Why Photography? Part IV

Japanese anemone hybred 'Queen Charlotte'

‘Queen Charlotte’ Viewing the Gardens © 2010 Bo Mackison

(Fourth in a series on why I chose photography as my creative medium and the basis of a new career.)

#4. Photography provides me with meaningful work and with a career.

For many years, I was unable to do most any kind of work due to a chronic medical condition. I am still unable to do many of the things people take for granted, and many of these things are basic requirements for employment. Employment on someone else’s payroll, that is.

But I discovered that when you own your own business, you create the business environment and you can tailor the work to your abilities. I found that by starting small, and enlisting the aid of Sherpa (my spouse of 30+ years) I was able to gradually produce artwork and start a small business selling my work. I’ve been working on my business model for a couple of years now, and I think I have a great opportunity to build my fledgling business into a viable entity. To put it mildly, this entire process has been nothing short of mind boggling for me.

In the autumn of 2009, I began making and selling note cards, and I did fairly well selling them at small shops and an art fair during the Christmas season. This year, with guidance from a creativity and business coach, I began exploring the different options I had for selling my growing body of fine art photography.

We talked about continuing online sales, sales in galleries and boutique shops, and then we discussed doing art shows. I spoke with experienced show artists, and as we spoke about doing art fairs and festivals, my curiosity was piqued. Well, it was more than piqued. For weeks, I could hardly think of anything else. I even visited several outdoor art festivals when I traveled in the Southwest this early spring. A few weeks after my return home, I made my big decision. I would set up an art booth for the summer art fairs and get some first hand experience. I borrowed a tent and began acquiring the necessary paraphernalia.

The photography and printing, and the setting up of an art booth, turned out to be the easier part. I had a stack of applications to fill out, photographs to take for the juried shows, summer schedules to shuffle, travel plans to arrange. Those were difficult for me to accomplish, but I managed. And then, suddenly, I was faced with financial tasks – I had to get a bank account, set up an account to accept credit cards, file the necessary business papers and tax forms, keep records.

Time after time, I was overwhelmed by the commitment, but even though I was repeatedly tempted to quit and go back to my simpler life, I just couldn’t. I had a taste of a many dimensional, creative life – a life that held deep meaning for me – and I desperately wanted to continue.

I still have much to learn and practice, and that is part of the thrill of my new career. I’m learning to meet new people, interact with customers at art festivals, and share my own vision of art with other interested folks. I’m learning how to travel on my own, speak up for myself, and make decisions based not only on sound business practices, but on what is best for me and what fits with my values.

Being on the art show circuit is hard work, no doubt about that, but for the most part it is fun work, too. I’ve met new friends, been inspired by the talent and creativity of other artists, and seen a bit of the country I might otherwise not have seen. And if all goes well, I’ll be taking Seeded Earth Photography to a few shows in the Phoenix/Tucson area early next spring.

It’s been a long  journey from where I started to where I am now, some of it bumpy, some of it smooth, and some of it in great leaps. But the journey is the important part, and I love the challenges.  I think that is all pretty darn exciting!

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I will be at my last summer art fair of the season, the Rockford Artists’ Fair, in Beattie Park located in downtown Rockford, Illinois this coming weekend, September 18-19, 2010. It will be open both days from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. If you are in the area, I would love for you to stop and say hello.

Look for the bright green and white sign that proudly proclaims Seeded Earth Studio, photography by Bo Mackison.

I can hardly describe the feeling I get when I stand inside my tent, surrounded by my photographs. I feel like I am in my own combination mini-gallery and private flower garden. But please, come in — I want to share it with everyone!

Why Photography? Part III

Blade of Grass © 2010 Bo Mackison

(Third in a series on why I chose photography as my creative medium and the basis of a new career.)

#3. Photography is my reminder to “Don’t Look; Really See!”

