Wow, it’s been forever since I’ve updated this site with a blog post! That is going to change starting today. In the next while, expect to see a lot more posting going forward, as well as a new website design that I am super excited about! But first…
Ladies and Gentlemen, it’s time!
Time for what you say?! Time to release my very first 1/1 Photography NFT! (if you don’t know what an NFT is, I suggest checking out a few articles such as this one by Jonny Melon https://www.jonnymelon.com/nft-photography-guide/)
After absorbing all the info I could in the last few weeks, I feel comfortable in the knowledge I’ve gleaned to make this first big step into the space.
Introducing “Into the Blue” as my first art piece on the blockchain as a 1/1 NFT and my Genesis drop. As my very first NFT release, I am listing this photo for 0.25ETH. As we sell 1/1 pieces at this initial price, the value of future releases will gradually go up by 0.25ETH with a target of a floor price of at least 1ETH for 1/1 artwork. This first initial collection will consist of 5 1/1 NFTs with 10% of sales going to Habitat for Humanity, and 10% of all sales will be reserved to support other artists work.
The Image: “Into the Blue” January 7th, 2017
Ambient temperatures helped form these ice crystals know as “Frost Flowers” along the edge of the ice. It was approximately -20C while shooting here, making for very chilly fingers shooting so low to the water! Frost flowers are ice crystals commonly found growing on young sea ice and thin lake ice in cold, calm conditions. The ice crystals are similar to hoar frost, and are commonly seen to grow in patches around 3–4 cm in diameter.
Story:
A road trip to Alberta’s Rockies started with a sunrise at Abraham Lake before moving on to the Icefields Parkway and Tangle Peak. A fellow photographer and I explored massive frost flowers a little farther north of this location and they were super beautiful, but the composition just wasn’t there for me. The decision was made to venture a little farther south where these braided streams were not quite frozen over allowing for some beautiful reflections of Tangle Peak. I chose this section of open water because it made a lovely leading line, and captured the mountain reflection perfectly.
Roadmap:
-The very first step after making some sales will be to get a camera back in my hands again. For those that don’t know, all of my camera gear was stolen a couple years ago and I haven’t been able to replace the gear due to a number of factors. For me, not having a camera is like a painter not having brushes or paint and it’s been crushing my soul.
-Be able to get out with a camera and create art with my soul again, and grow as an artist. I would eventually also like to get into video and drone work.
-Build a community and help other artists coming up. I would love to be able to support up and coming artists as others have helped me along my journey. This would be accomplished through teaching, giving advice, and buying their work.
-Charity donations through various organizations. The first organization I will be supporting is Habitat for Humanity. I volunteered with MCC’s Build a Village program in El Salvador back in 2005 to help build homes. This has a special place in my heart being a Carpenter. It was this trip where I bought my first camera, and started my photography journey. 10% of the sale of this image and all future images will be going to charities like this.
Perks for Collectors:
-The knowledge that your support will allow me to get out and create more content.
-You will be helping to build a community and building my goal of “We is greater than Me” One of my main goals is to help artists get proper pay for their work.
-Knowing that a portion of sales go to support charity. There will be an option in the future for the collector to choose their own charity to support as well.
-Bring joy to your life and the space wherever you choose to display my pieces!
-Collectors will enjoy future airdrops and benefits, buying one of my NFTs is like a ticket to future early bird sales, promotions through email list, 1 on 1 video calls, possible photography lessons, etc. This will evolve over time as this idea grows.
In the next coming weeks expect to see a few more 1/1 Photography NFTs being released, before I start releasing some small curated collections and editions. I am already building these up and they will be priced a little lower to enable more people to participate and collect my photography. An entirely new website experience is coming as well.
Of course, traditional collectors of my work in print format will still be able to collect my work and the above Roadmap and Perks apply to you as well!
I finally know what my calling in life is. And I’m investing in and making a bet on myself with my photography this year. Welcome to all of you along this journey.
Ps. New look website update coming soon!