Historic Quincy Casket Company Building

The Quincy Casket Company, also known as the  S J Lessem Building, is a brick and stone, three story building perched on the bluffs of Quincy Illinois, and has a fine view overlooking the Mississippi River. Built in the mid 1850s in the Italiante Style, it was used as a factory and warehouse for its first 100 years. The building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999 due to its architectural significance.

Melting

In Wisconsin, the first sign of spring has nothing to do with flowers popping out of the ground.

It is all about the big melt.

Time for Reflection

Hard to imagine, but not 50 feet from here are the rocky shores of Lake Michigan. I spent nearly three days in this foggy setting, and not once did I see the lake.

Which was a good thing, as I was at this pristine setting for a workshop, and so I didn’t have to fight distractions too much. Once I took my early morning fog photographs, the scenery never changed, and so I was able to focus on the workshop.

The workshop, by the way, was superb. I attended a Marketing Workshop for Artists by Alyson Stanfield, the author of the book I’d Rather Be in the Studio and dispenser of  wisdom on running a business when your business is art. Her Art Biz Blog is packed with great information if you can’t meet this dynamic lady in person.

Now that I have all these new tools and actions, I am committed to putting them into practice, a tiny bit at a time.

How exciting is that!

(BTW, thanks, Alyson!)

Remember the Thrill of the Photo Booth?

A few articles from the last week. Anyone else have anything they’d like to share? Leave a link in the comments!

Photo Link Day!

Maybe this is a topic you give a lot of thought to, maybe it’s a topic that never crosses your mind. It’s an article from Digital Photography School on the quest for the perfect camera bag (for us women photogs). I’ve had several camera bags and I’m currently using a LowePro backpack with the zipper that is next to my back. But sometimes I’d like a little less of a camera bag and a litttle more of just a bag. Any female photog have an opinion on this subject? Have you found a camera bag that doesn’t scream “camera equipment inside!”? The comments are interesting, and it is a long comment thread. Lots of ideas.

Chase Jarvis encourages photogs to spill the beans, and share their favorite, secret locations for out of sight photography. I checked the comments –I’d like visit each and every suggestion.

A series by Matthew Kaufmann focuses on the business part of photography. I never thought it would be of any interest to me. Now that it is, I wish I had started paying attention a little sooner. There wouldn’t be so much to learn. The articles include writing your photography marketing plan, writing a marketing plan summary, writing a mission statement,  setting marketing plan goals, and analyzing your marketing plan.

National Geographic posted its top 10 photo favorites from 2009. I have a favorite (the photo contrasting the little girl with the women). Do you have one?

Another Memoir Container (in Metaphor)

Here is another photograph of pottery to announce another article on collecting memories and assembling them into a multimedia memoir.

The second article is on Memoir Space at the Calm Space website, and it tells you how to find your personal writing muse using your favorite search engine. Really! It works. Grab on to those memories and fill up the nearest container.

This cactus pottery was seen on an adobe window in the town of Tubac, a few miles south of Tucson. I love how it appears to have a palo verde tree growing out of the container.

Rather metaphorical, like memoirs that can grow from writing just a few words every day.

Green is Beautiful

The sun is shining, the snow is melting. I always think of mid-March as the teaser. Sunny days, almost touching the 50˚F mark. The a dip back into the teens or 20s and frosty again. There are bits of my yard where there are peeks of grass, though much of the yard is under 6 or more inches of crusty snow. But it’s melting. Yes, it truly will be Spring soon.

I still have to find my green in the Tropical Conservatory, but I’m practicing for when those first bits of green shoots pop out of the earth. Ahhhhhhh!

on the Magnificent Mile

The Water Tower on Chicago’s Michigan Avenue has historically been considered the most significant survivor from Chicago’s disastrous fire of 1871. It has become a symbol of Chicago’s revival and fighting spirit to come back from tragedy.

The Tower, built as a pumping station in 1869, was designed by architect William W Boyington. It is on the US Register of Historic Places.

Two other well known, though significantly more modern buildings, loom in the background of the Tower. The Water Tower Place is to the left of the tower, and the John Hancock Center is on its right.

Manikins, Headless, on Michigan Avenue

I was attracted to this window display, looked at it so long that my photo Sherpa dragged me away muttering that he hadn’t been fed lately. That was a true statement, so we went to dinner, but then I insisted on walking down Michigan Avenue, mentioning what a romantic street it was for a late evening stroll.

Ha! In all honesty, I wanted to check out those manikins again. Something metaphorical about  plastic models with fake binoculars, all posed as if to be noticing something worth noticing. Yeah sure, the best part – the no-brain part.

Kinda like some photographers. Never really look, no I mean LOOK, at what they are photographing. Snap, snap, snap. Or even worse, snap because someone ELSE is snapping the shot. I LOVE when that happens!

A few days ago I was standing on a street corner and the metal rod structure of a trash can caught my attention. I liked the lines. Then I noticed a bumpy grille on the ground, painted orange. Hmm. I was composing in my head, trying for a combiation using the trash can and the orange street. I walked around a few times. Lined up some shots, checked a few settings on my camera, I was fooling around, enjoying myself, doing some low angles, high angles.

And darn if this guy, perhaps in his mid-30s, maybe 5′5″, wearing a below knee length imitation fur coat, walks towards me and slows. Then stops. I can see him in my peripheral vision, and he’s watching me. He has a camera slung around his neck–big SLR, heavy glass.

Damn, if he didn’t, in a 3 second move – lift, snap, lower his camera. He got off a quick snapshot. I’m quite sure he wasn’t taking a photo of me, which may or may not have been amusing, but of MY trash can!

Here’s the photo I took:

Standing in Line for a Shot of THIS Trash Can?

Nah, it didn’t quite work for me, but I’d love to see if HE got something better. Ha! Ha!

on the Magnificent Mile

Even though the morning was chilly last week when I walked the streets of River North just off Michigan Avenue, the skies were a lovely deep blue and there was plenty of cloud action to add some life to the buildings.

Phalaenopsis Orchids

The sun is shining more, and the snow is melting, though I still have over a foot of snow in my yard. It will be awhile before I see flowers popping out of the ground in my neighborhood.

The next best thing is taking a drive across town to Olbrich Botanical Gardens and spending a couple of hours in the Bolz Conservatory which is Madison’s answer to tropical paradise. Yes, even in the snowy northern climes, we know how to grow hot house orchids!