper Harbour, your classic fishing pier with boats, traps, ropes, and rocks. This was my favorite stop. There was so much to see. The textures were incredible. Needless to say, I was the last one back on the bus. I could have stayed there for hours. I wasn't the only one, either -- we saw another group of photographers who looked to be in a club.

Finally, it was back to Reversing Falls where the water was by then flowing inland. Okay, that was neat. I admit. All in all, I took a lot of shots, and learned a lot more from the ones that didn't turn out good than from the ones that did.

What do you really want to do?

2010-08-13T10:17:00.000-07:00

It's autumn. Some leaves are already changing color, the nights are getting cooler, and the stores are filled with back-to-school supplies. Every August, I feel the rush of the fall -- of taking new classes, meeting new people, filling empty notebooks, and learning, learning, learning.

Next month, I'll be taking an online photography class on discovering your passion. Each of the eight weeks features a different subject matter: macro, wildlife, portraiture, etc. While I've had experience with each of these, it will be good to explore them all together. I've enjoyed the portrait work I've done so far, but I definitely don't see myself being happy doing it full-time. That's where the money is and there's plenty of room for a family-style portrait photographer in the area, but... money isn't happiness and being busy-ness doesn't mean success.

Besides the online course, I'm signed up for two shows and one workshop this fall. Then it's into hibernation mode, trying to get caught up on some projects I've been wanting to start, and giving myself time to explore some new ideas.

Let the learning begin...

G

Company Shoot

2010-07-25T18:51:00.000-07:00

I recently took on a photo shoot for a local business. Besides the large group photo above, I also did 'yearbook' style portraits of over 150 employees. They are celebrating their 25th anniversary this year and wanted, well, a yearbook.

When asked, I questioned whether I wanted to take on such a big project, having only done a handful of family portraits. However, the opportunity was too great to pass up, and I'm glad I took it.

Of course, the number of shots was worrisome, but I figured all I had to do was set up the lights for one shot, then the rest should fall in line without too much tweaking. Before any of that, though, I had to gather my equipment. I already had two Photogenic strobes with umbrellas, a reflector with stand, and an off-camera flash mount. I only needed to buy a backdrop, and ended up with a two-sided collapsible (dappled gray and solid black).

Another concern I had was where I would take the shots. I wanted to have a private space, but one that was easily accessible by the employees. I also knew I needed to have 4-6 feet minimum between me and the subject and the subject and the background. We found a great meeting room to use, 10x13, about the size of my set-up at home. Perfect.

How long would it take? Having no experience with this type of shoot, I could only guess. I was pretty much spot-on, luckily, figuring four mornings (over two weeks). In total, I shot for about 13 hours. Sometimes the employees would be lined up outside the door, and I got several done quickly. Other times, there were 5-10 minute lulls during which I backed up my files and adjusted my equipment.

Poses. Straight on? Slight tilt of the head? I decided to do both with most people, and this worked out well. Though, of course, some folks -- okay, MOST of them -- didn't want their picture taken, and it was hard to get them to smile let alone to try out different positions. (In fact, I started joking with them that getting your photo taken must rank right up there with drowning and public speaking as one of people's greatest fears.)

The only issue I ran into camera-wise was how the different colored shirts affected my camera's white balance, changing the backdrop's gray to cool or warm, depending. I was able to easily tweak the color in Photoshop so that the background in each image had essentially the same tint.
All in all, it was a great learning experience in terms of both working with the equipment and working with people (the latter definitely being the more challenging and more rewarding of the two).

Happy shooting,
Glenn

Ripple

2010-05-24T11:04:00.000-07:00

I took this photo while leading my daughter's 4H group on a photo walk. The kids seemed to have a great time wandering around the DEC conservation area, getting in close to the plants and trees and trying out new perspectives.

At the back corner of the area are a few small ponds. It was dusk, so the light was warm and soft. The kids were tossing rocks in the water, and I started snapping away.

I later submitted this to my local photo club's monthly contest and ended up winning. That was nice.

1/200
ISO 200
f/5.0
50 mm

Slowing Down: Is Less Really More?

2010-04-23T05:43:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, I made a list of this year's art shows. Last year, I set up my booth at half dozen shows and exhibited in a few competitions. I had every intention of doing a little more each year, as if the only way to be successful or happy was if I became increasingly busy. On top of these shows, I did a few portrait sessions and even some commercial photography. This year, I figured I would just do more of the same.

But as I reviewed the list, with at least a dozen opportunities, I didn't feel excited about the prospects. I didn't feel bored, either. I felt...bothered, as if it was a chore.

And that's my warning sign. That's when the sirens wail and the flashing lights whir inside my head, waking me up and yelling: "THIS IS NOT WHAT YOU WANT!!!"

As with other pursuits -- music, writing -- photography, to me, is to be enjoyed, and not to feel like a chore. Of course, I'd think differently if I relied on it for a living, but as a hobby, it should make me happy, and if it doesn't...

...I've signed up for just three shows this year, in June, August, and October. And I'm good with that. There are a few exhibitions I might do, but I might not. I'll decide later, and that's okay. (Why is this happening? Let's just say there are a lot of other things going on this summer, so I have to assume that I just don't want to juggle too much.)

