One Spark Festival

April 17-21 saw the coming and going of Jacksonville's One Spark Festival, held in the core of downtown and featuring over 400 "Creators" competing for a share of a $250,000 crowdfund. We were thrilled to finish in 2nd Place overall, and 2nd Place in Art with our Beyond the Façade project. There are lots of details on the project website and I hope to add some additional posts on the creation process as it relates to my artwork. The most valuable part of the festival for me was the motivation of having the event, forcing me to deliver on an idea I've been considering for years. I needed a goal to commit to and this was it. I was also on a high for 5 days as the public validated our ideas. There's nothing like having positive feedback from people you don't know. The interaction and connections are very valuable.

So what's next? Our original project idea was to identify additional locations for installations and develop a plan for additional pieces. We are recovering from the costs of the project and now have an idea of the effort involved in a large mural-type installation. The funds received from One Spark (around $4,000) will be applied to recovering costs, and we plan to apply for other grants and private funding for the next pieces. I have several ideas in mind and hope that we can be in a position to execute after the summer.

Old world craftsmanship

I've been doing some work for Hugo's Fine Furniture and Interiors and had the privilege of doing some personal shots in their frame shop on Phillips Hiway. I'm really interested in work areas and seeing the environments where real work gets done. This was a fascinating shop, with equipment and tools everywhere. It's fun to discover these places because products don't magically appear out of nowhere. In this case furniture is made by hand from pieces of wood. Wow! No robots, no plastic, no fancy CNC equipment. Just saws, planers, shapers, sanders, and plenty of clamps. I spoke to Steve the shop manager who has been at Hugos for over 30 years. He has an interesting perspective on the importance of making things in a quality way. This was reflected not only in the feel of the shop but in the pieces he was producing. Steve is a true artist. I hope to return because you need time to take all of this in.

PhotoJAX at CoRK

Last night the second annual PhotoJAX photography festival had a reception at CoRK. We had lots of people coming through the studio and I appreciate all the nice comments I received on my space and some new work. I made a decision to print some of my large panoramas from our trip to the Canyonlands, namely the image from Goblin Valley State Park and the sunrise from Hiway 24 looking towards Moab. The Goblin print was 30x150 on canvas, the sunrise was 30x96 also on canvas. I also printed a large image taken at Yellowstone back in 2010. This was a burned out area near the Thorofare Trail trailhead. Last minute I printed a 60x40 tree from Sam Taylor State Park in California (near Pt Reyes). Sometimes you just gotta print these things out to see what you have. Images living in your computer can only take you so far...having the print changes everything.

Some large prints

Winter by Jeff Conley

I'm on the mailing list for the Ansel Adams Gallery who represents some very distinguished photographers, one of which is Jeff Conley. I started looking at Jeff's work and ended up on his site. He published a monograph called "Winter" and my copy arrived last week. It's a beautiful book published by Nazraeli Press, with 42 photographs, and introduction and an artist statement. I love when you receive a book (sight unseen) and it delights instead of disappoints. I can't tell you  how many books I've ordered on Amazon with great descriptions and comments but end up unread on the shelf. If you love beautiful photography books, you may want to consider this one.

Folio Weekly Invitational Artist Exhibition

I was fortunate to have two pieces accepted into this prestigious exhibit at the Cummer Museum of Art. I struggled during the submission process to decide on which pieces to propose. I always find it difficult to sort through work. Do you propose what you think others would like, or work that you truly like? I find it best to enlist the help of others. I'm more apt to choose something that is new rather than something that is richer or more meaningful. I tire of looking at my older pieces so fresh always seems best, which doesn't always equate to a good selection. Earlier this year I ventured out to several local parks and forests. On one very fruitful trip at the Ocala National Forest I captured several images that ended up in my collection of keepers. Sometimes you are blessed with good days. One photograph accepted is titled Forest Renewal and is a panoramic of a pine forest that was just recently burned to clear the underbrush. Earlier in the day I passed some work crews setting small fires at the base of the trees to eliminate the underbrush. The resulting scene left an eerie veil of smoke above the gray ashes and green pine needles.

Forest Renewal

The second photograph is titled Dancing Oaks. The National Forest is essentially a managed forest with pines which stretch out forever. Dirt roads crisscross the area forming a recreational oasis for ATVs and dirt bikes. While driving the dirt roads there is always an occasional oak or other hardwood tree, perhaps left over from earlier times or somehow transplanted there. I saw a grove of oak trees from the road and followed a small path to the area. There were roughly 30 oak trees growing in close proximity in the middle of the pines.

