Buy Local video on YouTube

I attended the Small Independent Business Round Table on April 12th a met a few more local business people. A few local business people shared ways they became creative to attract new business, such as selling lower priced affordable items, going out of their way to buy what people want with good customer service and creating a new service (boat tours to see lighthouses).

I was surprised to learn that Maryland has the highest median household income in the country, even though places like New York and Los Angeles are far richer. St. Mary's County has the second highest growth rate in the State (after Calvert County) and the youngest population. We may be spending less here, but a lot of other places are worse.

We were encouraged to put a Buy Local sticker on our car. (See my previous blog.) Here is a link to the new Buy Local video.

Southern Maryland Give Camp Volunteers

I took some photos about Southern Maryland Give Camp as a favor to my friend, Theresa. Then I wrote an article for The Bay Net to spread the word since it seemed like a worthwhile cause. They had 102 technical volunteers donate their weekend to make new websites and fix existing sites for 19 non-profit organizations. Do you have any idea how much money it saved those nonprofits? (roughly $393,000 according to Jim Pendarvis organizer of the weekend event) And the volunteers had a blast. To view Give Camp pictures and read my article visit my website special page.

New York Institute of Photography Competition results

I’ve been taking a Photoshop course at the New York Institute of Photography. They posted the results of a contest for their 100 year anniversary this month and the photos are marvelous! Unfortunately, I didn’t know about the contest, so I didn’t enter. Maybe next time. Have a look on YouTube if you are interested. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48LfXC17_bc

St. Mary's County Camera Club Third Prize

At the St. Mary’s County Camera Club competition last week my Barn Wall photo received 3rd prize in the Advanced Digital completion. The same photo won 1st prize in the Black and White Abstract category at the St. Mary’s County Fair last September. I even was asked if the Fair could borrow my photograph temporarily to demonstrate photography technique. I liked the wall because of its fascinating textures. I rarely do black and white these days, but the original was very monochrome in color, just right to accentuate the old look of the ancient curling rough wood. The photo was taken in the late afternoon, which increased the shadows and added depth to the wood shingles.

Buy Local in St. Mary's County

Today I attended a St. Mary’s County Small Independent Business Round table at Lenny’s Restaurant for the first time. It was fun to meet some of the other local business owners. We learned about a new local business concept called Buy Local. Because of the recession, the county is having a campaign to encourage local residents to buy local products to help strengthen the local community. After all, isn’t it nice to know you are helping your neighbors when you buy something? It seems more personal too. When I was in college, I loved visiting the local family grocery store because he knew my name!

The next Round Table meeting is scheduled for April 12 at 8:30AM at Lenny's Restaurant and will be about networking and marketing.

Photographing a Chihuahua

I had fun on Wednesday taking photos of a chihuahua named Lacey. She was adorable and sweet. I brought some Mexican hats and a blanket to play with and some cute Christmas costumes. We tried to get her attention by using a squeaky toy and clicker. It was fun doing a pet session. Does anyone know any good websites about pet photography? I’m interested in learning more.

The Ospreys will be in St. Mary's County soon!

We’ve had so much snow this year in St. Mary’s County. It is nice to remember that spring will eventually come. We have an osprey nest in the water just off our property. Usually the female osprey shows up between March 10 and 15th, followed by her male companion. They live in the County until mid September, before flying south to Central and South America for the winter. The female weighs almost twice as much as the male. They are such a joy to see, even if they “yell” at us when we get too close. If you want to learn more about osprey, I recommend two books, "The Fish Hawk: Osprey" (Northword Wildlife Series) by Stephen Carpenteri and a children's book "Ospreys" by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent both currently available from Amazon and elsewhere. Please share with me any good locations in St. Mary’s County to see osprey. I’d love to photograph more of them!