A part of me feels the need to justify my hobby by being increasingly busy, by making money, as if it doesn't matter otherwise. I'm not sure where that comes from, but I wish the voice saying such things would shut up.

This, hopefully, will be a long journey, a life-long one, and there are miles to go before I sleep. The last thing I want to do is to rush it, burn out, and end up hating it. That would suck.

G

Restorations

2010-03-14T01:46:00.000-08:00

I've been trying my hand at restorations lately. My mom lent me several old photos which I have begun to scan and restore in Photoshop. Here's my mom (center) with two of her sisters:

I am generally pleased with this. It was surprisingly fun -- not a bore at all -- and there is a strong sense of accomplishment when looking at the before and after.

Just as important as the restoration itself is the fact that this image is now preserved digitally. I am glad to be a part of preserving this small slice of family history.

I just finished reading Steve Fitch's book "Gone" in which he chronicles abandoned homes and schools on the Great Plains. The photography is striking and incredibly sad. So many people just up and left, leaving behind photographs and even children's artwork. Like Fitch, I am interested in the stories behind the photos: Why did this family leave? Why did they leave behind so many personal items? Is there someone out there who might want these things?

The most likely answer to that last question is "No," and that itself is incredibly sad. Maybe that's why Fitch's book is so disturbing: someone out there, at some point in the family history, chose to leave behind -- chose to forget. Or maybe there was just no one left at all -- maybe that family line just simply died out.

My mother has several boxes full of photographs, some of them 80+ years old. How many other grandmothers have a box of photos sitting in a closet? Photography is a relatively young medium, so it's probable that these photos will be passed on to a daughter, then a grandson, and so on. In many cases, they'll gladly accept the old photos. But as time moves on, the colors fade, the paper crackles, and the edges are worn.

I think I'd like to be a part of saving some of those images. I'd like to clean up, brighten, and preserve a photo of someone's great-grandparents so that they can better remember where they came from, so that they can forever see the resemblance and know that many, many people came before them, and know that they have a place in the world.

Maybe that's what it comes down to for me: helping people preserve their own pasts so that they don't feel so lost in the present. Maybe.

But there is much to learn. I've begun reading a few books on restoration, and I plan on trying my hand at a bunch more projects. Then, hopefully sooner than later, I can offer my services to people in the community.

G

Winter Photography Weekend Review

2010-03-02T13:12:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago, I attended a workshop called "Adirondack Winter Weekend" with photographer Mark Bowie. It was arranged by Adirondack Photography Institute, and took place at the Wood's Inn in Inlet, NY.

This was my first ever photography workshop, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I received the weekend's itinerary earlier in the week, but was still apprehensive. Would my camera break? Would I suddenly forget what Aperture Priority means? What if I realized that I was just no good? What if the others had nothing to say about my photos -- and they weren't speechless in a good way? Okay, so I was feeling less than confident.

Things went much better than that. The most challenging part of the weekend was the weather -- which dipped to -20 F during the first morning outing. We met in the hotel dining room at 6 am, then downed coffee and bagels while dressed in several layers of thermal underwear and snow pants. We jumped in our cars and drove off to Racquette Lake. By 6:30, we were shooting the sunrise.

By 6:40, my battery quit on me. This was a recurring problem for me and at least one other participant all weekend. Apparently, the cold was too much for certain batteries, so I had to switch mine out every five minutes while warming the spare in my chest pocket. I was lucky if I was able to take two shots before having to switch again. Despite this, I enjoyed braving the cold morning with other like-minded folks.

During the middle of the day, we ate some more, thawed out our frozen fingers and toes, and took part in the classroom/lecture/workshop part of the weekend. Mark did a great job presenting information on night-time shooting, using filters, and making panoramas. It was apparent that he put a lot of time and thought into his preparation. Throughout the weekend, he was accessible, open-minded, and encouraging.

Each night after dinner, several of us met Mark down at the frozen lake to shoot snowmobilers, the stars, the inn, and even fireworks on the opposite shore.
By Sunday midday, I was on my way home. Sure, it was bitter cold, but that just added to the weekend's adventures. The exprience was relaxed, positive, and informative. Having worked alongside other photographers for the first time, I felt accepted and confident.

Here are some photos from the weekend. Hope you enjoy. Thanks for looking.

-G

Project Review

2010-01-27T05:56:00.000-08:00

Well, here I am. 365 days later, the project is complete. I'm relieved because the last few weeks, I've felt annoyed by it all. I'm a sap, so I feel a little sad....but not enough to do this again. I have been thinking a lot about my next project. Whatever I decide on, I'm eager and inspired.

Mostly, I used a point & shoot camera -- an Olympus FE-240. It's so much easier to grab and to tote around than my Pentax K20. At first, I was hesitant to do this, but I'm a big believer that a good photographer should be able to take a good shot with any camera -- so I allowed myself to use the P&S, and I'm glad I did.

Here are just some of my favorite shots from the year.

There are many, many more that I consider throwaways, but I'm also a big believer that even throwaways matter. A lot.

I'd call this journey a success no matter what, but I'm glad I got out of it what I hoped I would -- to stay immersed in photography, whether I wanted to or not that day. In this way, the project is much like exercising: it's the days when you really don't want to do it that matter the most. These are the days from which we learn so much.

