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Hello photography enthusiasts, and others!
My name is Jessica Hirschmann and I am one of the founders and curators of Long Island Photo Gallery. This is my first blog entry. For some I reason had a feeling that I should write an entry for this month. So, here we go …
I have always been involved with photography. When I was a kid I always wanted to hold the family camera and take pictures to document our family vacations. This didn’t always go over very well, since I had no idea what I was doing back then. As time went on I got a job at my local Genovese Drug Store (which turned to Eckerd Pharmacy, and is now Rite Aid) and of course, I ended up in the photography department. This meant that I was developing 35mm color film for a living.
During my time working as a Photo Tech, I began college and majored in photography. The focus there was all about the history of photography, learning about image composition, developing our black and white 35mm film, printing our own images, and then eventually studio lighting. I did learn a lot more than that, but those are the main topics that still remain burned into my mind. I loved all of the photography assignments, but I never enjoyed the pressure of having to take the specific photos.
 Pink Tulip, by Jessica Hirschmann I have always been around photography, so it only seemed logical to stay in photography as a major. So, why did I switch my major to web design? Well, I didn’t realize this until today, while I was writing this blog entry. If I continued to major in photography then it would probably have killed my passion for photography. Yea, I know that sounds weird!
Recently in 2009, Joanne Henig and I took a trip down to Florida to participate in the 2009 Birding & Fotofest. I had a great time, but sad to say I took better pictures when I got home and was hanging out in my backyard. I have realized that photography for me needs to be a hobby and nothing more. I tend to flake out when there is the slightest bit of pressure. So, this means there will be no paid portrait jobs for me! Well, for now, until I figure out how to get over this hump.
Now back to Long Island Photo Galley. It is a great feeling to be around other photographers with the same passion. But I especially love that Joanne Henig and I have created this local niche for other photographers. Not only can we display our photography to the world, but also help other Long Island photographers to promote their work. Even if a photographer is a beginner they still have an opportunity to showcase to the world what they see as fine art. Plus, they have the opportunity to sell their work to the public. By the way, it’s an amazing feeling to know that someone out there has connected to something I’ve photographed!
What does this all mean? I think my personal life story around photography taught me the following … follow your heart and work on staying passionate with that makes you happy. After all, hobbyists take great pictures too! With that said, I need to grab my camera and see where I end up!
Wanted to give a quick shout out to Long Island Photo Gallery’s top selling artists for October, 2010.
Joanne Henig with 8
Steve O’Day with 5
Brian Sheahan with 2
The following artists also had sales in October:
Jim Dohms
Joe Cubiotti
Jessica Hirschmann
Mike Stein
Jim Cook
Debra Moody
Please keep an eye on the images you have available for sale on the newly designed Long Island Photo Gallery website as we add new photos all the time.
We spent the better part of last week focused on Long Island Photo Gallery. We kicked off a new season of photography networking with our annual meeting on September 22, 2010. Great turn out and great ideas. (See previous post)
Then we bought a booth and displayed our fine art at the West Islip Craft Fair. A huge fair, filled with great vendors, food and music. Long Island Photo Gallery was one of the great vendors. Right up there with the pickle vendor!
Those that passed by were drawn into our ‘gallery’ to view our newest medium, the Gallery Wrapped Canvas printed by member Rich Lombardi. We sold a lot of matted prints and we believe that the amount of cards and literature that we gave out will carry over to sales off the website.
We also believe that we could see our membership grow as a result of being at the fair. Numerous photography buffs stopped in to chat. We met so many really nice people.
 Photo Credit - Joe Cubiotti Thanks to Mike Stein and his daughter Danica (who wanted a plate of bacon for breakfast) who came out to help us set up and sell. Mike sold 3 pieces! Congrats Mike! Also thanks to some of our members that stopped in to say hello. Kim Pace with her boys and Mom. Joe Cubiotti with his good friend Derek. Mark Stumpf with his son, daughter and parents. Great to see you all!
Next up … Fink’s Farm photography field trip. October 9th, 2010 at 1:00 PM. Please RSVP at Event Brite and please visit the Fink’s Farm website for attraction information. This is a FAMILY field trip and is a great place to play with the camera.
Do you have a little voice inside your head that steers you away from your photography goals? If you’ve tried and failed to reach your photography goals in the past, negative thoughts may be what’s holding you back. Try this 1 -2 – 3 approach for success.
First, you need to review your goals. Are they “pie in the sky” goals or realistic goals that you can visualize yourself completing or achieving? Stick with the latter. There is nothing worse than trying to be the over achiever. I’m not saying not to shoot for the moon. What I am saying is to set your goals based on where you are today and then let your goals build to help you travel the path to where you want to be.
Second, you need to have your goals written down. A piece of paper is fine. Some computers are equipped with simple software like To Do List makers, Stickies or a simple Note Pad. For me, it’s good old fashioned paper. My computer is for all the techie stuff I have to do each day. And that piece of paper is ever-present in front of me, regardless of what is going on on my computer. Whatever you decide to use, write your goals down.
Third, you need to act. One goal at a time. Just recently I was watching a video about ‘branding’. And I realized that I was doing a fairly good job of branding my photography business but, there were a few things missing. So I wrote down specific goals to achieve the end result of a complete branding of my business. One by one I completed the tasks and viola!, goal achieved! I would have missed a few steps along the way if I had not first, reviewed the goal; second, wrote the goal down; and third, acted on it.
