Mike Silversides Photography

Mike Silversides Photography is finally a go. I've been thinking about becoming a professional photographer almost as long as I've been taking pictures. I was all set to get started earlier this spring. But the unexpected expense of buying a new car, and the suggestion of my wife to come up with a business plan, has really slowed things down. And it probably going to take awhile to really get going, but this is the start.

My current system is Minolta Maxxum based, and I've had it just about as long as the Maxxum line has been around. In fact I still have my original Maxxum 7000 kicking around. Sometime soon I'm planning to get a new digital SLR, but I learned to take pictures with my 7000, and I have thousands of slides filed away.

My plan had been for me to look into getting into stock photography sales sometime next spring. But I signed up for the two week smugmug trial and got hooked. There's a lot to like about the smugmug web site if you're looking to get online as a photographer (professional or not).

I'm starting to do some online research into stock photography and found this interesting site. Too bad it looks like Bahar Gidwani is shutting down DIMdump. But there's lots of good stuff, like this post about pricing models that got me thinking that the limited download smugmug pricing options I mentioned in my last post may not be so bad. Also, some encouragement from Bahar's final post.

Wil Wheaton has this to say about creativity:

Stephen King, in his fantastic book On Writing, said that if writers don't make the time to read, they shouldn't even attempt to make the time to write. I used to say something similar about actors or anyone who wants to work in the film industry: if you can't get out to see movies, and if you're not going to watch TV, you're going to have a really hard time being creative in those mediums.

Well, I finally did it. I put down a deposit for a new DSLR. I've got mixed feelings about this. It's a lot of money and I'm just getting started. But by buying the top of the line Canon DSLR I know that the camera won't let me down.

It's been really quite on this website, but I've been quite busy photographically this past year. I suppose the big news would be a purchase of a 24" z3100 HP printer. So I've been busy taking pictures and printing them. Mostly I've been showing them at the Victoria Camera Club. This summer I joined the Coast Collective gallery as an associate member. So I'm also showing prints in various shows there.

I have three prints in the Land and Sea show at the Coast Collective Gallery. The show will be running from August 6-23 2009. I won't be able to attend the opening reception on August 8, but I will be there August 23 when the show closes with a Clothesline event at which I will have more prints to see.

I will be at the Clotheline Show with a selection of prints on canvas and paper.
Many will be from my Forest Impressions collection.

Art on the Line: the Clothesline Show
a community collaboration of the Coast Collective,
Essencia at Esquimalt Lagoon, and Crossroads Bar and Grill
at Essencia at Esquimalt Lagoon
Sunday, August 23
10 AM to 5 PM; live music from 2-4 PM.

The Coast Collective is showcasing the art of the Associate Members from July 8 to 18 2010.

I'm showing three pieces from a recent trip to the Sooke Potholes Provincial Park.

Come enjoy two great festivals at one great place, August 15th, from 10 to 4 at the Coast Collective. Our Second Annual Clothesline Art Show and Festival of Animals combine for our biggest (and sadly last) outdoor event of the summer.

I'll be there showing a variety of work including new pieces where I've embellished my canvas prints with acrylic gel.