SAVING VIRGINIA'S BATTLEFIELDS

I’m a photographer who, no matter what the subject choice of a freelance photo gig I choose, always seem to wind up on a battlefield of some sort. Or I’ll guess that it’s a battlefield because there’s a Civil War cannon present somewhere. This isn’t a bad thing. Cannons love the camera. And really, when you think about it, there’s not a whole lot of land in the Fredericksburg area that isn't a battlefield of some sort.

With that, I want to make sure all my readers are aware of this weekend’s fundraising event, Bowling for Battlefields. The event is sponsored by the CVBT (Central Virginia Battlefields Trust). These folks are responsible for “preserving endangered hallowed ground” – Virginia’s battlefields. Their motto is Preserving…Dirt & Grass. How can you not like that?

The event takes place at Splitsville/Muvico over at the Village at Spotsylvania Town Centre.

On Saturday, Muvico will show Gone with the Wind and Glory for $5. Two showings of Gone with the Wind (at 12pm and 7pm), that wonderful southern chick flick with Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable. Glory will be shown at 4:30. While I never saw Glory, I’ve been told by many it’s a great film.

On Sunday, Splitsville will have the Bowling for Battlefields extravaganza. For $20 a person, you get open bowling, appetizers and soft drinks from 2pm – 4pm. Drop those pins and save a battlefield!

Splitsville/Muvico will be donating 100% of proceeds.

Magpi Studios will be out on both days showing and selling photography of area battlefields and historic locals. We’ll be donating 40% of our sales to CVBT.

I need the battlefields. The camera needs the battlefields. We need to preserve our history with more than just photos. And by the way, the photos in this post are a few of the images for sale.

Hope to see you there.

BAD PHOTOGRAPHERS

I was out shooting this week. First in awhile. I knew my target and got the shots, and spent the day reflecting on bad photographers. Not bad as in their photos are bad. Bad as in Bad Santa bad.

My shoot yesterday took me out to Spotsylvania County to photograph an old barn I've been admiring for a few years. In order to get the shot I wanted, I needed to trespass on the grounds of the fire station. So I went inside, asked if I could park in their lot and shoot from the grassy knoll of their back field. While talking with the gentleman in the station, he asked if I had permission from the land owner to shoot the property. Well, the property's in public view, so at that point I didn't need permission, as long as I wasn't on his land. I didn't need a property release because I have no plans of selling the photo for commercial use. Now, don't get me wrong; my brief discussion on this matter with the gentleman in the station was not this curt and we never talked about property releases or commercial use. That knowledge is for you, the reader, so you understand how all of this photography stuff works.

The gentleman in the station did provide me the name and phone number of the land owner, said he was a friend and there wouldn't be any problem getting permission. When I said I just wanted a shot of the barn from across the road and I wasn't going on the property, he understood and gave a deeper explanation of his inquiry.

A while back, some photographer decided he was going to tramp about in the barn and take pictures. Tramp about, mind you, without getting permission. What this photographer seems to have ignored is that the land is private property. Do a little research. Or better yet, knock on the door of the house by the barn. Duh?

(Don't ever assume anything because even public property, state owned property, etc., may require a permit or certain restrictions. For instance, you're not allowed to include the National Park Service logo in your photographs - bet you didn't know that. And railroad tracks - private property. So if you get run over by a train because you wanted that oh so awesome pic, don't expect much sympathy).

What caused further issue with the matter is that while the barn looks abandoned, there was a resident living on the property. Personally, my thoughts on this, don't ever assume. (I imagine someone walking out with a shotgun in hand, shooting first and asking questions later.)

I don't know why some photographers believe they have the right to shoot wherever they want just because they have a Nikon or Cannon or whatever in their hands. That camera doesn't make you "the press" (and even the press need a pass) or the eccentric artist or the commercial genius. And it certainly doesn't make you a professional. It makes you an obnoxious bore that give the rest of us a bad rap.

HAPPY HOLIDAY PHOTO TIPS

With the holidays come photos and I wanted to share a few tips on how to capture great holiday photos. Some of these tips are for those of you who know their camera and some are for those who just have fun with their camera. Either way, have a wonderful holiday and don’t forget to take lots of pictures.

