Saturday, May 30, 2009

POE Team member to be featured in a movie.

Congratulations to Maleah Matthews (urbandesign). Five of her prints have been purchased for use in a new thriller film titled "The Roommate" starring Leighton Meester, Minka Kelly, and Cam Gigandet. The film is being directed by Christian E. Christiansen and is due in theaters in 2010. You can learn more about the film on the public IMDb site for the film. Here are the prints they chose:


She says "This is the first time my photos have been chosen for a movie so I'm super excited! I'm not a suspense, thriller movie person, but you can bet I'll be there on the edge of my seat to trying to spot them! :)"

Be sure to visit Maleah's shop here, and her blog here to find more of her beautiful photography.

Friday, May 29, 2009

Upcoming Events!

Bill aka House of Six Cats will be at the following local events!

Portland Rose Festival 2009

Governor Tom McCall Waterfront Park
S.W. Naito Parkway and Columbia Street
Portland, OR 97201
Thursday May 28 and Friday May 29

Over The Bridge Arts and Crafts Show
Capitol Coffee House and Bistro
6446 SW Capitol Bistro
Portland, OR 97201
Sunday May, 31st 4:00-8:00

First Thursday
NW ActivSpace
1720 NW Lovejoy (NW Lovejoy at 17th)
Portland, OR 97209
June 4th, 2009 5 - 10 PM

Hip Happening
Sellwood Masonic Hall
7126 SE Milwaukie Ave
Portland, OR
Saturday June 13th, 11 - 5

***On Permanent Display***
LOVE ART Gallery
8036 SE 13th Ave.
Portland, OR 97202
Grand Opening June 5th
Corner of 13th and Spokane

Our May slide show is LIVE!

Created by Robyn of FromMyEye.

A selection of beautiful images from our very talented team of photographers on Etsy! Visit Etsy and search POE team for more great photography!

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Focus On: House Of Six Cats


Life/Photography...Photography/Life

Nearly two years ago, House of Six Cats, a.k.a. Bill (or House, as many of us refer to him) opened his photography shop on Etsy. Right away, his wit and affable personality allowed him to make lots of friends on the site. House has a unique combination of blunt honesty and kindness that make him trustworthy and someone to go to for information and inspiration. I was lucky enough to meet Bill right after I opened my own Etsy shop shortly after his, and it's with much pleasure that we've all gotten to know him and his family. I'm quite certain his friendliness and entrepreneurial spirit have encouraged many others to create their own photography shops and galleries.

We had a chance to talk earlier this month about Bill's life as a photographer, some of his favorite techniques and what's he's up to these days.


Ann: Here's one thing I've always liked about you and your work -- you've taken the time to scan your work from your earlier days with your film camera. The results are wonderful. What have you learned over these years?

Bill: Wow, OK, so you're gonna make me think, huh? Well, this might have something to do with the fact I didn't pick up a camera for more than ten years before I got a DSLR and fell back in love with the art. When I started taking pictures seriously again, I went through all my old slides and negs looking for images that might be marketable. While doing this I started to remember why I fell in love with photography in the first place! I felt like I was learning to shoot all over again. It's like riding a bike, I mean, you know how to meter and expose an image. However, the nuances of creating an image, and not just a picture, isn't as easy. Looking through my hundreds of images really helped me remember how to compose an image. Now, whenever I'm looking through the viewfinder, I'm thinking to myself, "composition, composition, composition!"


A: Your Etsy shop announcement shows your exhibiting in the Portland area! Fantastic! When did you start doing art shows? What's it like -- nervewracking or exhilirating -- and why? What do you like and dislike about art shows?

B: I was invited to do "Hip Happening" in the Sellwood district of Portland in March, and it was my first show. I had a great time. I earned my table fee back, and I did tons of networking. It turns out that Hip Happening is held every second Saturday, and I did it again in April. I did much better at that show and got a few leads on local shops, and I started collaborating with some local artists, too! I plan on doing this event every month. Every show I tweak my setup and always get rave reviews of my stuff! So far, I love doing the shows! I love meeting other artisans, and it is all about the networking! Almost everyone I've met at the shows are friendly, helpful and always willing to talk shop.


