Defining Moments

~~~

I took pictures at Paws for a Cause this afternoon. The rain stayed away, attendance was good, and people and dogs alike seemed to enjoy themselves, participating in games and contests, sharing their stories of successful adoptions, and of course, joining the canine/human walk-a-thon. The full gallery (300++ pics!) can be viewed HERE. You might recall the sad situation in Solon last year, where many dogs were seized from a hoarder. Today there was a reunion of sorts of many of the dogs that have since found good homes. You can spot the Solon dogs in the pics because they are the ones wearing turquoise bandanas.

~~~

I have been working toward a collection of fine art prints in my spare time, and hope to have several available for purchase by late fall. These will include photos and other digital art. I will be introducing two limited edition pieces this Sunday, at Paws for a Cause at the Johnson County Fairgrounds. These will be framed photographs of the Coralville Dam, commemorating the Iowa floods of 2008, and sales will benefit the Animal Center. “Before the Flood” was taken on May 26th, with the reservoir at 706 ft. “717″ was taken on June 16th, just after the water level peaked at 716.96 ft. Each print is made from archival pigment inks on acid-free velvet paper, set behind Artique Conservation Matboard and UV-resistant Conservation Clear glass. Twenty-five of each title will be printed, and will be signed, numbered, and ready to hang. The prints will be on display this Sunday at the Paws for a Cause event.

Through December 1st (or until the run is bought out), the prints will be offered at the special price of $185, with all proceeds going to Friends of the Animal Center Foundation, to be used for flood recovery of the Iowa City Animal Center. Each print is approximately 10″ x 14″, with the finished framed and matted size being approximately 17″ x 21″. Please contact me at the studio if you’d like to have one of these limited edition prints, and help the Animal Center at the same time!

~~~

Two good games yesterday, both the J-V and the varsity, and I took LOTS of pics.  J-V is first, then some snaps of the senior night ceremony, then the varsity game.  Full gallery is HERE.

~~~

I shot another show for the Englert last night. Oddly enough for being a long-time Iowan, I had never seen Bo Ramsey play before. I was impressed! This guy put on a great show that was a lot of fun to listen to and shoot. I might be adding him to my CD collection soon.;) The full gallery from the show can be viewed HERE.

~~~

This guy has long been one of my musical heroes. I got to photograph (and meet!) him at the Englert tonight. This was the first time I had seen him do an acoustic set. Brilliant. A set composed heavily of ballads, and the audience so rapt and attentive I was sometimes hesitant to click my shutter. It was a small but very enthusiastic crowd, and both players unplugged and played out in the seats for a while. What an awesome show! David Pulkingham is the guy who played with Alejandro and added some backing vocals. His playing is incredible! A few images are below, and the full gallery is HERE.

~~~

Well, City Circle’s production of A Christmas Story has ended, and it was a great show!  Congrats to all the actors and crew for a wonderful job!  I had a chance to shoot a dress rehearsal the night before the play opened.  I’ve posted a few shots below, and you can view the full gallery HERE.

~~~

First, a BIG thank you to everyone who participated in the competition and helped to make it fun.  Obviously, there was a very tight and intense competition between two of the participants, and after some consideration, I have decided to award TWO first prizes.  Both Owen and Henry will get free sessions and a free framed wall portrait.  Congratulations, you guys!

I’ve also decided to waive the session fee for a 30-minute family or child session for anyone who participated.  This is in addition to the free prints I will have made from the competition pics.

If you have not contacted me to specify which print(s) you would like to have, please do so by November 20th!  I would like to order these before the holiday and have them ready for pickup in early December.

If you would like to take advantage of the free session, I will make the offer available to any of the participants through March 15th.  Call to schedule!

Thanks again, everyone!!

~~~

OK, everyone, I have the images up from my Halloween event, and I need your help to choose the winner. The winner will be receiving a free photo session. Your IP address will be logged and each computer will be allowed to vote ONCE per day. The poll will close and a winner will be declared on Wednesday, November 14th at 5:00 PM. Please click on each name below to see the costumes, then cast your vote. Thanks for helping out!

Before we get started, I thought I would post a couple of images of Artie (our dog) as a Cub Scout. Artie will of course not be eligible for the contest.

And now…..to the voting….!!

Erica (Cat)
Alex (Jango Fett)
Cassidy (Cinderella)
Max (Farmer)
Emma (Flower)
Claire (Bee)
Maile (Butterfly)
Owen (Calvin & Hobbes)
Henry (Lion)
Caleb (Cute Skeleton)
Noah (Scary Skeleton)
Kaitlyn (Unicorn)
Adrian (Knight)
Maggie (Unicorn)
Lucy & Iris (Hula Girl & Princess)
Sara (CareBear)

~~~

Scroll down for sample photos.

I’ve decided it would be fun to have a Halloween costume competition. To encourage participation, I will be offering everyone a FREE print, and awarding a free child or family session to the winner, along with a free framed 16×20 print. Bring your kids! If you don’t have kids, come yourself!  Or bring a pet!!

DETAILS: I will take 4-6 photos of each participant in a five-minute mini-session. Results will be posted to a gallery on my web site sometime the following week. Choose one image per costume (one costume per participant) and let me know by phone or email. I will have a 4×5 print made and have it at my studio for pickup.

WHEN: Tuesday Oct.30th, from 4-8pm, and Wednesday Oct. 31st, from 2-8pm at my studio, 1106 N. Dodge St. in Iowa City. There are no appointments. People will be photographed as they arrive, so there may be a short wait.

PARKING: Please do not park at the Hilltop Tavern! The studio driveway has 3-4 spaces. If it is full, there is plenty of space on N. Summit, just around the corner.

VOTING: When the gallery is posted, there will be a poll on my studio blog where people can vote for the best costume. I will keep the voting open for one week, and whoever gets the most votes will get the free session.

FINE PRINT: Basically, there is no fine print. Anyone can participate, and everyone who does gets a free print, with no strings attached. The winning prize also comes with no further purchase obligation. The session is a 30-minute studio session and may be used for a child, family, or pet sitting (not valid for senior or location sessions), and the framed 16×20 can be converted to credit toward other products. The prize cannot, however, be converted to cash.

Call or email me if you have any questions!

Some clients have volunteered to be photographed early, so I can post some sample photos:

~~~

Friends of the Animal Center Foundation held its annual benefit for the Iowa City Animal Shelter yesterday, and I took lots of pictures. It was very fun to see all the people and dog breeds who showed up to participate! There was frequent application of olfactory organs to the nether regions of strangers (among the dogs, that is), and for the most part, everybody got along really well. I particularly enjoyed the flyball demonstration. There were also many contests, door prizes, demonstrations, and of course the run/walk. Many local vendors contributed to the cause, and some had booths at the event, which took place in Lower City Park. The weather couldn’t have been nicer! A few images from the benefit:

The full gallery from the event (over 200 images) can be found HERE.