Tom the Photo Man

2011-05-31T08:45:00.000-06:00

Anticipating spring is something we in Canada have had to do for a few years now. Even more so with the unusually cold weather we have had to endure. The whole world has been hit hard with severe weather patterns not seen in decades. We had an especially difficult winter that has kept us out of our garden and having to contemplate every step because of ice and snow and flooding.

Finally it is over and we are in the garden again and things are growing vigorously at last. Maggie has planted seeds and they are already up with the wonderful sunshine of spring encouraging them along the way. Last week Mother Nature gave everything a good drink and that got it all started. I have been in the yard making a living space and reducing the amount of grass we have to cut by doing so.

And as you can see our dog Milton likes the backyard now too. Last year I built a worktable for Maggie so that she would have a place to work with plants. It's a flat surface and includes a sink and hose connection for cleaning things and watering plants she is potting. It doubles as a place to put food when we are entertaining as well. This year we redid the flower and vegetable beds and split them into two with a path between so that gardening is easier and surrounded the raised beds with brick that I took from an unused patio and put down gravel instead. It makes it tidier and easier to work in now.
So as you can see we have been busy.

There is always so much to do in the spring but it's good earthy work and we love the sunshine and exercise it provides. Maggie is busy painting the fences and I am trimming trees and working on the front yard this week while the weather holds.

Our yard has become a wonderful place to entertain and we look forward to doing that this summer for perhaps the last time in Canada. Come and visit if you like. We love having friends over for supper and you are most welcome anytime.

2011-04-02T10:06:00.001-06:00

Good morning everyone. It's a cool Saturday and the snow has been falling all night. We have to expect that in the spring here in Southern Alberta. It's expected to continue to snow for the next 24 hours the weather reports tell us. They say the farmers love it because it puts extra moisture into the soil and that's a good thing. The commuters probably don't agree though as the roads are slushy and slippery and it makes it difficult to get around. And I for one have had my fill of cold weather snow shoveling and the extra strain that puts on one when you become a senior.

But I have a cup of fresh brewed, sweetened coffee and a glass of orange juice beside me here at the laptop. Maggie has finished making a wonderful breakfast of bacon and eggs and toast and now has settled down for a few hours of sleep. It's a perfect time to sit here at the laptop and do some writing.

Although the snow is beautiful, it is tiresome. We have had a particularly cold winter this year and no lack of snow and ice to contend with. The weather was getting nicer here over a few days with some temperatures in the middle teens, but now it's zero again. Ho hum!

So I am taking a few months off to decide what I want to do when I grow up. Are Maggie and I going to pull up stakes and move to another country or are we going to stick it out in Lethbridge? That's the question. We have looked at Panama, Nicaragua, Hawaii and France and there are advantages to all of them, but Canada is our home and we are well established here.

We can work, play and live comfortably for awhile here, but is that what we want? There are many reasons to stay in Canada, but there are many reasons not too as well. It's a safe country with enormous possibilities for everyone. It has adequate health care which is fairly inexpensive but unlike what the government says it is not free by any means. Just take a prescription to the pharmacy sometime or be subjected to the kings ransom it costs to be transported by a government owned and operated ambulance service sometime. Housing is ridiculously expensive here and the utility rates we are being charged are mind numbing, not the actual rates but the cost of delivery which they tack on. Property taxes are ludicrously high as well for what you get. It was interesting to note that property taxes in Lethbridge include water and sewer, but here in Coaldale, they add on another $90 per month for water, sewer and garbage pickup. So on top of the high property taxes we get nailed with another $1000 per year in taxes.

The government in Canada is a disgrace. It is nothing more than a bunch of school kids fighting and calling each other names. I'm absolutely annoyed over the constant nonsense that is going on in Parliament. It just seems that there is always some idiotic scandal that the opposition likes to think is the worst thing in the world and we should all become incensed by it and throw the current government out. I, like most Canadians I've spoken to feel strongly that we want a government that will just get on with the job of governing and stop the crap. They seem to act like they have forgotten we are paying them to govern, not to jump on some stupid comment one or the other of them makes and build a mountain out of a mole hill. If they really had the pulse of the country, they would realize that most Canadians are tired of it and in my opinion they need to realize that the apathy people are feeling about it is real and they had better do something to bring us back. Why are we paying these people if they are continuously going to fight about nothing. If they were working for me, I would have fired them all and put a new team into running Canada's biggest company, namely Canada. There is talk of separation in the west because of it and that would be disastrous, or would it?