THE CAMERA

A few things to remember before you even take that first shot.( If you’re not sure where to find these settings, dig out your manual, do a quick flip through and get your camera ready. Of course, if you’re not comfortable with all this or don’t have time to check out the settings before hand, stick to your normal settings and get technical after the holidays.)

• Red Eye Reduction – Don’t forget to turn it on.
• Batteries – Have extra batteries available. If you use rechargeable batteries, make sure they’re charged before the big event.
• Memory Cards – Make sure you have plenty of memory for all the photos you want and remember to clear them before the event so they’re ready when you need them.
• ISO Setting – Adjust your ISO setting for faster shutter speeds and fewer blurry shots.
• White Balance – Properly set your white balance setting. If you’re shooting indoors, set to incandescent or indoor lighting. If you shooting outdoors, set for sunny or cloudy days.
• Exposure compensation – This one here is all about snow. If you believe you’ll have a white Christmas and you want photos of everyone playing in the snow, use exposure compensation or a manual exposure to force a stop or two of more light to reach the sensor. Otherwise, your snow will have a blue cast and we all know snow is white.

THE SHOT

Now that your camera’s ready, here are a few hints on how to get the perfect shot.

• Stay Eye Level with Kids – When shooting the kids opening their presents, get down on the floor with them. Get the full feel of the moment. Shooting from above often makes an interesting image, but if you’re just getting the heads, you lost the moment.
• Backgrounds – Beware of cluttered backgrounds. Find an empty area to take semi-formal shots of family and friends or use the Christmas tree as your background.
• Posing – Go natural. Forced posed images can make your subject uneasy. Keep your eyes open for warming embraces, fun family antics and Mom and Dad sitting next to each other on the sofa smiling about having all the kids home again.
• Go Off Center – It isn’t necessary to center your subject in every photo. Try catching bits of the holiday spirit by taking you’re subject off center using the gifts or the tree as a backdrop.
• Fill the Frame – Otherwise known as the close-up.  Whether you’re aiming at people or the decorations, don’t stand so far back so that when you see the photo, you can’t find the subject.
• Lighting – Lighting during the holidays can be tricky. Use as much natural light as possible. Turn on the lamps. Use flash if necessary, but soften the glaring effect either by bouncing the flash off of another surface (ceiling or wall) or use fill flash.
• Don’t Make Them Look – Often times, the best shots are the one’s no one knows you’re taking. Go for candids. When you’re dealing with the opening of presents (especially with children), just shoot. When you have the kids look at you for every shot, you might be disappointed at some of the looks (glares, scowls, funny faces) you get.

THE FUN

And make sure you and your subjects have fun.

• Pass the Camera Around – If you have a high dollar camera and don’t want to do this, grab a point and shoot or disposable camera and leave it on a table with a note for everyone to take photos. Why should you have all the fun?
• The Photo Booth – Create a photo booth or corner where you can gather your subjects for individual or group photos, for crazy shots like a real photo booth or for those who prefer to have a more formal picture from the event.
• The Food – Don’t forget to shoot the food. You’ll want to remember that feast before it’s gone. Also capture shots of serving and eating. You could end up with some fun images. My favorite is the guest whose fork is almost in his mouth and he suddenly sees he’s being photographed.
• The Gifts – Capture a before and after of the gifts; whether they’re under the tree, on a table or in a corner of the room. These are wonderful photos filled with color. And don’t forget to shoot the presenting of gifts and the unwrapping.
• The Decorations – Decorations can make for some fun and artistic shots. This is a great area to fill the frame for close-ups.
• The Group Photo – Don’t forget the group shot. As you’re part of the group, for a group photo you’ll need a tripod and you’ll need to know how to use the timer on your camera (see your manual). Group shots can be formal or fun (or both). Take group shots around the tree, at the table, wherever you want and have fun with posing. If you’re fortunate enough to have a white Christmas, take the group outside and have a blast.

Most important, don't forget to have fun!

THE COLOR OF WINTER

Birds are circling nearby my house. I’m reading a dark comedy about the Apocalypse and the trees are close to bare. The death of fall is upon us, the coming of winter approaches. But these are not the signs I generally look for to signal winter’s grand entrance. How do I know winter is so close? I start pulling color from my photos.

