I'm Back!

Back from a conspicuous absence! Lots of things going on, lots of updates so let's get going.

WINTER HAS RETURNED: Saturday a front moved in, the ran came with it and now it is a chilly 44 degrees with a nice fresh wind out of the north. I swear I thought I saw a polar bear roaming the fields.

VISITORS HAVE A GREAT TIME: Jill's parents and her brother arrived from Nebraska, USA and we literally drug them around the southern part of England non-stop for a week. Norwich cathedral, Castle Rising, Sandringham Estate, Iceni village, Westminster, St. Paul's Cathedral, Tower of London as well as a little time with the grandchildren. That are back home safe and sound.

MORE "KIDS" IN ABUNDANCE: Many sightings of baby blue/great tits, blackbirds as well as green finches. Little balls of fluff, full of energy.

IRIS WATERCOLOR SERIES AVAILABLE: A series of watercolor-style images from the ever-blooming iris beds in the yard is now available, just click here to go to the gallery.

NEW BOOK SERIES: Very close to launching an entire series of books and that's all I'm going to say. OK, not all I'm going to say. A combination of visual and written impressions from around the world.

NEW LOCATION: The sheep we've been tending over the winter are now in a BEAUTIFUL pasture next to a very picturesque river and they're LOVING it. Taken with a very small Nikon COOLPIX L11 digital camera purchased for Jill's upcoming travels around the world.

Cheers!

~James

Sidebars and Moles

You might be looking at the new element to the right, how cool is that? My friends and e-commerce partners at ImageKind have developed a way for YOU to quickly browse a featured gallery from this page. Plans are to rotate the galleries on a weekly basis. I am SO glad to be partners with the best and most innovative fine-art printers in the country!

As promised, here's a small peek at what I was able to capture in pixels after my boys caught a European mole (Talpa europaea) in our bathroom (entry point unknown). When seen close-up, he can actually look quite frightening (although he seemed to be yawning)! I was amazed at the purpose-built nature of this creature; an organic tunnelling machine capable of making up to 20 meters of yard-devastating passages a day!


On the home front: still no rain. After the driest and warmest April in recent memory we still haven't gotten any measurable precipitation. A fencing project around the yard (for rabbit control, pesky little, well... pests) is on hold as you can't get into the ground at all. Good news is the clouds have moved back in, let's pray for rain!

Cheers!

~James

Like you wanted to see more of me....

Apparently I have been somewhat remiss in connecting all of my internet "presences" with each other. So, for the sake of maintaining the sanity of the collective, below you will find where I am currently located.

Each is updated on a rotating basis (thank goodness for Outlook reminders) and there's a short comment on what the latest update for each has been and even what's coming up. Feel free to spread the word to whomever you think might be interested. (P.S. Jill says I look like I'm ready to bite someone in this photo taken just a couple of days before we left Lajes Field in the Azores at Forte de Santa Katarina built c. 1580. I think I look eager to get to a Taco Bell.)

The Main Webpage
The new website design is up and running. I interviewed myself last month (I'm a nice guy it turns out) and I'm almost finished with a "featured print of the month" page with me actually talking about the image, how it was made, what was going on at the time, etc. via a PODcast feature. Portrait photography brochures are available for download for those in the UK. Minor changes are planned but nothing major, just user-suggested tweaks (that means let me know how you like it via the Contact Me page if you have a minute).

James' Fine-Art Prints
Currently there are 6 galleries up and running, more will be loaded next week. They use the same large-format printers and inks I do (except bigger by far) and only use high-grade fine-art papers (my favorite is the Somerset Velvet Fine Art paper). As they are affiliated with the Northwest's largest framing company they offer over 5.5 million combinations of mats and frames. You can pick 1,2,3 or no mats, select widths, suedes, etc. and encase them in a fantastic selection of wood, metal and composite frames. Incredible folks to work with so far, they're out of Seattle. Currently APO/FPO orders should be phoned in or conducted via e-mail. They are aware of military customers and are working on a solution.

The Long-Awaited 2007 Calendars! I currently have 4 calendars up for sale: Alaskan Eagles, Alaskan Northern Lights, Flowers of Terceira (Azores) and my proud baby Fly Azores (In Action!) containing both civilian and military aircraft in action at Lajes Field (as well as a verion each for US, UK and Portuguese holiday dates). Pre-production is nearing completion of a photo book containing many of my favorite images and accompanying commentary about each one. World-wide shipping options make ordering easy for all!

Check out my Squidoo lenses! Currently I have 2 "lenses" going with 3 more in the works. I'll be dispensing helpful hints about various aspects of maging as well as giving book and product recommendations relating to each article.

Azores Photo Collection! A collection of prints specific to Terceira Island are located here and this e-commerce vendor easily ships to APO/FPO addresses! I am still working on a couple of panorama of Lajes but I'm not happy with the results yet so don't hurt me (Ron).

At the moment that's got everything up-to-date. But, things change almost daily around here. If you're a previous client of mine and you wish to see a specific image on a product, please e-mail as I'm sure I could work your request into my schedule (you know how accomodating I can be).

Cheers to all!

~James

ImageKind update

Great news for you APO/FPO customers!

I just got a message from customer support at ImageKind and they told me two important pieces of information:

1) Thay are actively working on a way to ship using USPS mail, thereby opening up the APO/FPO/PO Box customer base, and...

2) If you e-mail or call them with your purchase request they can arrange for a USPS shipment NOW.


I love this company.

Why Didn't I (or you) Think of That?

One of the things I have always hated about e-commerce and my images is that I always get asked about framing options. To tell you the truth, having been in the contest world for some time I'm of the mindset that everything belongs in a black frame with a white mat.

My lovely wife disagrees with me. And she's right.

As usual.

I have wished there was a simple, one-stop-shopping way for my customers to select an image, pick out a nice frame and then select the mat colors to suit their homes. Wouldn't that just be the coolest thing?

Well, our wishes have come true! IMAGEKIND has apparently picked our collective dreams and done exactly that. They spent quite a bit of time in my brain as they offer a LOT of things that I have always wanted as well: the ability for me to caption my images, their use of EPSON gilcee' printers using EPSON archival inks and EPSON papers (all things I firmly believe in), rag and suede mats, metal AND wood frames, single/double/triple mat layers, acrylic or glass glazing options and the big one for me:

PRINTS ON CANVAS! IN TWO OPTIONS NO LESS!

YES, I'M SHOUTING!!!!!!

My brain is literally buzzing with excitement about FINALLY being able to offer my images with a partner that allows YOU to select what holds my prints. Listen, you can hear the buzzing I swear, even from here in England.

The only downside is they don't currently ship to APO/FPO addresses but I've already started begging them to figure some way to help the military folks out. If you'd like to see that as an option, kindly let them hear your voice in a quick e-mail.

Stop by the site and give it a good look-through, images are being added frequently so check often. If you know of an image you want seen on the site, drop me a quick e-mail and I'll see what I can do!

~James