I was accepted into the Galaxy Art Show and Sale for the first time in 1999 and have participated on and off since then. In the first year I was gratified to be awarded Best in Photography. Ten years later I am gratified again to receive that award. Held in the Courthouse Rotunda, this show benefits NOVA and has become an important arts event in Bucks County, PA. The opening night reception is always a wonderful event and a pleasure to attend. This year my daughter and I went and enjoyed both the artwork and the fine spread of foods, desserts, and wine (just me on that one). The Best of Photography award is a ribbon and a monetary prize donated by generous people who support NOVA and the arts. Downward Facing Dog was the selected winning image. It also was one of the pieces that sold during the three days that the show took place.

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Thanks to the thoughtfulness of a friend who gave me a heads up to a coming deadline, I was able to submit a feature article idea for the Photographer’s Market 2010. As a strong believer in “write about what you know”, I suggested an article on the hows and whys of doing art shows. The article was accepted for inclusion in both Photographer’s Market 2010 and 2010 Artist’s and Graphic Designer’s Market.

Both publications are now available. As a long time purchaser of this series of books, I am pleased that my 2000+ word feature has played a part in the latest versions.

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I’ll be with the Reading-Berks Guild of Craftsmen this weekend in the Fieldhouse at Kutztown University, Kutztown, PA. The Holiday Craft Show is a  favorite of all the PA Guild shows and a fun event as well. Top artists and fine-crafters will be offering a wide selection of handmade and designed items in a variety of mediums. Easy shopping with live entertainment and tasty food offered, this is a great way to get special holiday gifts or something for yourself.

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I had a great discussion with a couple visitors to Artist’s Gallery today. They came to see my work not knowing I’d be there today. As they were attracted to my image Flight Unfurled, I explained that it was part of a theme I was developing of images with wildlife in motion. That theme seems to be what I’ve been doing lately in the field as well. I had an exciting outing working with an Osprey last week and perfect conditions for working with Canada Geese in flight this past Friday.

I really enjoy the visual challenge of creating an image that conveys a sense of motion. I also like the painterly backgrounds that I can create by panning the camera during the exposure. This image below of Canada Geese in flight is a perfect example. The slower shutter speed allows me to render the background into streaks of color and allow for the vertical movement of the wings to become evident. I used a Canon EOS 1D Mark III camera with a Canon EF 500mm f4.0 L IS lens with a 1.4x teleconverter on a tripod and a Side Kick mount on the ballhead. The overcast conditions were perfect lighting for this kind of image.

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When I saw the forecast last Wednesday for this past weekend (back-to-back nor-easters), I thought the scheduled show I had would be a wash out. I figured I was as prepared as I could be and decided it was time to head back out and make some images. I geared up for bird photography and headed out to Lake Galena in Bucks County, PA.

When I got there around 6:30am all I found were Canada Geese, lots of them. I like geese actually and find them and their flight patterns visually very interesting. I worked their take offs for over an hour before a birder or two I know started engaging me in conversation. We began watching an osprey that was some distance away and I was off. As I walked the path toward the middle of the lake I was drawn to something in my peripheral vision. An Osprey was preparing for a dive. It was a short walk through some trees to the lake shore which included a beach only present when the reservoir waters are drawn down in the fall.

After deciding on setting for the camera (aperture, ISO, focus settings), I began to engage this animated predator as it scanned the lake waters. I worked with what turned out to be a pair of Osprey for some time. This was certainly the most exciting Osprey show I’ve experienced and certainly from this close a range. I used a Canon EOS 1D Mark III with a Canon EF 500mm f4 L IS lens and TC1.4X converter.

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Originally planned to be just an outdoor show, the Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen’s Fine Craft Fair is now an Indoor and Outdoor show with fine craft in both locations. With a great assortment of handmade crafts and Art and a nice selection of hot foods, this will be the place to be this dreary weekend. Come out to Montgomery County Community College in Blue Bell, PA and just follow the signs!

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Really what is making art about if not the ability to make connections with other people? When someone buys my work because it makes them remember a personal experience, reminds them of a favorite location, or makes them feel at peace, in awe, or joyful, that is the greatest reward. I had several such responses during my last two weekends at the National Apple Harvest Festival in Biglerville, PA (near Gettysburg).

Yesterday morning a couple came by and were drawn to an image of a snowy owl on the beach in Long Island, NY. The title of the piece is Snow and Sand. It’s an image I made at Jones Beach years ago and was hanging in my booth framed to 18×24. The couple and I spoke about the image for a little while, they truly liked the image. The husband told me he had spent much of his youth at Jones Beach. Hoping I could offer them a smaller print for their full walls, I had to explain that my smaller version sold out a couple years ago. They understood and walked off, but not far. The husband came back with a smile and said we want the framed pieces, we’ll make room for it. It was an especially nice way to start my last day at the show.

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I’ll be leaving for Gettysburg this weekend for the second half of the National Apple Harvest Festival in Biglerville, PA. This show has been a good experience with several pleasant surprises. I have not however taken advantage of the variety of apple-related foods and so hope to rectify that this weekend. I have found this to be a well-managed show and hope to make it a yearly event on my schedule.

A couple visiting the show wanted my print Misty Woods in a larger size which I offered to ship to them in Florida. I had previously only offered it as an 11×14 matted and framed to 16×20. With this new order, I will be offering Misty Woods as a 13×20 matted to 22×28. This new size is priced at $169.00 matted and $329.00 framed. It is an image I made at Hawk Mountain in Pennsylvania on a very foggy morning that I remember quite well. It is a quiet piece with nice contrasts. The repetitive vertical lines of the trees gives the image great harmony and I believe it will be a wonderful larger print.

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After a long 3-day weekend show and knowing I have shows the next 3 weekends, I am feeling the need to relax and mellow out. It is at such times that I am drawn to simple visuals, especially in cool, calming, colors. So when doing some image editing today, I stopped on this frame which is an image I made earlier this year at a nearby lake.

The water is reflecting a late afternoon sky which had some dramatic cloud structure. Isolating just these two blades of grass reflected in the lake waters gave me the visual simplicity I desired. Placing them near a power-point adds just enough tension to keep the image interesting. For me the point at which the blades meet the waterline, causing a slight alteration of the flat lake, is pivotal to the image. This is where the reflection is altered and becomes bright, it indicates the point at which two worlds meet. The more I look at this image, the calmer I feel.

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With a 3-day show this weekend in Delaware and a very busy schedule through Thanksgiving, I felt the need to get out yesterday. It also happened to be the first full day of fall, my favorite image-making season. I’m hoping to get out once a week even with a full fall show schedule, but reality may dictate otherwise.

So where did I go for this first day of fall outing, well I stayed right here in Bucks County of course – Peace Valley Park in Doylestown. Just as I approached the bridge, I saw this Great Egret off to my left. These birds usually spook easily, so I walked past it then slowly returned. I had more glass with me than I needed (Canon 500mm w/ TC1.4x), so as the bird worked its way away from the shore, I was better able to compose. During a brief preening bout, the egret lifted a wing and lowered its head under to get at a tricky spot. Of course if I’m near water I think reflection and symmetry so this composition was my first thought.

In such an image, I still prefer to have some part of the eye visible and in this case it is just (more so in the reflection). There is an elegance to the picture that I like, these birds being so angelic.

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