Now, you could say, “Whoa, slow down Kerri. There’re still plenty of leaves on the trees and there’s a brilliance of orange and yellow and red in the air.” Yeah. I know. I see it. But as I believe that I lack the artistic view of a landscape photographer, this does me no good. So yeah, if you’re big on landscapes, the land is still stunning. Fact is, every time I drive North on I-95, I marvel at the light dancing across the color of the leaves (okay, that’s really more when I’m a passenger than when I’m driving – on I-95, you just don’t take that chance).

But I digress. Where were we? Oh yeah, pulling color from photos. You see, I like the lay of shadows this time of year. I like the bare limbs. I like the dark side of winter. I look at a scene now and I know if the final result will be color or black and white before I even shoot. Used to be I stayed inside all winter, plopped down in front of the computer or TV, but since my ventures into black and white and tints, winter brings out the dark side of my artistic pallet. I know, it’s not to everyone’s taste, but that’s art.

So let me share a few shots from my latest fall excursion (I actually was looking for color). Don’t worry; I popped in a bit of color so as not to rush the season.

And that book – the dark comedy about the Apocalypse - Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. A lovely read for winter. When you get into your own black and white winter doldrums, this book will put a smile on your face (if it doesn’t make you laugh out loud).

I'D RATHER BE SHOOTING

I apologize. I've been neglectful of the blog. I've been trapped in the underworld of the business world. Do you have any idea how many synonyms there are for underworld? Take a look -

Abaddon, Gehenna, Hades, abyss, affliction, agony, anguish, blazes, bottomless pit, difficulty, everlasting fire, fire and brimstone, grave, hell-fire, infernal regions, inferno, limbo, lower world, misery, nether world, nightmare, ordeal, pandemonium, perdition, pit, place of torment, purgatory, suffering, torment, trial, underworld, wretchedness  (Thank you dictionary.com)

Yeah, that's where I've been. Quite honestly, I'd rather be shooting.

So let me explain. I've come to the conclusion that the underworld of the business world is marketing. Which is an odd thing to say for someone who bases her business on marketing. I love the whole marketing concept. It's fascinating to work an idea into reality. I love/hate Magpi Studio marketing. What can I tell you.

When I work with a client, marketing is a piece by piece concept. It's broken down into steps. And because I do photography and design, I'm not doing the broad end marketing that I have to do with the studio. This so called marketing for the studio at the moment is consisting of brochures, rack cards, updating the website (and trust me, e-marketing is not my favorite thing), creating a newsletter (oh, and if you'd like to sign up, please do so - just click here), getting a month to month marketing plan together, networking and who knows what else.

Now, you'd think I would have done all of this already. Yeah, you'd think. But running the studio part time didn't require as much work as when you rely on it for your next paycheck.

The worst of this has been the website. It's taken on a new design and I've added ArtLease and Animal Love Pet Photography (so yea, the Animal Gallery is back). The website, it's a time monster that hangs out at my desk. There's photo editing and formatting and PayPal buttons to make and insert and all the links to link, and then there are all those links to check and with the photos, everything has got to link properly. If you've been to my site, you may be able to tell I make all my thumbnails by hand (I don't use a program that makes those mini thumbnails that you can't tell what you might be looking at), carefully cropping so you can see what's in it without viewing the entire photo and make your choice as to whether you want to go further or not. I consider it a perk, but who knows. I just know that I hate when I go to a photog's site and there's this teeny, tiny little 1/4" box that's nothing but a blur. Frustrates me. But I digress.

Anyway, I had about 60 photos in the WIP (work in progress) file that needed all that attention. And it's not just editing and formatting, it's naming and file naming and centering and getting it at the right place - and yeah, I probably go the long way around this as I'm not a website making type person.

But, the updated website is viewable, lots of new photos, so go take a look and let me know if my efforts were worthwhile.

Thank you all for your patience in my absence. I have now ascended from the underworld.

And since I wasn't allowed to take photos while I was there - there are very strict regulations in the underworld of the business world - NO PHOTOGRAPHY! - I'll share with you the marketing piece I developed for ArtLease while I was there.

