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 | | In the seasonal Fulani village of Bantagiri in northern Burkina Faso, reflections of light from the sequins of a young woman's shawl dance across her face. The Fulani are traditionally nomadic pastoralists, crisscrossing the Sahel season after season in search of fresh water and green pastures for their cattle and other livestock. |
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| WINTER 2010/2011 NEWSLETTER, No. 11 | |
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The end of 2010 was such a whirlwind, I barely know where to start - so much to report! First, Idrissa and I spent the entire month of November in Burkina Faso, West Africa. We arrived back in the U.S. at the beginning of December to find the season changed and cold and snow in the air. And right away, I was busy with more December weddings, Christmas family portrait sessions, holiday print orders, and lots of design work for albums, accordion books, and holiday cards. Once I got through the holiday rush, I began yet another mad rush to process a few thousand photos from Burkina Faso. I was invited by the American Society of Media Photographers, Washington, DC chapter to give a presentation at their annual 8x10 event at American University, and I wanted to do a multimedia piece from still photos and audio that I recorded in Burkina. And now in mid-January, I am finally having time to breathe and catch up on everything I put on the back burner at the end of October. Phew!
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FEATURED PHOTO
This quarter's feature photo (above) is called, "Dancing Sequins." In the seasonal Fulani village of Bantagiri in northern Burkina Faso, reflections of light from the sequins of a young woman's shawl dance across her face. Idrissa and I haven't been back to this part of Burkina since 1999, so we had an amazing trip. At the same time, times have changed, and increasing insecurity limited our movement so that we weren't able to travel out to remote village as much as we wanted to. Nevertheless, we did get out to this Fulani village some 50 km north of the town of Djibo. I call it a "seasonal" village because the Fulani are traditionally nomadic pastoralists, crisscrossing the Sahel season after season in search of fresh water and green pastures for their cattle and other livestock. Today, they have already abandonned the village, taking with them their transportable houses, not to return to this location for another half-year. In honor of Burkina Faso, its awesome "doohaali" music (read below), and our return to Djibo after more than ten years, a fine art photograph of "Dancing Sequins" is on sale at 10% off (use discount code DANCINGSEQUINS at checkout). What's more, purchase any two pieces of Burkina Faso fine art, and receive 15% off your ENTIRE FINE ART ORDER, with discount code BURKINAFASO.
Don't wait too long! These terrific offers expire on February 17, 2011, and are exclusive to readers of my newsletter!!! And don't forget that Valentine's Day is coming up, and fine art photography makes for a wonderfully special gift for your loved ones. |
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NEW RELEASES & NOTABLE BLOG POSTS
This past quarter, I've been invited by a few different groups to give presentations, including the American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP) and the Women Photojournalists of Washington (WPOW), the latter on selling fine art photography. I've also now posted my ASMP multimedia presentation on Burkina Faso online. Make sure that you've got your computer sound turned up, and be ready for some pretty awesome traditional Fulani music, all recorded in the field! This is my first foray into the world of audio and multimedia, and I've enjoyed it! In the next two months, I have presentations on Africa lined up for children at the Oneness Family Academy and (adults at the) Gaithersburg Rotary International chapter. I enjoy sharing my Africa photographic experiences, so if your organization, whether church, school, business, or non-profit organization, would like me to speak, just give me a call! New fine art and stock photography releases for this past quarter include a last tranche of New Orleans images from my August 2010 trip, Burkina Faso (of course), and the past weekend's visit to the Cathedral of St. Matthew in Washington, DC. The links below take you to the image archive, and in some cases to relevant blog posts, so you can read a bit more about the images. 
(And by the way, I'm not quite finished processing my Burkina Faso images. We spent our last week in Burkina at the Semaine Nationale de la Culture (National Culture Week) festival in Bobo-Dioulasso, where we were able to see traditional wrestling and traditional music and dance from all over the country. So you can look forward to seeing those posted in the next few months!) And finally, here are a few more notable blog posts that you might like to check out, if you haven't seen them already: |
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PORTRAIT, WEDDING & EVENT PHOTOGRAPHY
Hooray! The first-ever Be-My-Valentine Portrait Package Promotion is here!
Memories don't have to fade with time.
Capture the moment with photographs that will last a lifetime
and fine art to be cherished for generations.
Between now and Valentine's Day, purchase any of our portrait photography packages, and receive an additional $100 in complimentary luster or metallic prints!
