Sunday, December 21, 2014

What Now?

2014, it is coming to an end. I just went through my blog I did January 1st of this year, and all I can do is smile. I have forgotten that my New Years resolution was to get more nature photographs...I think I can say this is the first resolution I kept (without knowing it) and successfully did it. Though, I did forget to buy that hunting blind.

As of this time, with only a few weeks left in 2014, I am still on schedule for where I wanted to be. At the start of this year, I didn't see myself in a gallery or purchasing a new camera. I think I may even be slightly ahead what I original thought I would be. I went back to school for a Bachelors degree in Business management, purchased a full frame camera (Sony A7 mirrorless), and half way through the year started to build an inventory! When I did my taxes this year, I noticed there was something with inventory and I laughed saying that wont happen for a few years. Surprise, it happened the same year. For the past few months, I have building inventory to sell at craft shows and to be able to fill a gallery when I am featured.

Starting this year out, I had no more than four prints in my hands. Yes, FOUR PRINTS! Guess how many I have now...go ahead....have the number? I have fifty-three...yes that is 53 prints on hand and ready to sell, with another 7ish at the Art Gallery on display (either on site or one of their local partner locations). Ranging from 23"x62" to as small as 4"x6", and I am pretty damn proud about that. Another thing, each of them are more than just a print. Majority of them are ready to hang, and at the very minimum ready to be framed (they are already matted and mounted). To get to this point, did require me to take a negative this year. Luckily, this was planned mid-year so I knew that just ordering a few prints here and there will make it easier than ordering all the prints towards the end of the year.

So what now? In 2015, I have hopes to get into the Kenosha Harbor Market the very least, it not more, to sell images out of my own booth. You know how weird that sounds to me? Selling photos out of my own booth......it seems to much like a dream I can't even picture myself doing it right now. I now have the inventory, and now it's time to figure out how to get a booth setup and display my images. I may even try to get into a judged contest with an image or two, we'll see about that. Also, in February, Epson releases their new 13" printer and I will be jumping on that. I will enter the "doing my own prints" area...well at least for prints that are 13" or less in width. Length...I can print up to 108"!!!!!!!! I can do my own panoramas in February. It is going to be a huge step for me to be able to take think of a photo I want to take, go out and take it, process the image, and then print it the way I want. Fully making the image my own from start to image.....excites me as much as selling my prints at a market!

horicon marsh art for sale

In case it hasn't come through in my words, I am beyond excited for what has happened and what is coming. I knew I would be just okay with doing my photography in a way to just pay for the equipment, but this is just beyond what I expected. As cheesy as this sounds, it is because of those who purchases my images am I able to do this.... Seriously, 100% of the money has been turned around and put right back into my photography. I haven't paid myself with any of that money, it all goes back into my photography to be able to bring you higher quality images and for me to be able to share what I see through my lens.

This will also be the first year that I have chosen an image in which a percentage of profits will be donated to a local VFW chapter. This seriously only came to me today, simply because of me seeing it on paper allowed me to realize how strong the image is. The image is of dog tags from a war memorial in Milwaukee, WI. (click the link to see it). Someone purchased that image and I realized that it was money I didn't feel comfortable receiving for it, as I didn't earn the right to use it that way. So I hope this turns out well in 2015 as well.  Just thinking about it, I may visit a few and see if they would like a print to hang up on their walls while I'm at it.

This late night rant went longer than I thought it was going to, and I apologies again for not posting any new images with it. I do have high hopes in 2015 for my photography...and can't wait to see how it turns out.