Dancing Oaks

Opening night at the Cummer was exciting and the museum was packed. It was great to actually have a museum opening and to be in the company of many distinguished local artists.

The Art of Doug Eng

The July/August issue of Arbus Magazine featured a story about my artwork. I was thrilled with the result. Sometimes I'm embarrassed when I read something about me. Generally I'm not one to tell the world that I exist, but it's always nice to see your name and work in print. There's a sense of validation and accomplishment, which we all need. I'm grateful for the article and hope that you take a moment to look it over. Many thanks to Cinda Sherman, publisher of Arbus, and Meridith Tousey, writer, for this article.

Arbus, page 60

First stop, San Francisco

Donald is getting married and our first stop is the Bay area to do the wedding and then it's onwards to Hong Kong and Japan. We've been planning this trip for months. While in San Francisco I always try to get a skyline shot from Treasure Island but alas, it was a foggy morning and nothing was visible. So much for getting up at 5 am! The night of the reception we experienced a great sunset. I tried to coax the newlyweds out of the restaurant for a shot but was unsuccessful. So I enjoyed it all by myself. This is from the Hong Kong East Ocean Seafood Restaurant near Marina Park in Emeryville.

Wedding sunset

The next morning I took mom to the airport for an early flight so I made sure I stopped at Twin Peaks on the way home. A great vista but the light was blinding.

View of San Francisco from Twin Peaks

Then a quick stop at Telegraph Hill.

View from Telegraph Hill, San Francisco

San Francisco never ceases to have images to offer. Some cities are just like that.

Message in a Bottle Opening

Most of you know that I've been totally preoccupied with our project Message in a Bottle: Wall of Light for months now. May Art Walk was our big opening, and since I'm writing this long after the wall has been up and taken down, I can say with certainty that I'm glad it's all over. Having a project take over your life is exhilarating but brutal. I'm thankful that I made it through, with the help of Dorian, my brother Robert, and the support of many friends. But essentially it was my baby and I spent the last 2 months constructing the installation. Please check the MIB website for more details and if you can, spread the word of our message to all who are serving (and have served). The project is for them.

Help Portrait 2011

For the third year in a row I've participated in the Help-Portrait project at the Family Promise Center in Jacksonville. This year my good photo buddy, Gray Quetti stepped up to do all the shooting, and I have to admit he really knows what he is doing. We did the shoot on December 10, which is the national day for all Help-Portrait sites to shoot. Gray set up 2 Alien Bees, one in a medium sized softbox as the main and the other as fill bouncing off an umbrella centered above the camera. I usually shoot with lights on the right and left, and this is the first time I experienced the fill on axis with the lens. Gray set the white balance and tested exposure with his light meter. Call it old school but Gray did NO color or exposure corrections to over 900 shots. Typically I'm using the fill slider and tweaking the white balance on almost every shot. We managed to shoot 10 families. I was posing the groups and entertaining the kids.

Gray, Mark, Mark’s wife, and me

One of the many family portraits

Each family received a small photo album and CD with their images. We edited down to around 24 for each one, which turned out to be a tough job. Many thanks to Dorian who tackled the editing. Then we uploaded to Costco for prints. I've been very happy with the results from our local Costco (Allen and his team keep those Noritsu printers in top shape). I ordered some small albums from Neil Enterprises. The cost per album ($2 ea) is inexpensive, but they kill you on the shipping and handling ($18).

Gray and I dropped off the albums and were met by Becky Cravey and Bruce Lipsky from the Times Union. They were hoping to run a story over the holidays, which eventually appeared on January 2. Check it out here. Being present when the families received their photos was a big thrill. There were a lot of happy moms and dads.

Bruce Lipsky of the Times Union and friend

A happy dad and son

Lots of pictures for everyone

If you haven't volunteered or given of yourself, especially over the holidays, I highly recommend it. I told the TU reporter that the photos taken on that Saturday will probably be cherished and appreciated more than all the photos I took during the year. It's a good feeling to know you made a difference in someone's day.

Sunrise at Jax Beach Pier

It's been a while since I updated the blog. I apologize to all of you who frequent my site to see what's going on. I hope you didn't give up on me. I don't know why we quit blogging...I think everyone who has a blog gets complacent once in a while. We'll see if I can get back on track.