Long Island Photo Gallery has some of the best photographic talent organized under one website. We all did not get there by sheer luck. We got there by setting and achieving goals.
Clear all negativity from your mind when reviewing your goals. Never say never! And make sure you shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll be among the stars!
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~ Joanne
The 2010 annual meeting was a huge success. I am humbled by the experience.
Who knew a year ago that we would be able to assemble 10 Long Island Photographers in one room and get them to discuss their personal photography goals, their collective desire to see Long Island Photo Gallery become the best it can be. Wow. And wow again!
The Numbers Game
Compared to last year, Membership is up 633%, Unique Site Visitors are up 173% and the average sale in our online store is up 301%. This is no accident. This is hard work!
Create Your Opportunity
This unique group is driven by its phenomenal members. With such a great and diverse group of people we can only be successful in all that we do. I am a firm believer in the ‘laws of attraction’, meaning that you get what you give. T-E-A-M. I’m sure you all know what that stands for 
That Was Cool
The results of the ideas and desires of our members will develop over the next several months. Make no mistake about it, there will be further development! Everyone that attended the annual meeting last night contributed to the discussion. That was cool!
We Are Not In Competition With Each Other
It is no longer cool to be silent. We have become a group where everyone’s voice counts. Each of us is a sponge soaking up snippets of photography knowledge. Share. Share. And share some more. We are not in competition with each other. We are each other’s support!
The Year Ahead
It’s going to be busy. Participate as often as you can. Stay in touch with fellow members. Login and post comments to the blog. Bring opportunities in for all of us to share. Make a suggestion. Suggest a Critique Night theme. Lead an education event. Get in front of the camera during an LIPG Studio Headshot event. Sign up for LongIslandPhotographers.org. Join our ‘Promote The Gallery’ committee. Submit suggestions for improvement of your LIPG websites. Sign up to be a Guest Writer for this BLOG. Be an LIPG Facebook Friend. Follow LIPG on Twitter. Give during our 1st Annual Help Portrait event.
I thank you all from the bottom of my <3.
~ Joanne
Congratulations to June’s Long Island Photo Gallery’s Framed Art Giveaway winner – Doreen Snyder!
July’s giveaway going on NOW!
 Doreen Snyder, June's Winner!
Portraits, fashion, editorial, landscapes, documentary, conceptual – all of these genres, and others not named, are open for consideration. Prints should take whatever form they need to in order to represent the continuum of tones, including gray tone, warm tone, cool tone, sepia, or other monochromes that comprise your photographs.
 Photo Credit: Joanne Henig Awards:
- First place Award: $300;
- Second place Award: $200;
- Third place Award: $100;
- Selected images will hang in the Mpls Photo Center galleries along with photographers from throughout the world. All exhibitors are included in the Mpls Photo Center’s online gallery.
How to enter this photo competition
This little group of ours has gone from a ‘good idea’ to a real ‘community with opportunity’!
Congratulations to Debra Moody, Jessica Hirschmann and Joanne Henig! All three Long Island Photo Gallery members have had their fine art photography chosen by the SheltAir Corporation to be on permanent display at their new terminal at the Francis S. Gabreski Airport, which is located in the Village of Westhampton Beach.
This is some great recognition for our group and our members. Here are the 6 images that were chosen:
What’s next for Long Island Photo Gallery and its members? We can only say that we have high hopes for continued success. It is because of our member’s enthusiasm that we continue to grow and achieve outstanding recognition throughout Long Island as ‘the’ place for fine art Long Island photography!
Worldwide Photography Gala Awards benefiting Save the Children is calling for entries from photographers around the world.
Enter for your chance to win WPGA 2010 Professional Photographer of the Year, US$ 5,000 cash prize, WPGA Amateur Photographer of the Year, US$ 3,000 cash prize, or WPGA 2010 Emerging Talent of the Year, US$ 1,500 cash prize.
The Official web site and entry rules: http://www.thegalaawards.net/call-for-entries
Good luck!
~ J
On May 8th, 2010 Long Island Photo Gallery members and their guests will be taking a photography field trip to the Vanderbilt Estate Museum in Centerport, Long Island.
According to the VanderbiltMuseaum.org website, the mansion has 24 rooms and its original construction was designed by the same architectural firm that designed New York City’s Grand Central Station. Later additions to the William K. Vanderbilt II mansion at his Eagle’s Nest estate were executed by architects that trained with the same architectural firm. Feel free to take a tour of the mansion while we’re there. Mansion tours last 50-60 minutes and are scheduled every twenty minutes.
The 43-acre museum complex counts among its collections not only the Gold Coast-era mansion [1910-1936], a marine museum, natural history habitats, curator’s cottage, seaplane hangar, boathouse and numerous other estate features [gardens, fountains, balustrades and pools], but also marine and natural history specimens, house furnishings and fine arts, photographs and archives, and an extensive collection of ethnographic objects that make up the former William K. Vanderbilt II estate. A portion of today’s museum – the Hall of Fish – was actually opened to the public during Vanderbilt’s lifetime. Then, as now, the museum seeks to preserve and interpret artifacts that represent his life, collecting interests and intellectual legacy.
The Vanderbilt Mansion is located at 180 Little Neck Road, Centerport, New York 11721-0605. General admission is $7 per adult and $3 per child under 12. The mansion tour is an additional $5.
Looking forward to seeing you on May 8th!
~ Joanne
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