I Married a Photographer

I think that I’ve done a fair job in getting Dean and his photography out into the community. We are continuing with the trend of creating a name for ourselves and our business (I can’t anticipate that ending any time soon). The only constant is change. So after a writing hiatus (me) and a photo hiatus (Dean) we are, again chipping away at how to approach our next ideas/projects and planning, lots and lots of planning! Sometimes the biggest challenge is splitting time between these things that need completed vs the things that aren’t necessary for the function of our microcosm. With that tidy introduction, a few events of note are on our plates. First, the Bloomsburg ArtWalk taking place in Bloomsburg’s Main St, May 6th from 1600-2000. Look for the local businesses with sandwich board signs located near their doors denoting participation and check out what the arts have to offer! To aid in promoting the ArtWalk and it’s activities, Dean and I had the opportunity to sit down with WVIA’s Erika Funke. Her interview should air on 89.9 FM around 1230, give or take a few minutes, she’ll feature songs by JT and Ann Kerstetter. If you miss the live show, it will be available on podcast at some point in the near future.

Secondly, Dean has been asked to have a few of his abstracts on display at the Ditty-Wilcox Art Gallery located in the Pajama Factory in Williamsport. The opening is Friday, May 7th from 1700-2100. From what I have heard first Fridays are a really busy time! The weather should be beautiful and we’re excited to have this opportunity, opening new doors for our business.

Come out and see us!

Both days at the Bloomsburg ArtFest had a lot of foot traffic.  The weekend weather was muggy, and hot but the general mood was positive and airy.  Though I’d say most of us artists were sweating our tails off while manning the stands, we all stayed positive and chipper.

We were lucky to be located next to Abigail Kurecian who makes exquisite pottery (bowls, plates, vases -you name it!)  She’s really an easy woman to talk to and, whether she knows it or not, helped me a lot with getting into the art scene in Bloomsburg.  Our toasty days were filled with sales, conversation and art.

It was great to get feedback from our customers, hear what he/she ‘got out’ of the piece.  However, one conversation has my husband and I completely puzzled.  To give you a taste of how our day went, it was common for a group of people to stop by, look through our photos, discuss some things technical or not, then just sort of mosey along with their day.  In this one instance, a couple stopped by our stand, looked over some images, and then the following happened.   Standing by our framed images, the lady said, “That’s just like (unintelligible).”  The man asked her what she said and by this time Dean’s ears perked up.  He looked at the photo in question and made a mental note .  Again the lady repeated, “That’s just like (unintelligible).” The man said, “Oh yeah.  It is.”  Without another word, the couple strolled away.  Dean stood up to make sure he was looking at the same image the couple just left; he was stunned.  “Bullets for my Beauty” was the photograph they discussed.  After I returned from running an errand, Dean told me what just happened. I was in disbelief too.  What could this photograph be exactly like?  I can’t think of a movie poster, famous art work -nothing comes to mind.  I have no unoriginal association when I look at this piece.  So if you are reading this and can help, please do!

It is what you make it

On another note, it was 1 year ago today that I married a photographer!  That means one full year of wedded bliss and for the business manger in me, one year wiser!  Though we, at Die Strafbar Photography, have had a successful year, it was a learning experience.  We had our first vendor spots, which helped us identify with the community and other local artists in addition to maintaining relationships with former clients as well as making new ones.  Overall, can say that I’ve grown past some small issues and have better prioritized the business and what we have to offer.

About a week ago, Dean mentioned to me in passing, that the Degenstein art show was coming up soon.  After all of the normal life events, we’ve been busy organizing and cleaning at the house along with working 40 hour weeks.  So, yes, it slipped my mind.  One morning, while I was at work, I had a chance to research the artist submission dates. One day, we had one day. Ugh!

