It's no secret I am a huge fan of the Florida Renaissance Festival. I have been shooting photos and posting them for years to my Flickr page. I don't get compensated. It is actually a lot of work but I do it because I love doing it. My greatest hope is that someone finds my photos appealing enough to post on Facebook. Imagine my surprise when a friend of mine found two of my photos in a print magazine.
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| Shana Harlow - Autumn Goddess |
Of the thousands of photos I have posted, it is by pure coincidence they picked one of Shana Harlow who puts the same amount of uncompensated time into her Cosplay art as I do in my photography. In fact I just met her last weekend. The Festival has been using my photos in promotions and she stopped to thank me for making it to their web site. I have nothing to do with that - they pick what they like. And she was blue with horns when she mentioned it so I was not sure exactly who she was. I have made hundreds of friends at this, Pirate, and Cosplay events. Occasionally I shoot people I don't actually know who become people I do know. That is the beauty of this environment. Meeting the most extraordinary people in passing then getting to know them.
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| Jenna and Kayla |
To hammer home that point they also picked a photo of two people I've known a long time and have become very good friends with. For these and hundreds of people in between check out my photo sets so far.
Week 1 [click here]
Week 2 [click here]
Week 3 [click here]
Week 4 [click here]
There are 7 weeks total this year and sadly I will not make the final ones. Some of these folks I only see at this time, but some I see at other fairs and events or out in real life which is what I like the most.
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| Shana Harlow |
To be honest, it's not the first time my photos have shown up somewhere. I've seen them in a Groupon ad, Walgreens, various web sites and even a mural in St Augustine. That last one was a pretty big honor and I got my name on a plaque. That's just the ones I know about. I get asked a lot why I don't ask for compensation for the tremendous expense and time it takes me to post these photos. I just smile and wonder what it is in their lives that they have a passion for.
Thank you for the shout out! And as to the passion part - we know all about that! Pompano Today, as we tell people all the time, feeds our soul. Your work is just wonderful, and your mindset, even better. Thanks again from a kindred spirit! - Dawne Richards, Publisher.
ReplyDeleteIt's always a thrill to see your work in print so well-deserved congratulations for making it twice! I'm sure that's the start of many more ... maybe a 'Best of Renfest' book??
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