Dutchess County Fair 2008

Thought I'd end the year with a bang. Finally got around to sifting through my photos from August's Dutchess County Fair. My faithful fair companion Harriet Bass, Ryley and I jam-packed our two fair days with old favorites like Rosaire's Racing Pigs and bull riding, and events that were new this year like gospel singers Sammy Terry and the Highlights, Hansen's trapeze act and the high diver who plunged 80-plus feet. Things are changing at the fairgrounds as the new manager settles in. Now's your chance to let him know what you liked and what you didn't like. Leave me a comment (click on comment window below this post) and I'll forward it to him.

I haven't gotten releases for all of these images, so if you recognize someone, let me know how to contact them.

Blog-o-Meter Reading December 27, 2008

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Google Page Rank for my site: 2 (out of 10)

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Vote on Best Photo of 2008

As a way to spotlight other photographers, I started a photo competition on my web site this year. Twenty submitted images. All of them are contenders. Instead of asking a professional photographer to judge, I'm asking all of you to vote on the best of 2008. Simply follow the instructions. You will have a chance to see all of the images from inside the survey.

White Christmas

It's been a few years since we've seen snow like this. Aren't we lucky to live in such a beautiful place?

Rejection Letters Make You Feel Like a Talentless Piece of Lint

I have received enough rejection letters to wallpaper my hall. Nowadays many places don’t even bother to send a formal letter on nice stationery, preferring a quick email instead. No matter the delivery, rejection is always a blow to the ego. The words kind of blur a bit after that first sentence, as you prepare yourself for the rest of the correspondence. Thanks for entering, the level of work was high, but you didn’t win…again. Rats. I didn’t win the Aperture Competition…again. (A girl can dream, can’t she?) Purdue University also turned me down recently.

Sometimes I make myself feel better with a few choice words and a hand gesture. Others I treat with a big fat glass of wine. A younger me might have tried tears. Occasionally, I’m grown up enough to reconsider my entry. Was it my best work? Did I describe it well in my artist’s statement. Or, was my work okay, but the winner’s soooo much better. (As is always the case in the Aperture Competition, which actually makes me feel better about losing. It reminds me to work harder and try again.) Don’t know who won the Purdue show, but suspect it’s that sort of avant garde/Whitney Biennial kind of art.

My yoga teacher would say to take a deep breath. Sometimes it works. What’s your remedy?

Flash Failure

You plan and plan. You shoot tests. You get in the right spot, despite the crowd. And then someone accidentally bumps into your camera knocking the flash just enough off of its seat that it doesn’t fire. By the time you notice, the event is nearly over. Ugh. That’s what happened to me during the Sinterklaas parade. Frustrating! I did get some cool shots of the fire-eaters. Richard Prouse’s painting of the Hudson River valley made a spectacular backdrop. Jeanne Fleming did an incredible job organizing the weeklong series of events. Really cool stuff—7-foot tall puppets, dancers, bagpipe players, celestial figures, singers and storytellers. The kids really enjoyed being part of the event carrying their lit stars. Hundreds of people were involved and thousands enjoyed the fruit of their labor.

New York City Christmas

My parents used to take us into New York City at Christmas to see the window displays along Fifth Avenue and the tree at Rockefeller Center. The smell of roasting chestnuts filled the air. Maybe a few snowflakes fell. My dad treated us to lunch at the Gingerman. I always ordered Coquille St. Jacques. Don’t think I’ve had it since. Now, I take my son. This year we went to see the show at Radio City. I had the impression that the Rockettes were all about fluff and leg kicks. Not true at all. The choreography and skill was quite amazing. The kids loved the 3-D ride on Santa’s sleigh over the city. Ryley’s class is making stained glass art, so we ducked in to see the windows at St. Patrick’s. A good day.

Insider's Look: First Move

My Photo Stories
A dapper young Irving awoke after death amidst the ruins of the Overlook Mountain House with nothing but the memory of chess to amuse him.

Or…

Webelos scout Brian had no regard for the nature around him, nor his leaders, sullenly setting up his pocket chess set, when all of a sudden…

Or…

The perfect crime is a debatable achievement, but chess champion Ivan Ropovich was looking for a challenge.

Or…what are your story ideas?

Behind the Photo
The ruins of this hotel are slowly crumbling near the top of Overlook Mountain in Woodstock. Hikers who can withstand the 2-mile-or-so steep uphill climb can wander through its main hall and peer into the depths of the once splendid guest rooms. The Miss Haversham in me sees the fountain spouting ice-cold mountain water and lush gardens welcoming tourists. An unfortunate fate met all three hotels on this site. The first two burned to the ground; one on April Fool’s Day. As a result, an enterprising businessman decided to use concrete for the third, the one pictured in my photo. He ran out of money before completing it.

Be the first to buy a First Move print and get a 50% discount on the size of your choice. This is my December home page photo, part of my Truths, Lies and Legends collection