11 FROM 2011

I read about a challenge of picking your best shot from 2011. So I went forward after reading another way to do this and picked my best 11 from 2011. It was a bit difficult. Not because I had problems with the work, but because I didn't go shooting as often as I would have liked. But I found what I liked. And with each photo, I'll tell you why.

And here are my 11 from 2011.

#11 WATER LEVEL
While this isn't a particularly fascinating photo,
this was a recapture from 2008. I like the
simplicity of the image. And the age.

#10 TRAIN
While shooting along the Canal Walk in Richmond, this train came barreling
along the tracks above me. I always wanted to capture a train and the overcast
sky the heavy iron work made for a perfect black and white.

#9 ST GEORGE'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH
I can't tell you how many times I've captured the steeple
of St. George's Episcopal Church. It just stands out in
the middle of Fredericksburg and speaks of history. This shot
was taken from Chatham Heights. I've taken winter shots
from Chatham, and I wanted to check out spring. The red
roofs and green steeple were a pleasant surprise.

#8 GOLF?
All these years, I thought he was on the
course actually playing the game. Instead, he
was perfecting another skill. This is such a fun
photo - a very relaxed Tom in his element.

#7 BREAKING PROHIBITION
I had the opportunity to shoot at the A. Smith
Bowman distillery. It was a fabulous tour and
the barrels made for some great shots. And a lot
of fun artistic work.

#6 SKYLINE
A shot on the way to Belle Isle in Richmond.
I was walking across the suspension bridge to the island
and looking up saw all these wonderful lines. 

#5 SILVER LEAF
It's just that, a leaf. It was a cool spring day and everything had the full
color of spring. I saw the glint of silver from the light on the backside
of this leaf and gave it a shot. I really didn't expect the photo above, but
sometimes what you think you'll trash ends up being the best shot.

#4 LOVE
While shooting at the train station in Richmond (you wouldn't believe the
opportunities at the train station), I was strolling around, and for whatever
reason looked down and this was on the bricks. It was Valentine's Day.

#3 WISDOM LISTENS
Another shot from Belle Isle. It was the abandoned hydraulic plant, I think.
For graffiti, I love the message. It's just so true. But the fun part was
taking this from a boring wall and making it art. Will definitely print this
on metallic paper so all that glitters...well, glitters.

#2 THE DOOR
Okay, gotta admit, I love this piece of art. This shot
was taken at the A. Smith Bowman Distillery. And
this shot was a loss. Wrong lens, quick take,
unfocused. What can I say. Such is the power
of Photoshop. I get a lot of feedback on this shot.

#1 CROSSING THE JAMES
I don't know what it is about me and railroad bridges. Taken in Richmond,
this bridge crossing the James River spoke of timelessness. And turning
it into art changed the scope even more. This is a metallic print and
everything glimmers and shines. My favorite shot of the year.

...AND SPEAKING OF LANDSCAPES

Aloha. I found my Hawaii disk. I love my Hawaii disk. It disappears, then reappears when I least expect it. The photos are not on the computer, but on this precious little disk. The photos were created long before I had any inclinations of becoming a photographer. They were shot with a simple point and shoot. An old point and shoot, not one of these super megapixel point and shoots you can buy these days.

But I reviewed the disk again because I love the landscape of Hawaii. Or I should say the seascape of Hawaii. The photos were shot in 2004 on the island of Oahu. The reason I’m bringing them out is because I stated in my previous post that I don’t have the photographic talent to shoot landscapes (or something of that sort). When the Hawaii disk does show up, I realize I underestimate my own talents. And this before I took the whole photographic thing seriously.

Now to be fair, I did do a little touch up on these photos, added some contrast, pulled the color for a sharper image. But the skies and the sea are real. That’s why I love Hawaii. The skies and the sea are absolutely beautiful.

So maybe I do landscapes (or seascapes or cityscapes or riverscapes). To me a landscape is rolling hills, but I do know there's more to it than that. Rolling hills bore me. But the sea and the city and the river, just my style. And black and white (yeah, that's a style thing too).

Aloha!

BARE NAKED WALLS

Are you suffering from bare naked walls? You’ve been looking at the same walls for years and years believing they’re just fine. They don’t need dressing. It’s an artistic endeavor you shy away from because you don’t believe you have the talent to put it all together.

Don’t underestimate your creativity in this matter. Putting together an artistic office display is a matter of basics.

Recently I worked with Congressman Rob Wittman’s Fredericksburg office to create such a display. Their office didn’t lack in creativity; they wanted to update their look and knew they wanted local works of the Fredericksburg area. The start of the project was generated through a third party, so the scope wasn’t entirely clear. I put together a portfolio of local shots I took in the area, and while viewed well, and some chosen for the display, the office was interested in local buildings and landmarks. I put together second portfolio for review and we hit the mark.

So how do you dress those naked walls? It’s really quite simple.

START WITH A THEME

Working with Congressman Wittman’s office, their theme was Fredericksburg’s historic district. We put together some local landmarks including City Hall, the Circuit Court steeple, St. George’s Episcopal Church and a view of the city from Chatham Heights. The display also included local bits of the community itself: the horse and carriage ride that tours downtown, a cannon from the Fredericksburg National Cemetery, a sign along Charles Street. It is Fredericksburg to those who know Fredericksburg and it is a representation of the city for those new to the area.

