Self Publishing [My Children Think I'm Famous]

I just got my first self-published book of photos in the mail from blurb. I got the small book, 7x7 because I wasn't sure what the quality of the printing would be like, but it came out really well, so now I think I'm going to do a bigger one. It's so much fun to see my photos in print, I've spent a lot of time looking at them on the computer, but it's just not the same. A couple of weeks ago one of my colleagues, Dickie taught me how to use the really nice Epson printers and since then I've printed about 15 of my photos on really nice papers in sizes from 8x8 to 22x19. It felt like watching magic as they came out of the printer and I love the way they look. 

I call the collection of photos from Mexico "This Is Not Wasteland" because it is really an exploration of the Mexico that so many people miss because they think it is scary. TS Eliot's Wasteland seemed a particularly appropriate backdrop for that creeping sensation of fear. Although if I'd wanted a broader audience I guess I could have called it "This Is Not the Walking Dead." 

I just got on Flickr to upload a new photo I've taken and I noticed that some people have put up a posting that says December 8 is Flickr's black day and that no one should post any new photos or should only post that black protest image on their stream that day to show opposition to the Beta version. I wish I had any idea what this was about. I googled it but all I can find are forums where people who clearly already understand what is going on either support or troll each other. I love a good protest movement, but I've also noticed that Flickr users can be a bit touchy. It feels odd not to have an opinion about this, I can usually form a passionate opinion about anything given only a moment's notice. Maybe I'm zen?

Photo I'm afraid to add to Flickr until I find out
if I'm adding to oppression or ignoring people who
need to get out more often.

 Last night Pepe and the kids and I went downtown for the Christmas celebration particularly inappropriately renamed the Greensboro Festival of Lights so that they didn't use the word Christmas. Apparently they didn't google that. It was really fun though. It was about 68 degrees and there were soap faux-snow (faux-snaux?) machines blowing and musicians and dance groups up and down the streets. The traffic was all diverted and there were hundreds of people walking in the street. I had my new camera with me (the Canon 6D and yes, I am name dropping intentionally) but I'm still not really familiar enough with it to get the shots I want as quickly as I could on my old camera. So, I missed some stuff, but I need to learn the new camera and the only way to do it is to use it . Plus, I don't think I'll ever have time to get all the pictures I want. I loved this display window for Golden Spiral Studio. Ever since I took the photos of the tattooed guys in Mexico I've wanted to get more photos of tattoos and the processes. Maybe I'll work up the courage to visit Golden Spiral.

Don Che

In two days submissions for a portrait photography exhibit are due and it seems like kind of a big deal. I'd like to submit, but I haven't gotten any feedback from any of the other submissions yet and I wonder if I'm just wasting money for something that I'm not up to par (yet?) on or if I have to just keep submitting. It's not that expensive, so I'll probably submit. I'm trying to figure out which images. The one I took of Don Che seems to be popular. I can pick 3 - maybe one of the tattoo guys.

If anyone is reading this and has any suggestions, I'd love to hear them!