Yesterday morning I decided to catch sunrise at the Jacksonville Beach Pier. It's something I've never done before, in fact, I don't know if I've ever watched the sun come up at the beach. Getting up early is tough for me. Add to that a 45 minute drive and it becomes tougher. The alarm rang at 5 AM and I did debate the decision, but I wanted to do this. I usually don't plan my days out. I've been lucky most of the time when I go out early. This morning was no exception. A front had come through yesterday and I was hoping for some clouds, but as I drove out in the darkness all I could see in the sky were stars. Bad sign. I hoped for the best and kept driving.

The Jax Beach Pier parking lot is at the corner of 4th Ave N and 1st St. Parking is free. There were a few surfers there although the wind was very calm and things were pretty flat. I didn't know what to expect and so I grabbed the tripod and a 70-200, with my 24-70 mounted on the camera. I always start out wide until I see what's going on. I took a few shots on the north side of the pier and then walked over to the south. There was another photographer there which ends up being problematic because usually other photographers gravitate to the spots that are naturally good view points and they just park themselves there. Finding other positions where you are not including them in your image can be a challenge. I like to walk around, but this couple stayed in the same spot all morning.

The pre-dawn sky was great and as sunrise approached the sky began to light up. There was a small band of clouds right above the horizon which is good. If there are no clouds, once the sun comes up it will burn out and attempts to shoot in that direction. I knew I would get multiple chances to include the full sky in my compositions as the sun rose and went behind the clouds. As the morning progressed I also noticed a bank of clouds from the north heading south. What was a perfectly clear sky would eventually be filled with clouds. Perfect.

After shooting for about an hour around the pier I decided to pay the $1 and walk onto the pier itself. There were a few people fishing but for the most part it was pretty empty. By this time the clouds had made their way across the sky and I waited patiently for the sun to be obstructed. You can see from the images that the light was great. Around 9:00 I decided to call it a day. I had taken about 140 images and was ready for breakfast at the Beach Hut Cafe on 3rd St (and 13th Ave). A great place for a home cooked breakfast. I'm hoping to get out to the beach more in 2012, and to focus on more regional areas.

Message in a Bottle: Wall of Light

Message in a Bottle Initial Concept by Robert Leedy

I'm close to launching a new project that I'm super excited about. It was conceived originally as an art project based on our activity at Main Street Park for the past 2 months. I wanted to create something in the large planter that runs the length of the block. I envisioned a sculpture that could be illuminated and portray the flowing characteristic of our river and ocean. After deciding on recycled water bottles as the construction material, I concluded that at least 30,000 bottles were required to make something effective. Then I watched the memorials on 9/11. I was emotionally impacted. There are people who give freely of their lives for a higher purpose. I wanted this art to be about those people.

What if each bottle contained a message to our military troops, and what if these messages in a bottle were provided by the people of the city? What if we recorded these messages into a collective voice that could be communicated to our troops and their families? My job would simply be to facilitate the collection, post the messages on a website, and construct the wall with the bottles. This is what our project is all about - a message of gratitude to those who serve. Please read all about it here: http://messageinabottlejax.com/

IPA Awards - 2011

My last submission of Straight and Twisted to the IPA won an Honorable Mention in the Professional Category - Trees. I remember agonizing over what category to use, Professional or Non-professional. I figured I'm a professional now so I went for it. This is a huge competition with hundreds of awards, so I'm careful not to be too excited about this, but it's good for the ego to be selected once in a while. I have my share of rejections for sure! The exercise of submitting and keeping your work in a form where you can efficiently submit is a good practice. I'll do 3-4 submissions a year if I feel my work fits well in the call. IPA is great in that there are categories for everything, and you can spend a fair amount of time looking at some great photography from previous winners.

Fine Art Print Workflow

Here is something to try if you want to test your skills as a photographer and printer:

1. Obtain a painting from your favorite watercolor artist. In my case, it's my studio mate Robert Leedy.

2. Photograph the painting.

3. Make any adjustments in your favorite software.

4. Make a print of the painting, same size as the original, on fine art paper, and show it to the artist.

5. Ask the artist if they feel the print matches the original. If not, repeat Step 3-4. Continue until you run out of paper or the artist is satisfied, whichever comes first.