I've learned to be more confident and more patient. I've become more and more comfortable with photoshop and my workflow. I've felt inspired by other people's 365 photo projects.

Most importantly, looking back at the photos, it's great to see just how much family time we've been blessed to spend together. It's been a year of skiing, flying to Florida, and craft projects. Lazy winter afternoons and exciting summer outtings. We are surrounded by beautiful landscapes and we live in a warm, safe home.

What more could you ask for?

Weekly Photo 16

2010-01-22T17:20:00.000-08:00

I almost don't want to say what this is! As usual, I was hunting for something to shoot at the last minute, but I also needed to put a new bag in the trash compactor. I just so happened to have the bag and the camera in the same spot, and decided to give it a go. I snapped a few shots of the inside of the bag. Most of them came out abstract-looking. This one reminded me of the soft petals of a flower. The yellowish light is nice, too.

One more week.

Whew...

G

Weekly Photo 15

2010-01-16T09:15:00.000-08:00

Just running some errands, with the P&S in my lap, I stopped at a red light and looked down this alley. I like the black and white. I like the slight angle, the bricks... it makes me think of London and the Industrial Revolution... except they didn't have dumpsters then, did they?

G

Weekly Photo 14

2010-01-12T08:52:00.000-08:00

There's nothing remarkable about the shot itself -- it's just a snapshot. But the sign is special. It was a gift to my parents from one of my brothers. Nearly 54 years of marraige. Amazing.

Weekly Photo 14

2010-01-10T19:28:00.000-08:00

I was up early enough to catch the sunrise. I was happy to have captured the upward stream of light here.

Weekly Photo 13

2009-12-19T21:13:00.000-08:00

This is the boy during our first snow of the season. I felt bad I couldn't get the snowmobile running for him, but he enjoyed wearing the helmet anyway. I converted this to b/w with a slight infrared effect that really blew out the flash glare in the visor. You can just barely still see his left eye.

G

Weekly Photo 12

2009-12-10T14:28:00.000-08:00

Taken with the Crackberry propped up on the steering wheel.

Don't try this.

I have about 6 weeks left in this 365 photo project. Honestly, I'm looking forward to the end. It's taught me a lot (and I'll tell you what at the end), but it's also proved to be more of a burden than anything at this point. Gotta see it through, though.

Weekly Photo 11

2009-12-01T17:39:00.000-08:00

This was taken while out on the bay in Florida. We were on a pirate ship. I was trying to break the 'straight horizon' rule, as I've seen done in some portraiture. It adds drama, as does the black and white. I really like the b/w version because of the wide array of tones. I also like the starkness of something that is usually filled with vibrant colors.

f/11

1/500

ISO 400

68mm

Weekly Photo 10

2009-11-29T19:44:00.000-08:00

This was pretty spontaneous. I started with the jam, moving it around in the afternoon light, and didn't notice at first the loaf of bread in the background. When I did, it seemed only right to add the peanut butter. It was fun playing with the light and shadows, and trying to subtly highlight the brand names.

f/8
1/250
ISO 400
123 mm

Weekly Photo 9

2009-11-16T09:02:00.000-08:00

This is a photo I took with the BlackBerry. I've taken a few pics with the new phone, several of which seem to have a slight "lomography" look to them. It's a look that fascinates me, reminding me of some cheap, plastic camera found sitting in an aunt's attic or in a shoebox under a bed. One of these days, I'd like to buy one of those little cheapo's. For now, I'll stick with the high-tech but terrible camera on my phone.

What is "Digital Workflow"?

2009-11-13T06:05:00.001-08:00

I had heard the term "Digital Workflow" before, but passed it off as something that only professionals do. This was complicated stuff and way over the head of an amateur like myself. Therefore, I wasn't going to care, I told myself.

But in the past few weeks, I've been dealing with a few large groupings of images, and I've found myself bogged down with time-consuming post-processing steps.

Here's what I found myself doing after a photo shoot, in which I took anywhere from 100 to 300 images: Open the RAW files in Pentax Browser, delete the bad photos, then one-by-one extract JPEGs from the RAWs, placing them in the same folder. The images that needed adustments, I would open in PS Elements.

Needless to say, this took a lot of time.

I figured maybe I should care what "Digital Workflow" is. I won't get into a lengthy discussion here because I'm just learning this myself, but basically, "Workflow" is how you get your digital images off your camera and to the 'client' and all the steps in between. It's the equivalent of working in a darkroom and cataloging negatives and slides.

One thing I learned quickly was to create a subfolder. It's easy for files to get jumbled together, and I've found that separating RAW files from JPEGs makes this workflow thing a little simpler. Also, instead of extracting each JPEG separately, the Pentax Browser program lets you do them all at once. Now I know! But the easiest thing to do is shoot in RAW+JPEG format from the beginning. The only concern here would be making sure you have enough memory. Whatever you decide, remember to always back up these files to a CD and/or external hard drive.

PS Elements also lets you process files in bulk. It's taken a few tries to set the parameters correctly in order to get the image size and quality I want, but I can now resize and make quick adjustments to an entire project's folder with one click.

