OK, so I'm not a real blog enthusiast. I find it a little difficult thinking that what I am thinking and doing on a day to day basis is of any real interest to anyone else but me. But, I've had a few things happen in the last month or so that may be of some interest.

In prepping for summer vacation, I wanted to purchase a Nikon D90 to complement my D50. It never fails that, while on vacation, dust will always find its way to the photo sensor. Then, I've got a ton of post vacation processing to clean up the photos as well as dropping $80 to have the camera cleaned. So, my thinking was to put my long zoom on one camera with the smaller lens on the other.

When shopping at my favorite camera shop for this afore-mentioned D90, the staff and I were talking over my strategy. Long story made short - I scrapped the D90 idea and instead bought two new Tamron lenses; an f3.5 18 - 270mm zoom and an f2.8 70 - 200 zoom. Same money - better optics.

In the last few weeks, I've been trying out both lenses on subjects in our front yard; the shrubs and plants are flowering. the chicadees and wrens are in the crabapple tree, and the hummingbirds are back at the feeders.

I processed some of the hummingbird photos and posted them on the website. You can see them in my "Bird" gallery. I emailed these pictures to a collegue of mine at work who immediately turned around and ordered one of them for her "hummingbird wall" at her house. So, some immediate encouragement that I am on the right track here.

I think that'll wrap it up for this post. More later re: craft fairs and vacation plans.

Greeting Cards (Revisited)

Well, obviously my skills in math are not the best. At least they weren't when I wrote my last blog entry. I can't offer a 10-card pack with 4 sympathy, 2 birthday, 1 anniversay, 1 wedding and 4 blank cards. ...that would be a 12-card pack.

The correct mix would be 2 sympathy cards instead of the 4. Then, it'll work out.

Oh, and on the advice of several friends, I'm going to offer a smaller packet of 5 cards. You choose the five cards.

Looks like I'll have the price points posted this evening.

Success with Greeting Cards

At last, after many days of experimenting and trials and errors, I have posted several greeting cards to my website. The original order was for a retail outlet. The customer wished a lot of birthday and sympathy cards. And, that's what I formatted for her.

So, how do I offer them to viewers like you who don't live in this area and may want to order directly from the website? I've seen packets of cards with a variety of sentiments sold in a 10-pack or 12-pack. That seems like a good idea. So, I'm going to make a few packages available. I will offer a basic package of 10 cards (with the envelopes, of course) - 4 birthday cards, 2 sympathy cards, 1 wedding card, 1 anniversary card and fill out the order with 4 blank cards - for $45.00. The 10-card packet would retail for $50.00. Shipping and handling will be included in the price.

Some may wish to specify which cards they would like in the 10-pack. I'll need to ivestigate
the best method of contacting me with that information.

If a customer wishes to purchase single cards, I will offer them at $4.99/each, with a minimum quantity of 6/each.

Now, I need to finalize the ordering process to make sure that goes smoothly.

I suspect another day or two until this gallery is fully functional. Until then... good night.

President's Day

Kind of a lazy day today; it being President's Day and all. I did contact my printer and got the text mixup taken care of. It's a good thing to begin a professional relationship with a supplier by working out kinks to the benefit of both parties. The result will ultimately benefit the consumer with a better looking card.
Now, back to watching the Olympics.

I delivered the first order of greeting cards today. They looked fabulous. Except that some of the text was definitely the font I had chosen for the cards. Two of the sympathy cards had text that read "With Deepest Sympathy", in 54 point font and BOLD. Nothing like shouting condolences at the berieved! So, it's back to the printer for appropriate corrections and then all will be good.

I will be deleting the password for the gallery containing the greeting card photos sometime this weekend. I'll also be adding purchasing instructions and pricing, for those who wish purchase cards via the website.

Beginnings

It's a rainy, blustery day; perfect for sitting down and beginning new adventures. Welcome to my blog. I'm looking forward to reading what you have to say, whether it's a question, a comment, or a constructive bit of advice.

The big news for me this weekend is that I deliver my first order of greeting cards to a client tomorrow. In all my time in photography, this is a direction I never would have guessed I would be going in. It's very exciting to have that happen. And, if you're in Chehalis, WA., drop in "The Book and Brush" and look for my card selection.

I hope you enjoy my photos and I look forward to your comments.