Trying to work it!

Hee. Thanks for all the What to Knit advice! I wasn't expecting replies to my whining. I think I might be ready to get back into sweaters, so I liked Monica's suggestion of Novak in the latest twistcollective. Love the collar.

I also liked Marisa's suggestion of Kate Davies' Paper Dolls (Rav link) sweater, because it led to me Kate Davie's Owls sweater. OMG owls! And in bulky yarn. I'll have owls in no time. I know this sweater has been around the block but as you might have guessed I haven't been keeping up with latest news in knitting. I have however, lately developed a thing for owls. First of all, they're cool and second, in Chinese the word for "owl" - or words really - literally translates to "cat-headed hawk." A hawk...with a cat head. How can I resist anything with a cat head? I cannot! So I think that's what I'll be knitting next. As soon as it stops being a billion degrees.

Hey. In other news (photography-related o'course), I just finished writing up a contract.

A photography terms and services agreement for the bride and groom to peruse, understand, agree to and sign, and return along with a retainer fee. I feel SO GROWN UP! I took about 6 example contracts plus tons of advice on flickr groups to cobble up a version that suits me - on the up and up, yet easy to understand. I tried to use as little "hereunders" and "hereinafters" and "Title 17 US Code Section 101s" as possible. A few might have snuck in.

Oh did I mention: I was booked last month for a wedding in Sept 2010! Knitting had something to do with it. And we did it sans agreement! Risky, but no, not really. In any case I will be sending the contract to the B&G soon. They are the housemates of Cirilia of Berroco's. I photographed Sarah's exuberant dog in April, and in return she made me custom letterpressed cards (swoon). She was engaged already then and has been keeping up a blog with all her wonderful ideas of how she wants to put together her wedding - it was going to be rustic and simple but with exquisite attention to detail and style, and family and friends. There would be a lot of DIY flair. And things you might see in a Martha Stewart spread. Our aesthetics seemed perfectly aligned. They hadn't nailed any one thing down, not venue or time or place, but already could immediately see that if I had to choose one type of wedding to shoot, it would be theirs. If I were to ever do such a thing as shoot weddings, that is. Wedding photog'y was still a tiny speck of an idea in my brain then.

Well they nailed down a venue not long ago - at a working farm in Maine!!! - as well as the date, and by then I had decided I'd start shooting weddings. Hers was always the one I kept referring to in the back of my mind as the ideal, but she had told me back in April that they'd probably be using a friend photog. I'd leave comments here and there on her blog, hoping she might change her mind...

So I was SO VERY EXCITED when Sarah asked me to their main photographer. And she wants some portraits with cows. AAAAGAGAGAKUGGG! (that was a happy noise, trust me) It's going to be an awesome wedding. Sept 2010 seems so far away. And wow. 2010. What a crazy looking number.

But yes, so far this is all a verbal agreement, so I'm happy that I finally got my contracts together and do this legit.

Also, I'm bringing a copy of the contract to my VERY FIRST CONSULTATION this afternoon. With a perfect stranger! Her wedding will be downtown in a historic church this December (on my birthday no less, but I won't mention that. I had thought about it thinking maybe that would work to my advantage somehow, like, "Hey omg that's my birthday it would be SUCH A GIFT to shoot your wedding on my birthday!!" So cheesy but more to the point, Duck rightly said it's about her day and not mine, and to keep it that way.)

Wish me luck and send good vibes so she'll book me!

Anyway, why am I talking all this photog stuff on the knitting blog instead of the photog blog? I will have to write this again on the other blog. But I dunno. I just felt like sharing this exciting news with my knitterly friends first. :)

Comments [5]
Filed Under: Life

Empty

I don't know what I want to knit. What should I knit? Someone just tell me what I want to knit.

Comments [15]
Filed Under:

I've been up to stuff

So what have I been up to? Well, in the last couple of months I did manage to finish up Wanida, which I gave to my SIL for her birthday.

