Since my last post some time ago (hard to believe I haven’t updated since February… ugh) I have bought myself a fantastic new lens, have had the pleasure of being in two art shows in San Diego, sold my first photograph and illustrations (non-commissioned), delved into more styles of portraiture and may start getting back into illustrating a bit more. So yeah… a lot has happened since, haha.

So first up… the new lens. Not too long after my last update, I started looking into telephoto lenses. More specifically, Canon’s 70-200mm. I was already certain I wanted the L glass because I have yet to buy any and really wanted to be part of the club, haha. First step out of the way. Next up – IS, or non-IS. For those not in the know, IS stands for “image stabilizer.” There is some nifty gyro gears inside the lens that help keep the subject in view steady from a shaky hand. This comes in handy when your subject is a significant distance and any slight movement is magnified. It’s also great for those times when a longer shutter speed is needed and going free-hand is your only option. Well, I decided I needed that too. And up to the next price bracket I go! Lastly, f/4 or f/2.8? This is a double hitter… with the extra stops, not only do you get that extra separation of subject and background (which is always very pleasing to the eye), but you also get more light into the lens which means a faster shutter and thus a less blurry image when shooting low-light or moving objects. So by the time I got to the end of the list, I was at the highest price bracket with this lens – and my wallet felt it, haha. If you haven’t guessed already, I ended up with the 70-200mm f/2.8L IS… it is AMAZING! You will see the results shortly, I promise.

Also new was my introduction into the art world. I was invited to my first art show in San Diego hosted at the Ivy Hotel on March 20th. Beyond nervous and unprepared, I was accompanied by Jill who was kind enough to come with me (she also kinda loves me too, lol) She was a star too though because I brought along the picture of her with the pink boxing gloves, haha. As I said, I was unprepared. I had a shortage of photographs and brought a giant picture of a flower as one of them. Mind you, it was an OK shot, but quite frankly, I find flower shots very cheesy. Anyone can take a shot of a flower with the aperture wide open to get a pleasing shot. But I was asked to bring a 24×36 print and that was the only photo I was willing to go that big with. I digress… I also brought along with me a digital illustration I had done some time ago. It was a bit personal so I was reluctant to show it but was urged to do so anyways. Within the first hour of the show someone came up to me asking to buy it! Who knew? haha. The other prints didn’t sell, but buzz from some of the others managed to make their way back to me, so I was both surprised and happy about that.

The second show was held April 29th at the Hard Rock Hotel in San Diego on the rooftop. Hosting 17 different artists, this event was much larger. There was even a live band and DJ playing on either side of the place. Jill once again accompanied me and this time took all the attention as my main subject in my photos I put on display. This event was a benefit for the Keep-A-Breast foundation so we did a couple special pieces with that theme in mind. I don’t like standing by my own work so we cruised around the place looking at the other work and hung in the lounge area. Later in the night my other friend came to the show. We went back to my stuff to replenish my business cards, but this time I had my friend walk up to do it. We joked around, “Maybe someone will come up to you thinking you’re me!” Sure enough, as soon as he turns back around, two people snag him asking if he was me! We got a laugh at their expense, but the gentleman was admiring one of the photos and said he would like to buy it. I was ecstatic. This was the first photograph I’ve sold to date! And a portion of that money went to the foundation, so it was a pretty nifty deal. The guy was really cool too and even wanted to get a picture with Jill and I standing next to the photo. (If you read this, I would greatly appreciate it if you could email me a copy!)

So now I’m off to trying more things. One of which is IR (infrared) photography and I’m looking forward to trying my hand in that. The pictures Jill and I did for the benefit have also given me ideas for other pieces that I hope to try. And while brainstorming for the last art show, I have even drawn some inspiration to get into painting and drawing again. I have already started a new piece and have more ideas to put down, so I am looking forward to sharing that here (even if this is mostly dedicated to photography, haha.)

So please stay tuned. I’m not giving up on this thing, just hit a speed bump! I’ll be back VERY soon with more work.