Why the nonsense?

For my "fans" or "frikes" ever wonder why I talk such nonsense on my page daily?  And not sales &  photography pushing.  Well it's simple- people hate sales pitches.  We do.  So about once a week I will post a business post and leave it but most of the time I am focused on building my relationships with you.  I will post new work which is why people 'liked' the page anyway.  Then I post silly stuff about coffee cravings and anything else silly happening.  It keeps my page visible on feeds and one day that special print is going to pop up and some one buys.  See I am not so brainless :-)  Plus this is a hobby and the silly is a lot more fun the pushing people.

I have my Etsy site up, I run coupon codes (current codes: get5x7 for $10 off and get a 5x7 print or get4x6 for $15 off and get a 4x6 print.), I sell through Facebook, I try to remember Twitter, and I have the blog.

See I snuck in a sales pitch and it was just there no pushing, pushing sucks.  Now off to referee my children, I just saw a large pink bunny fly through the air.

Why Nature?

Why Nature?  Why not people?  Well honestly people can be a pain and it takes a special photographer to capture people properly.  Can I do it?  Sure, but I am rusty as hell and prefer to just see things and snap them.  On my time not someone else's.  If I had a studio set up and a good client base sure I would try it, but that's more equipment than I own and than I can afford right now and again on others time not mine.

I find shooting nature relaxing and exciting at the same time.  I love walking and seeing what I see, how to frame it, how to expose it, flash or no flash?  All while enjoying the outdoors and getting exercise.  Nature is inspiring just by being and most people walk right by or drive by and never get to see what she offers.  I am always looking and man the times I pull off the road to capture things is insane (just like me ;-) ).

 The walking and seeing are relaxing but getting home and seeing what I found is exciting.  I am like a kid at Christmas.  Opening all my 'gifts' and hoping to have got that one special gift, this year for S it was a pink camera, and for me it's a lens I am buying thanks to my frikes!  There is nothing like downloading and seeing what I really got, and then to cull the best of them and then start editing.  The cropping, the lighting, the refining.  Oh so much fun!  Can you tell I am excited about my work, so much so it doesn't feel like work which is AWESOME!!!

The Ambitious Project 2011

Many of my fellow photographer friends are planning an ambitious Project 365, where they will take a new photograph daily and post it.  Too lofty a goal for MJ, seriously today getting dressed is a goal :).  So I decided to do the Unexpected Project 2011, photos not taken with the goal of a sale, but to help keep my creative juices flowing and honing my skills.  That's what photography is if  you ask me, a skill.  You have to have an eye but it is also honed skill- the proper use of light and shadow, the way you set your camera up, and the way you frame the shot.  A lot of photography can be taught but the instinct is equally important.  That gut feeling that says shoot this way not that.  Where to crop and what to crop.

I did something similar when I started I just labeled shots by month this year it will be the whole year in one album, some weeks there will be floods of shots others there will be drought.  That's how my creative juices flow- hot and cold.  Feast or Famine.

I am really excited about my new lens that I am purchasing a Canon Macro 50mm f/2.5 fixed.  Should be super sweet for getting the orchids at Franklin Park Conservatory coming up.  I have used money from gifts and money from sold works to buy this lens and am beyond thrilled by that!   The exhibit opens Jan 15th and I plan on going a lot.