Pattern: Wanida by Cookie A's Sock Innovation
Yarn: Sundara Yarn in Candied Chrome

I've also been doing a lot of pet photography, which has been so surprising and so great. And fun! There have been a lot of puppies - YAY - and Labs and English and German pointers, strangely. I say strangely because I don't think I've ever met one before this year, and now I see them everywhere. I have some more appointments coming up, including a couple of horses and a Shar Pei which I am SO excited for because I've never ever met one. Their folds should be interesting to photograph. The one thing my portfolio is seriously lacking however, are kittens. Where are the kittens?!

Anyway, here is a little collage of some of the new friends I made the last two months, in no particular order. But the puppies do get to go first!

I've also been doing some people photography - weddings. I did my first wedding back in March and had to be practically strong-armed into it. When I hear things like, "If you can make cats look good, then you should be able to make people look like supermodels," I want to run screaming for the hills. Nothing could be more dangerous than comparing yourself to a cat. For one, I tend to find cats to be infinitely cuter than most humans. And for two, cats are SO MUCH EASIER to photograph. But maybe that's just me. In any case, these potential wedding clients force-fed three rounds of martinis in me before I said yes.

And wouldn't you know it, I had a blast. Subjects who sat when you said Sit! and stayed when you said Stay! How refreshing.

Since then I've done several more as a second shooter, plus one rehearsal dinner on my own, to see if wedding photog is something I indeed wanted to get into seriously (forgive me if you've heard all this before on the other blog!). The world needs another wedding photographer like it needs a hole in the head, right? Can I possibly bring anything new to the table?

I don't have the clout at this point to dictate the kind of wedding I'd like to shoot, but I definitely definitely very definitely have a kind of wedding that I'd love to shoot, and be my niche. My ideal wedding would be intimate backyard, barnyard, in a forest, under a tree, beachside affairs, with a lots of DIY details and flair, tons of flowers, candles and booze. And somewhere around 50-100 people...

...I'm pretty much describing our own wedding 7 years ago, which we had on a tiny island off Puerto Rico. It was perfect - a super fun, 3-day affair with close friends and family, wonderful in every single way. Except for one thing.

What it comes down to now is me redeeming my poor choice of a photographer by shooting my own wedding. Because oh man if I could do ONE thing over again, it would have been to sink 90% of our budget into hiring the perfect photographer. I didn't because it wasn't worth the expense. And this coming from someone who has always loved and appreciated good photography. I am seriously the worst consumer - I would hate to get myself as a client!

So if anyone is planning a small wedding this year or the next, give me a shout!
Email me at
fatorangecatstudio *at* gmail *dot* com

Last but not least, I'm still doing Bunny&Veebs photography. The latest craze are action shots - not easy to do in indoor lighting I might add. But I have the greatest subjects ever and oodles of patience. You have no idea the hours I've spent amusing myself in this way. Those guys, they'll do just about anything for a single morsel of kitty treats. Love them!

So that's it! Thanks to any readers who are still visiting this site! xoxo

Comments [18]
Filed Under: Cats | Life | Pet Photography

Just when I was about to pull the plug on this blog...

The most unexpected thing happened last week. I received an email from a contributing digital photography blogger on the NYTimes.com - the NEW YORK TIMES!!!!! - asking if he could interview me for an article about taking good pet photos. I was like, Um. OKAY. OH-EFFING-KAY.

But I was very curious how he found me. I've been marketing all over the place, both online and in the real physical world, and wanted to get an idea of how any of my endeavors were working, or not working.

Here was his reply:

BEHOLD. The power of the knit blog. Why does that continue to surprise me?! Why do I keep taking it for granted?

So here nytimes.com blog post. It's a Q&A and I talk a little about how I shoot and what I shoot with. I think what I wanted to get across more than anything is that good photography is not lazy photography. It's not all about what camera body you use (and thanks to the writer for not asking!), it's not at all about standing around waiting for the moment to happen. Everything is deliberate, everything is work, even - and especially? - the candid ones! I'm constantly learning.

P.S. I managed to finish a pair of socks. Very exciting. A show-and-tell soon.

Comments [18]
Filed Under: Pet Photography

Everywhere but here

This blog, biz blog, twitter, fb, flickr, raverly...I need to join another social network like I need a hole in the head.

But after a lot of hemming I've just put up a facebook page for the photog business. So far I have just 4 fans, and that includes me and Duck, heh. Become a FOCStudio fan, won't you?

