Giver of gifts

My little boy is almost always giving me gifts. I may be typing away on the computer or busy with laundry or cooking and there his is, with a little homemade card and possibly a toy. He surprises me with these things. I know that it's a way to get attention, but what a loving way it is. "It's for YOU!" he announces.

I think I'm supposed to take a break from my work at these times, to give the guy a hug and a kiss and a thank you. To display the work prominently. To notice. Yes, that's it, to notice, to take notice to pay attention. Zen and the art of little tiny construction paper hearts with my name on them. Because we are loved.

Etsy feature & new work

Etsy featured my name block photos on their Facebook page a few days ago. Soon after, I had two new sales, which I wanted to share with you (above).

For the baby docs

I have had such a positive response to my children's name block photos that I decided to do a new line of photos that would be right for decorating a pediatrician's office. I thought of it last night, came up with some sample images today, listed it on Etsy and have had two inquiries about it today. I have all sorts of animals but thought some might not be right because no one wants to be a pig or a lion might be too predatory (and have the opposite of the desired effect on the children). So, the sample images are of gentle animals who children might feel calmed by seeing in the waiting room. I am always happy to answer any questions, just send me an Etsy conversation.

My friend, Courtney recently had a baby and I made this personalized block photo for her. Her mom hosted an "afternoon tea" for her this past weekend and it was so much fun. Kind of like a baby shower, but with lots of different teas and antique teacups to choose from, cakes, scones, little sandwiches. I found an 11 x 14 frame at Target that had a white wood border and a white 5 x 7 matte opening which was just perfect for this image. She was really touched when she opened the gift and almost cried. I absolutely love giving personal gifts was so delighted to meet Elle.

Don't touch! Don't worry.

I think that combining my roles of mom and photographer are going to be impossible sometimes. Today I needed to bring a framed photo to the shop where I am now selling work, Williamsville Artisans. But I needed to do so with my four-year-old in tow. The shop is filled with stained glass, hand painted wine glasses and other very fragile items. So, I decided that I would offer McDonald's after the errand if we made it through without touching anything. However, as soon as we got there, Debbie, the store owner, made my son feel right at home and gave him a toy castle to play with while we discussed business. He did not even seem slightly tempted by all of the lovely glass objects when there were battles to be fought and horses to be ridden. I felt such a wave of gratitude toward her. My only difficulty was then, getting my son out of the store and to McDonald's. Toy knights vs. happy meal toy that didn't work? No contest.

Custom blocks

I decided to offer custom blocks in my Etsy shop. I wanted to offer grandparents, parents and others who wanted to offer a special gift for a child's room a customizable photo featuring the child's name on vintage blocks. In each of the photos that I've done, little toy animals have also been added. I've been busy with making a number of these for the holidays and have put two examples in the shop that I am now showing work in: Williamsville Artisans.

The Happy Accident

"The Happy Accident" used to be a much more frequent occurrence in photography. There were so many steps where a photographer could ruin a shot, or end up with a wonderful mistake. Film development, darkroom work, getting the film into and out of the camera, you name it, you could screw something up. Now that we have gone digital, so many images are clear, crisp and precise. Moving cleanly from shutter release to Photoshop and beyond. What I have noticed is that people are creating the happy accident again. TTV, Polaroids, Holgas, Dianas, Photoshopping in dirt and scratches, all to make it look like you messed up your film or that you have a cheap lens, or terrible light leaks. With the mistakes comes a human vulnerability as well as a nostalgia that we have for images that remind of us of old family pictures. The photo at the top of the page is a Polaroid that I took recently, that has either a chemical stain or a light leak down the top. I thought it kind of looked like a shaft of light and added to the mood that I was trying to create for the photo.

(c)2008 Jennifer Dennis Potter, all rights reserved for all photos.

my young photo assistant

I started my shop on Etsy, jenniferdennispotter in March and since then, my kids, especially my son (pictured) have wanted to get in on the fun. Etsy has given me a way to be with my kids, create my work, and have it seen. My latest body of work has been my toy series. I've been using small toy animals in studio or realistic settings to create little scenes. A typical afternoon for us may be: taking the dog and the little toy animals to the park for a hike and to take photos. My son will clear away little sticks, brush and other things that impede the look of the photo at my request, feels like a big helper and learns some things about photography as we work. We look for just the right moss, just the right light, just the right pose of the deer. After he is asleep at night, I edit the image in Photoshop and post it to Etsy, if it's worthy. If not, we've still had a great hike and the chance to work together.