Tag Archives: Rockport
Happy…Happy…Happy!
I received a bit of VERY good news yesterday!
Stephen Fisher Photography has been juried into the 2013 Rockport Art Festival. I got the confirming email yesterday…and I’m HAPPY! This annual festival is one of the best shows anywhere.
Even though it’s a MILLION degrees hot over the Fourth of July weekend, fine art buyers flock to Rockport, TX. I was fortunate to make this show last year, and it really added a boost to my photography business. I feel very fortunate to have been selected this year.
OK…So now I have to start planning for this. But first…I need to have a couple of strong months finishing up the Coast Bend Wildlife Photo Contest. More later
Rockport…
OK…I love it here! Sharon and I had a great weekend in Rockport. Our friends David and Cindy Wilson were in town. Bonnie and Patrick Strain came over from Corpus Christi for the afternoon. We spent the afternoon eating and drinking at several of the local beach bars. My idea of a FUN time…
I’m spending the week here taking care of STUFF. I also want to drag my camera gear out and reengage. I NEED to shoot something…digitally! I don’t think I have block…just too much LIFE going on. I’m not going to bore you with all of the gory details, but things have been just crazy for the last six months. I’m ready for DULL & BORING!
I’ve been thinking about a new camera body. I’m looking at a Canon 5D Mark III…and like what I see. Several shooters I respect have this body and really like it. We’ll see…
Roseate Spoonbills…Old and New
The Rookeries…
It’s that time of the year…
All of the rookeries are full of mating/nesting birds… and they’re all decked out in their FINEST mating plumage.
We’ve (Mike Collins and John Martell and myself) been spending some time out there…and the production has been rewarding. Everywhere you look there’s “life” happening. The amount of interaction between the various species is unbelievable! I made over 4000 images these two days. Of course they weren’t all keepers….
Please take a look at the Roseate Spoonbill and Great Blue Heron galleries for more new images of the rookeries. I’ll be adding more soon…
Boats…
It’s FINALLY sunk in for me…
Maybe..just maybe…not EVERYONE appreciates bird photography as much as I do. I know…it’s hard to believe…
I’m a photographer. Not just an Avian photographer. I probably enjoy photographing birds more than anything else. But I do MUCH more than just birds…
I gave my an assignment. Wake up early (thats NOT a problem for me)…Grab your Canon 70-200 mm f/2.8 IS II lens (don’t EVEN bring that BIG 400 mm)…and get out there and make some cool images.
So thats what I did. And guess what…I had a GREAT time! Here’s an image I made over the weekend. I took this early Saturday morning at the Key Allegro Marina in Rockport, TX. I spent all weekend just trying to capture the essence of South Texas marinas. Not all of the boats are nice. Many of them have to work hard every day.
I’m putting together a whole new galley on the website for these images. If you click on Galleries from the Home page…select Coastal Bend…and then select Seascapes…you’ll be able to see what I’m trying to do. Please let me know what you think…SEF
Roseate Spoonbill Mystery Solved…
I’ve been thinking about it a LOT! I’ve ALWAYS wondered…
This is an image I’ve posted before. It’s called “Good Morning”…and it’s one of my favorites. I had “Good Morning” printed BIG (30 x 40) on canvas, and placed it in the Member’s Gallery at the Rockport Center for the Arts several months ago. Member’s are allowed to place one piece in the gallery every month. If the piece “Red Dots” (sells), the owner gets the proceeds less gallery commission. It’s a nice benefit of being a member and supporting the Rockport Center for the Arts.
Well…”Good Morning” was sold early in the month. I was tickled for a LOT of reasons. I’m one of THOSE artists who enjoy the positive reinforcement of selling their art! I know it’s probably not exactly right, but thats how I keep score. I really like making killer images…and I REALLY like to sell them!