So what else is new? Maggie and I are both taking a course in copywriting. This blog is another way to practice writing and although Maggie has just started, she is keen and enjoying beginning to write. Will this become a revenue stream for us? Perhaps it will and I strongly feel that if we keep up with it we could turn it into something positive and well paying over time.

So that's the news from here folks. Lots to do here so I should get on with it. I will talk to you again soon and have a great beginning to spring. I'm looking forward to getting out into the garden at last. In the meantime, if you get a moment check my fine art website at http://tom-buchanan.artistwebsites.com to see the latest and greatest from my lenses.
Tom

2011-02-23T15:05:00.000-07:00

Well hello there world of blogs followers. What can I say, it's bloody cold out there again and I'm not impressed. But who cares except me anyway?
We have been busy around the household getting things ready for immigrating to somewhere warm. We are not too sure where that is going to be as yet but it looks like Nicaragua around San Juan del Sur is a good possibility and we are planning to go down in May to have a look. In the meantime there is an enormous amount of work that has to be done both in getting ready and in identifying exactly what I want to do when we get there. That means selling the house and most everything that we own and that entails identifying what we really want to take with us. So much planning and I'm still working every day in the meantime. Now don't get me wrong, I am not complaining because the adventure is just around the corner and we are so anxious to find out what our new life is going to be like.

I have also been doing some fine art portraiture and have had a number of outstanding models come to the house and allow me to shoot them. It has been so much fun and we all seem to be having it. My intention is to build a travelling show of my work that I can either take on the road or can send to various venues for display. I want a minimum of 20 works in the collection or 50 which is still barely manageable. As I mentioned the shooting has been going very well and I'm still looking for more models to work with over the next few months. This amazing young woman is the daughter of a friend of mine and she is studying at the University of Lethbridge. She has it all including beautiful high cheek bones and Celtic freckles that are perfect for her complexion. What a lucky man I am to have her as a model. Not only is she spectacularly beautiful but so too is her personality.

I have been trying to get out to shoot winter as much as possible whenever weather permits that is. The temperatures have been brutally cold so it's a challenge. It's been cloudy too with not much contrast in the sky to work with. I am really not too fond of this weather in Southern Alberta in the winter and can't wait till spring. I can understand why Maggie and I used to go to Hawaii every year around this time in order to get some relief from the cold. Maybe a warmer climate is just something we need to move to permanently to get away from frozen cheeks and limbs and slippery roads.

I have to get back to my writing course here too so that I am learning yet another trade. I am taking a course in copywriting through a company in the US and it's fun but hard work and I keep wanting to get back to it and "stuff" gets in the way all the time. It could provide me with another wonderful revenue stream that I could use when I retire. Time will tell.

Well that's it for this post everyone. Stay tuned for more soon...

2010-11-20T09:28:00.000-07:00

Well, I guess summer is over. We were blessed with some awesome weather for the months of September and October and the beginning of November. Temperatures were in the high teens (Celsius for my American friends) and it was an absolutely beautiful Indian Summer. But it had to come to an end sometime and it did just that a week or so ago. The temperature outside right now is -20 C and lots of snow on the ground.
The photographic possibilities are spectacular though and worth taking the camera out to play in the snow (after I shovel the walks that is).

I have been very busy photographically and now that school pictures season is past I can settle down to doing all the other things I want to get done before Christmas. Every year at the end of November the local chamber of commerce here in Coaldale puts on a Country Christmas Night of Lights Parade and this year they have asked me to shoot it and to get pictures of the float winners. It is promising to be quite a night. I have shot it just about every year and this year it is going to be even better I think because I will be shooting with a new Canon 5D Mk II. The ISO range on this camera was proved well last night when I shot some images of performers at the Gem of the West Museum here in Coaldale where they featured Theo Tams, a Gemini nominee and winner of Canadian Idol in 2008. He has released a few singles and has an album happening. The concert was great and we had a packed house.

Anyway that's the scoop. I have to do the walks now so have a great day in the cold or the warm wherever you are.

