Print Signing at the Biltmore Estate Wednesday November 3rd

Thankfully the Carraige House gift shop on the Biltmore Estate is going has started carrying my Biltmore series of prints (in addition to Traditions). I will be there tomorrow, November 3rd, to sign prints and meet people as they put up the "big tree". Christmas already? I am sure it will be exciting to see all the holiday decorating begin on such a massive scale. I've never seen the Biltmore Estate during the holidays, but plan to this year!

LYNNE HARTY PHOTOGRAPHY: 24 hours uplugged

LYNNE HARTY PHOTOGRAPHY: 24 hours uplugged: "My boyfriend and I have been threatening to go camping for over a year and a half - as that is how long ago it was that we purchased our ten..."

24 hours uplugged

My boyfriend and I have been threatening to go camping for over a year and a half - as that is how long ago it was that we purchased our tent. Pitiful. How hard can it be to get away for one night? Apparently difficult enough to always claim more pressing things - yard work, house work, real work, social engagements, children, etc. But not last weekend - we finally committed to it and went with our new tent and tons of sort of necessary items to create a home worthy of this mythical getaway: tent, pads, and sleeping bags of course, but then there was the cooler, bottle of wine, food for four meals (and we weren't talking about freeze dried food of course, foodies that we are) and even firewood. Neither of us had the nerve to drag the "cheater's " starter log up the trail - that was one step too far, so it remained in the car. We set up camp about 1/4 mile from the car in a gorgeous bald just under Sam  Knob near Black Balsam on the Blue Ridge Parkway in plenty of time to hike the beautiful trails on top of Black Balsam, photograph the sunset, and get back in time to build a fire and cook our glorious dinner - yellow squash we'd marinated in olive oil and herbs, potatoes wrapped in foil with olive oil and herbs that we threw in the bottom of the fire, and hamburgers. And a lovely bottle of red wine - perfection.

The lack of computers, phones and TV was almost, oddly, deafening. Amazing how quiet it can be removed from it all. Here are a few shots from our trip - I hope to go camping again very soon.

My First Music Video is Finished!

I am very excited to tell you that the music video I've been working on for quite a while is finally LIVE on youtube, vimeo and the Crash Test Dummies website. While the beginning may be familiar to some of you who viewed the stop motion video I did for Hatch last April, it was this beginning that interested CTD's Brad Roberts enough to think that my reworking it as a music video for the band could be a good idea. So I photographed Brad and his lovely wife, Michell Varian, on two different NYC trips last summer, and then added many local friends from Asheville as participants.  "Now You See Her" is a nouveau big band/swing tune featuring an old "toy" optigan, one of many instruments that Brad used, in collaboration with producer Stewart Lerman, for their latest record "Oooh La La". Roberts has come a long way from 2004's dark "Songs of the Unforgiven", as a listener will pretty easily hear in "Now You See Her", a song that Roberts proudly calls "Light and Cheeky".

I had a blast working on this and hope you enjoy watching it!

Wisdom - Get It

I ran across a beautiful and inspiring book today - "Wisdom"  by photographer Andrew Zuckerman. When I was in New York last summer, I literally stumbled upon his exhibit in the World Financial Center as I was cutting through the building from the riverfront to the street. An hour and half later, I made it out of the exhibit. You can see the website here and I highly recommend that you check it out, and even consider purchasing the book. I bought 5 copies - one for myself and four to give as gifts - that's how great I think it is!

The photographer interviewed many prominent people of all different types of fame - actors, politicians, world leaders, writers, etc, and asked them to talk about their lives and what the source of their "wisdom" was. Maybe it goes without saying that the subjects were advanced in age, to actually have had the years and experiences to gain that wisdom. The prints were quite large and were sharp as a tack, in their face, headshots shot against a stark white background. What I really appreciated about them visually was that you could see every pore and wrinkle, which of course accentuated the aging faces, but they were given so much dignity. It's hard to describe the effect, so you will have to see for yourself. The video, which was being shown on a screen in the middle of the exhibit, shows many of the interviews, and a copy of it is included in the book. I told my daughter, Jess, "here is much of what you need to know in life", but being only 19, she didn't bite. Maybe one day.

