Art Gallery Was a Success

It was great to see some of you last weekend at the NWRC-Arts Council Annual Art Exhibit. I'm sure you were blown away, just as I was, at the diversity and caliber of work being exhibited. I must have gone through that exhibit 10 times over three days, and each time I found new pieces to enjoy. Looks to me like this little corner of the world has some serious talent.

There was an amazing range of mediums: oil paintings, wood carvings, pottery, porcelin, acrylics, drawings, photography, mixed media, watercolors, hand-made dulcimers, even a beautiful sculptural piece made primarily from weeds. And the list goes on.

I had the opportunity to meet Mark Brown of Theatre Art Galleries, and to benefit from his critique of my first pieces of Fine Art Photography. He was gracious, and had actually selected one of my pieces as one of his favorites, and told me that a couple of my prints initally fooled him into thinking they were paintings. He also gave me great insights into the world of art shows. Thanks Mark!

Northwestern Randolph County Arts Council Annual Art Gallery Exhibition

If you're looking for something fun to do this weekend, come explore the Annual Art Gallery Exhibition in Archdale! Randolph County Community College's Creekside Campus will play host as we proudly display beautiful and varied works of art. Creekside is a beautiful place for a picnic and a walk, and it's right on Hwy 311, just about 1/2 mile south of I-85.

Last year was my first time at the show, both showing and looking, and it was a blast! There were so many beautiful things to see, and this year promises even more variety with new categories. You can expect to find pottery, woodworking, textile arts, paintings, drawings, photographic art, (my fave) and even kids art. Some will be available for purchase, so if you need something special as a gift or to treat yourself--this is the place!

I'm going to display something new at this show--part of a series of fine art photographic prints I've been working on for over a year now. The originals will be available for sale, and if you're there when I am (and I'm on the committee in charge of the exhibit, so I'm going to try to be there most of the time.) there just might be some small reproductions available for purchase as well. Just maybe....

Open to the public on Friday, July 17 from Noon – 8 p.m. and Saturday, July 18 from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Hope to see you there!

Photographs Help Detect Childhood Cancer

OK, I know that's a scary title. And I normally like to be upbeat and positive and keep things on the lighter side. But sometimes you gotta mix a little salt with your sugar I guess, and sometimes it's important to pass along information.

I was re-reading a copy of Professional Photographer magazine today, and found an article I had completely forgotten. It was from January of 2006, and back then I wasn't blogging or didn't have an email newsletter, so I didn't share this information with the masses. As soon as I read it today, I knew this information needed to be shared.

According to the article, photographs can reveal the presence of a form of childhood eye cancer called retinoblastoma. When the flash unit on a camera is too close to the lens, red eye often results. "But with a relatively small group of children, the flash sets off a white-eye reflex, and the pupil of one or both of the subject's eyes appear to bw white in the photograph. The effect may appear over the entire pupil, or show up as white specks."

"White-eye reflex is the primary indicator of retinoblastoma tumors in children. About 350 new cases a year are discovered in the United States, almost all of them in children under age 5."

"If you do detect a white-eye reflex in a photograph of a child, it's imperative to tell the parents something might be amiss, and advise them to see an ophthalmologist-not an optometrist-as soon as possible, with copies of your photographs in hand."

Early detection translates into saved vision and lives. Tell your friends. And pay attention to your snapshots.

Fun Day at the Library

It seems like this Summer I'm going to be teaching a lot. And that's OK, because I enjoy teaching. I had an amazing group of teens for a class at the Archdale Public Library last week. They were so quiet and respectful, it's as if they knew we were in a library...ha, ha.

In case you didn't know, I'm a real bookworm--I have 3 library cards and I always have a book that I'm in the middle of. Archdale is the newest library in my card collection, and I'm really excited about it. The staff there is WONDERFUL! Anyhow, their theme this summer is Get Creative, and I'm thrilled to be part of the activities they have planned for patrons.

Ok, enough rabbit chasing, I'll get back on track. There were 13 students in this group, and we spent some time talking about composition and perspective, and cropping. After the boring stuff, we had some pizza and went outside to Creekside Park to enjoy the day and take some nature photos.

One of my students shared some of her shots with me via email, and this is my favorite. I like the super-low perspecive she used, and the square crop. I hope you can see the little ducks waddling along in the center. Thanks Shay!

Virginia Professional Photographers of America

I had the privilege of speaking to a group of pros in Virginia on Monday, to share some of my experiences and suggestions on photographing babies. Many of you know, babies are my very favorite subject to photograph--and yes, I know, I'm not quite normal. But I really do love it! Except for the pee, nobody likes that part. But really now, it's not all that bad.

We had a beautiful little 3 month old model, and even though it was far too late in the day to be photographing a babe, she was wonderful! Just wonderful. God was smiling on me, and Brianna was the little angel he was sending that smiling message through.

Being a Virginia native, I really enjoyed teaching in my home state, and getting to know some of the photographers there. What a great group of people.

They Grow Up So Fast

Well...it happens even if we don't like it. Babies grow so fast it just defys logic. My great-nephew Jacob came by to see me today, on his way home from his first ever trip to the beach. It's a long drive from Myrtle Beach to Virginia, expecially when you're only 8 months old, so Aunt Rhonda's is a good half-way point. It's a good pit stop, get a fresh diaper, fill up on milk, loads of hugs and kisses, take a few photos, more hugs and kisses, and off you go again.

It seems like just a few weeks ago we were at the hospital welcoming our little 4 pounder to the world. He was so tiny, it was scary. Full-term mind you, just TINY. Not an ounce of fat to spare. Not true now, he's got the cutest little rolls of pudge on his legs. Love it! Fat rolls are so adorable on babies, and it just makes me want to squeeze.

And would you believe that his first tooth is in already. Not that you can see it, mind you. There seems to be a string attached to his tongue so that when you get him to open his mouth his tongue comes out at the same time. It's pretty funny.

Jacob is the first baby in our family in a few years, the first of his generation. It really helps me appreciate what my Mommy clients are going through as they progress through our Baby Club program...they really do seem to change almost overnight. I know it's going to sound corny, but I'm so honored to be able to capture these beautiful stages of their lives so we can continue to enjoy them for many years to come.

I love my job, both as an Aunt and as a photographer.

No....Thank YOU!

Sometimes you just have a good day. You know, not necessarily anything you can put your finger on, just a simple good day. And then there are those days when everything is kinda average, and someone does something really nice that turns it into a great day. I had one of those today.

Last week I photographed a family, not exactly an "everyday" session since the subjects included a four legged family member. Plus we had two babies (cousins) that we photographed together. The dad asked if he sent me a testimonial did I have a place that I could use it. I said "Sure, I can put it on my blog." You know, it was nice that he was happy enough with our services to ask something like that. Most people would never actually get around to sending in the note. (I'm the world's worst for good intentions that never make it any farther than my own mind.)

Then today I got the following testimonial in my inbox...and after you read it you'll see why I'm having a great day. Thanks Mike!

"My wife and I are extremely pleased with Rhonda and the professionalism and expertise she brings to every photo shoot. Our son has been part of the Baby Club and he has enjoyed the photo sessions each time we have visited.

Rhonda is very patient and works with him in order to get the best quality shots. She has even shown her patience as our dog has joined us for one of the photo sessions and Rhonda was very accommodating to everyone, including the dog. Her patience, professionalism and expertise has delivered nothing but quality photos as we expected.

We highly recommend Memory Lane Portraits and Rhonda to anyone looking for professional photography. Thank you, Rhonda"

Mike Hague, Manager, Sign Mine, Inc. High Point, NC