When I look at just a tiny bit of my world, I feel so privileged that I can see so many things. Most people pass by and never see many of the things that I see. Sometimes I focus on a tiny piece of the world measured in inches, perhaps only an inch or two square. Sometimes I focus on a single blade of grass. I notice its shape, its color, how it moves in the breeze, how it leans at a rather precarious angle, how it tangles into the earth with millions of other blades of grass.

Or I might study how a flower has managed to thrive in a bit of dirt in the sidewalk crack. Or notice that a lacy, yellowed leaf has fallen in the middle of a worn path and been crumpled by people’s passing feet.

When I concentrate on seeing so intently, so deeply, it makes the passage of time almost meaningless. I tend to push aside other concerns in my life, and so for a few moments all I do is see. At times, my photography practice becomes almost meditative in nature.

I try to capture some of what I see in photographs, and share my tiny visions with others so that they, too, may begin to notice.

No wonder that each night when I write in my gratitude journal I often write that I am thankful that I can see, thankful that I can crawl upon the ground and get up again, thankful that I have the privilege of examining my world.

And I am always thankful that I have discovered photography. If nothing else, the addition of photography to my life has opened my eys to a new world, has slowed my life a bit and made me more observant…and has made me very, very grateful.

Why Photography? Part II

Late Bloomers © 2010 Bo Mackison

(Second in a series on why I chose photography as my creative medium and the basis of a new career.)

#2. Photography allows me stretch artistically.

Each time I take my camera out in the field to photograph a subject, or work on a photo during post-processing, or practice getting a photograph to print exactly the way I see it in my mind, I expand my artistic abilities. There is something to be said for practice. When I look back at my first digital photographs taken in the summer of 2007, I appreciate the obvious effort that went into the production of the photos. I knew nothing about digital photography, I had only a vague idea what most of the settings and dials on my camera actually did, I could barely navigate a computer. But I was able to capture some of the appreciation I had for my subjects.

When I first began to shoot, one of my goals was to post a daily photograph on my blog for a year. Slowly I learned. The mere fact that I  committed to posting daily made me pick up my camera on days when I didn’t really feel like it. But once I began looking for a subject to shoot, my enthusiasm generally increased. I always got a photograph, and I was always happy I had made the effort to keep that daily promise to myself.

My photographs have changed a lot over the last few years. At first, I worked on the basics of composition and focus and pleasing subjects. Now my photographs vary greatly. One photo may look painterly, the next may be a macro study on the color orange, a third will be a refection study of a garden pond. I love to experiment. I love to see how far I can stretch the photographic experience that my camera can produce.

I truly love to have a camera in my hands, ready to capture my vision!

Why Photography?

Seattle Waterfront © 2010 Bo Mackison

Today I begin a series of blog posts on why I have chosen to make photography my passion, my art medium, and my career.

Following my series, I will also run a series of guest posts from other people who feel that photography has been a positive influence in their lives, too. Some of these people are photographers who are passionate about their career, some are artists in other media who also enjoy photography, some are casual photographers, but all have one thing in common. Photography has had a positive impact on their lives.

#1.  I love photography because it constantly provides me with opportunities to build new skills and learn new techniques.

Life is a never ending learning experience. Photography is a great discipline in that there is always something new to learn. So many new things, always fresh and inviting. I could learn a new thing about photography every day (and I often do) and I will never discover answers to all my questions. How thrilling is that?

For example, here are a few of the many photo-related items on my explore list for the month of September:

1. I want to explore the use of neutral gradient filters.

2. I want to compare the different methods of sharpening in post processing.

3. I want to choose one photograph and print it on the four types of paper I have, plus print it on canvas.

4. I want to find a resource or two that explains the different equipment that can be used for macro-photography.

5. I want to read the book Within the Frame: The Journey of Photographic Vision by David DuChemin.

6. I want to catch up on editing my photographs from my early summer trip to Seattle.

7. Research how to best take photographs of thermal features including geysers, hot pools, fumaroles and hot pots.

8. Make a map of the thermal features to photograph in Yellowstone NP including best times to photograph in October.

I may not get all of these items crossed off my September list, but I’ve made a good start. After all, learning is a never ending process.