2010-09-24T10:22:00.000-06:00

Over the last few days I have taken the opportunity to identify what I want and don't want to do with the rest of my life. I am a visionary kind of person who enjoys building relationships with other visionary kinds of people. I'm a person that loves to create a complete picture from a compilation of ideas.

So what is a "visionary" kind of person anyway? A visionary is a person that can see the end result in the beginning long before it becomes reality. A visionary is a person that can see not only the end result but the process to follow in order to achievie that result. They are inventive and not concerned with the intricate details of getting something done. They are idea people, not get down into the dirt people. They enjoy taking ideas and developing them into a vision and then inspiring both themselves and others to act on the opportunities. They enjoy doing things that help others become all that they can become by influencing them to act. Such things as mentoring and assisting people to reach their goals turns their crank. A visionary is someone that allows hisor her mind to soar without restriction so that they can see the big picture long before it can be seen on the ground. Visionarys are entrepreneurial and are not afraid to try new things or to take risks.

My definitiion of a non-visionary kind of person is someone that only reacts and works on things that others have told them to do. To use Michael Gerber's definition (The E-Myth Revisited) they are technicians. A non-visionary person accomplishes the tasks of the visionarys. The non-visionary people work in the visionaries businesses following procedures that have been developed and typically stay within narrow guidelines with little innovative thought. They are crucial to accomplishing the tasks that have to be completed to make a new idea or business work.

The world needs both of these people. Without both types it would grind to a halt. The visionaries provide the new and innovative ways to do things and create the enthusiasm necessary to get it all going at a high level and the technicians get it done. That is a great thing and one which we cannot lose sight of when working either as entrepreneurs, volunteers or employees.

I noticed lately that my time was being squelched because of my inability to say no. I currently, as of this writing, sit on five boards and am involved with eleven organizations either in an advisory capacity, as a member or as a volunteer. Something has to give. My decision on what to purge is to be based on the following criteria:
(1) Do I believe in the objectives of the organization?
(2) Can I effectively contribute something to the cause?
(3) Is this something that I really want to do?
(4) Is the organization primarily focused on generating more money?
(5) Is the group open to new ideas and innovative ways of doing things?
(6) Is it, in my opinion, unduly embroiled in bureaucracy and procedure during meetings?
(7) Are there personality conflicts present that affect me?
(8) Is my input appreciated or does it rankle others?
(9) Are the tone of the meetings positive and enthusiastic?
(10) Is it fun?

So quite a list to say the least, but an important one based on my understanding of what I think is important. Because of that, over the next few weeks some hard and fast decisions are going to be made regarding all that I am doing.

I asked my partner and best friend in life the other day what I should do when I grow up and she replied "Tom, there are three things that you really enjoy in life; Photography which is your passion; Teaching whereby you can pass on what you know to others; And writing which you are good at now and wish to become even better at over time. These are the things that you should focus on and begin enjoying your life from this point on!" What a wonderful statement and one that I can embrace. I never cease to be amazed by the intelligence and dedication of this woman. Her ability to cut to the chase and give me a straight answer when I most need it astounds me. Thank you Maggie.

So with that please be prepared, my friends, to share in some new horizons, more clearly defined and focused on my adopted goals. They will be interesting and innovative and based on my visionary tendency rather than on what someone else wants me to do for them. My creations will be mine alone and not according to what someone else wants me to create for them. They either like it or they don't. I don't care.

Thanks for reading...
Tom

2010-09-14T11:33:00.000-06:00

Our Trip to New Brunswick - Aug. 29th, 2010
We just got back from the best vacation ever. It was the beginning of a trip to New Brunswick and then Toronto and on to Panama. First off we traveled to St. Stephen, NB to have a look around. What a cool little town. St. Stephen is about an hour and a half south of Saint John, NB. The new highway takes you through rolling hills of the eastern Appalachians along and in sight of the coast of the Bay of Fundy in some cases. It is farm land punctuated with a few towns such as St. George and St. Andrews.

St. Andrews is beautiful and lies on the coast on the Bay of Fundy. The town is a host of restored nineteenth century homes and businesses. It is amazing how wonderfully unique this place is with its Victorian character, narrow streets and fantastic signage indicating the various businesses on the main street. It literally transforms you back a century or more to a simpler time. We walked around and out on to the wharf where there was a tall ship taking passengers out to the whaling grounds in the bay. Spending a hot summer day taking in the sea air and watching the boats coming in and out of the harbour helped to distance the fatigue we felt from a long flight from Calgary.