COOL COW COMEDY

Rahmein Mostafavi

Recently, I had the pleasure of photographing the mastermind behind Cool Cow Comedy, and with a name like Cool Cow Comedy, expect hysteria. Do you have any idea how hard it is to shoot while you’re laughing? Yeah, try holding a camera steady.

Cool Cow Comedy brings hysteria to Fredericksburg every other week at the Courtyard Marriott on Caroline Street (keep up to date on the gut busting shows). The brilliant mind behind this laugh factory is Rahmein Mostafavi. His stand up is hilarious - from his Iranian-American background to fatherhood to his general observations of life’s absurdities

And really, just the name itself - Cool Cow Comedy. Cool Cow Comedy got its name when Rahmein was teaching one of his sons to say Holy Cow. It kept coming out as Cool Cow so everything in the household that deserved a Holy Cow got a Cool Cow. Then we’ve got that whole cow set up going. The black and white curtains (think Holstein) and that funky little cow logo. From the mouths of babes – it works.

Rahmein knows what’s funny, too, and as the host of Cool Cow Comedy, he’s bringing fresh entertainment to town. His first show at the Courtyard Marriott headlined Danny Rouhier and featured Greg Brown; the night of the shoot – headliner Brain Parise, with featured comedian Lafayette Wright. Cool Cow Comedy’s next show will be Saturday, July 2^nd at 8pm with headliner Erin Jackson, featuring Brandon Wardell.

If you're looking for a laugh, here's your chance. Advance tickets can be purchased online.

Rahmein also hosts Cool Cow’s Raw Comedy every Tuesday night at Ragtime up in Arlington.

All in all, it was a joy photographing Rahmein. The great thing about photographing people is the insight behind their business (in this case, a study of a different artistic medium) and just getting to know someone with a devoted passion for their work. For Rahmein and Cool Cow Comedy, that passion is rewarded by a room full of laughter. Thanks Rahmein for the opportunity.

Please note that Cool Cow Comedy shows present adult humor and are rated R. Those 17 years of age and under must be accompanied by an adult.

THE ESOTERIC PHOTOGRAPHER

This week's pick is Goin' Nowhere.

While sitting on the side of the street shooting mailboxes, I was patiently waiting for traffic to break (we photographers need to learn a great deal of patience), glancing to the left, to the left, to the left (it was a one way street), watching as one car after another rolled over the blacktop (might have been cobblestone - was in an old part of town), and as I'm looking, there's the bike sitting there, locked onto the post of a street sign, and it dawns on me as I'm waiting for the traffic break, that the chain and petal of this bike would make a great shot.

So I turn more to the left, eye to the viewfinder, and there's a flat rear tire, which means the bike isn't going anywhere (the lock just ensured that it wouldn't be carried away).

What's all this about. There's story here. From the moment I began photography, it has always been stressed to know the story you're telling with your shot. Well, my artist's statement is very basic.

I don't know why I take the photographs that I do. Something catches my eye; something touches my soul. I shoot. It's that simple.

Therefore, I often don't tell a story. I don't always know what the story is. Maybe the story is from a past life (I take a lot of old world shots, images that come from a time before I was born...or I make them into images that come from a time before I was born). When I see these things, something shifts inside of me; I have to capture it. I don't know why, I just know I have to capture it.

But Goin' Nowhere has a story. The tire is flat, it's locked to the sign post. It's going nowhere. End of story.

Ah, such is the life of the esoteric photographer.

RESOLUTION

It's that time, you know, when we make all those decisions to change ourselves, to upgrade our lives, to become the person we think we should be. Happy New Year!

I'm not one to make resolutions. It seems pointless to make changes at the beginning of each year because we can. When I decide on change, that change happens with the decision, not with a date. And with that, though it is the beginning of the year, I have made some changes.

This was a tough decision I've been working with for several months. I've dumped the Magpi Studio Facebook page. At some point, the decision had to be made on how I was going to balance my time and where I was going to focus my business, and with that, I've decided the focus is not on social networking, but rather on the website, the blog, shows and plain old simple networking.

Photos will still be available on the blog, and the blog will be available through the website and my personal Facebook page. Bottom line, if you really want to know who I am and what's going on in my life, friend me. If you want to look at the photos, RSS the blog. If you need services, go to the website and email or call. It's all a real basic process.

And to all my Facebook fans, thank you for your support.