The resulting mid-resolution JPEGs are my proofs. I can order a set of prints, burn them on a CD, or upload them to a website for client viewing. I've secured the original RAW files, so when the client wants a particular print, I can convert only those select RAW files to TIFF files (better quality than JPEGs), then process them individually in PS Elements.

Anyhow, this is what I've learned about "Digital Workflow" in the past few weeks. It felt cumbersome at first, but now that I've done it a few times, it feels much more effortless. And, of course, I'm sure I will streamline the process as I discover different software, but for now, I'm just happy to have things flowing along.

G

Weekly Photo 8

2009-11-05T04:40:00.000-08:00

These are M&Ms. I lined them up in a sort of graph, with five greens, four yellows, and so on. The white background is a toy doctor's kit in which my daughter is keeping her halloween loot. In Photoshop Elements, I did some minor level adjustments, then decided to add a radial blur (filter-->blur-->radial blur)

The hardest part? Keeping the kids away from the candy while I took the shot.

G

Olympus point & shoot
6mm
f/5.6
1/250
ISO 400

Weekly Photo 7

2009-10-28T17:03:00.000-07:00

This is another last-minute shot, using the point-and-shoot and a small desk lamp. Oh, and a piece of printer paper as a sweep.

My kids have a habit of leaving their toys on the office desk. This is a plastic hourglass. Nothing special, but I liked the angle and the tones here. My favorite part of this is the upper section of the toy and the black background where the paper falls off. It reminds me of an old lab or apothecary. I guess.

f/3.3
6.4mm
1/160
ISO 400

Weekly Photo 6

2009-10-21T15:43:00.000-07:00

I like simple things. I joke with my wife that it's because I'm a guy and that guys aren't programmed to juggle a lot of things at once. We're not stupid; we just don't multitask well and we tend to be impatient. We want to get on with things. Let's keep it moving along, people.

Anyway, I realized I hadn't yet taken a picture the other day, so I grabbed my daughter's spelling list near the computer. I draped it over the camera bag and took a few shots. Why was I drawn to the black-on-white list? Why did I pass over more colorful things on the desk, like a yellow highlighter, a purple 20 Questions game, or a blue plastic hourglass?

There might be something here, but like I said, I like to keep things simple.

It is what it is. Black ink. White paper. Simple.

f/3.3

1/200

ISO 400

Weekly Photo 5

2009-10-20T15:27:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, a picture smacks you in the face and you have to stop your rushing around to just stand there and enjoy it. Then you get your camera, of course.

I was on my way out the door, energized by the sun that had been unseen for a week. It made me want to be busy, readying for the winter, playing with the dogs or the kids, running long-put-off errands.

Then the picture hit me. All the colors seemed more vibrant than usual. The blue sky and the blue truck and the green grass and the yellow birch leaves. I stopped, took a breath, smiled, then went back inside to get the camera.

f/16
1/125
55mm
ISO800

Then I went out to run errands.

G

Art Show Tips

2009-10-12T05:48:00.001-07:00

Recently, I completed my first full year of being part of the art show circuit. My role was minimal compared to those artists who attend dozens of shows per year. Still, I've learned a lot about the business of selling and the emotions involved with putting your creative work out there for the public to see.

1. When the economy stinks, art is one of the first things to go.

Every other vendor I've met this year has reminded me that the country's in a recession. Sales are way down from previous years. There are smaller crowds and more tire-kickers than ever. Many have said this to me with a hint of sympathy: "You picked a bad time to get into art shows," they say.

I think this is a good time to start, though, simply because it has to get better. Right? Sure, it's been disappointing, but I don't mind starting out during a downswing in the economy.

This may be the perfect time to hone your selling skills, perfect your booth setup, and meet your fellow artists. Because the crowds are thinner than usual, you'll most likely have some extra time to talk with potential buyers and chat with your neighbor. And, no matter what you're selling, bring your camera and take some shots of your booth. After the fact, you can revisit your setup and maybe come up with a more inviting booth next time.

2. Emotion trumps quality.

I have this one photo of a stream in the Adirondacks. It could be any stream. I've gotten plenty of compliments of it, and most everyone takes a guess of which stream it is, and they're all wrong. When they're not sure, they're excited. When they learn it's not the stream they thought, they move on, disappointed. I've joked that I should just lie to them so they'd buy it.

It's the same with other prints -- people buy pictures of places they recognize, even if it's not the best photo. Conversely, the striking photos of flowers don't sell at all. "It's a beautiful photo, but, you know, it's just a flower," they might say.

I've seen the same thing happen with paintings and handmade jams -- if the customer recognizes the landscape or lives anywhere near the town where "______ Homemade Jams" are made, they're going to want to buy it.

Even if it's not as good as the vendor next door.

3. They come in to see the big stuff, but they buy the little stuff.

Big, bold displays catch people's eye. That's nothing new. As people walk down your aisle at the art fair, how will you bring them in? This depends on what you're selling. If its jewelry, you'll need to rely on a large sign or well-decorated display rack.

With photography, you may as well use your imagery: prominently display large, framed prints of your strongest images. But remember that you probably won't sell many of these. Especially in this economy. Instead, most people will politely comment on your larger prints, then choose a smaller print or a few notecards to purchase. Besides having plenty of smaller prints to sell, it's also a good idea to have the same images that are highlighted in the larger prints. If someone loves a photo but doesn't want to buy the 16x20 print, let them know you have the same image in a 5x7 format, for instance.

