My New Year Wish

~ Is for all to be compassionate citizens, to live in harmony with whatever…..

Me & Repeat

Name: John Anthony Craig Jr.

Born: May 19, 1969

Occupation: Photographer

High light of this year: Published in two books, couple of magazines and had short story published.

Low light of the year: Forcing my ego to commit suicide, now I feel guilty....

Influences: Picasso, Bach, Ken Wilber, Gary Snyder

Hobby: Yoga

Strengths: I can do push-up, lots of them

Weakness: My wife’s smile

Height: 5’9

Weight: 158 lbs

Hair: Dark brown

Eyes: Hazel

Religious Views: Integral Spirituality

Addiction of choice: Coffee…no, no it’s red wine…no, no it’s scotch

Photo of the Week

Camera: D700
Aperture: F/ 7.1
Shutter Speed: 1/100
ISO Speed: 400
Focal Length: 50mm

Photographer’s Blog Class ~ All January 2010

You will learn:
Are you struggling with:
~ Finding business
~ Finding time to market/brand/ advertise
~ Finding time to shoot

Due to scheduling conflicts & previous one-on-one sessions I have decided to cancel the Purposeful Blogging Workshop and instead will be doing small group classes (4 people or less) or one-on-one sessions.

Prices will stay the same $55.00 for the class (be it small group or one-on-one) you choose.

Why the change? Privacy ~ Over the past year of doing the one-on-one session it has been beneficial to the photographer to be able to ask business questions that publicly they would not be comfortable sharing.

Location: 502 W. North Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15212
Cost: $55. 00
Length of class: 3 hours, give or take
Contact: Elizabeth Craig at 724.355.9079 or by email at craigphotography@mac.com

Meet The Family

Photo Taken by Annie O'Neill

Question

~ What is the “It Quality ” that creates separations between you and other photographers in your market?

~ What has changed in the photography market in the last year?

Quick Thoughts

~ Left over Indian food is good for breakfast
~ Martin Sexton album "Seeds" is groovy...
~ For God-sake use a tripod people.
~ Why are insurance company stocks raising if reform is on its way?
~ We are out of coffee, just a quick thought.
~ I think my wife may be funnier person than I am.
~ Also I think my wife may have better taste in music then I do?
~ The UPS truck stops at our house nine times a day. Should I get the driver a Christmas present?

Photo of the Week

Camera: Nikon D700
Exposure: 0.006 sec (1/160)
Aperture: f/1.6
Focal Length: 50 mm
ISO Speed: 200

County Chronicles, There's No Place Like Home

You can check out some of my night photography photos that were just published in a book written by Ceane O'Hanlon-Lincoln "County Chronicles, There's No Place Like Home".

You can pre-order the book (here)

Art & Spirit

I have been thinking about the relationship between art and spirit. It was my intention to write an essay on this topic, but so far I only have a list of thoughts and ideas on how art and spirit mirror each other.

~ Familiar but yet not understandable
~ On the edge of being present
~ Search for meaning in the light
~ Explore the idea of what is…
~ Perspective (Man thinking differently on what is…)
~ Transform and include, follow the wisdom
~ Chaos to unity
~ Only purpose is to serve
~ To get us in touch with what is inside of us
~ Both totally human and totally divine

Not sure where I am going with this list of ideas but at this point in my writing it seems that art and spirit create feeling which keeps society moving forward…and that is a stronger power than words.

A Big Thanks

Thank you to all who attended the Q & A/Meet & Greet last night.

Last night was a night of remarkable questions, thoughts provoking conversation and making of new friendships. Photographers of all different levels came out to share their thoughts and opinions on photography.

An extra big thank you to my wife Elizabeth and David Burke for co-hosting this event.

We made a new friendship in another husband and wife photography team that will be moving to Pittsburgh next year. Elizabeth Vincent Photography, so go to their blog and leave a welcoming comment for them; let them know that Pittsburghers are a welcoming people even after a losing to the Browns.

Lastly to the lady who brought the pepperoni roll, God bless you Nikki…it was awesome…

2 Workshops: NOW BOOKING

David Burke & John Craig
How To Everything (& More): PHOTOGRAPHY

In your gut you want to be a PHOTOGRAPHER. Or maybe you just want to learn how to use that expensive camera you just bought but you’re not sure who to ask. You have a great eye for composition but you just need some guidance, an advisor to help YOU fulfill your dreams. Make the jump from thinking, daydreaming and create great photographs…

Is this you?
-You take great pictures
-Everybody tells you that you take great pictures
-Your friends and family always ask you to bring your camera
-You bought an expensive new DSLR camera
-You have no idea how to use to it, except on AUTO
-The camera’s manual scares the bajesus out of you
-You love photography and want to get better

Who should take this workshop?
-If the list above is YOU
-You love taking photographs
-ISO, F/stop, shutter speed, and aperture are words that means nothing to you
-You have no idea what DSLR means
-If you want to able to tell your camera what to do
-If you want the mysteries of the photo universe revealed to you

What you will learn:
-Understanding exposure
-How to use your camera in manual mode
-How to take a photo “correctly” in camera
-Natural light techniques
-Understanding your lens
-Understanding White Balance
-Flash Techniques


Date: January 23, 2010
Location: 502 W. North Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15212
Time: 10 am-4pm
Cost: $175.00: includes boxed lunch
Class limited to 15 people
Contact Elizabeth Craig at 724.355.9079 or by email at craigphotography@mac.com for more information and to register.


