Facebook

Tiffany Meyers interviewed me and another photographer, Tom Hood, about how and why we use Facebook to help our photography business grow. It's worth a read. A few years ago I never would have thought it would be a "requirement" to use Facebook in branding. It's an invaluable tool to me now though—I even let it come into play when I'm holding a camera shooting. As crazy as that sounds!  
   
Click here to read the article on Adbase/FoundFolios. 
  
Follow this link to Kim Lowe Photography on Facebook.
  

Bittersweet Vacation

Our kids were in paradise. We were in hell. 

  
Within ten hours of arriving in Las Terranes, on the Northern part of the Dominican Republic, we were robbed. No one knew we were there as we hadn't left the villa yet and we arrived early in the morning in total darkness. This clearly was an inside job. The villa was a fortress. Someone waited for us to leave, knew when the security guard was to come on duty and knew the only weakness to the house: a door on the second floor didn't have a double lock while every other window and door did. 

  

The thieves climbed a 10 foot stonewall, climbed over 2 feet of barbed wire, climbed down. Then climbed the house to the 2nd floor balcony and unscrewed the door handle and lock and then proceeded to rob us — stealing very specific stuff from money, lenses, cameras, iphones, ipods and laptops to dental floss and mascara. About 20 grand in total. They were kind enough to leave our kids' diapers. And our passports which were hidden under the diapers. Good hiding spot I guess. 

  

Not only were we angry, edgy and scared but we were suspicious of everyone for the rest of the vacation. We couldn't help but suspect the manager, the pool guy, the housecleaner, the guy at the corner market, the taxi driver, the guard, the 5 year old girl living next door...

  

And the police were totally unhelpful. They took our information and list of things stolen 3 times over 2 days and still got it wrong on the police report. They were just having fun — the lead detective actually made a deputy take his picture holding my one year old. He thought he was a funny kid. The villa manager hinted that the police were getting their cut. Other Americans vacationing for years in the area said this happens all the time — the thieves rob you blind on the first day when your guard is down.

  

So I was painfully left with the gear on my back: one 7D (my back up camera), one basic 50 mm lens, and one battery with barely any life left so I needed to take pictures sparingly as the thieves stole my batteries and chargers too. This little battery life became precious. I'd turn the camera on, quickly guess the exposure, take two shots, then shut the camera off. It lasted though. The battery went dead in the airport on our trip home. 

  

This part of the Dominican Republic truly is paradise and worth visiting—just be sure to stay where there are guards day and night or stay at a resort. Don't rent a house! Especially one of these (click here). They had other terrible break-ins before ours. I guess we should have asked.


Here are a few shots from the week:

   

WEBSITE: New Book

I've been pulling together the next book for my site. And I'd be lying if I said I don't miss being a designer/art director just a little. It's fun — deciding on the final shots, fooling with the placement of each image in a body of images, then getting frustrated, barking at the computer, biting a few nails, throwing the phone, swearing, looking around to make sure my kids didn't hear me swear then shuffling all the images back into one pile to start over for the fifth time! What? That doesn't sound fun to you? You're crazy. Something's wrong with you.  


Just posted the new 'Book One.' Check it out. You may feel like flying a kite afterward. 
www.kimlowe.com  

  

61"

So I have to confess, I haven't been shooting much this past month. I've been playing. Yup, playing. But when you get 61 inches of snow with 2 months of winter still to go, what are you supposed to do?! You can't fight with Mother Nature and the schools when they decide to close. You make the most of it. My son and I were up and out early this morning climbing Mt. Everest after we got another 10 inches of snow last night. 
   
I can't help but wonder what this much snow looks like to a 3 year old. 
  

You want fries with that?

This blog post is worth reading from beginning to end—whether you're a photographer or a client hiring a photographer or even if you're neither of these. Interesting!
   
Photographer Doug Menuez's perspective on the photo industry right now
  

WEBSITE: Pets + Animals

Working on the Archive section of my website this month—Pets + Animals is one of a new series that I'm hoping to have up before Spring. 

   

Happy!

My 3 year old has made a happy-snow-loving 3 year old out of me! There isn't a snowpile/mountain/cliff in all of Boston we haven't climbed today.
   

PDN/Photoserve

PDN/Photoserve do a "Guest Editor" piece showcasing one photographer's work a month. This month they picked up a piece that was written by a recent client, Gisela Voss, of B. Toys about working with me on the 2010 + 2011 toy catalogs. Click here to read the article. 
   
And these are some of the photos you'll find in my Photoserve portfolio: 

Good Morning

[  TWO KIDS Series ]  I'm the mother of two boys! How the heck did that happen and when are their real parents coming to get them?!
  

Vermont Life

A couple years ago I had the wonderful privilege to meet and photograph an amazing master potter, Robert Compton. I'm working on a New England section of my website where I'll have more from this great shoot. 
  
Visit Robert Compton's website to get the background on his work and his kilns by clicking here. Look up Dragontail while you're there.