I Married a Photographer

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I am blank.  I sit and search for ideas but am left with blank.  You fill in the blank. I am struggling to have a different lead into the story, I’d like to tell.  So I shall take you through my writing process with me, in hopes of a fresh start.  When I type fresh, I inhale.  Is that normal? Not just any inhale, a deep one.  One where my nostrils flare and my brain searches for a very specific scent.  This time, I would prefer a clean, fresh off the clothesline laundry aroma. Did you know that your sense of smell is the most closely related to your memories?  Think about it, pick a very specific situation like going to an amusement park.  Really put yourself in that place. When I do, I can smell the rides, funnel cakes, cotton candy, roasted nuts the body odor of the passers-by.  In quite the opposite respect, think of a time you were standing in a new place and you caught a whiff of a familiar scent, like perfume/cologne or a spice.  It really amazes me what one can remember from smelling.

In the kitchen typing away on lappy (our white MacBook).  My husband, just passed by our kitchen table where I am seated and read over what I had written, chuckled and asked if I was planning on posting this.  I responded that I am getting my chi to flow and in a very hopeful way; I may be able to tie this random thought process into what I’d like to tell about our most recent experience.

A couple of clicks on FaceBook, to tune into what my friends’ worlds are and . . .

Voila!  Thus the story begins!

Driving to a Cinco de Mayo party Saturday afternoon, the whole family embarked on this adventure.  Interruption, Dean just said, “Bacon.  Just for inspiration.”  Nothing like throwing off the chi!  Back to the meat, traveling on our Monday-Friday commute route, we pass through Lewisburg as we did  in this story too.  Pulling slowly onto Market street, I was excited about the party.  Dean had his camera equipment along.  I batted the idea around that he’d take some shots at the party but later thought that would just be agenda pushing and ill-mannered.  Just outside the Bull Run Inn, sat 2 shiny motorcycles.  I could hear Dean before he even said anything.  “Oh, man! I have to get a shot of those choppers.”  He swung the car onto an off street, parked, we grabbed the camera bag, business cards and away we went.  As we darted across the street the cycle owners were hopping on and getting ready to leave -we had to move quick!  Dean introduced himself, handed one of the men a card and asked if he’d mind if we’d take a few shots.

I’m fairly certain they could feel the excitement Dean was exuding and the three of them permitted us to do our thing.  I stood on Market street blocking cars from hitting my husband as he set up the tripod and switched lenses.  Once set up, it didn’t take long.  Dean has become very good at getting the angle and framing of the shot correct on the first try; which works well for me because I have a peeve with inefficient activity.    We took maybe 20 photos in about 12 minutes or less, three sets of 7 images with different exposures so when compiled, the viewer sees much greater detail.  Considering we didn’t stop traffic or ask people to vacate the premises, I think we did wonderfully!  As Dean and I briskly walked back to the car, I could see the excitement on his face.  It was very boyish, pure and so simple.  He made mention of how thrilled he was to be able to share the images with the cycle owners.  Again, what a great resource to tap into!

To be continued . . .

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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.