4. Keep it simple, start out small
Among my many mistakes this year: too much product. For some reason, I had a fear of running out. This wasn't out of too much self-confidence; it was just a miscalculation. I really didn't have anything to go on, except a few brief online postings, but I pictured a steady flow of customers, each taking home several works.

I was way off base. Because of this, I have a growing pile of "Eh" prints -- images I liked enough a year ago, but that now pale compared to what I've printed since. On one hand, it's just a print and mat and/or frame, most of which I can reuse. Still, it's product that hasn't sold, probably won't sell, and that doesn't really represent my best work anyway.

Looking back, I wish I hadn't printed off such a wide variety of images. I should have chosen 20 or so 'best' images and then reproduced them in a variety of sizes and framing options. That's certainly what I would recommend for anyone starting out.

Also, don't spend a fortune on custom framing or expensive booth gear until you know you're going to be doing this for awhile. Until then, you can easily get by on some makeshift wall panels and a few tables with sheets over them. And using frames and mats from K-Mart or Michael's will help keep your costs down.

5. How do I put a price on this?
By far the hardest thing for me to do was to price my work. As someone whose self-confidence is mediocre at best, I found it awkward to ask for money in exchange for something I created. I certainly didn't want to overcharge and have people scoff at my greedy prices.

With Google as my guide, I stumbled upon a general formula: add up all your costs for that item (print, mat, frame), then multiply it by two, and you're in the ballpark.

Print= $5
Mat=$3
Frame=$15
TOTAL=$23 (x2) = $46, give or take a few bucks.

The next thing to keep in mind is where you're showing your work. What's the economy like in that area? I live in one of the poorest counties in the state, so I wanted to keep my prices low. Though I've often been told I could/should be charging more for my work, I'm comfortable with the prices I've set.

I recommend writing up a few price lists, then revisiting them a few days later to see if anything strikes you as out of whack. Get input from your friends and family, too. Hit some art fairs and see what other photographers are charging. Take notes and compare your work to theirs. If they are top of the line and you're just getting started, you may want to charge less for your work. You shouldn't change your price lists around too much, so settle on something and stick with it for a while, for better or worse.

Recap
Showing your work at art fairs can be daunting, but if you're considering it, you're already half-way there because self-confidence is key. You don't need a lot -- actually, it's best not to have too much -- a little humility goes a long way! My final piece of advice is to do a lot of research over the course of many weeks. Use those search engines, ask questions on online forums, and hit the art fairs to do some comparison studying. When you're ready to take the plunge, start off with a small local show -- say, a holiday festival. If, like me, you really like the experience, do another show, and another. If not, then you move on to something else.

See? It's simple.

G

Weekly Photo 4

2009-10-07T07:54:00.000-07:00

So, I got this new lens. It's my first prime lens. A few years ago, I bought my first SLR camera on eBay. It was a Pentax film camera (ZX-M) and came with a few lenses. When I went digital, I stuck with Pentax. I've upgraded my lenses since then, but have never bought a prime lens for whatever reason -- maybe I just wanted to cover as many focal lengths as possible.

Well, with some new projects on deck, I figured it was time, and I'm amazed at the quality. The sharpness is something that I've felt was lacking in my zoom lenses. Since I like to get pretty close to my subjects, this has been frustrating for me in the past.

Here's the first shot with my new lens -- A Pentax-DA 55mm SDM. This is a cinnamon candle that sits on a window sill near the computer desk. I cropped it in a bit, and did some very minor levels adjustments.

f/2.8
1/190
ISO 200

This is raising my spirits from last week's funk. True, it's not all about your equipment, but when you find a piece that seems to effortlessly translate the image you have in your mind, it's a good thing.

Other Photo-a-Day Sites

2009-10-01T19:21:00.000-07:00

These come via PhotoJojo. Each is a collaboration between two photographers. Cool.

http://mintyforest.com/

http://www.dontwiggle.com/

The Pros and Cons of Taking Lots of Photographs

2009-10-01T09:04:00.000-07:00

I am 2/3 of the way through this photo-a-day-for-a-year experiment. And after congratulating myself the other day for making it this far, I realized some of the ugly truths of such a project.

The big ugly truth is that I often find myself staring at a picture-less day around 11 pm. So I click a few shots on my fully automatic point & shoot, throw one into photoshop, make some quick fixes so it looks a little less crappy, and I'm done.

The result has been a string of photos that, well, um....suck.

When I started the project, I thought of it as a way to stay immersed in photography, and it has turned out that way. For the last nine months, even when other parts of life get nuts, I've kept photography in mind. In the past, I had put the camera away for months at a time. But with this project, I wasn't allowing myself that option.

Some days, all I did was take and process a photo in less than ten minutes. This is what's been happening a lot more lately. I find myself spending less time setting up a shot (even when using my DSLR) than I do post-processing the image. I haven't been taking the time to consider composition, leading lines, or light.