After having a meal in the early evening in St. Andrews we traveled back to St. Stephen and to the most beautiful B&B I have ever stayed in. Blair Heritage Inn sits on an acre of land in the town. It is a Victorian home built in 1860 by a sea captain for his recently widowed daughter and her children. The house is huge with about 4,260 square feet. It has five bedrooms with facilities in each one and a large dining room and living room on the first floor.

That night before retiring we were introduced to the other guests from the U.S. and we all became wonderful friends in a moment. Joanne and Jack who dabbles in the stock market in his retirement, Phyllis and Steve who was in the oil business for many years before he retired and Betty and Bob who was a retired USAF and was a psychoanalyst during his time in the service. We were served tea and cookies by David Whittingham who was our host. We had an intelligent and fun conversation between us all and enjoyed it very much getting to know one another.

Our bedroom was on the second floor and it was fairly large with a four poster bed and was beautifully decorated. Not only was it functional but it was more than comfortable and we slept like children. The bathroom was complete with a shower and everything was of the highest quality throughout. It was an absolute home away from home.

The next morning we were served in the formal dining room along with our new friends. The conversation was lively and we had a lot of fun at breakfast. Our server was a young and exceptionally pretty woman by the name of Becky. She was gracious and delightful. She reminded Maggie and me of another Becky that we have known for years. The meal was delicious and began with a fruit cup and juice and coffee and tea as you wish. We had eggs, bacon and sausages with toast and homemade preserves and I had one of the famous blueberry pancakes that David is renowned for. We certainly can understand why.

The beautiful dining room has original and ornate windows all around the eastern wall and the sunlight coming through them in the morning warms the room and highlights the wonderful potted plants in front of them. The contrasts developed by this play of light is wonderful and transforms it into a cavalcade of colours through the unevenness of the curved and imperfect glass of the windows.

The next day we explored St. Stephen and then moved on to Fredericton over a great country highway through rolling hills. Fredericton is a busy capital city with a lot of construction in the downtown core to contend with, but we did take a tour of the wonderful Christ Church Cathedral that was completed in 1853. Its tall spire can be seen for miles. This wonderful building is the only Cathedral that is not a parish in Canada. It is considered the mother church of all Anglicans throughout New Brunswick and is an example of the Gothic Revival style of architecture. The experience to see this beautiful place was wonderful and not one we will likely forget for some time. The tour was conducted by the Sexton, Mr. Kevin Hayward.

From Fredericton, we traveled along the highway to Saint John, NB. The highway is a excellent although I did notice that people followed a bit too close and were impatient with me even though I was doing the speed limit. I asked someone about this and was told that because we were driving with plates from out of province on our car, there is some animosity towards us. Had we been driving with NB plates instead of NS plates, we would have been shown more courtesy.

We only had a short time to visit Saint John, but we did get to see the reversing falls and to get some video of it while we were there as well as some wonderful images of flowers. Saint John is a busy city with huge traffic jams because of construction delays seemingly everywhere we turned. We were able to get around however and after a brief visit headed back down highway 1 to St. Stephen again completing our circle route in the early evening. That night we went to Calaise, ME (pronounced calus by the locals) This is the sister town on the St. Croix river across from St. Stephen and a bridge connects the two towns. We went to a nice little pub on the American side for supper and enjoyed an excellent meal served by the mother of the pub owner who was a bit hard of hearing but was a joy to have serve us. This was a person that you couldn't help but warm up to in a moment.

The next morning after another great night at Blair House, we were on our way to Toronto and then on to Panama the following day. Our stay in New Brunswick, although short, was great and we especially enjoyed staying at Blair House and being able to make new friends along the way. We highly recommend this incredible B&B to everyone that is looking for a place that sets the standard on how it is done. My congratulations to David and Judy and especially to Becky for making us feel so welcome and we will come back again for an experience of a lifetime. Thank you all.

2009-06-09T18:47:00.006-06:00

So is summer ever going to come to this unusual place we live in? Supposedly this week its supposed to happen. But I'm really not complaining. So what have we been doing? Well lots of photographic courses to teach and quite a bit of photography too. I do work with Wind River Glass as their Safety Coordinator and that keeps me incredibly busy every day. I wish I had more time for the fun stuff in photography though. Maggie is working with me to do some marketing stuff and that is a big help too. So that's about all that has been going on.