Because of a connection I made at a show, I got a lead on a new retail gallery opening at the end of May. I e-mailed the owner, and she accepted me just from what she saw in my Etsy shop! The place is called "Love Art", also in the Sellwood district of Portland, only a few blocks from where the monthly show is. The grand opening is June 5. I'll be taking photographs at the opening for advertising and press releases. The gallery is a collection of local artists, and we'll always have space in her gallery and a catalog of our work for patrons to browse. I am VERY excited about this, as you can well imagine!


A: Tell us more about your TTV (Through The Viewfinder) photography.

B: I discovered TTV images on Etsy nearly two years ago. I fell in love with the look and feel. While visiting my wife's grandfather in August, 2007, I asked him if he might have any old cameras lying around in his attic, and I totally scored! He had an Argus 75 in excellent condition, and he was awesome enough to let me have it! On that same day, I created a make-shift contraption for the camera to be able to take TTV photographs. During that trip, I must have taken over 1,000 photographs, and nearly half of them were TTV images! Since then, I've made a much nicer housing, and when I go out to shoot, I must decide if I'm going to shoot TTV or not. I find it too much of a hassle to try to shoot both ways every time I go out.



A: Can you briefly describe how to make the TTV contraption which links your digital camera to your old camera? Have you found any good tutorial links on the internet you'd care to share?

B: Well, first you need to determine the shortest focal length of your lens, and that should be on the lens somewhere. Then measure that distance from the viewfinder and see if the image is in focus on your digital camera. Now, find a box or cardboard that's long enough and can go around all four sides of the old camera. Next, you will need to experiment with how you want the cardboard to fit the old camera body and new camera lens, so the image on the viewfinder is in focus and the whole thing is comfortable to use.

You can see my rig here.

I've found another tutorial which is extremely helpful. And, this one on Flickr is also good.


A: If you had the freedom to spend an entire day doing nothing but taking photographs, how would you spend that day? What would you look for?

B: Well, that's not an easy question to answer. I have quite a few ideas and locations I need to find the time for. I'd want to have a fellow photographer along with me, but most likely I'd go out on my own. I want to go up to the mountains to shoot there before the snow melts. I want to go out and drive around looking for abandoned barns. I need to get to downtown Portland and shoot some architecture. There are more, but those jump to mind first.

As far as what I'd look for, that's easy -- seeing the world just a little differently than everyone else!


Dewdrop Trail

Thanks, Bill!




A world traveler and self-taught photographer, look for Ann wandering around city streets and tromping through woods and hiking trails with her camera. After owning an international transportation business for many years, Ann has found her creative spirit again through the lens. See more at Ann's shop and her website, and say hello to her on her blog too.

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Mosaic Monday: Take Me Out To The Ballgame

As we celebrate the start of summer, it's time to take in a game.


  1. Fenway Squared – Knight27
  2. end of season – thequitecanadian
  3. The Love of the Game – DeborahVoizin
  4. A Day at the Ballpark – NestaUSA
  5. For The Love Of The Game – LDphotography
  6. Wrigley Field Go Cubbies – rebeccaplotnick
  7. Cubs Show Some Sox Love – hlkparis
  8. Play Ball – Cleveland, Ohio – photohale
  9. Bleachers – MelissaLund
  10. Baseball Still Life – schugirl
  11. Detroit Tigers Stadium – KreativeThoughts
  12. Fenway Pride –ucfddd14
Take time and play some ball.



Mosaic Mondays are compiled by
Patti Meyer. Patti is an award winning graphic artist who resides in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. See her photography collection at her shop right here.

Friday, May 22, 2009

Upcoming Events!

Of last weekend's show at Integrity Studio featuring photography by Carl (buckscountyframes) and Michelle (mkcphotography), Michelle says "We had a very enjoyable evening with a number of folks passing through. It's very generous of Carl to open his studio to guest POE photographers." Carl has two more artist lined up for May:

New Hope Visiting Artist Series

at

Integrity Studio

[owned by Carl Christensen (buckscountyframes) and his wife (walkingtojericho)]

http://newhopefineart.com/

Every Saturday, 6-8 p.m.

May 23rd: Jaimee of ModernClassicsPaper

May 30th: Tina of TinaCrespo

The gallery is located at:
40 West Bridge Street
New Hope PA 18938
for more info, please http://newhopefineart.com/contactus.html

New Works!

Well another week in May has flown by, and so here are my favorites once again. What's the 1 thing that all of them have in common? The coloring. That is what attracted me to these beautiful images.

