My Latest Post on the Highline Blog - Live in the Moment

It has been awhile since I wrote a blog post for Highline but I had one posted a couple of days ago. It is called Living in the Moment. It has already garnering some facebook likes, tweets, and positive feedback, including one interesting comment that I needed to think about overnight before responding. If you would like to read the post, the comment, and my response, please do. And I could love your feedback! Cheers :)

365 Days With Kiddos - #36 - Go Outside & Do Something, ANYTHING!

My kiddos and a little friend, explore the wonders of the great Banff outdoors...

One of my very best friends, Patty Selly, has started a regular feature on her blog, small wonders, entitled "101 Things To Do With Kids Outside". Patty has been my friend since high school, which is getting be a long time ago... and she really knows what she is talking about, because she is an environmental educator, with two small children of her own. If you are looking for some inspiration on way to explore nature this summer, please check out Patty's blog...

My First Highline Magazine Blog Post

My daughter Quinlyn was born in Quebec but is now an official mountain girl...

Polaroid Spectra double exposure by Tiffany Teske

I am a big fan of Highline Magazine, the best read in all of the Bow Valley. The shiny glossy print mag comes out twice a year, which is just too seldom. To remedy this, Highline decided to start a blog. If that was not exciting enough, they then contacted me about being one of their regular bloggers, and, but of course, I said YES! Now, I am on my way to becoming a regular contributor to the Art + Soul department of the Highline blog, yeah! And my first post when up this week. Entitled, Banff Becomes This Gypsy Girl, it is about how I came to live in the Bow Valley. Please check it out and let me know what you think. Better yet, let me know how you ended up in the Bow Valley, or wherever you live. We ALL have a story...

Myself against our Rocky Mountain backdrop...

Polaroid Spectra double exposure by Tiffany Teske

Summer at Last... or 365 Days With Kiddos - #33 - Go to the Beach

...although it is cold and rainy as I write this. The girls and I were in Canmore about 5 PM, where I share a booth at the Thursday market with a group of nine artists, and as we took down the booth, the sun was shining. No sooner had we all gone to leave when the skies opened up and let loose. I got off the highway and turned around when the hail started and decided we would be better off having pizza in Canmore before heading back to Banff. It was the right choice since the power was out when we got home.

But YESTERDAY, the day after the solstice, we had the most glorious summery day. It was soooo nice that we headed to Cascade Pond to frolic with friends. The sunshine felt good on my back, I even got a bit too much. And the sight of the kiddos, in various states of undress, laughing and playing in the sand, was wonderful on the senses.

I even shot an image that today was shared online on the blog Toemail. As my toes emerged from months of being trapped in my shoes, I decided to make a photograph for them. I LOVE feet, but if you are phobic you may not see the appeal. The website features photographs of peoples' feet in various locations around the world. You would be astounded by the variety of images that can be produced using this simple concept. It is brilliant! And a nice way to record for all to see that we did, indeed, have one real day of summer here in the Rocky mountains...

Kitchen Boutique Blog & My New Savers

Last week I discovered a new kitchen blog. I read a lot of cooking blogs so I was thrilled to find out that a local kitchen store where I shop has their own blog. Kitchen Boutique has locations in Canmore and Cochrane. I have bought everything from a cast iron crepe pan to Epicurean cutting boards to heart shaped cookie cutters from them. We don't live in a area with big box stores, something I am grateful for because I like to be able to support small local businesses. I think of Kitchen Boutique whenever I am needing something specific for my kitchen that I can't wait for or don't think I can find at the thrift shop.


And now that I know they have a blog I will think of them even more. Their blog is a mix of recipes, cooking and kitchen related tips, product features, and store news. They also have giveaways. In fact, I won four food savers (the garlic one is on order) on their blog by reading the giveaway posts and posting comments on each topic. Aren't they adorable? And functional. I am always put leftover onions, tomatoes, and peppers in reusable containers but now I can use these containers that help me easily identify and keep them fresher longer.


