I’m doing a little spring cleaning and getting ready for the 2010 portrait season.  In the next week I’ll be clearing all 2009 portrait sessions off of my computer.

Immediately after a session, I archive all images onto two sets of DVD’s (one in house, one out) and an external hard drive.  I also keep a working set on my computer.  As always, you can order at any time, but once the working sessions are cleared off the computer there may be a longer completion time to delivery as I will have to search and re-upload the files from your session.

It always seems Murphy’s Law rears it’s head around these decisions.  The minute I clear all the images you know I’ll get a call for an order!! Happens every time…  In an effort to stop Murphy in his tracks I decided to run a spring sale BEFORE I touched anything!! Order any albums, prints, storyboards or canvases between now – April 2, 2010, and next friday – April 9, 2010 and I’ll take 25% off of your entire order!

Happy Spring Everyone!!

These past few weeks have been full of ups and downs.  For those that don’t know, I have been care taking my Grandmother’s house for the past couple of years.  What originally was suppose to be a temporary move somehow morphed into years.  Two weeks ago the family decided it was time to sell the house.

My Grandmother fell and broke her hip and it was hoped she would heal quickly and come home.  Unfortunately, she’s never been able to come back to the home she loves.  As my stay at the house was always suppose to be temporary, I never fully moved in.  Most of the house was kept exactly how my Grandmother left it – pictures on the wall, curtains on the windows and towels in the bathroom.  Not that I didn’t walk around the house and dream of things I’d love to change: rip down wallpaper, new kitchen floor – even as big as tearing down walls.  I didn’t do any of those things.  It was never my house and never would be.  It’s a strange experience to live in a house that for all extents and purposes you are really a guest in.

We called a real estate agent and before I knew it the process was full steam ahead!  The real estate agent asked me to pack away all of Gram’s personal photos and nicknacks.  Suddenly it struck me – this was real – this was a goodbye.  My Grandmother had lived across the street from my parents for almost 30 years.  A piece of my childhood was fading away.  I knew before I took another step forward, I needed to photograph the things that were the essence of my Grandmother and her home.

I photographed her dressing table, full of family photos and the mirror and hairbrush she has had my entire life.  I walked around and captured small vignettes – my father’s teddy bear from when he was a child, her thimble and tea cup collection, her sewing machine where she made us Easter dresses and Halloween costumes and the carved table my Great Grandfather brought back from his travels.  It was an exercise in remembering and saying goodbye.

So I’ve spent the last two weeks packing and getting the house ready for show.  Frankly, it’s heartbreaking and a relief as well.  I’m ready to move on, to no longer be responsible for another’s worldly possessions.  I will, however, be sad when I look out my parents window to the house across the street that is no longer “ours”.  I know a few more tears will be shed over the next few weeks, as were done while writing this post.  As much as it pulls on my heartstrings to see this chapter close, I know it is the right thing.  I am also excited for what comes next.  I have no idea what that is but I’m ready to meet it!

Oh No, she didn’t!  Oh yes, she did!!

If you know nothing about me, you must know this.  I am cut throat competitive.  I just can’t help myself – this other being comes over me and I’m going to get there first, fastest and smartest.  Of course, that rarely happens but I give the good fight all the way down to my crumbling demise…  So, when one of my photographer friends saw this paper mache, feather coated, chicken in my mother’s kitchen and challenged me to take a fine art photo of it, which if I was successful she would hang in her house – you know the game was on!!

I spent a lot of time, to much time, trying to come up with the perfect location.  I issued a call of help out to my Facebook Fans.  Nothing resonated.  A trip to Baltimore found the Extraordinary Funky Chicken and I on our first road trip.  (pic here)  Still nothing – really how hard could this be.  Finally I got up one morning and decided this was the morning.  Extraordinary Funky Chicken and I headed up to Nehantic State Forest – Uncas Lake for the locals.  Location be damned this shoot was happening right then and there.

It’s a most interesting experience to be standing on the access road in the middle of the forest at 6:30 in the morning with a fake chicken.  There I was, thinking how ridiculous I am and seriously couldn’t I ratchet down my competitive nature and the need to make this spectacular! (obviously not!!)  Fabulous… now I have an audience….  I swear the man is home telling people – “Well I never saw anything like it.  There was this woman in the middle of the forest with a camera and a fake chicken….”  Seriously the things I do in the name of art!!

So here it is – the fabulous Extraordinary Funky Chicken’s Fine Art shoot!

Update:  I won! I won!  Got an email from my friend asking when she’ll be getting her print!!  Ok yeah, all I got is bragging rights – but hey I still won!