LDphotography - Little Moth TTV


zMacPhotography - Traveling Path


jenniferdennispotter - Sunlit Meadow


kotibethphotography - Lakeside


chicalookate - Hydrangeas


applelovesorange - Flutter


JMcGuinness - Cute as a Button


NatureIsArt - A Friend


flandersfield - Simplicity



New Works is compiled by Pam Hardy. Pam lives in beautiful Alberta, Canada. She has always been fascinated with cameras and has been taking pictures most of her life. Her favorite things to photograph are flowers and animals, and she enjoys experimenting with new subjects and techniques. See Pam's website here and her shop right here.

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Welcome New Team Members!

Gigi has been so kind to allow me to welcome a collection of new team members each week. It's always exciting to have additions to the photography section of Etsy. If we continue to build awareness to each other it can only lead to success, so support your fellow P.O.E.'s!

And without further ado, here are some new members, in no particular order.

Welcome to the community!

Horse Power - NanaTeresa

A Time To Rest - HeidisPhotoShop

Light at End of Tunnel - photosbytrina

Polka Dots - seabelly

Silver Gelatin Print - aaronboot

Pig Calls - TinaCrespo

Three Amigos - kfritzphotography

Iris Leaves - elpatenaude

To The Lighthouse, My Friends - foryoursake

Silhouette - kcwgallery

Letters That Spell Emily - salchichatu



The New Team Members feature is compiled by Hannah Verbeuren. Hannah is a trained photographer who resides in Cleveland, OH with her husband Dirk and their motley crüe of cats. Her passion for photography reared its head when documenting live bands, skateboarding and parties became more than just social gatherings but also the means to an image. Currently, she works in the music industry (writing, peddling and organizing) and takes photos wherever she may roam. See Hannah's photography collection at her shop and website, and say hello to her on her blog.

Friday, May 15, 2009

New Works!

Here are my picks for this week, and I hope you love them as much as I do. If you want to see more by these artists, click on their links and browse through their shops. There is so much talent in our group, don't forget to search POE Team too.

wovenandspun - Daisy, Daisy


ANJacobsen - Cupcakes

MirekPhoto - Orange Flower Meets the Blue Sky

FromMyEye - Pretty in Pink Gerber Daisy



New Works is compiled by Pam Hardy. Pam lives in beautiful Alberta, Canada. She has always been fascinated with cameras and has been taking pictures most of her life. Her favorite things to photograph are flowers and animals, and she enjoys experimenting with new subjects and techniques. See Pam's website here and her shop right here.

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Wanderings: Southern Comfort

Bell Jar-kmsitko

As I write this, it is Mother's Day and my hubby and I are so very far away from our home and our mother's back in Virginia. So we went to this delicious restaurant here in L.A. called Larkin's. If you live in Los Angeles and you need some southern comfort food, Larkin's is the place to call home for a night. Inside this cozy old Craftsman house there are tables made from colorful old doors. And the outside patio area has picnic tables surrounded by lush landscaping, fooling you into believing you are in the heart of the South.

After scarfing down a southern-style biscuit (the closest to a proper biscuit we've had out here in SoCal) and the yummiest sweet potato pie, we had at our disposal homemade sweet tea and lemonade, served in real mason jars! Those jars make me miss my grandmother and her canned corn, green beans and her sublime apple butter!

Being transported back home for the evening made me yearn for more visual reminders of the charming South. As always, the POE collection provides just what I am looking for.

Enjoy y'all!


Country Church, Bath County Virginia-Deep Creek Studios


Georgia Field-poofny


B.B. King's Blues Club-charismaphoto


Gothic Woman-Aztek721

Front Porch-MadHouseMauly


French Quarter-pneuma


Cemetery Sunrise-DarrylGlade




Charleston Steps-curioush


Atlanta Skyline-thepurpleshamrock


A Doomed Man's Last View-ScooyouPhotography


Waiting for My Coffee-chiecarroll

Sunrise 3-JoannBristol



Michelle Campbell-Zurek is an artist/photographer from the east coast who is wide-eyed and smitten with the crazy town called LA. When not on a quest to capture light and stop time, she can be found painting and ingesting gobs of sweets & tea. All are welcome to stop by the Urban Junkies Artist Lounge, as well as Michelle's photography shop, art shop and website.