I was asked to photograph and print 5 paintings for Robert last week for his upcoming show, Beach Access. I eagerly agreed, not knowing what lay ahead. How hard could this be? I have a good camera, daylight balanced continuous lights, a calibrated NEC 2690 monitor, printing to an Epson 9900. Just take the shot, make the print, right?...not so fast. The first test print on 8.5x11 enhanced matte paper (a lot cheaper than the Hahnemuhle William Turner paper selected for the finals) was close. I started out in Lightroom and felt it was just a matter of getting the white balance and saturation tweaked. After about 4 test prints I started to get that sinking feeling. The blues were extremely problematic, and these paintings had lots of blues, different shades and hues. In fact, I don't even know how to describe them. And lots of subtle transitions to yellows and oranges. Robert describes them as "complex." Watercolors are particularly problematic. The colors are created through transparency, that is the only "white" is what is left of the paper that shows through. Much like the colors on your computer monitor. Which means the white balance is actually not white, but the color of the paper. In addition, the paper I'm printing on has a different white balance. Ok, so I'm sorta screwed on this. And yes, although they say a calibrated monitor matches the print exactly, well, it just ain't so. Either my eyes haven't developed the sensitivity to "see" a color match from a monitor to a print, or my system is still off somewhere. Admittedly, the conditions in my studio are not optimal... fluorescent lights, dirty lens covering the lights, some natural light from a window, no shade on the monitor, no balanced light for viewing the print. Horrors!

At some point I through in the towel on Lightroom. It seemed like some of the colors were ok. The reds, greens, and darker shades seemed to be more tolerant of my bad white balance. But those blues and yellows were off. It was on to Photoshop, and masking areas so that I could keep intact what looked good. It seemed like I was going around in circles. Plenty of adjustment layers...Levels, Curves, Hue/Saturation, and White Balance. There's always more than one way to skin a cat in Photoshop. Robert was always helpful in the process. He could tell me, "Doug, this color is way off...add some red here, take out yellow there." Without his clues I would be stuck. For me the blue just needed to be "more blue," whatever that meant!

The next big realization was that an 8.5x11 (really a 9x6) print may look fine, but not all things scale up to 26x18. In fact as we all know, a lot of glaring details start to appear, and the perception of color is no exception. I was in shock to see that what I though was pretty good was actually pretty bad, and I had the large print to prove it. So I went to printing test strips at full size just to get close. After blowing through about $300 worth of paper and ink, I got through each painting. The results are good, not great. If I expect to be doing fine art print services on an ongoing business, I need to go back to school on this. My goal is to arrive at a 90 minute process. If not, then it's something I can't afford to do, or a typical artist can't afford to pay.

July 4th - Family, fun, and fireworks

July 4th is always a good holiday to divide up the year and reflect on what has happened and what is yet to come. I was fortunate to leave the heat and humidity of Jacksonville to spend a few days with Diana's in-laws and Dorian's brother in Ohio. We enjoyed fireworks on July 1 (an early tradition up here) and 3 days of continuous feasting. Being with family always has it's benefits.

Fireworks photography is always fun if you can find a decent spot and the weather cooperates. I regret all those summers I spent in Montreal and never photographed the International Fireworks Festival competitions...oh how I wished I was there for the summer. I experienced the fireworks at Buckeye Lake which is about 40 miles west of Columbus. They say the show is one of the best in the area and it did not disappoint. Almost 30 minutes of explosions. We were able to view them from a house on the lake, no long wait for a spot. After some dismal results with my 24-70 lens, I switched over to my 70-200 and went for some closer shots and details. Not having a clear view of the lake posed some challenges and I wasn't able to get many shots with the reflections in the water.

There are lots of articles on camera setup for fireworks (just Google "fireworks photography"). My settings were ISO 400, f/10, with an average 2 sec exposure. Cable release and tripod are essential. You want to be careful of not blowing out the highlights, so these settings depend somewhat on the distance you are from the show and the number of explosions happening at one time. Be prepared to adjust the ISO and aperture to account for this (check your histogram or flashing overexposure warning). Another convenient setting is to use your "B" mode and just count down the seconds. This gives you more control over when you want to stop the exposure, especially when you see another firework starting to enter the frame. I actually forgot about using "B" and many of my shots ended up with a new firework entering the frame, something to remember. I'm paranoid about focus, and since everything is pitch black you wonder what you should be focused on. You can pretty much go to infinity and just back off a tad. Shooting at f/8 or above will ensure that the lights will be in sharp focus.

While waiting for the show you can always play around with moving your camera on the surrounding lights. This will help you warm up and to get an idea of the exposure.