Introduction to Digital Photography with Lynne Harty in Lonesome Valley - Cashiers, NC via #constantcontact

Introduction to Digital Photography with Lynne Harty in Lonesome Valley - Cashiers, NC via #constantcontact

Please click the link above for information about my one of a kind experience - a weekend photography workshop in a beautiful private setting in Lonesome Valley - Cashiers, NC October 22-24th, 2010. We will be learning about the basics of digital photography while enjoying autumn in the mountains, and shooting in places that cannot usually be accessed unless you live in the community of Lonesome Valley.

Flying Cats and Dogs

This week I've been working on a campaign for the Asheville Humane Society, photographing cats and dogs in a studio setting with strobes so that I can catch the action. You can imagine some of the obvious challenges - these are just regular ole doggies and kitties - not necessarily trained (though some were) and each with their own agenda, whether it is to please,  to entertain, to escape, to mark their territory, or to confound. Together with art director Martha Dugger, we have cajoled, manipulated, pleaded, and squeeked to get our subjects to 1)  - just stand in the lights and 2) give me a second to focus the camera. Martha and I are doing this in conjunction with the Asheville Advertising Club, which is donating it's creative services this year to the Humane Society, creating an entire ad campaign, banners, notecards, etc for the wonderful new center that is about to open mid September. I am hoping to create, with Martha's collaboration, some fun B&W collages of the animals in all different positions, showcasing the multitude of their personalities in wall hangings and large banners. Here are a few of the shots.

Crash Test Dummies

Last spring when I was working on Hatchfest Photography, I decided to create a stop motion video, even though I had no idea how to make one, nor what sort of subject I would focus on. As some of you saw, I ended up getting various people in my life to come "sit" for me in my studio against the same background (actually my duvet cover hung on a rod) and I asked them various questions while photographing them in succession, basically watching how they would respond to the camera and the questions. The project started out very moody and serious, but ended up evolving into something humorous. At the very end of the editing process, I decided that I wanted to add music to the video, and it needed to be quirky, interesting, and not something people would hum along to. Crash Test Dummies was about to release their new CD "Ooh La La" and had the perfect song for my video, called  "Now You See Her", and when I asked Brad Roberts of Crash Test Dummies if I could use it, he was kind enough to say yes.

I had so much fun creating the video, even though I ran out of time to really finish it for the Hatchfest slide show I was organizing, that I sent it to Brad to see, thinking that the band might be interested in having me recreate the video by adding footage of Brad, Brad's wife Michelle, and a few others to make the images fit the song, vs. having the song added to the video. Brad liked the idea, so a few weeks ago when I was in NYC he "sat" for me on the very record breaking heat day that gave us 103 degrees. I tend to get more than a wee bit pushy when I have the camera in my hand, and I coaxed Brad to keep going and going for an hour and a half, after which he politely informed me "I think I am about to expire". I was a little embarrassed that I had pushed so hard, but very grateful that he'd been such a gracious, accomdating subject. The kicker, however, was that I was also supposed to get some footage of Brad outside on the street for a video that designer Juni Moon was creating for the song "And Its Beautiful" - she had some wonderful stop motion footage but none that included Brad, so that was really my official "job" that day. I subtly (I think) pleaded with Brad to go out in the stifling New York concrete emanating heat and he kindly acquiesced, so I was able to get some shots of him that I submitted to Juni for her video. You can see that video now on their website. Look for my video of "Now You See Her" in August hopefully!

Freeze! But Look Natural...

I am often guilty of asking the impossible of my subjects - "Be REALLY still as we have barely any light right now. But look natural. Pull your chin out like you're telling me a secret. Relax. Be really still. Relax! Please unclench that jaw and your fingers!" Natural? Right. So imagine trying to create the perfect family picnic, with about 30 models, band playing, wine being poured and....
 "Get that magic light on your subjects as it peaks from behind the clouds - it's going to happen in about 3 minutes just before the sun sets, okay? And we need two different angles for the two art directors that you're working with right now." No problem!!

I had this opportunity recently while shooting various lifestyle photos for the Biltmore Estate for ads featuring their new Antler Hill Village. The assignment was to capture some lifestyle photos of people shopping, looking at art, and picnicking on the lawn while watching a band and enjoying a glass of wine. The catch was that in some situations I had to shoot the same scenes that filmmaker Paul Bonesteel was filming for a commercial - at the same time. Thankfully, Paul was gracious about having this photographer literally breathing down his neck trying to get the angle that "fit" within the scrims, etc that were set up. I had to be the silent photographer in these instances, as you can't have two people directing the same scene at the same time, obviously. One shot involved photographing three cute little kids devouring ice cream cones (now there is a dream shoot for a child: "Is your ice cream cone melting a little? Let me give you another, immediately").  It was an exercise in restraint to just shoot what was there vs. being able to interact with the children - it was a relief when Paul got what he needed and released them to me so I could let my bossy side out!