True, when you're taking 'snapshots', these things rarely get much attention. Also, the results have sometimes been surprisingly pleasing. That said, I hope to make more time with which to set up the daily shot in the coming days. I think there's a place for both types of shooting, and that each has its pros and cons. But at this point, shooting on the run has gotten me down, so it's time to slow my pace, take a deep breath, and do a lot of thinking before my finger goes anywhere near that shutter release button.

G

Weekly Photo 3

2009-09-29T19:59:00.000-07:00

Every once in a while, I try to just spend time with my camera. You know, good quality one-on-one time, to keep the spark alive. I don't want it feeling abandoned as I spend hours and hours in Photoshop, fixing and cropping and filtering and leveling.

So tonight, I sat at the kitchen table with a huge Cortland apple and started shooting. I was messing around with my Pentax K20's custom settings (vibrant, bright, portrait, etc...). You see, I almost always find myself tweaking a photo image in PS to increase its contrast, saturation, and clarity. Not always, but a lot more often lately, and I'm not sure why. For whatever reason, I don't like it. It feels like cheating. In more ways than one.

Anyway, there we sat, my camera and I, getting reacquainted. I set the big Cortland apple inside a plastic yellow bowl, with the sage green kitchen wall in the background. I liked the composition (I ended up cropping it a bit) and the color combination. But again, the colors weren't as saturated as I'd like. I adjusted the camera's custom settings, but...

...let's just say our one-on-one time ended on a tense note, and I was soon back in front of the comforting magic of PS. Here's the end result, after adjusting levels and curves. Right now, the camera sits in its bag, probably as frustrated as I am. Tomorrow, we'll try again, maybe over a cup of coffee. These things take time.

Photo Restoration Lesson

2009-09-23T12:01:00.000-07:00

I'm taking a class with BetterPhoto.com called Correct and Enhance your Images. This week's lesson is on photo restoration. I used Photoshop Elements 6.

After cropping the image, I adjusted the separate color layers, then began to 'erase' many of the background flowers and leaves using the Spot Heal Brush and the Clone Stamp tools.

I'm happy with the result, though the reddish glow of the stem (center) still bugs me. I'm not sure what happened, but I'll come back to this project to figure it out!

Weekly Photo 2

2009-09-22T18:59:00.000-07:00

This is the epitome of lazy picture-taking. I was up after midnight, watching the Cowboys-Giants play in the Sunday Night Football game. There I was, lying on the couch, suffering from a nasty head cold, and fumbling through my DSLR's menus, still trying to understand everything the camera could do.

For whatever reason, I started taking some shots of the TV screen. Some of them actually came out pretty cool, with the vibrant colors seeming to smear across the screen. Here's the one I chose for the daily pic:

I like how the Cowboy (on the left) is descending upon the Giant's receiver (who looks more like a Chiefs' player). There's color, motion, even violence. All in brilliant technicolor. I love football.

G

Weekly Photo 1

2009-09-15T19:07:00.000-07:00

So, I've been doing this Photo-A-Day project since January, and decided I'd post about it here on a regular basis.

There have been many photos along the way that I haven't been pleased with, and I've taken to adding filter effects in Photoshop Elements to these. While some results are 'cool,' and though I enjoy making something interesting out of something that isn't very interesting to begin with, I hope to get better at taking more pictures that are interesting to begin with. Got that?

I added effects to most of this week's photos, and while I like the results, I like this one better:

I took this with my Olympus point and shoot camera, which I carry with me most of the time. I made some minor changes only.

Here's the original:

Here's what I did:

1. Crop. I cropped into the whole face, but didn't like the results, so I tried a few partial-face crops and liked this one the best.
2. Black and white conversion, using the portrait presets.
3. Levels adjustments, clipping off the 'tails' at each end of the RGB level.
4. Increased the contrast a bit.

And there you go. Overall, this 'fix' took about five minutes.

-G

Balancing Parenthood and Businesshood

2009-09-10T08:46:00.000-07:00

I have been an at-home parent for the last three years. When I took a one-semester childcare leave from my teaching job to stay home with my newborn son, I had every intention of returning to work. However, I loved the experience so much that I didn't look forward to twenty-five more years of grading essays. Then my wife said, "You know, you don't have to go back." I didn't think of that as an option, but it was an option, and I suddenly found myself rethinking my future.

Transitions
Here I am, still rethinking. I'm as confident as can be expected that my future is not full-time college teaching, but photography. I have much to learn, but I like the flexibility that photography work offers and the wide variety of opportunities. This is opposed to the stagnation I felt when teaching. There are only so many ways you can teach students to compose a three-page essay.

Of course, the most important thing in all of this is my children. I want to see them off in the morning and be home when the school bus drops them off. I want to choose when to work and what projects to take on. I want to have most nights and weekends free and to have lazy summers filled with family time.

In other words, I don't expect photography to ever be a full-time job. My full-time job right now is caring for my children. And even when both kids are school-age, caring for them and being home with them will be my first priority.

My son is three and a half now, and is home with me every day. He will start 1/2 day preschool next fall, then kindergarten a year after that. So, in the few minutes that I can eek out for myself each day in the meantime, I'm making a plan. Whether you're a mom or a dad staying home, it's essential that you have an identity separate from being a parent. Even if that identity is on hold or in transition, there are still things you can do as you look to the future.