FIND A PHOTO THAT INTERESTS YOU AND BUILD AROUND IT

There are nine galleries on the Studio website. If one particular photo catches your attention, take that photo and find others that compliment the image either through theme, color or design. Or go completely eclectic and create a menagerie of images.

FIND SOMETHING THAT INDENTFIES YOUR PERSONALITY

Say you’re a Civil War buff. Select photos that represent the local battlefields. Presenting a personal interest to a client may open a link to a similar interest and break the ice. Or, it may just make your environment a bit more comforting to work in.

THE JOY OF COLOR; OR NOT

Many offices walls are bland; tan or white and often faded from years of neglect. This isn’t your fault. You have little control over what your landlord allows. Find photos with color and display them around the office to enliven the atmosphere. You’d be surprised what a little color can do to enrich the look of your surroundings. You can even create a theme based solely on color.

Another option to color would be a black and white or a tinted theme. Lack of color sets an atmosphere that often takes the viewer into another world. Lack of color can create an emotional display that may play into your business standards.

Once you start thinking about dressing your walls, the process takes on its own life. Variety not only comes from the photo itself, it’s further highlighted by size, frame and mat choices. The possibilities are endless. Open up your creativity and you’ll find the perfect solution for the bare naked walls of your business or office.

Kerri Williams owns and operates Magpi Studios, a creative studio specializing in photography, graphic design and fine art to meet your businesses marketing needs.

Magpi Studios offers an affordable alternative to purchasing art through ArtLease. With ArtLease, you make the decisions on the art with the guidance of Magpi Studios, all while working within your budget. You also have the option to change the art within the terms of your lease and experiment with different images or update your look. Learn more about ArtLease and the possibilities of creating an inviting environment for your clients, your staff and yourself.

MY FIRST TIME

Made you look.

My first time...we all have firsts. Mine is my first solo exhibition which is currently taking place at Congressman Rob Wittman's Fredericksburg, Virginia office. This is a very exciting moment for me. The office wanted something new on their walls and as Rep Wittman represents Fredericksburg (in Virginia's 1st congressional district), they were looking for images that do the same.

Well, fortunately, Fredericksburg is one of my favorite haunts. Old town is phenomenal as every time I go there I seem to find something new to shoot. I've lived here for somewhere around seven years; been roaming old town for about five.

The viewing process for selection went from basic art I've found in old town to photos that best represent the area. It was a matter of digging into old folders and finding images that don't make the website. Why don't they make the website? There's nothing wrong with the images, it's just that I do a lot of close up shots that I know represent Frederickburg, but that no one else knows represents Fredericksburg. These are the shots that hit the site. The others stay in folders in the darkroom. Nothing wrong with that. These are images I just don't believe would sell. Well, after having a heart to heart with my business adviser and working with Rep Wittman's office, I've concluded otherwise.

How did I rectify the problem? I made a new gallery on the website called Haunts. This is an area where I put those shots of favorite places I hang out. It gives me room to put up local images to share with visitors and potential clients. Currently Fredericksburg and Richmond take the honors. But, in the big picture, I'll be traveling a lot more.

Below are a few of the images that are in the exhibition. If you've ever been in old town Fredericksburg, you'll recognize many of them. If you've never been to old town, I encourage you to visit.

THE RAPPAHANNOCK RIVER

This is probably one of the most photographed and painted images in Fredericksburg.

FREDERICKSBURG CITY HALL

I just loved the way the shadows hit the lettering on the building.

FREDERICKSBURG BAPTIST CHURCH

Old town has many churches and you'll see the steeples as you roam the streets.

HORSE & CARRIAGE

I think old town still offers carriage rides. The horses are beautiful. If you can't take a carriage ride, go for the trolley. It's a great tour.

FREDERICKSBURG CIRCUIT COURT

I seriously thought this was a church steeple. As I was putting the presentation together for the show, I Google mapped the area to find the streets of the landmarks and learned this wasn't a church. It's a fascinating steeple.

 

 

CIVIL WAR CANNON

 Located at Marye's Heights, this is the location of the Fredericksburg National Cemetery. A lot of history at this site.

 

UNTITLED 1

Seriously? I honestly don't know what to call this. The photography? Piece of cake. Titling? Well, sometimes it just boggles my mind.

But the trip, the trip to get this photo was unbelievable. It started on the Canal Walk in Richmond, VA, by Tredegar Iron Works (now the Civil War Museum) and ended on Belle Isle.

Tredegar Iron Works has all this beautiful, black, industrial ironwork that makes for wonderful shots. I've been working with black and white lately and there's nothing like industry to make a great black an white. I only touched the surface.

Belle Isle was once a prison for Union Soldiers (a pretty nasty prison from the historic markers around the place) and served many other functions before it became a city park. It's a great point of exploration. I only walked a small part of the island and will definitely return.

The whole place is surround by the James River which in and of itself is a beautiful body of water. Over the next few weeks, I'll share some of what I found.

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.

THESE FOUR WALLS

Been busy, busy, busy - shooting, processing and revamping the website. I'll be adding a few new galleries and lots of new photos. In the meantime, here's a preview of These Four Walls which will be up in the Pushing the Edge gallery.

This shot was taken on Cary Street in Richmond. Totally amazing what you can find in a 4-6 block area.

On a side note, though I didn't go in the store, while walking around the corner of it, I peered through the glass and this place has some truly cool, funky stuff (so I had to give the photo a truly cool, funky look - and btw, the building is white and there are no storm clouds looming overhead - just in case you want to check the place out). I'll be making a shopping visit in the near future.