Many days I would think about who bought “Good Morning”. Where did he/she hang it? Is it a major focal point of their home? And on and on and on…
OK…So I was at the Rockport Market Days last weekend. This relatively young man walks into my booth and starts to look around. Out of the blue he says that he is redoing a historic landmark home here in Rockport and had purchased “Good Morning” as a prominent piece in their home! I was blown away…in the BEST of ways. He told me how much they enjoyed the piece and was going home to get his wife to come back and look. Unfortunately…they didn’t make it back…
I know exactly the house where this “Good Morning” lives now. Mystery solved! Every time I drive by this 100+ year-old home I smile…SEF
Rockport Market Days…
Rockport Market Days happens on the last Saturday of every month. It’s ” kinda-sorta” a combination of a flea market, a garage sale, and an arts/crafts show all rolled up. You can see it ALL here at Rockport Market Days…
I’ve been trying to display here for several months, but the weather just hasn’t cooperated. Last Saturday…the weather was PERFECT. We arrived around 8:00 AM and the place was already packed with vendors. It didn’t take too long to get the Stephen Fisher Photography tent up and all of the products displayed.
I didn’t really expect to sell a lot of stuff at Market Days (and I didn’t get disappointed!). It’s really not a fine art photography crowd. I don’t mean that in any derogatory manner. I’m VERY proud of my images, and have priced them appropriately. I use high end Canon gear. Ron Brant uses the finest quality archival ink and canvas for the printing. I painstakingly assemble every piece like it will hang in my home. Most of the Rockport Market Days attendees are looking for bargain merchandise. I really don’t have too much of that…
My goal for showing here was to do some market research. I’m trying to establish the Stephen Fisher Photography brand. I wanted to know which of my images garnered attention. Which one(s) evoked a response? Which got purchased? (Again…not many!) Do people prefer framed or just matted 11 x 14 prints? What size of canvas gallery wraps work? And then the BIG question I have…Do enough people really want an image of a BIRD in their home?
OK…So I didn’t run out of inventory on Saturday. I still had a great day with Sharon sitting there in the sun. I enjoyed seeing people react to my art. I REALLY soaked-up all of the flattering comments. It was a GOOD day…SEF
What! No Birds…
I’m trying something new. Not really new…but different.
I just got back to Houston from being down in Rockport. The weather has been very difficult for photographing birds. High winds (35+ mph) and LOTS of rain have all of the birds hunkered down. I tried every one of my “favorite” spots on Saturday and just couldn’t find anything to shoot.
These pilings are just off of Water Street in Rockport, TX. I always thought that if I could catch a real foggy morning I might be able to make a decent image. At one time these pilings had a deck attached making it a fishing pier. Obviously the deck is long gone…but the remaining pilings intrigue me. The image needs some more work, but I like it.
I received a call today from the Rockport Center for the Arts. I had dropped off an 11×14 matted print and a photo note card to the Gift Shop Committee for consideration. They are going to let me bring in some prints and cards to sell in the gift shop. Every little bit helps!
Pelicans
I posted a Brown Pelican image to my personal Facebook page a couple of days ago. I’m SLOWLY…and maybe not so surely…adding images to the gallery section of the Stephen Fisher Photography website. I had just added two Brown Pelican images and wanted to let the folks know…
One of my friends…Sherrill Lanthier…immediately replied to my posting with “Where are the WHITE pelicans?”. Well Sherrill…here you go. A couple of White Pelicans just for you!
I’ve been down in Rockport for the weekend. It has been raining off and on…mostly on…for a while. After the drought conditions we’ve had here in Texas, I’ve sworn NEVER to complain about the rain again. I’m sticking to my guns on that…but we’ve had LOTS of rain.
There was a reception last night at the Rockport Center for the Arts. Jim Bob Salazar was displaying some of his amazing pottery. I don’t know much about pottery, but his work is impressive. In spite of the weather, there was a very good turnout. (Maybe the wine and snacks help!)
I found a TINY window of opportunity to make a few images yesterday morning. I’ve had my eye on a long row of pilings setting out into Aransas Bay. The decking of the pier had long ago disappeared, and all that was left were the pilings. I made about 15 images in the fog and think I may have a keeper or two. We’ll see…
Common Goldeneye
My good friend and mentor John Martell gave me a heads up a couple of weeks ago. He said that a solo Common Goldeneye had been spotted right on Little Bay in Rockport, TX. He suggested that I get over there around 4:00 pm and try to get an image of this beautiful duck.
Common Goldeneye are pretty rare around Rockport. I had never seen one…and really looked forward to adding one to my list. I grabbed my Canon 7D and 400mm lens and drove over to Little Bay. Sure enough…I spotted this guy swimming around with some Pintails.
Here’s my image…SEF