I post-processed all images in Lightroom and needed to increase the Blacks and Vibrance. Of course some cropping helps to isolate the patterns. I was thankful for the resolution on the 5D2, zooming in on some of the light trails revealed some very interesting patterns. Shooting tight with the telephoto gives a different perspective on the scene. I know that we get caught up in the grandeur of the big circular clouds, but try to isolate for a different look. The half hour show went by quickly. It's nice to have images to relive the moment.

White Oak Conservation Center - Arts and the Environment

White Oak, Annie Leibovitz

45 miles north of Jacksonville, on border of Florida and Georgia along the St. Mary's River, lay 7000 acres of pristine woodlands and fields. Housed on this compound is an amazing assortment of animals, studios, and a wildlife conservation center. This is White Oak, home to white rhinos, giraffes, okapis, cheetahs, and the Baryshnikov Dance Studio. I was asked by Cinda Sherman of Arbus Magazine to accompany her to view the Jacksonville University MFA dance troop completing a week long summer retreat. It was my first time to White Oak, although I've heard about the animals many times. I did not connect Annie Leibovitz's famous "White Oak Dance Project" with this location. Here she photographed Baryshnikov and other famous dancers back in the 90's. I was feeling the power of the place. I also met dance legend David Parsons. The facility is quite amazing but the combination of environmental and arts advocacy is what struck me as unique. And to know that this center is so close to Jacksonville! More on White Oak can be found here. I'm thankful that the Gilman family chose to invest in such a project.

The morning was spent photographing the dancers as they went through a warm-up and choreography exercise. The room was quite large and I brought 2 Speedlights. I really didn't know what to expect and needed to travel light. I set one up on opposites sides of the dance floor and just worked them from there. I wanted to be as unobtrusive as possible. I have gained quite an appreciation for dance and enjoy the energy and flowing controlled movement of the dancers. It is beautiful to watch. I find a great aesthetic to how the individual bodies and arms, torsos, and legs are moved into positions and then as each dancer makes contact and positions themselves in proximity to the other dancers, the composition becomes alive. This is fascinating.

After about an hour of photography we were given a tour of the okapi area, only one of several breeding centers for endangered and threatened animals. We got to be up close and personal with a group of okapis, gentle animals related to the giraffe but partially striped like a zebra.

I was exhausted after the day, but totally inspired not only by the dancers but by the history of the facility for dance, photography, and conservation. What a legacy. I also found and ordered Leibovitz's White Oak book on eBay. Can't wait to get it.

Friendship Fountain flows again!

Jacksonville's icon, Friendship Fountain is back in business after many years of "barely working". The fountain opened in 1965 to much hoopla and I remember it being a very big deal when growing up. The fountain was always the gateway to our city, and we were all very proud of it. So when it came time for the renovation planning in the middle of the recession, you can imagine the battle that had to be won. 3.1 million is the final price tag, but I'm glad we did it. We need symbols that we can be proud of, it lifts the spirit and is a joy to see. I hope everyone in Jacksonville comes downtown to see this new incarnation.

My only beef with the fountain is the music and light show. Listening to patriotic music (Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the USA" among many other favorites) and the disco lighting is a bit much. Knowing that the whole system is programmable through some nifty software makes you want to go in and do something really creative. I'm inquiring as to how we can get some visual artists and musicians involved in improving the quality of the shows.

Next Step Exhibition at Renaissance Gallery

Doug Eng at the Renaissance Gallery

I belong to a group of distinguished photographers called The Next Step who are selected alumni from John Paul Caponigro's workshops. Several of us are participating in a group showing of work at various venues throughout the country. Our first opening was in Rockport, Maine at the Maine Media Workshops and our second was here, in Indianapolis at the Renaissance Gallery. The gallery is actually located in Carmel, Indiana at the center of the Arts and Design District. There are 23 artists participating and our exhibition catalog is published on Blurb.

I am showing two pieces from my Straight and Twisted series - Illumination and Renewal. Each are framed 30x30 in heavy dark wood with a gloss finish. This framing was selected by Donald Dusinberre and I was very pleased with the way the presentation turned out. Framing for prints is like clothing to the person...need I say more? Usually I am looking for low-cost solutions to protect my prints. Since I'm not a "clothing" sort of guy I tend to go with jeans and t-shirts. Sometimes this just doesn't cut it, especially when your art needs to convey a sense of inner beauty, stability, and long term value. This is a tough lesson and an expensive one, considering the number of prints I would like to display. A client needs to be able to visualize your artwork in their office or home. A $15 frame doesn't help.