Luckily, I don’t go into panic mode very easily. I called the usual suspects, to see if I could get some last minute matting to enhance the photos.  Of course the only day I need it, is the day she happens to be closed. In a moment of clarity, I thought that maybe we should just take what we have, re-mat and ref-frame some pieces and submit them. Since last year, Dean has done a lot of different works such as, the abstracts and the vehicle HDR’s, most recently we’ve been working on night photos playing around with the lighting.  Until we get some actual studio equipment, using just the SB-800 is tough.  We’ve found that in most cases that one flash simply does not do the trick.  With that said, we concluded to submit, “Enlightened”, “Cracked Stone [ala Brett Weston]” and “Union Tree”.  At last year’s competition, a photo of a sepia tree won first prize, Dean and I figured that we couldn’t go wrong entering a tree, a wall and one that sends a bit more of a message (please read the chalkboard).

I chose the matting cleverly, using colors that enhanced the images.  For the “Cracked Stone” piece, I used a sharp looking, satin-like, black mat which really made it look even more moody.
Thursday evening came, we went to the artist’s reception saw lots of photos of birds, bees and flowers.  One of the other artists there has kind of the same feel as Dean’s photos, subject moody, dark, interesting.  Her image was very well processed, and cleanly framed, she was awarded first place in the advanced photography, rightfully so.  Second place was a Hallmark looking image of a book and lantern on a window sill with a lighthouse in the background, honorable mention -a staircase.  Ugh!  That’s really all I can say.
Now I do agree that not everybody has to have the same taste in art but I suspect that some of the chosen winners had a relationship with the society or the judge.  I am not certain if the artist’s names were made known to the judge but I have a hunch that it was common knowledge.  With all of that said, I think we’ll lean toward larger prints and maybe a more dramatic frame, next time.

Like the oxymoronic title?  This is and update on when and where you maybe have seen Dean’s images.  I was happy to announce in June of 2008 that Die Strafbar Photography was hung at The Kind Cafe in Selinsgrove, PA.  We had about 25 pieces there ranging from portraits to landscapes.  It was our first time in the community and the staff at the cafe were great, very hospitable and easy to work with.  We had our photos there from June 27th to July 18th.

Photographing the remnants of an old stone house on rt 204 in Kratzerville, PA

With little feedback, we were on to our next endeavor. Just a week later, I entered Dean in a local judged contest.  Not completely knowing what to expect, I happily took over some framed pieces ready to be put on display.  I did take a visual survey of the other photography pieces that had been entered but I wasn’t sure for which ones we’d directly compete.  Well, that artist’s reception was just not our ‘cup of tea’ so-to-speak.  There were a good variety of artists there who used their medium as a way to pass the time.  For me personally, I just found it really ridiculous to compare some of them on a fair basis.  Based completely on talent and interestingness, there wasn’t a whole lot offered there.  I felt that our work was so very out of place. Dean’s submitted work was dark and brooding in contrast to the generally placid landscapes and portraits of the other contestants; almost a different genre. All-in-all, it was a learning experience.

In February, Dean and I were in contact with some new people for the Bloomsburg ArtWalk.  This is a great way to get your name out in the community and network with new artists; each artist applies and then is paired with a business in downtown Bloomsburg.  On the designated night, there are sandwich board signs placed in front of each of the participating businesses so that passers-by know to stop in.  The timing for this show was hard for me to manage, Dean was just getting back from a business trip days before the show.  I felt crunch time coming down on my shoulders and I didn’t want to get too ahead of the game.  I had notified the business and was  nervous about this foreign experience.  When the day came that we took our photos in to be hung in Ready Go Burrito, we met with the business owner Sean.  He was wonderful to work with, a very interesting, artsy man who welcomes all types of art in his business.  On the night of the event, all the staff was very open and welcoming. At one point, the joint was packed with people ,whether for the food or the art I’m not sure but overall we had a great turnout.  I also made a point to go visit the artist who was my p.o.c trough the entire experience, Abigail Smith Kurecian.  She was located up the street from us at B Green Loft, displaying her beautiful pottery.  I introduced myself and thanked her for setting everything up in such a mindful manner.

Onto our future, we will participate in the ArtWalk again on May 7th from 4pm to 8pm again in Bloomsburg.  We’ll keep you posted to all the details and would love to see you there! If you know of any other artist-friendly cafes, pubs, restaurants, or galleries that would be willing to work with us, please let us know.