The "money shot", however, as art director Russ Shuler called it, was capturing a scene that involved about 30 models roaming around, while focusing in on one particular family "relaxing". Who can relax while a man with a video camera and megaphone is dangling above them in a cherry picker shouting out directions, while a female photographer is running on the sidelines trying to set up her own shot? My goal was to capture the feeling of a family enjoying themselves - relaxing on the picnic blanket, taking in the music of the band playing in the background, enjoying the wine being poured, and feeling free enough to let the kids run around joyfully. So, while asking the woman model to relax and snuggle with her husband, I bent down to talk to the two children, asking them to run in big circles around their parents so that I could create some motion in the photo. Did I mention that I was supposed to catch that brief "magic light" that happens as the sun is setting, peaking through the parting clouds, in the midst of all this chaos? Yes, I think I did.

Actually, I loved it! Shooting with a great team and decisive clients in a beautiful setting is nothing to complain about - I'll be lucky if I am hired to do it again in the future.

The drama of the Honeybees book

This month I've been working on the fourth book in the Homemade Living series for Lark Books that is about raising honeybees.  I could imagine that this involved photographing the hives, the extracting process and of course photos of the food for the yummy recipes that author Ashley English would include, but I had been in a bit of denial when it came to getting up close and personal with the bees. I was told by the editor, Nicole, that I would have a bee suit ordered just for me. Ashley claimed that her bees were "chill" - but that kind of reminded me of  a pet owner claiming that their pet was always well behaved just after they peed on your rug. " I do not have a phobia of bees, or anything like that" I explained to Nicole as the day of the close ups arrived, "but I am not Kumbaya with them either". I decided to just not think about it when the visions of hundreds of bees dive bombing me invaded my imagination, and just show up for the shoot wearing all white as directed.

I arrived at Ashley's house with the appointed attire, looking like I was ready for a hazmat situation. I wore big snow boots (despite the summer heat) and duck taped them around the top, as well as around my wrists. No one made fun of me nor acted like I was the least bit ridiculous. It was when Nicole mentioned that I could use my macro lens to get close up, not realizing that that meant getting right on top of the bees to get these close ups that my anxiety was hard to miss. Anyway, the end of the story is that it was fine, and Ashley's bees were chilled out and paid very little attention to me, despite our size difference and my invasion of their space. After a few minutes of being close to the hive the fear was dissipating as I got a few inches from some of the bees on the screens of honeycomb and started seeing actual personalities in these insects, almost like I could imagine that they were talking about me.

So, with a wave of relief flooding over me, I said "That wasn't bad at all!" - I felt victorious as though I really hadn't been afraid to begin with. Chris and Ashley looked at each other, then down at their feet, and Chris said "Lynne, you were bug eyed when you first put on that bee mask".

So much for my bravado.

Rancho La Puerta - Three Words That Spell Paradise

I must have the best teaching "gig" in North America - teaching photography classes at the heavenly Rancho La Puerta in Mexico. "The ranch" is like no other place I know - providing dessert beauty, perfect temperature, the aromas of herbs and flowers that wave past you constantly as you walk the grounds, freshly picked and prepared organic food served in a beautiful setting by friendly local people, beauty around every curve - where to begin? How about waking up at 5:30 am to meet a group of people for a 7 mile hike up Mt. Kuchumaa, stopping along an awe inspiring view of the valley below to eat breakfast, all to make it back to the ranch in time for a yoga class? Okay, to some of you that may not sound like paradise, but you'd be welcome to sleep in and just go straight to your delicious breakfast which includes homemade breads, cereals, jams and fresh fruits. Then you can lounge away the whole day with a book if you like, get a massage if you must! This year I brought my dear friend Karen Deans, artist and owner of woodentile.com - she not only offered great companionship but helped me present "Self Expression Through Photography". Even the room where we did the presentation was beautiful - the Oak Tree Pavilion (below).

