Wednesday, March 11, 2009

I will post another photo tomorrow but today, I would like to take the opportunity to make two announcements. If you look on the right side of the blog just under my profile, you will see two new icons..."My Dream Assignment" and "Paws for Charity". I would like to give some details about both. The most important one first...Paws for Charity.

Sara Harley, a fellow blogger has come up with a great idea for a Breast Cancer Charity. She is an animal lover and lost her mother to breast cancer. Sara has put together a book of animal photographs in a book and the proceeds will go to research for Breast Cancer. I am honored that she has chosen one of my photos...The Basset Hound...earlier posted on the blog for the book. Here are some of her comments concerning the book and the promotion:

What is "Paws for Charity"?
Paws for Charity was created several years ago by four women who ran dog businesses and used their businesses to raise money for breast cancer charity. When the group was started, I ran a dog biscuit business and sold a package called "Crunch for a cure". 100% of my proceeds was donated to breast cancer charity. Last year, I sold my dog biscuit company and Paws for Charity languished. This year, I decided to focus on fund raising through Paws for Charity through two projects. Two of the other Paws for Charity founders continue to sell their products to raise funds, and this year will be raising funds for different charities. Paws for Charity is not a registered charity but we do raise funds for registered charities.

What is the "Art Book Project"?
2009 is the first year for this porject. a 40 page book is being created using donated art and photograph images from the US, UK and Canada. The book features dogs and cats (and one teddy bear!) (the Paws part of the project) and all porceeds raised will be donated to breast cancer charities (the FOR CHARITY part of the project).

Why are you donating to breast cancer? Why not an animal charity?
My mom died of breast cancer when I was 21, so it's a very personal casue for me. I thought it might be unique to use the bond we feel for our animals and raise funds for a human cause.

What is the book going to look like?
The book is a soft cover book, 7 inces square and 40 pages long. It features the artwork and photography of 37 artists from the US, UKL and Canada. It will be published by an online, on demand company. This means that the books are pinted one by one as they are ordered and shipped out to the purchaser direclty by the online company.

I will post more info on the cost etc...once the book is available in April. If you feel so inclined, you can click on the pink icon and it will take you toe Sara's site.


The second icon..."My Dream Assignment" is a contest I entered yesterday. The contest is being offered by Microsoft and Levono( a laptop maker). The winner of the contest will have their "Dream Project" funded. If you click on the icon, it will take you to my "Dream Assignment" and if you feel the project is worthwhile, it would be great if you could vote for me. On the left hand side of the "Dream Assignment" page is a button that says"Pic it" and if you click that , it will register the vote. As doubtful as it is that I would win (some folks already have 500+ votes)...I got started late and the contest ends April 3rd, It is fun to dream and give it a try. You have to sign in in order to vote to keep the voting fair. Sorry about the sign in hassle.

If you choose not to do either, that is fine...no problem. I just thought I would mention the two projects...One a very good cause and the other just a "selfish" dream!

Either way, stop back tomorrow and I will post another photo.

Thanks,

Dan

14 comments:

Karrie said...

I voted Dan! Good luck and it only takes a sec to register :)

Dan Felstead said...

Thanks Karrie...I appreciate the vote. I try not to make the blog a spam site! Just couldn't help myself on these two!

Dan

Jessica said...

Thank you for sharing both! I cast my vote for you! Good luck!!

Dan Felstead said...

Jessica,
Thank you so much for the vote...I think I am fighting a losing battle getting started so late but I'm giving it a try!

Dan

Sara said...

Hi Dan,
So glad you're involved with the Paws for Charity Art Book...it's shaping up great!
Good luck with your dream assignment...everybody's got to dream! I went and voted for you. (hope it went through...can you tell?) Dial up internet access is a real pain sometimes.

Dan Felstead said...

Sara! Thanks for visiting the blog. I appreciate the vote and we will see what happens. It is nice of everyone to take the time out of your day to vote.

Dan

Kathleen said...