Honestly I have no idea how a biz FB page will differ from my personal profile...or why I should ALSO have a biz twitter account and do I say things there that I wouldn't on FB or do I say the same thing? Blergh. The whole thing makes me want to throw up into the huge time sinkhole that I've created.

Where do you guys find yourself most often? Twitter? FB? Rav? Flickr? Your own blog? All of the above?

In knitting news, I have none.

Oh, I finally met Ms. Berroco (very briefly) last weekend in Providence. She put in a good word for me to her housemate who owns a Lab mix, and we did the shoot a week ago. She was hilarious, you can see the photos here. And the best part - and I got a set of custom letterpress cards in exchange! Swoon.

And a public service announcement to anyone in the Boston area who may be thinking of adopting a cat, or knows of someone who is thinking about it. There are more than several adult cats who have been there for longer than is comfortable. It's kitten season, and during this time the older set tends to get overlooked. There are a few very sweet boys and girls who are still looking for a warm and loving home. If you're in the area, stop by the shelter and ask to visit!

Ms. Marmalade

Figaro (my favorite! he's been at the shelter for so long!)

Stash

I hope next time I blog here I'll have some knitting to share. All these online...PLACES I live in is kicking my ass.

Comments [7]
Filed Under: Life | Pet Photography

Greeting Cards for Yarn Luvers

The Sundara Yarn Prints are now available as Greeting Cards!

These took me forever to get "right" - right paper, right size, etc - but here they finally are. Time to whip out the pen and get to letter-writing!

Purchase them individually, or in packs of 4 (one of each image). Colors are bright and juicy. Keep them for yourself, or as gifts for the knitterly friend in your life!

Comments [3]
Filed Under: Photo Store

Sock Progress

Making progress on Cookie A's Wanida sock, from the book Sock Innovation. I did end up finishing one sock.

As I suspected, the pattern does indeed knit up very quickly, and looks great with variegated yarn (Sundara Sock Yarn in Candied Chrome).

So without even meaning to be so focused or productive, I'm already half-way through with the second sock.

In other news, over at the Other Site I finally finished up posting all the critters that belong to J and R, the lovely couple who I mentioned had met on Ravelry. If you haven't seen the photos, check them out. Even though the puppy was the cutest subject ever, I think I saved the best for last with Keira the cat. She IS an orange tabby afterall. And we all know how I feel about orange tabbies...

Also, greeting cards will be going up for sale tomorrow!

Comments [4]
Filed Under: Socks

Yarn Prints for Purchase

To purchase prints, please go here.
For whatever reason, the PayPal code would not work correctly within this piece of dung blog editor. So I've extracted it out to another page. Please leave a comment if you have any issues or questions.

I have prints of Sundara Yarn up for sale, at long last! Dress up your crafting area with vibrant photos of your favorite Indie-dyed yarn!

Print Details
:: 5x7 printed on professional paper in a lustre finish, which is a matte-like finish with gloss-like shine
:: Packaged in an archival polypropylene sleeve and a cardboard backing for stability. Please recycle!
:: Delivered in sturdy photo mailers

Purchase Details
:: Each print is $12.00
:: Add 5% state tax for Massachusetts addresses
:: Add $2.00 for shipping within the US, and $4 for shipping everywhere else
:: Shipping can be combined for separate purchases made within a 2-day period. Example: if you buy one print today, then one tomorrow, shipping will be combined
:: Purchase via PayPal, at the bottom of this post
:: First 10 buyers will also receive a 5x7 flat card of "Sock Collection," with envelope!

Here are the four prints available:

Sock Collection A coloful heap of Sock yarns	Vibrant Violets A trio of purpley Sock yarns
Fresh Greens A trio of refreshing green Sock yarns	Warm Golds A trio of rich coppery Sock yarns

Purchase via PayPal
To purchase prints, please go here.
For whatever reason, the PayPal code would not work correctly within this piece of dung blog editor. So I've extracted it out to another page. Please leave a comment if you have any issues or questions.

I hope you enjoy these photos, and thank you for your support!

Comments [2]
Filed Under: Photo Store