An evening with the Sierra Club

Tonight I spoke at our local Sierra Club about image design and the art of nature photography. It was great to meet some new friends and I always enjoy yakking about my work. I showed about 60 images from our national parks as examples to explaining image design principles taught to me by Freeman Patterson and Brenda Tharp. At some point in your development as an photographic artist you want to go beyond camera skills. Learning how to “see” is the basis for developing your own style of photography. I recommend highly the following 2 books if you are ready to progress: Creative Nature and Outdoor Photography by Brenda Tharp, Photography and the Art of Seeing by Freeman Paterson.  Most nature photographers have some connection to the Sierra Club. It may be significant or indirect. All who enjoy our National Parks and the results of conservation movements can give thanks to organizations like the Sierra Club, who had the early foresight to raise the red flag to so many situations that had the potential to destroy our natural treasures in the name of progress and industry. My introduction came in high school, where I by chance picked up a 1972 Sierra Club Engagement Calendar. It was one of those spiral bound datebooks with a beautiful image for each week. I remember being fascinated with the photography, not only the technical quality but the beauty and interest in each image. Where were these places, what were these rocks, plants, and details, how could I create images like these? I wanted to know and do.

Back in those dark ages, photography could only be enjoyed by books and magazines. I never had access to viewing a fine art print until much later. Fortunately, the Sierra Club and Ballantine Books had a series of larger format paperback books with inspiring photography. Everytime I went out to photograph, I can remember trying to reproduce those classic images of trees, flowers, and landscapes in these beautiful publications. It’s interesting to view an old book that influenced you. Most of the time I’m so impressed at what was accomplished with film, and how the “style” of nature photography promoted by Ansel Adams, Eliot Porter,  David Meunch, and the likes continues to influence nature photography today. That’s why I love used book stores, because it’s fun to see where your photography came from. And I’m still looking for that engagement calendar.

County Dock - the story of an image

Last night the sunset over the St. Johns River was very nice. Not crazy spectacular but visually beautiful. Typically I don't make a point to hang out and watch sunsets. I figure that there will always be another sunset...what a poor attitude. By chance I had my camera in the car. When I left the gym to come home, I saw the pink sky and headed to the dock. There is always some anxiousness when you approach a site and you don't know what to expect. I've arrived way too many times only to be disappointed. The dock and boat ramp were barricaded which almost sent me home, but I grabbed my camera and decided to check things out. I left my tripod in the car thinking there would be nothing worthwhile to shoot. When I walked to the water's edge it was obvious that I was staying a while. I exposed 50 images. Most of these I laid my camera on the wooden rail for support. I'm typically an f/18 ISO 100 type of shooter. My favorite shot was 1/20 sec, f/6.3, ISO 1250. No 40x60 for this one but I was happy with the result. So what about the other 49 images? I worked a few different angles, isolating the sky, then the water, some verticals, etc.  I found that this image combined all of the elements of interest...the sky, the orange color highlighting the boat, reflections in the water, the docks, the lights of the Buckman Bridge in the background, and the couple watching the sunset. I think it is the couple that adds the human element and scale. When you can get a few elements to come together then an image has a good chance of being a keeper.

Morals of the story: Go to the gym and your rewards will come after, hang out to watch sunsets and be surprised, never leave your tripod in the car.

Cathedral Arts Project Gala

The Cathedral Arts Project provides after school arts education to underprivileged children throughout the local area. The results speak for themselves. I volunteered to photograph their Spring Gala at the Deerwood Country Club, their major fundraiser for the year. With the recent budget cuts in all areas (especially the arts), this event was critical to the operation of the project. Events are not my thing...I stressed out about this all week. But I am always inspired to see a well tuned organization work its magic for a good cause. The gala features a silent auction and live auction for various works of art, trips, dinners, and other luxury items, with plenty of wine and food. All good deals for the lucky winners, and revenue for a excellent cause. I was able to meet and photograph some of the rich and famous in Jacksonville! Everyone had a good time. Cathedral Arts raised over $400,000 for their efforts. It was a major production, and major recognition goes to the organizers and volunteers who pulled the event off. Every service organization needs your help. Find a cause that you believe in and volunteer. It's how we as a community can help each other out.