Dan, I voted and if it's okay with you I'll put a link on my blog to your dream. I don't have a lot of traffic but you might get a few extra votes. You really do have talent and I think your dream assignment could really make a difference.

Dan Felstead said...

Thanks for the support Kathleen and of course feel free to link to the site. The contest runs until April 3rd. Also, thanks for your kind words.

Dan

~ Denise ~ said...

HI, Dan! I read your comment on Heather's blog and wanted to let you know I'm praying for your wife.

And...your dream assignment? That sounds so good and I voted for you. Good luck! ;)

Dan Felstead said...

Denise,

Thank you so much on both accounts. We are back from the hospital and she will find out in 24 hours if anything was detected. I will let you know.

Dan

boneman said...

Well, odd that I would land here, of all places.
Evansville?!
HA!
I live just in view of Kirklin (OK, thirty few miles North West of Indianapolis, but, sometimes I don't always go along with being called an Indy kind of guy)

So, is that the best connection I can come up with?
J Cosmo, and you and I live in the same state?
Hardly.
I have dogs. Three dogs.
All wonderful toss offs.
(what? More?)
My favorite dog, Princess Gninski, has cancer.
Darn it! Some kind of Anal gland cancer, and I give her pills, put cream on her 'area' and baby the dickens out of her.
She still 'smiles' at me and isn't showing great distress, but, if i understand the vet correctly, if it grows, it will block her...exit holes, and she'll hurt too much then.
Gni Gni (NEE-NEE) is the only girl in a house of three dogs, two cats and two guys.
She is pretty sure she is Queen.

So? is that all?
HA!

Ma had cancer.
Breast cancer. First found back in 1956, four years after my younger brother was born. Double masectomy, but, the lymph nodes had picked it up, and thropugh-out my life, she had surgeries, radiation treatments, then chemo and radiation, then finally just chemo.
Well, she beat it!

HA! SHE BEAT IT!

That was in 1983, I believe. Maybe 84.
I graduated college in 86 (oh Lordy, that was an odd thing!) and she went in for heart surgery in 87, but didn't make it.

OK, one more (maybe) and I'm done.
I've always liked taking pictures, tough never had the proper equipment.
But, i always thought it wasn't the equipment that makes the photographer.
Margarette Bourke-White's best camera might have just been a little better than a handful of those grocery cameras, so, i kept at it as best as i could.
Got some good shots, lost a lot, though.

Then I got a digital camera.
It had one advantage I didn't have before...to take a picture 24"x24" (approximately...I think) and I could crop out good shots.
And did.
Then one day I found the 'video' button. (no doubt about it, I'm a slow learner....) and made literally hundreds of videos.
Was JUST starting to get them together, figuring out how to edit better, when I busted the camera.
Just the viewfinder screen at first. That made for some weird pictures for a while.
(heck yeah I kept taking pictures.
Just pointed the lens in the general direction and snap or whirr)
But, a photographer (and you already know this) takes the camera everywhere ALWAYS no matter where you go.
Even to chop wood out back on the driveway!
Which I did.
And, then, one day, it wouldn't even open for me.

Ah well.
And, it turns out, one more, yet.
I have a charity show I join in on every year in April (the April Show.org), and I share the profit with the charity (Stopover House) but, his year, when (if) I sell enough, I'm buying a good digital.

OK, this comment is now officially too long.
Funny, though, eh?

Dan Felstead said...

WOW Boneman what a message! I have read your posts on Newberry's blog and you always have a way of couching serious subjects amid humor. That is an ability many of us lack. As far as that camera...you are right, a person with passion and heart shooting with an Instamatic will take a more memorable picture than an AP photographer with the best equipment just shooting to fill page.

Dan

Heather said...

WONDERFUL!! I will be buying that book AND I'll mosey over right now to vote for you, Dan. Most definately.

Dan Felstead said...

Thanks Heather, I appreciate the vote and the Paws Charity is definitely a good cause.

Dan