Arts (exclamation point) Arcata

Man, oh man – it sure was cool getting the studio going one year ago. A prominent location, at center of the monthly Arts!Arcata route, we were genuinely enthused about providing a space to photographers (those second-tier artists!). It was vital – with a cadre of really talented photogs that weren’t typically gaining access to downtown real estate show. We spent the first couple months showing off our own work – then other local people whose work we really admired. Newly returned from interning with Rolling Stone, Chris Tuite had an excellent RAWK! Show. Kim Miller wowed people before heading off to Thailand. Dan and Dana Smith knocked everyone’s socks off. Charles McNally (no relation) was great. And others. For us, the events were not only fun mixers, but helped fulfill our goal of building a collaborative photography community. However, for our favored photogs – new and emerging – shouldering the expense of displaying a show can be burdensome. They’re generally young artists. It’s now less of a surprise why the same painters frequently fill local arts walks venues month after month – their stuff is already framed and ready to go.
However, we’re on the hunt and looking for new and interesting work to display. And APS is finally making headway on our plan to host an annual juried exhibition of local photography.
In truth, this remains a small town, despite hosting a university. But we may be overlooking real talent. We have walls and we pour wine. You have photography that you’re ready to show. Let’s connect… studio@arcataphoto.com.

Arcata Photo Studios Session Videos: Chynna Johnson-McKinleyville High Class of 2009!

Get out

Seriously. The weather is finally good again, lending impetus to some quality outdoor portraiture. The kids are out of school. Or maybe your teen is heading off to college in two months… this could be the last time in years that the entire family is together. Then maybe you just have a favorite beach or forest spot… even your backyard… where the fam has fun.
Through July 31, APS is running an Outdoor Portrait Promotion (OPP for the acronym needy), with a heavy discount to our sitting fee (heavy as in half off. Yeah – heavy like half. That heavy).
Sure we are partially motivated by the desire to see the sun after a long winter, ditch the studio. But our motives can be your family’s gain. We’ll travel anywhere in the county and our recent acquisition of some high tech gadgets means we can do professional studio lighting… anywhere. Up Fern Canyon. Down on Agate Beach. Heck, we’ll shoot on the Arcata-Eureka Airport tarmac. We’re that mobile. studio@arcataphoto.com or (707) 825-1061.

A little fun at the beach...

Most people probably figure that wedding photographers save it all up for the big day, but the engagement shoot might be even more important. Taking the couple out sets the tone for how we’ll all interact and gets them used to having a camera in their face. Also, the conditions… a favorite location for the bride and groom, are assured to be more relaxed than when 150 guests are watching their every move. It can be a little more loose and fun. So we got to know Jennifer and Bryn better during their engagement shoot in Trinidad recently. Suffice to say, being photographed is probably not in Bryn’s top 10 favored activities. But he was a good sport and knew that the gig was important to Jen (she was leaving within hours to finish up graduate school work in England). We think Bryn even had good time. Better yet, we got some great photos that will last them a lifetime and made for a stellar sign in guest book, if we say so ourselves.

Arcata Photo hosts McK High Advance Photo Class

A couple weeks ago Justine Smith and her Advanced Photo class from McKinleyville high dropped into the studio for a little bit of education and a whole lot of fun! We looked at some of our work and we talked about the daily operation of a portrait studio. Then Kaylyn volunteered to be photographed. We lit her, photographed her and then we ran her through our regular workflow of retouching and artistry. They had a blast watching how we create our artistic portraits. Then we let them loose with all of our lights and cameras. The fisheye lens was a big hit! Thanks again to Justine and the students for such a fun visit!

One.

Hey… we’re one! Maybe this sounds timeworn – but it really is hard to believe that it’s been an entire year. This week, APS hits its anniversary. We’ve learned a lot about running a storefront portrait studio... keeping the door open and dealing with the business end of things. Maybe a surprise to only us, but the grunt work of marketing, bookkeeping and networking fills a majority of the time. Some of the work we assumed we’d be concentrating on has become of less import… and other work greater. But over the course of the year, we’ve met and photographed some truly excellent people. We’ve been a witness to a slew of couples starting their lives together in marriage, held shows for photographers we love, watched little kids grow up, photographed rock bands on tour and poured the town lots of wine during monthly Arts!Arcata gigs! It really has been a smashing year with the future looking equally upbeat (even our bookkeeper says we’re one of the few businesses she hears from who are smiling this year). Recently, we’ve become slightly… as Sheldon is fond of saying, “lean and mean.” Taffy Stockton of S&S Events shared our Jacoby’s Storehouse studio space. She and husband Aiden are purchasing a house out of which she’ll will run S&S. We’ll miss her as she really helped set the tone for APS and classed up the joint. Additionally, Martin Swett is moving to the big leagues of mortgage finance at Wells Fargo and won’t be running his brokerage down the hall. That’s a good biz move for Marty, but one that will take the majority of his energy. The result – he’s taking a year sabbatical from APS, but will still be available for some weekend shoots. So it’s just Terrence and Sheldon. And we’re enthused. We’ve got a solid plan for the year and looking forward to seeing more of you in front of the camera. Thanks to all of our clients who gave us a shot and helped us make memories for them that matter. A little birthday gift to ourselves, we’re taking Friday’s Arts!Arcata off. After 12 A!As, we want to check out Arcata’s other venues and see how we can do better. Cheers!