Making plans
I don't have a lot of time to myself. That's an understatement. So finding a workable balance between being an at-home parent and starting a business is difficult. There are limitations on my time, and that's okay (it took me a long time to be okay with that, actually, because I naively thought I'd have tons of time and energy).

I know that I can't take on ten projects and still spend quality time with my kids. Some people may be able to, but I can't. What I can do, and what I'm good at (sometimes to a fault) is make plans.

First, scan the horizon. What does your life look like in one year, two years, ten years down the road? In the future, I'll be finding myself with more personal time as the years go on. Sure, after school activities will keep me very busy, but in two years, I'll find myself with seven hours every day to myself. SEVEN HOURS! That's almost unthinkable. My wife swears it's okay if I do nothing but play video games all day, just so long as I'm home at 3:30, but she and I both know how miserable I'd be. What I envision are days in which I work on projects -- shooting promo shots for a new business, retouching customers' antique family photos, combined with writing and teaching an occassional class. Having said that, I'm being very open-minded about unforeseen opportunities that will arise.

Second, work backward. What's the best way to get there? Do you need to take coursework? How can you stay in touch with your field of choice, even in a small way? Take every advantage of practicing your craft in the time you have. This is what I'm doing right now:

I've been able to attend a half-dozen art fairs this past year, and I've learned a lot from them about the difference between making fine art and actually selling the stuff. I've also met many great people. That sense of community is important in keeping your spirits up.
I carry a camera nearly everywhere I go, and have been taking at least one photo every day since January. You can see my Photo-a-Day project here. Even though these aren't staged photos, and many are done on my point-and-shoot camera, I am still staying immersed in taking pictures.
I'm reading. A lot. From beggining photography books to blogs and online articles.

These types of things can be done at the playground or after the kids go to bed. Take an online class. Read books about business, or your field, or both. Involve the kids when you can. Then, when the time comes, you'll be as prepared as possible to take advantage of your new-found time (SEVEN HOURS!).

-G

Naming Your Business

2009-09-09T11:53:00.000-07:00

I'm no expert, but these are some things I considered when coming up with a name for my photography business. If you haven't chosen a name yet, hopefully, this can help:

Easy to remember
It seems common sense that the easier it is to say, the easier it is to remember. Alliteration helps, as does a low number of syllables. Plus, if your name is easy to pronounce at first glance, that's a plus. (I still don't get how you say "Chik-Fil-A" or whatever it is.)

I wanted to keep the name to just a few syllables, and it had to sound good with "photography". The F - Ph combination in Foothills Photography seems to be something a person could remember.

Personal names
I considered using part or all of my personal name in the business name, but each of the combinations had a problem: Miller Photography (dull), Glenn Miller Photography (you mean, like the big band leader?), or GEM Photography (initials are overdone).

Besides, I'd never been too big on drawing attention to myself. And I didn't want people to think of me when they thought of my photos; I wanted them to think of the photos themselves.

Clever and cute aren't my style
I definitely knew I wanted to avoid anything that doubled up on the idea of photography: Shutterbug Photography, Picture Perfect Photography... I knew I wasn't marketing myself toward the senior/family portrait crowd anyhow. I guess that's part of the lesson here: know your customers. I'm not sure who my customers ARE, but I'm pretty sure of who they AREN'T.

Symbolism
This is a tough call. A business name shouldn't be, first and foremost, deep. Your customers care more about how well you do your work than the complicated meaning behind your name. That said, I think there is room to be symbolic so that your name works on an immediate level, but also on a more meaningful one. As a former English professor, I am drawn to the idea of symbolic representation. However, the only name I considered that had any symbolism was Foothills. I guess I could have gone with My Inner Soul Photography, but then, even I wouldn't want to be my customer. Talk about conceited.

Location names
The businesses that are named for a street or even a specific town seem to be limiting themselves, but when you think about it, most of these types of businesses are restaurants, markets, and services that want to be known for their specific location.

I didn't want to stake a claim on a specific town or street, but I did like the idea of rooting myself in the general region. I felt rooted personally, having started a family here, and many of my photos tend to be rooted in the natural surroundings. Being a few miles outside the Adirondack park border, and just this side of Tug Hill, I considered the name of the valley in which we live, but at five syllables, it felt too clunky. Then I heard someone refer to our general region as, "Where the Adirondack foothills meet the Tug Hill Plateau." I liked it.

I put Foothills to the test, considering each of the above criteria. I also reminded myself that I needed to jot down every other possible business name, too, no matter how stupid they sounded. I repeated the words I often told my college composition students: "Get those bad ideas down on paper. Exercise them, or they'll just get in the way."

With all other options out on the table, shriveling up in the unforgiving light of the business world, Foothills Photography stayed strong, because it worked on several different levels.

Most importantly, I like it. It fits, and I think it will fit for a long time.

A few helpful links:
http://www.entrepreneur.com/startingabusiness/startupbasics/namingyourbusiness/article21774.html

http://www.entrepreneur.com/startingabusiness/startupbasics/namingyourbusiness/article76958.html

http://www.smallbusinessnotes.com/starting/htname.html

-G

Why Photography?

2009-09-05T09:44:00.000-07:00

I didn't grow up mesmerized by Ansel Adams photos. I wasn't given an old Kodak Brownie by some cool uncle. And even though I was an art major, I didn't take a photography class in college.