On top of all that relaxing and eating, I met some really interesting people at the ranch, as always. Among them was the guest chef for that week, Kathleen Flinn, author of "The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry". Kat taught a wonderful hands-on cooking class that I was lucky to be able to get into, and we had quite a few post-dinner fun times together back at her "casita". Deborah Madison, chef and cookbook author, as well as environmental activist, was also at the ranch with her sister Jamie, and I was fortunate to sit between these ladies at dinner and hear some great stories!

While it was a great week, it was a difficult re-immersion back into the real world, as happy as I am in my world for the most part. I am already looking forward to going back June 11th, 2011! I'll be teaching digital photography classes again and would love to see some familiar faces. I even have a $250 gift certificate for a first time ranch goer.

Here's the Interview

As I mentioned I was pretty nervous about being interviewed on TV without a 'start over" button, but it went okay I think, despite my stumbling on the last question. So hard to think fast when you're nervous! Hopefully I'll do better next time if I'm fortunate enough to have a next time.

If you'd like to see the interview on WLOS it is on youtube. Please be kind....

"Biltmore - A Modern Twist" Opening: Smooth Sailing

Whew. What a week leading up to the opening of the new series I created for the Biltmore Estate - "Biltmore - A Modern Twist". It was a great week including my appearance on WLOS and signing prints at the grand opening of the Antler Hill Village at Biltmore, culminating in my opening reception at the wonderful Corner Kitchen in Biltmore Village. I was so pleased and appreciative that so many people came there to support me. We all enjoyed the hospitality of the generous folks at the Corner Kitchen who poured complimentary Biltmore Wine and served a constant stream of delicious appetizers. My photographs are hanging in the same room where the Obamas dined a few short weeks ago! If you haven't tried the Corner Kitchen, I highly recommend it.

The series will be on the walls through the fall, so please take a look when you're in the area. Most of the images are upstairs but will be moving around as I bring some downstairs and rotate in new images for the ones that have sold. All of my images are available unframed and in custom sizes and you can order directly through me. If you'd like to see some of them they are on website.

Here are a few photos of guests taken by a variety of people - my daughter Jessica Siler and friends James Sasso, and Dot Griffith.

I'm Not Going to be a Star, but I Will Be On TV.

Thursday morning, May 20th,  I will be on the morning segment called MY40 on WLOS to talk about my upcoming show of a new series of images of the historic Biltmore Estate. The series is called "Biltmore - a Modern Twist" and is the result of my becoming a licensed artist of the estate last year - here is a sneak preview. You can see more of the images on my website at www.lynnehartyfineart.com as well as in the new Traditions store in Antler Hill Village on the estate. I will be at Traditions Thursday May 20th from 12-4 signing prints as part of the grand opening of Antler Hill Village.

Join us for the opening reception Sunday May 23rd from 5-6:30 at the Corner Kitchen in Biltmore Village.

"Biltmore - A Modern Twist"

I am very excited about my upcoming show at the Corner Kitchen in Biltmore Forest that showcases my latest series of "tweaked" photographs: "Biltmore - a Modern Twist". I started working on this body of work last year with what started as a "spec" job and turned into a wonderful relationship.  I began work on these images knowing that there might be some interest from the Biltmore folks, but also that it was possible that not only would they not be interested in selling the prints, they might not give me the required permission to use them at all. But, alas, all went well and I became a licensed Biltmore artist, which basically means I have their blessing to photograph all of the estate, inside and out, and sell the images wherever I am able. I probably don't have to state the obvious - but I will - the estate is a one of a kind gorgeous place to shoot inside and out, so it is not an unpleasant assignment. The people that I work with in the marketing, PR, retail and licensing department are professional, enthusiastic, and consistently helpful - they have made the whole process a easy one. Being able to walk behind those strongly enforced ropes in the house was fun, I admit - it brought back childhood memories of wanting to break out of those oft required lines the teachers always made us walk in.

What was interesting to me about this series vs. the ones I've created of icons of other towns, is that since the entire house is basically beige, there are hardly any colors to tweak; rather, I have to create them from scratch in Photoshop. The result is a color palate that is different, and more cohesive as a body of work, than the previous series. It is fun to make these whimsical images of such historic icons and architectural accents of the Biltmore Estate. I look forward to continuing the work and creating new images throughout the year.