And talk about service! Claire, one of Kitchen Boutique's owners, hand delivered my prizes to me on the Friday of Easter weekend. I believe she lives in Cochrane and I am so glad she was coming to my area and willing to drop them off because I got to meet her in person. Thanks, Claire!


If you don't live in my area you can still enjoy the Kitchen Boutique blog. Recent posts include tips on how to make a show piece meringue, the right wine glass to use for what wine, and how to throw a raclette party (something I was excited to read since we were given a raclette for a wedding gift in 2003 and we still need to use it!).

Mention in the UK's Daily Telegraph

I was pleasantly surprised to have my photography mentioned in this article by Melissa Whitworth, one of the UK's Daily Telegraph's New York feature writers. She was featuring Matt Schwartz a talented Polaroid photographer whom I mentioned in this post on my Polaroid blog. I will back with some new projects and recipes soon, I have been having server issues...

Etsy Blog Storque Feature

Nancy, of Futurowoman, wrote a great article about Polaroid photography for the Etsy blog, This Handmade Life. She featured my Super Fries Polaroid transfer, thanks, Nancy!

Handmade in Red Deer Alberta - The Prairie Chick

Polaroid Transfer Prints by Tiffany Teske; available at The Prairie Chick in Red Deer, Alberta

I am back from a crazy road trip to Minneapolis for the funeral of my beloved grandfather, Poppa. There were many wonderful things that happened amongst the sadness of the trip. I will be posting about that this week but had wanted to write the following post just before we left so I decided to do it first thing upon our return...


Polaroid Transfer Image Magnet Sets by Tiffany Teske; available at The Prairie Chick in Red Deer, Alberta

I love being part of Etsy, the amazing online community where artists, crafters, and artisans come together to sell their work. While it is fun to be able to sell my photography and art online, it is even more fun when non-Etsy opportunities come my way because of my Etsy shop. When I open my email and see I have a convo (like an email) via Etsy, I am always intrigued. Some are people telling me they have put me into a treasury, which is like an online favorites list complete with images and links to the items. Other are people asking questions about my work. And often, it is someone asking me to take part in an exhibit, interview, blog feature, or a print publication. One example of this is the day that Colette Bleakley contacted me to purchase some of my work for her new shop, The Prairie Chick, located in Red Deer, Alberta.


The Prairie Chick in Red Deer, Alberta
Image by Colette Bleakley

Colette, bless her heart, was looking for artists and artisans in Alberta because she wants her shop to carry locally made items. We started communicating, and I made some items for her in packaging I have not made for other outlets. It was a nice challenge to come up with and implement some new ideas. Since Colette (isn't that a beautiful name?) was gracious enough to put my work in her shop, I decided that I would like to write a blog feature on her and her shop. The following is an interview with her, some images from her shop, as well as images of my work that she is selling at The Prarie Chick.


Polaroid Transfer Prints by Tiffany Teske; available at The Prairie Chick in Red Deer, Alberta

TT: What made you want to open this shop?
CB: I have always wanted to have my own boutique. I studied environmental science and have been working in that field for the past 6 years. I was looking for a change and a way to use my creative streak!



TT: What made you want to represent Alberta artists?
CB: I am a strong believer in shopping local. I noticed that it was hard to find locally made gift items and it was time to open a store that focused on Handmade in Alberta and Canada items.

TT: What kind of items are available in your shop?
CB: Clothing, Accessories, Handbags, Wallets
Bath and Body Products
Jewelry
House wares
Vintage Items
Photography and Stationary
Pottery


Bamboo Pendants featuring Piddix Collage Images made by Tiffany Teske; available at The Prairie Chick in Red Deer, Alberta

TT: What has surprised you the most in your journey so far?
CB: I have been amazed by the vast amount and variety of talented artists right here in Alberta.

TT: Are you originally from Red Deer?
CB: I am originally from a small farming community in Saskatchewan. I now live on a farm near Rocky Mountain House, Alberta.


Bamboo Pendants featuring Piddix Collage Images made by Tiffany Teske; available at The Prairie Chick in Red Deer, Alberta

TT: Are you an artist or craft person?
CB: I don’t consider myself an artist or crafts-person. However I do enjoy photography as a hobby.

