Well, if I say it’s new and exciting it must be, right? So, here’s what’s new in my little sphere……
30% off sale ends July 5th!
Several weeks ago I decided to discount my currently hanging canvas gallery wraps by 30%. Why? Simple, people kept buying custom versions of what I had on the wall. I’ve been wanting to generate some new prints on canvas and needed to free up some wall space. The sale has worked, I have some room, and it’s time to wrap up on the sale. So, the 4th of July holiday weekend will wrap up the sale for me. If there’s something hanging in the Ian Russell Gallery of mine that you like, this is about as good as it’s gonna get! July 6th the gallery wraps will be going back up to their normal price, and some new ones will be out next week. The same pricing goes for all of Ian’s currently hung gallery wraps as well! Guess this is our economic stimulus package to customers……. 🙂
Giving Etsy a whirl
The response to the Mad Hatter Tea party last Saturday was pretty amazing! Apparently folks really enjoyed the photography and Sadira’s story that went along with it. Thanks everyone for all the wonderful compliments!
Since the images were enjoyed so much, and not all the visitors are local to Prescott it was decided that we’d give Etsy a whirl. Never used it before, as I normally utilize Zenfolio for all of my print resale online. I’ll be keeping the Zenfolio account, and selling from there continues. But I thought I’d add the Etsy to offer prints directly from the photographer, signed and numbered series, and canvases as well since that what I specialize in. 🙂
So, if you attended the Tea Party and had something that you particularly enjoyed, let me know. I’ve only added one piece so far to Etsy, and I’ll be adding more. But I do take requests, so by all means, make them. Leave a comment, drop an e-mail, send smoke signals……you get the gist!
Goodies just in
So, I told myself I wouldn’t be getting any further new camera gear the other month…….Yeah, that’s worked out!
B&H Photo Video received an order from me last week, and it arrived yesterday. An additional 430EX II Speedlight, a zoom doubler, and a fun little Firewire 400 Hub. There’s reasons behind all of these, I swear! Plus the business bought them, I didn’t. 🙂
Gotta say, I like the fact that my business meshes so well with my outside interests. Just too perfect, wouldn’t you say??? 😉
Here’s what’s behind each item……
The new 430EX II: I needed another slave flash that can be controlled remotely. See, last week’s fantasy photo shoot for the Mad Hatter Tea Party left me wanting. The sun was dropping, I scouted a spot with sun still present, and we had to move quickly. Sadira and Clay were a little surprised how far out I wanted to go, but had we not gone that far into the rocks I doubt we would have come away with any good shots. In fact, Clay’s juggling toward the end of the shoot got messed up big time. I wanted the light from the setting sun in the clouds. I figured I could use Lightroom2 & Photoshop to breath some light back into Clay after the fact. Well, I thought wrong and got a series of shots that I wished would have been better. With the additional slave flash, combined with my 580EX II controlling it, I bet I could have done a much better job. So, there’s the mental justification for that one!
The Zoom Doubler: Come on……haven’t you read about the Mountain Lion, Cotamundi, Giant Squirrel Puppet quest? Seriously, I need more zoom power, but I don’t want to drag around a giant lens that’s heavier than my 24-70mm L series (yes, I’m still harping on the weight of that lens). So, I got a doubler. And yes, I know I’ll loose 2 stops because of it….but I’m not worried. The Mountain-mundi-squirrel is out there, and I will get an accurate shot of it yet! It’s just like the jackalope. I’m sure they’re out there too, and I need to give myself the tools to capture these critters…….
Yes, the mountain lion has driven me over the edge. I know that giant squirrel the other week was in fact a puppet being run by the mountain lion from behind a rock….someday I’ll have proof. And if that doesn’t work out, I’ll photoshop the proof! 🙂
The Firewire Hub: Ok, I’m still a Firewire 400 user. Why Apple isn’t supporting it any longer I’ll never know. But for a rock banging neanderthal like myself, I’ve got plenty of Firewire devices and not enought ports. This is a 6 port hub, and I’m happy now. Both my OWC portable drives are now connected to it and synced with each other. My big MyBook Drive which stores all of my movies and media is also hooked up. I’ve got 3 more ports left……maybe I should get some more firewire 400 devices before they go the way of the dinosaur, just like me!
The flare is officially over…….
This winter and spring I’ve experienced a flare up on the order of the original flare that wrecked my life back in 05/06′. Pain, discomfort, issues digesting food. Just not a fun thing to experience. And I’ve been following up with my doctor to see what’s what inside me. A scoping is in my future, but lets not dwell on that………
The good news from today’s blood work is that my eosinophils are now lower, my gut doesn’t make me want to leap off a cliff any longer, and my white count is the lowest I’ve seen since 2005. Ok, the white cells are still outside the “normal” range, but who wants to be normal anyway? 11,000 and some change. I’ve never had anyone tell me that in years. The immune system is calming down finally, and it’s not abusing me so much! Hooray for feeling better. Oh, and I totally got through the flare without heavy steroids (read Prednisone). I hate that stuff, and dodged it completely!
Go figure I’d get a rocking stomach bug over the weekend that made me feel like hell. Not eating for two days left me very hungry, and yesterday I dealt with that! If it isn’t one thing, it’s another! But I’m all good now…….maybe I shouldn’t say that outloud……a bus might land on me or something…… 🙂
Thinking fuzzy and friendly thoughts
Dixie, the 3 legged rescued labrador that visits me sometimes
Over the past few months I’ve been torturing myself. Puppies and dogs. On my mind a lot. I still miss my girls Dana and Madison. And I’m considering a pooch in my life once more.
Given the severity of my allergic reactions (which I never used to have) and the flare ups I’ve been pondering things that aren’t Labs. But I’m a lab junkie. Just love Labradors! What to do, what to do? Maybe a Labradoodle? Maybe a Wheaton Terrier? Met one of those recently, very nice. Apparently they’d be hypoallergenic for me.
Whatever comes will come I’m sure. If you know anybody with labradoodles who wants to give a guy with a weird autoimmune thing a pup, let me know. In the meantime I just have to go around petting other people’s dogs……………
That’s all for now!
Well, that’s a long enough news update from my corner of the world. Now I’ve got to go make a few prints for a client!
Have a great day everyone!
Comments 2
Huzzagh!!! I am absolutely thrilled to hear about your health gains, excitement in blending your tech skills with your playful, modest creativity.
Your considering a canine pal is exciting. If you have not, Google for a dog breed selection quiz as an aid to match you with the right pet. I was surprised to see that the Portuguese water dog was rated higher than our pug. There are so many rescue animals available due to the recession. While at the local garden nursery this morning, 2 abandoned pit bulls, were found wandering the street.
Mac barks and Pau Hoa snorts “hello”.
Cheers,
Larry
There’s always a justification for more gear! ALWAYS!