Purposeful Blogging Workshop

Every photographer that I have ever met struggles with the same issues:

I am too busy running my business; I have no time for creative new work. How do I get more time?

Or

It’s too important for me to keep creating so I have no time to run my business. How do I get more time?

These questions will be answered at my Purposeful Blogging workshop.


"Purposeful Blogging is a marketing tool for photographers who want to grow their business by building an audience through the use of new communication models. Blogging for your business is a demonstration of your skill and representation of who you are. This workshop with Photographer will introduce you to techniques that can help you launch your business into the blogosphere.”

This is workshop of must-have information on how to build your audience thru blogging and how to sustain you business.

Date: January 30, 2010
Location: 502 W. North Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15212
Time: 1 – 4pm
Cost: $55. 00
Class: limited to 15 people
Contact Elizabeth Craig at 724.355.9079 or by email at craigphotography@mac.com for more information and to register.

Photo of the Week ~ Ambient Art

Man-Spa

This past Saturday I went to a man-spa for a haircut.

Man-spa is not its real name, its real name is a French word that I cannot pronounce with funny symbols above specific letters in its name. I have been to this man-spa before for other types of man-spa treatments but I am no longer secure enough in my manliness to have these other treatments done to me in a public place whose name I cannot enunciate.

Sitting in the man-spa is a very manly experience for the man who wishes to feel pretty. They offer you lattés, cappuccinos and water that comes in oddly shaped bottles that look expensive. The waiting room smells of musk and leather, I think it might be burning candles. The magazine collection is a mixture of sports, cars, and man-style fashion magazines; think Vanity Fair for men. Vanity Fair is a magazine that men and women can both read, right? Nonetheless I pick up a copy of Esquire magazine and read an article about how Robert Downy Jr. is the second best actor in America. Never did find out who number one was.

The receptionist tells me that my stylist, Jess, will be right out. Jess? An androgynous, transgendered name…that always makes me uncomfortable. Not that I care if a man or woman cuts my hair; its the not knowing of who will walk around the corner to meet me. Ok Jess is a girl, a good-looking non-confusing gender of a woman. Don’t judge me, its a man-spa, I am here for the experience.

I explain the haircut that I want to Jess. It’s a mixture of Buddhist monk meets Brad Pitt haircut in Mr. & Mrs. Smith. Jess calls it a buzz cut and places a number four guard on her clippers and within ten minutes I can see the white dome of my skull.

Next, the man-spa treatments that I am secure enough to treat myself to--scalp message with a hot towel wrapped around my face. The next three minutes with Jess are blissful.

Q&A Session & Meet-n-Greet w/ John Craig & David Burke

Hi all ~

Q&A Session & Meet-n-Greet w/ John Craig & David Burke

Thursday December 10th from 7pm to 9pm

Meet up: My house ~ Will send out directions at a latter date.

Cost: Free

What to bring: Your questions, camera, good attitude and a friend. Let’s build the community.

Please RSVP if you plan on attending....

Peace ~ John

Coffee Shop

Yesterday I was waiting in a coffee shop for a photographer friend of mine. You probably think that I am the type of person who would spend time in coffee shops. I am not but I should…

Top 5 reasons why I do fit the “coffee shop” stereotype:

1) I drink coffee.
2) I like to write in public places to steal ideas.
3) I have that scruffy-beard-artist-look-thing going for me.
4) Reading books in public places makes me feel cool. Got to feed the ego.
5) I like listening to music by white men with sad lyrics while playing acoustic guitar.

Top 5 Conversations overheard in a coffee shop:

1) Two stripper Moms trying to decide on daycare for their daughters
2) 80 year old man searching for his birth parents
3) Why fried bologna sandwiches are the best; seriously this was a great conversation to eavesdrop on.
4) Anything about religion, especially why other religions are wrong.
5) Isn’t John Craig extremely good looking?

Moment

Current Reading: Juliet, Naked By Nick Hornby
Current Music: Second Nature By Dominic Miller
Mood: Looking Up
Sounds: Fan
Smells: It is 4am when I am typing this; aromas do not wake up until at least 5am
Temperature: 42 degrees
Thoughts: Be on the edge of being present

Photo of the Week ~ Ambient Art