TT: What do you plan to add to the shop in the future?
CB: I am constantly looking for new items and vendors. Check back often for new arrivals!

TT: Chocolate or vanilla?
CB: Both

TT: What inspires you?
CB: My Mom and Grandmothers were my inspiration for the boutique. They are all talented, hardworking, creative, strong women.


TT: Would you like to include anything else?
CB: http://theprairiechickboutique.blogspot.com

The Prairie Chick
5018 Ross St., Lower Level (Can-West Travel Company Bldg.)
Red Deer, Alberta
T4N 1Y3
403-348-2800
HOURS: Tues-Sat 10:00am-5:00pm


The Prairie Chick Boutique in Red Deer, Alberta

If you are in Red Deer, Alberta, stop by The Prairie Chick and say hello to Colette!


Polaroid Transfer Image Bamboo Necklaces by Tiffany Teske; available at The Prairie Chick in Red Deer, Alberta

Feature on POE Blog (Photographers of Etsy) - My Internship with Wegman

I have been on vacation with my family for so long (no complaints!) that I am getting behind on my posts. I would be posting each night but my darn hotel internet is a bit unreliable, especially when it comes to uploading images. C'est la vie! Technology is great when it works...




I want to thank Ann Wilkinson for interviewing me about an internship I completed in University with William Wegman for the Photographer's of Etsy blog. You can check it out here. It was a fun trip down memory lane. I really haven't thought about it much in recent years. It is only when people have read my CV and ask me about it that I remember it. I was able to find these photographs, which now seem like they were taken AGES ago. I have changed a lot in going on 10 years... Ann's article was pretty accurate (although Wegman's "cabin" is more like a mansion) which I appreciate and expected from Ann. As the article states, if you are interested in interning for another photographer, just be brave and ask. It worked for me...

CanArtisan Blog Feature

On the Road Again Original Polaroid transfer by Tiffany Teske
This image is available for purchase here.

The other day, while checking out the forums for my Etsy teams, I spotted a link for CanArtisan. It is a blog that features the work of "talented, independent Canadian business owners with a passion for creativity and the handmade." It is a new blog that also features a shop directory so you can buy Canadian made. I signed up to have my shop listed there and was pleasantly surprised when I received word from Brandi, of CanArtisan, that my Polaroid transfer of Minis in Australia was featured in a post yesterday. On Tuesdays they feature items for the guys, which is such a great idea. Guys shop, too! Cheers to you and thanks for putting together such a great blog!

Poe Blog Feature - What is the Luckiest Thing That Ever Happened to You as a Photographer?

Himalayan Blue Poppy by Tiffany Teske
This image is available for purchase here.

Ann Wilkinson, a blog writer for my Etsy street team, Photographers of Etsy, contacted me about an article she was compiling. The topic, luck, is a wonderful subject seeing as we just celebrate St Patrick's Day. It was a fun to think about the "luck" I have had as a photographer. Below is what I wrote. If you would like to see the amazing images and great answers from the other photographers go to the Poe Blog.

"This a great question! There are several ways I define luck, so I have several answers.

When I was in University, studying photography, I had several "lucky" things happen to me. Now, I use quotes around lucky, because really, I feel these things happened to me as the result of hard work, not just luck. The first involved having my a duo show with another student in the school gallery. His work was color photography from a trip to Italy, and mine was black and white documentary project I shot in Nicaragua. The next year, I had a solo show in the same gallery, a documentary I shot nearby in rural Maine. I was the first student to have duo and solo shows in that gallery, previously there had only been group shows. I was lucky that the director of the photography program was a mentor to me. I also worked for William Wegman, the dog photographer, for my internship. He works in Manhattan, but summers in Rangeley, Maine, a town that was about 1 hour from my town. I wrote him a letter, asking to be his intern, and he said yes! I learned there is never any harm in asking, and it can pay off.