I like snow + I love photography = I love photography in the snow! Tis the season to be making snowballs, snowmen, and snow angels. Your children and family will always be photogenic, but children + snow = absolutely IRRESISTABLE! Your portrait session photos can star on our custom-designed, press-printed Valentine's Day cards and even your 2011 holiday cards later in the year (also see below)! Finally...holiday card photos that actually look wintery! Book your winter wonderland portrait photography session today. We can always keep the day/time flexible to make sure we get that snow! 
In my fall newsletter, I featured an image from the engagement photography session of Milena & Israel - the beautiful couple above. Well, today...that happy couple is...MARRIED! After that December 17th winter wonderland wedding, as I looked through my photos of the wedding ceremony, the photo walk, the reception and dinner - what I remembered most - what stood out in my mind - what the photography showed clearly as documentation of that special day - was how happy they both were to be wed at last. The photos spoke volumes - the look on Milena's face as she paused on the staircase to admire her wedding ring, how she leaned her head on Israel's shoulder in a quiet moment, how Israel whispered in her ear... Congratulations to the happy couple! The photo above is one of my favorites from our photo walk through Rockville Town Center! Are you engaged, or do you know someone who is engaged? Check out my new 9-page booklet on our wedding photography services both in the DC metro area and destinations worldwide. And below is the album cover for Lisa's Big Birthday Bash at the Lorien Hotel & Spa in Alexandria, Virginia. Click on the image to view my album design. As you can see, our storybook albums are not just for weddings! I can design your perfect storybook memory for any occasion, from formal event to family portrait session.  Also check out this very cool slideshow of Lisa's Big Birthday Bash, that's choreographed to music here. View more choreographed slideshows and animated photo-videos here. 1 1/2 months after Lisa's birthday bash, the G's had me over to their home for Christmas family portraits in Alexandria, Virginia. Ed did an absolutely amazing job with the Christmas decorations. I can honestly say that I have never seen as house as BEAUTIFULLY decorated for Christmas as theirs! Way to go! Several of my clients have discovered that accordion books make terrific holiday gifts for family members, and that my custom-designed holiday cards are pretty awesome. Check out the Christmas-themed accordion book that I made for the G's. As for holiday cards, if you provided a mailing address when you signed up for my e-mail list, then you know how beautiful my holiday cards are, as you received a 5x7 folded card on pearl paper from Idrissa and me! If you'd like to add a mailing address, you can update your e-mail subscription here. |
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PRIVATE PHOTOGRAPHY LESSONS & GROUP WORKSHOPS
There are only a few days left to register for my newest photographic storytelling workshop on "March for Life."
January marks the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, a historic decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to make abortion legal. Each January, pro-life Americans rally and march along the Mall in Washington, DC for the March for Life. Pro-choice groups may also gather on the Mall in smaller numbers. In 2011, the March for Life Rally has filed and received a permit from the National Park Service for 50,000 demonstrators.
This year's March for Life and Roe v. Wade rally promises to be a terrific opportunity to hone skills in people photography AND storytelling. At this workshop, you will work on telling the story of Roe v. Wade and the March for Life.
Download the complete lesson plan and register today for "March for Life: A Photographic Storytelling Workshop." And of course, I also teach private photography lessons, which is a great way to get the fundamentals down through one-on-one instruction before jumping into the workshop track. I've also just added business of photography as another theme for my private photography lessons.
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CONNECT WITH ME
On My Blog
I love to hear your thoughts, so feel free to leave me comments on the blog! I also promise to do my best to answer any questions that you post!!!
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Many, many, many thanks to all of you, my supporters and customers, for your support - your positive e-mails and attendance at my exhibits have really meant a lot to me. And to those of you for whom I've photographed portrait sessions, events, and weddings, it's been an honor to have had the opportunity to witness and take part in such special moments of your lives. Thank you!
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| Save up to 15% |
Purchase "Dancing Sequins" at 10% off (use discount code DANCINGSEQUINS at checkout).
Or, get an even better deal by purchasing any two pieces of Burkina Faso fine art , and get 15% off your ENTIRE FINE ART ORDER (discount code BURKINAFASO). Fine art photography starts at just $123.25 after the 15% discount for an 8x10 fine art print matted to 11x14. Want a larger size? Print sizes of up to 40x60 are available! | | Offer Expires: February 17, 2011 |
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