October has made sure that we artists are running from one beautiful nature scene to another. On October 13th, I was able to take a great camera class offered by Southeastern Camera, located on Atlantic Avenue in Raleigh, NC. The professional photographer who taught our class was Mr. Vinny Colucci of MV PhotoImaging, LLC. The class instruction was excellent. Mr. Colucci’s comments and advice, along with great picture examples accomplished his goal of helping us to become better photographers. The best treat was the last part of our class. We broke for lunch and then regrouped at Yates Mill Pond Park. Nothing was safe from our cameras as we practiced taking photo shots of water, the mill, bees, flowers and the awesome scenery that surrounded the mill pond. Mr. Colucci had his camera and it was wonderful having the chance to see him and his camera catch great pictures. Mr. Colucci has co-authored a book with his business partner, Ms. Melissa Southern. If you are a shutter bug or just want to take better pictures, I can recommend picking up a copy of “Digital Photography Boot Camp – Nature & Travel Photography Field Guide” (2011) It is filled with lots of good information and picture examples. I would also suggest signing up to receive Southeastern Camera’s newsletter. It’s a great way to stay informed about their upcoming sales and photo classes.
October is the month before Annual Art of the Carolinas happens in here in Raleigh, NC! Starting on Thursday, November 8, 2012 and finishing up on Sunday, November 11, 2012, this will be the 12th Annual Art of the Carolinas. Presented to us by Jerry’s Artarama, there will be lots of vendors and a host of talented instructors from all over the country, offering great workshops. I’ve dog-eared several pages in the program booklet and have a budget for three classes. So far I have signed up for a 6 hour class with Artist James Sulkowski, who will be instructing us in the principles of light and atmosphere when painting landscapes. I was too late in signing up to get into Artist KImberlee Maselli’s class on seascapes, but have hopes of catching one of her other classes offered at Jerry’s Artarama at a later date. Right now I am down to five classes that I am trying to narrow down to two. They are all so tempting but my budget will only allow me to take three, so with one picked, I am trying to pick two more. I do need to hurry up with my selections or the “0” seats available sign will bite me again. If you love taking classes that will help you in your art career, you will certainly be satisfied with all the offerings at this event. I started reading the bios of the instructors and it was better than reading a box of chocolates selection menu. For those of you who know how much I love great chocolate, you’ll understand what I am saying. I declare, if sleeping with this catalog under my pillow would let me soak up a tiny bit of the featured Artist instructor’s talents, it would be there. As I said, October is a busy month for so many great reasons! Wish me luck on my class choices.