There are also those "lucky" things that happen to you as a photographer that come from someone seeing your work. One time I was contacted by a woman who was given a photo greeting card I made. She loved the image, of tulips, and kept it on a bulletin board for two years. She was in marketing, and when she contacted me, she was working on a website to represent and showcase rural Maine artists. She ended up hiring me to do all the photography for the site, which involved traveling to the studios of all of these artists, photographing them, then working in the studio to photograph their work. It was amazing! I was paid VERY well, and in the end, I also had two gallery shows in the gallery that this woman opened, as well as being represented on the website. AND the man who worked down the hall from her was a music producer, and he hired me three different times to photograph recording sessions. My images ended up in three music albums. And I know there was more work, mostly portrait sessions, that came from that. So, ONE photo card that someone kept for two years brought me about $10,000 worth of work plus many priceless work experiences.

The last way I feel I can speak to this "lucky" question is in the serendipitous things that have happened to me just because I picked up my camera and went out in the world. Those things that happen right in front of you that you never expected and that you would never have seen if you had not gotten off your butt and went out to photograph. There are many, many of these, but some that come to mind include being in Haiti and being invited to photograph a baby just as it was born and on the same trip photographing a funeral procession that went past our house. Also, being in Spain and photographing a peaceful march of protesting workers, and being in Sweden and photographing a wedding procession. Of course, these sorts of life events are happening all around us, and as long as we are camera ready, we can catch a bit of the luck.

Every Photo Tells A Story Feature

I stumbled upon a really cool blog as a result of my daily Google alert for Polaroid submissions. The thing about this search is that it brings up submissions opportunities for Polaroid images, but it also brings up sites that mention "Polaroid" and "submissions" on the same page of a blog. Such is the case with the blog "Every Photo Tells A Story". As someone who has written both professionally and personally, I love this blog! Nancy, the blogger, posts an image a day which is to be used as inspiration by writer's, artists, crafters, photographers... some of them have a written prompt, others are just the image. They include links to the artists blogs and info about them. It is a really amazing idea.

I joined the blog as a "Beloved Blogger" or "Follower" and was pleased when Nancy sent me a personal email, thanking me for visiting the site. She asked me submit an image for consideration on her blog. Today, I was the feature photographer on her site. You can check it out here... Thanks, Nancy!

Blog Feature on The Craft Begins...

Self Portrait by Tiffany Teske

My friend and fellow crafter on EveryDayCreate, Bri, was kind enough to ask to interview me for her blog, The Craft Begins. I had great fun answering the awesome questions that Bri wrote. I always like to read artist and crafter interviews and I hope people have enjoy reading mine. Here it is... Thanks, Bri!

Wanna Know More About Ning?

I am a member of POE, Photographers of Etsy Team, and we have several vehicles for the groups communication, including a website, a blog, and a Ning. Ning means "peace" in Chinese, and is a social networking program where you can start a group for people who all enjoy the same topic such as cupcakes, convertibles, Val Kilmer, or say, photography. If you would like to find out more about Nings, follow this link to the article I wrote for the POE Blog.

POE Blog

I would like to thank Ann Wilkinson for featuring this image as one of the images to illustrate her Photographer of Etsy Blog post on Iceland. My husband and I went to Iceland in 2003 for our honeymoon and I think EVERYONE should go there, it is AMAZING!

Blog Feature: Charmed Darling Girl

Thank you to Lesley, of Charmed Darling on Etsy, for featuring me on her blog!

Blog Feature: Get Art Now

Thanks to FB Smith, for featuring me on his blog today. I appreciate the things he had to say about my work. I think it was this image on my Etsy site that made him check out my work...

Interview on Typewriter

MaryAnn Hayatian, a writer from Montreal, was kind enough to feature an interview with me on her blog, Typewriter. Check it out if you are curious about how I got my start in art, what I do when I am not making art, and my advice to other artists.

Elle Moss Blog Feature

Wow, another blog... I am a big fan of Elle's work. We are fellow POE (Photographers of Etsy) team members. I appreciate that she likes my mini Polaroid transfer enough to feature it along with the other amazing photographers listed in this feature. Thanks, Elle!

Tongue in Chic Blog Feature

Thanks to Google Alerts I found out I was featured on this blog. The article is well written and interesting to those who enjoy the current vintage craze.