Frequently Asked Questions
Did you take all these pictures?
Yes. I do most of my own printing, too. I get the glossy cards done by Catprint, and I buy the mat board precut; everything else I do myself.
Are they digital?
Mostly. I have a few cards that I scanned from slides and negatives, but mostly I took them with a digital camera.
Do you edit them?
Only to correct the color and take out minor dust spots. Everything you see is pretty much the way I saw it when I took the picture. Well, with a couple of fairly obvious exceptions like that screech owl on the right.
How long have you been taking pictures?
Since I was about nine, in 1970. I'll pause while you add that up.
What kind of camera do you use?
I took most of the cards with a Pentax *ist DS, using either a Pentax 18-55mm zoom lens, or a Sigma 28-300mm zoom lens. In 2008, I added a Pentax 200D to my collection.
How do you print them?
For the matted prints, I use an Epson R1800 printer, Epson paper, and Epson ink. The manufacturer says that with proper care, they should last fifty years or more.
Do you have a picture of...
Yes, but I left it at home. I could probably leave two thirds of what I usually have at a show at home. The problem is figuring out which two thirds.
What kind of bird is that? (Normally asked about the bird to the left.)
It's a Stellars Jay. They live on the west coast--I found this one near Lake Tahoe, California.
Is that your cat?
That's Teddy. He's not mine, but he has asthma (allergic to cats, I think) and needs an inhaler twice a day. When his humans go out of town, he comes to stay with me.
How to you get a cat to use an inhaler?
With a certain amount of difficulty. In the picture to the right, I'm holding the inhaler in my right hand. Between the inhaler and Teddy is a spacer with a cone at the end.
The cone goes over his mouth and nose, the inhaler goes in the other end. I squeeze the inhaler and wait until he takes a few breaths,
then let him go. He generally tolerates it.
Do you sell your work online?
Not formally, but if you're interested in something you've seen at a show or in my photo album, e-mail me and we'll work something out.
Do you take credit cards?
Yes. I take Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express. Checks, too.
Where do you get your supplies?
Enough people have asked me this question that I've started handing out cards with the answers.
It's no secret--I'm selling 40 years' of experience taking pictures, not paper, ink, and mat board.
Besides, I got most of these from fellow crafters. Here are some of my favorite suppliers:
Glossy Cards: Cat Print
These are the only items I don't print myself. I tried, but I couldn't find a combination of ink and glossy card stock that worked. They did.
Custom-cut mat board: Documounts
Boxes, merchandise bags, etc.: Uline
Just about anything you could want for warehouse or store supplies. Next-day delivery to a lot of places.
Ink and paper:
Envelopes, etc.: Paper Mill Store
Bags, etc.: Paper Mart
Foam board, etc.: Jerry's Artarama
Watch for the occasional 20% off sale.
Backing board, bags and boxes for cards: Clear Bags
Photo frame cards: Photographer's Edge
Photo editing software: Paint Shop Pro, from Jasc/Corel (it does what I need, and costs less than Photo Shop)
Shows: Check my home page. I have shows for the past couple of years listed.
In return for all this information: if you find a good supplier or a show I don't know about, let me know!
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