My first camera was a Yakima 35mm. I was in high school. I wasn't hooked at all. It was just a camera.

What I really wanted to do, ever since I was a young kid, was write stories. I grew up inventing characters and worlds, creating comic books and drawing these sprawling scenes in which a dozen stories took place all at once. In college, finding it hard to fund my interests in art, I focused more and more on writing -- it was a lot cheaper. All I wanted was to someday have a slim novel with my name on it tucked away near Henry Miller and Arthur Miller in the dusty upper floor of some third-tier college library.

For the next several years, I plugged away at a folder full of short stories. In grad school, I compiled these stories into my first novel, a heavy-handed, disjointed...thing. For several more years, during my stint as a college English teacher, I revised and revised and revised that novel. Then I started another novel. And more stories...

...And all the while, I felt the pressure I'd placed on myself to reach this goal. Writing, as I'd practiced it, was a lonesome pursuit of keeping up with the Joneses...er, Millers. I didn't enjoy it anymore, and I hadn't for a long while.

So that's why I've put writing 'over there' for now. It's not gone, but it requires two things I don't have: long spans of uninterrupted time and an immense amount of self-confidence.

Beginning several years ago, I've tried or considered other creative outlets:

MUSIC: Requires too much silence (I have two small children). And, like writing, I found it very lonesome. I recorded a bunch of songs, bought a bunch of equipment... but it felt like nothing was on the next horizon... no real outlets, if that makes any sense.

PAINTING: Too messy. No room for it in the house. Never really had the patience for it anyway.

POTTERY: My wife has a wheel and a kiln. (She's very good at it.) But, again, it's messy and there's no room. Did I mention I'm not very patient?

Then there's photography. I took it up on a whim. After messing around on a Pentax K1000 I got off eBay, and saying that I liked it, my wife bought me a DSLR a few years ago. Even then, my interest in it was off and on, but now...now things feel different.

It's hard to explain. I've bounced around a lot in terms of my interests, and at different times in my life, different hobbies just fit. Well, now, photography just fits. It's flexible. It's forgiving. It's fast. It just fits.

On top of all that, I feel as if I've put away the sense that someday I'd return to the stagnant world of grading essays -- something that felt inevitable, from the day I started this life of being an at-home dad. And now I can see something else on the horizon, which makes me incredibly happy.

G

The First Order of Business

2009-09-02T15:10:00.000-07:00

There's a part in the movie "Say Anything" where John Cusack says to John Mahoney:

"I don't want to sell anything, buy anything, or process anything as a career. I don't want to sell anything bought or processed, or buy anything sold or processed, or process anything sold, bought, or processed, or repair anything sold, bought, or processed. You know, as a career, I don't want to do that."

I always loved that line. It struck a cord with me when I was 19. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with my studio art degree, but I knew I didn't want to produce, sell, or repair anything. Not long before I saw "Say Anything," my girlfriend's father asked me the same question that Lloyd Dobler was asked. I didn't know what to answer. Then, after watching the movie, I knew the answer: Teach (and meet a beautiful girl and follow her to London).

Lloyd wanted to teach kickboxing ("Sport of the future"). I figured I would teach art.

That morphed into teaching English, which I didn't exactly do until several years later -- but the point is that I had no interest in business.

Until now.

What changed? I suppose that at age 40, I've finally grown out of my "That's not cool" phase, which was filled with angst against pretty much anything that seemed high-class and not 'of the people.' Idealism at its fullest.

So now I have my own business. It's a DBA (doing business as), and in the last year, I've spent much more than I've made. I've made mistakes in taking credit card orders, am dead-set against the well-paying wedding gigs, and have an aversion to Quickbooks I can't explain. Maybe it doesn't seem enough 'of the people' for me.

Foothills Photography consists of me printing and matting my original photography and selling them at art shows. That's pretty much it right now. But in the next few years, I hope to offer:

- Photo restoration
- Commercial/product photography
- Select portraits

How much demand there is for the first two in our rural area, I don't know. I have no business plan. I'd even argue I have no business sense. But something about this feels right. Maybe it's because there's no pressure to make any money at it. Maybe it's because I can control the amount of work I take on and the hours that I work, so that I can continue to spend much of my time with my children.

I think it's the control issue, but I'm trying not to ask questions, and to just say, "If it feels right..."

So, with that... Hello, my name is Glenn, and I own a business.

G

A New Adventure

2009-08-28T06:28:00.000-07:00

This has come on slowly, over the last year, but since I started selling matted and framed prints at art shows, I've become more and more interested in the business side of photography.

Just the other day, I took part in my first photo shoot, and I loved it. I look forward to doing more commercial photography and to keep learning about lighting and composition.

So, I've decided to start a new blog. My previous blog, Another At-Home Dad, was a chance for me to share some of my experiences as a SAHD. In the same way, this new blog will let me share the newest chapter in my life. Unlike a book, though, these chapters overlap, as I hope to remain a SAHD for years to come.

But with one more year before my youngest begins pre-school, I am looking forward. What do I want to do with photography? What do I want to try?

I have no idea what's going to happen. And that's the thing with adventures, right? It's all about the journey.

G

See my photography at Foothills Photography