I will be signing prints on May 20th as part of the grand opening events at the newly opened Antler Hill Village, preceded by a very early TV interview on WLOS the same morning between 7am -8am (no small thing for this other-side-of-the-camera-phobic photographer). The opening will be at the Corner  Kitchen (YES, the same place President Obama dined in last weekend!) from 5-6:30 on May 23rd. Come join me for a glass of wine and yummy appetizers if you can.

My next show will be at Asheville Community Theater in July - stay tuned.

Blurbs

Thanks to good friend and creative design wiz, Russ Shuler, I now have a hard bound book that serves as a mini-collection of my colorful series of images depicting Asheville and a few from the new series I created for the Biltmore Estate: "Biltmore - A Modern Twist". You'll be hearing about the Biltmore series soon, but for anyone who might like to take a look at my book you find it online here at .http://www.blurb.com/books/839577

Tina Givens - the Creative Whirlwind

About a month ago I was lucky enough to work with one of the most creative energetic people ever - Tina Givens. If you don't know her work you might want to make it point to check it out. She not only creates unique colorful fabrics, she has also designed children's clothing lines as well as a multitude of ingenious projects for a how to book to be published by Lark Books. And this is her second career...

We worked tirelessly for four straight days with a "roaming studio" in the Lark Books building - basically chasing the light (and the child models). Pamela Norman designed the book and stylist Skip Wade worked nonstop steaming, prepping and setting just the right item in the set. Assistant Melissa Terazza was my savior, always having a positive attitude, just enough energy, and making the essential trips to Izzy's to keep us caffeine -addicted souls going (and feeding me soda crackers as I caught a horrible stomach bug in the midst of it all). Despite a few hurdles such as before mentioned illness, no shows of models, and the craziness of working with child models, the photos turned out quite well. I look forward to seeing the final book this fall.

The HATCHing of Photography in Asheville

What is Hatch? That is the question most asked when I mentioned my excitement about this 4 day networking conference, somehow named HATCH fest. My unofficial response, which is my own interpretation of just what Hatch IS, is that it is not a festival at all. It is a gathering of creative people from many disciplines including architecture, photography, journalism, music, fashion, design/technology, and film. There are panels, workshops, networking events and parties galore, all filled with people sharing their stories from the experiences they are having just by being surrounded by others from Asheville and around the country with the burning desire to create - something.

When I found out that not much was planned in photography for Hatch 2010, I asked if I could organize some events, and was given the green light. We had less than a month before the event, but I knew there were a lot of energized photographers in our community, and decided to form a panel of female photographers to discuss a variety of topics, which was well attended and well received. I also put out a call for entries to the regional photographic community here in Asheville for two slide shows I wanted to put together - one for the Hatch innovators lounge, and one to project BIG on the side of a building at night downtown, aptly named "Art in the Dark". With the help of fellow photographers and friends, I was able to make it happen, and the results were exactly what I'd hoped: people stopping in the street to watch the 20 minute show that looped for an hour Friday and Saturday evenings, as they came out of the many restaurants and bars near the Lab on Lexingon, where we showed it.

Nothing like an unrealistic deadline to motivate people - I decided to create a stop motion video featuring family and friends (something I had no idea how to do), and I showed it as my contribution to Art in the Dark. It was a baptism by fire learning all the ins and outs of creating a video, but it just got me going, as I can't wait to work on the next one! If you'd like to see it, the link is here on youtube.com:

Murmurs and Motion Stop Motion Video

Photo by Michael Phillips

Butter, Cheese, and More Butter - Yum

Yes, I am referring to yet another book that I'm working on for Lark by "hipster homesteader" (so dubbed by this month's issue of Verve magazine) Ashley English. Last week, at a furiously productive pace, we finished shooting the third book in the Homemade Living series on all thing dairy: soft and hard cheeses, yogurt and butter, to name a few. Lots of WHITE THINGS to shoot and make interesting - no small challenge. With the visual talents of art director Chris Bryant, the organizational skills of editor Nicole McConville, and the delicious recipes of author Ashley English, we had a good running start. As with the other two books we shot last summer, Keeping Chickens and Canning and Preserving, the real bonus was being able to to eat what we photographed, which included saag paneer, ricotta pizza, beer cheese fondue, cucumber soup and strawberry chevre ice cream. Ashley made cheese making look so easy that I've ordered a few supplies and ingredients - it doesn't take much to start making your own cheese.