My first business card, and a new blog layout

I've been asked to come back and photograph another schooling show at Changewater Stables this Sunday.  My trainer, Maren, informed me that this is going to be a much busier show than the last one, and will be starting at 8AM sharp.  She asked if I was going to have business cards, and I said that that would probably be a good idea.  In what is unfortunately becoming a more usual occurrence, I forgot about it- until this morning.  I checked out a couple of "free" business card websites, where you only pay for shipping.  However, shipping was both pricey and would take too long.  

I then went over to the website for Staples.  These aren't free, but they are convenient, quick (I can pick them up today if I get out of work on time), and they had many more card designs to choose from.  The prices were also reasonable.  I did not order many cards because I am hoping to create a website with my own domain in the near future, and so the website information will be going out of date.  I would like to say that I took the background photo, but I must give credit to the unknown artist.  My next business card will almost certainly be my own image.  The black and white printing was free (the horse is supposed to be a chestnut), and I also happen to prefer the look.  How wonderfully fortuitous.

My photography does seem to be taking baby steps towards professionalism.  I am very excited about this but also cognizant of the changes that are required.  For instance, since I am planning on uploading this Sunday's photos to this blog, I decided a more streamlined and professional makeover was in order.  A black background has the advantage of showcasing any photo; similar to how black velvet nicely shows off diamonds.  

I've got a fair bit of prepping to do for the show- the 77mm telescoping lens will be coming off of my Nikon D100 and onto the D300.  I'm also not sure if I will have the time to upload photos once the D300 is full.  Therefore, the D100 and its memory cards will have to tag along, and I would really like to find the attachment piece for my tripod.  Also, I will make printing through Staples an affordable option, but I would also like to try using a professional lab such as Simply Color Lab.  The professional lab will be of higher quality and have more options- however, it will also be pricier.  The choice will be up to my potential customers.   

The Landing, and some thoughts on my direction in life

"The Landing"
ballpoint pen- about twenty minutes of sketching
small leather sketchbook

I've been remiss in posting, largely because my time and energy has been eaten up by preparing for an interview for a job that I didn't get, and also by my re-entry into the horse world.  It's probably better that I didn't get the job, despite what would have been a significant pay raise.  An administrative position, while lucrative, isn't truly what I want.  To be honest, what I really wanted was more money to play with ponies, especially now that I'm riding and leasing again.

I did my first horse show photography since the WEG trials at Gladstone nearly five years ago in mid-April, which you can take a look at here.  This quick sketch is based off of one of my photos from that day.  It was a laid-back and very fun event.  I took my Nikon D100 with the 135mm lens, which telescopes.  The multiple frame feature wasn't as effective as I had hoped, so I really had to focus on each horse and rider, count strides to the jumps, and try to time the photo so the horse was in the position favored in most jumping photos- knees up and forelegs tucked underneath the body.  Since I am a rider, I had pretty good luck with that.  I unfortunately had some issues with blurriness in the more distant shots.  

The folks at the schooling show seemed pretty happy with my work though, and I even sold a few photos.  My price was much cheaper than what the professionals at the big shows charge- according to my trainer, $75 for a small photo.  I'm not a full-time photographer in the least, and I want people to buy my work- so I suppose I could consider this an introductory phase.  Were this a full time gig, I would charge much more.  I have to live, after all, and roughly $70 for six hours of work (plus editing, uploading, and printing photos) doesn't cover the labor.  For now, this is for fun.  I think I would enjoy specializing in schooling shows and lessons.  I'm not very comfortable with the tense atmosphere at rated shows, and I do think that people would love to have photos of the hard work and fun put into their horses.

Part of me still longs to drop the full-time job and jump into full-time artist status, lack of a steady paycheck notwithstanding.  Or at least go to a part-time job, to alleviate things like having to eat and keep a roof over my head, and devote the rest of my time to what I really love.  It may be worth the sacrifices required.

This was shared with me recently, and is making me rethink what I'm doing right now.

Dusting off my cameras

Dusted off the D300
digital photograph
Nikon D100

Having a little bit of time off after the holiday rush led to me dusting off the Nikon D300 which I got for Christmas last year and used... once.  It sat staring balefully at me through its lens cover, neglected for nearly an entire year, sending little tingles of guilt through me every time I glanced its way.  Both of my cameras and nearly all of my accompanying equipment are very generous gifts from my dad, who does some amazing bird photography for his own blog.  I originally pilfered his old Pentax film SLR for my photography class at Mason Gross.

One of the most important and lasting lessons from my professor, LaToya Frazier, was trying to take the shot so that little to no editing is required.  This (can sometimes) result in quality photographs, and requires patience; taking many shots as various aperture settings, compositions, and shutter speeds are adjusted; and an understanding of lighting and your subject matter.  Doing all of this with a film camera and developing my own film was both highly stressful and rewarding.  I remember sweating in the dark room, fumbling with rolls of film as I transferred them from the camera to the spool for developing, praying that I didn't wreck a few hours worth of shooting.  I felt like a wizard dodging and burning the photosensitive paper, and putting the paper through its chemical washes.  I also keenly felt the high prices of film and other equipment.  Often, I would not take more than the minimum three shots recommended per composition so that I would not have to buy as much film.

Access to a DSLR and a computer took away a lot of that stress, but also a little bit of the magic, too.  Digital photography is a boon for a hectic schedule, yet even so, my photography dropped off during my long artistic hiatus.  Of course, my battery life was nearly exhausted for my D300, so instead, I got out the D100 while I began charging the lithium batteries, which is a slightly older and heavier model.  I currently have a 77mm telescopic lens on it.  I just stuck around the house for my re-entry into photography, taking advantage of the slanting winter light streaming into my home.

Ficus Leaves
Digital photograph
Nikon D100