Cheaper Than Therapy!

There was no school on Monday, so I decided to take a couple of hours with Alex and visit the pre-opening of the Butterflies are Blooming event at the Frederik Meijer Gardens.

This is an annual favorite for the Niedzwiecki family (or at least a certain photographer who can't get enough macro moments through the camera lens!).

During this time of year - visiting the Gardens - a place filled with warmth and color and flowers and butterflies is much less expensive than a flight to a tropical region.

And it's certainly much cheaper than therapy...

We ended the afternoon on a high note by visiting Coldstone Creamery. Their ice cream is basically food of the gods as far as Alex and I are concerned. He had "Oreo Overload" and I had a "Coffee Lovers" mix...YUM!

So it is very possible to take a great vacation - and only travel down the street.

Hey, Hey!

"First I was afraid, I was petrified..." (Gloria Gaynor - "I Will Survive")

And I DID survive!

Actually, my adventures at CMU went very, very well. It was a long day (I had to up at 3:45 am in order to pick up Michelle Wise and get to the event on time), but both of us agreed taking photos sure beats a lot of other jobs out there.

For example - I'd never work as the person in charge of maintenance of Port-o-Potties at the fair...

OK - sorry for that reference... but that just made your own job look much more appealing, right? So now we all feel better.

Now that I've done this event twice, I feel like I'm quite prepared to take on other event photography when requested. My next plan is organize a photo shoot for our Cub Scout Pack. I plan to come in and take nice individual portrait images of the boys in their uniforms for their parents.

I hope you all have a nice weekend - looks like more snow and cold will be heading our way!

Live a little...

It's always good to challenge yourself. In my case - my challenge is going to be photographing large groups of people.

Tomorrow I will go up to Central Michigan University and photograph at least 40 high school jazz bands, who are there for an all-day competition.

Having groups of 20 to 50 students line up for a photograph on risers - when they are excited from having the whole day off from school - is the equivalent of herding cats!

It's good to push yourself beyond normal boundaries. This is really pushing it. There will be approximately a new band to photography - every 15 minutes - all day long. I did this event for the first time last year, but an ice storm kept over half of the schools from participating.

This year, I'm happy to have Michelle Wise, of Wise Photography, with me to assist in setting up the lighting. Once she helps me get set up, she'll be taking photos in another building where some of the competition is taking place. I'm confident we'll make a good team!

One "formal" and one "informal" pose is taken of each band. Of course, the "informal" ones are much more fun to take - as you can see here from this image I took last February.

Maybe I'll be happy to go back to photographing trees and birds and other critters once I'm through, but I can at least say, "I did it!"

Whooooo's There?

Just wondering WHOOO is stopping by for a visit to the new blog.

Go ahead - post a comment! I promise not to watch...

This awesome Great Horned Owl was one of the creatures I had a chance to photography on Saturday at the Outdoor Discovery Center. Again - I can't say enough good things about this place, so go check it out sometime.

I think owls are pretty amazing. The Great Horned Owl (bubo virginianus) is considered common in both the upper and lower peninsulas of Michigan. They live in deciduous and coniferous woodlots and nest in old hawk, heron, or squirrel nests. They are also the earliest nesting raptor in Michigan. They begin laying eggs in January and February.

21st West Michigan Regional Competition

Today I learned this image (Into the Realm...) was selected to be exhibited in the upcoming 21st West Michigan Regional Competition. The show is sponsored by the Lowell Area Arts Council.

If you'd like to stop by and say "Hello" - I should be at the public reception which will be held this Sunday, February 18 from 2-4 pm.

For more information and directions to the gallery, visit www.lowellartscouncil.org. Hope to see you there!

For those of you curious about this image - it was taken in August during our family summer vacation to Hocking Hills State Park in Southern Ohio. It was very, VERY hot at the time, and the rising morning sun created a mist of humidity in the cool green forest. Very interesting place for photography!

Ahhh...SMILE. Winter is here!

Can't say as I've ever had an elk POSE for a portrait before, but...

It did.

I attended a great (but VERY cold) photography workshop on February 10th at the Outdoor Discovery Center in Holland.

For those of you who haven't visited this wonderful place, I would encourage you visit soon! There is something there for everyone to enjoy - including over four miles of trails and boardwalks, an interpretive building with displays and live animals, and a birds of prey education facility.

The First Post...

And so I jump into the trend of blogging... Here's my first attempt at trying to make my photography journey available for the masses. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, so they say.

Perhaps I should chronicle where and what I'm currently photographing? List the places where my work is offered for sale or exhibit? Show you all some examples of recently captured images?

What would you, dear reader, be interested in knowing more about? Drop me a line and let me know...

Michigan Rural Character Art Show

Two of Stacy's 11x14 photographs (Pedals and Fallasburg Barn) have been accepted in a multi-media art show titled Michigan Rural Character.

The exhibit is coming April 12 - May 10 to Vergennes Township Hall near Lowell, Michigan. The show is sponsored by the Open Space Citizen Committee of the township, and is designed to depict "rural character" as seen by sculptors, painters, photographers, and writers.

The artists' reception will be held on April 26th at the Vergennes Township Hall from 6:15 pm.

The Baby in Santa's Beard

A fun photograph of Santa and my infant son Lucas won the "Witty & Humorous" category in the 18th Picture of America contest at USA101.com.

Santa (aka Mr. Jeffery L. Schatzer) is one of the best Santa's I've ever encountered. He has a terrific line of children's' storybooks that are a must-have in a library.

Whisper in the Woods Second Annual Art Show

Stacy Niedzwiecki will offer her distinctive photo note cards for sale at the second annual Whisper in the Woods Nature and Wildlife Fine Art Show.

The art show will be a special attraction within the Grand Rapids Sport & RV Show held at DeVos Place in downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan on March 16 through 19, 2006. A select offering of popular 11x14 matted prints will be available for sale as well at the show.

Show Hours:
Thursday, March 16: 3pm - 10pm
Friday, March 17: 11am - 10pm
Saturday, March 18: 9am - 9pm
Sunday, March 19: 10am - 6pm

For more information about the art show, please click HERE.

See you all there!