I want to tell you about a new website that we have been working on to increase the ability of my customers to find what they need in terms of product photography. The normal cost for product photography is expensive for startup companies when you count in the cost of the session and the individual product shots. We are doing web photos for $35 each including the session cost if the client brings the products to our studio in Coaldale. If I have to go on-site we are charging for my time and travel, but it is reasonable. I'm also providing the images as unlimited in usage which is pretty unusual in this day and age. I just feel that they will keep coming back as they develop new products if I'm reasonable with them and I really don't want the copyright on them anyway. It removes the hastle from the business and my clients like it that way. Have a look at the site http://newproductphotos.com and oh while you're at it have a look at www.thebuchanangallery.com to see my new stock photography site.

Nice talking to you all again and I will have more news shortly on how we are doing.
Tom

2008-09-13T09:22:00.003-06:00

Ok, Ok, I know, where the heck have I been for so long. Hey, it's only been a year and a bit since I posted anything to this blog site, right. Any you are absolutely right in bugging me about it.

So what's new? Well lots of stuff. Finally we got rid of the popcorn on our roof. Our shingles looked like someone had taken a torch to them and they were definitely on their last legs. They still kept water from pouring into the house, kinda, but the look in this high class neighborhood we live in wasn't good form. (Maybe I should mow the lawn some day too, eh? And trim the trees and fix the gutter over the front door and clean out the back parking area and, and, and...) Well you know how caught up in everything we all get and Mag and Tommy and I are no different than anyone else. So now the roof doesn't leak over the garage anymore and the flooding has abated nicely and the floors will dry eventually (I'm kidding guys).

We have had a few visitors this summer. Judy from San Jose came and stayed for a few days and we had a wonderful time. She is working on a book about penquins and I tried to help her a bit with the photographs. I wonder if it got published yet? She is using a publisher out of Victoria. Neat eh?

Our daughter, Julie came to visit for a couple of days too and that was great fun. We have such a good time when she comes here and really enjoy her visits. It's just so nice to just hang out together.

Oh and we had some of our oldest friends come and visit too. Jean and Phil Hood and Jean's twin sister Jeanette came out to stay with us for a couple of days. It was so nice to see them and catch up on all the news from back in Vancouver. They really enjoyed their visit and we are going to see them soon in Vancouver.

We got a call from our eldest daughter, Christene and she is getting married in early October so we are looking forward to that a lot. It will mean two trips to Vancouver in as many weeks. It's a dirty job but someone has to do it.

Hey, we are going out to the coast for a reunion with a bunch of the employees from Dynapro. It's going to be a blast. It will be fun to see all our old colleagues again and reminisce. I wonder if everyone has aged as badly as I have?

We finally have our new stock website up and running with hundreds of new photos in many categories. It is an on-line store so you can purchase and download immediately. The address is an oldie but goodie www.thebuchanangallery.com and it is easy to navigate. There are links to my other sites on this website too.

Lots of teaching this year. Both Maggie and I are teaching at the Norton Centre in Coaldale starting next week. Maggie is teaching Basic Computers for Seniors and I'm doing a course on Photoshop Elements. Maggie is also teaching Basic Internet for Seniors next and I'm doing the final in a series called Spectacular Photography III. This is a course for people who have taken my other courses or have attended a college course in photography and want to hone their skills still further. I'm teaching a workshop at Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden on the 20th of September. This is the 7th in a series of workshops in this wonderful place and it will be beautiful in it's fall colours once again. And then there is another workshop at Paradise Canyon Golf Resort on the 1st of October. The last one we had in the summer was a huge success and we want to keep the momentum going here and take advantage of this wonderful place in the fall.

So that's the scoop here people. Write soon and I'll look forward to seeing some of you at my workshops and courses.

All the best for now...

2007-06-09T10:59:00.001-06:00

Wow! I can't believe it has been so long since I last posted something to this blog site. Lots has been happening in our lives. Tommy has a new job, I have been going crazy with work and Maggie is doing just fine too.

I have taught a workshop at the Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden in Lethbridge which is one of the best examples of a traditional Japanese Garden outside of Japan. When you come to visit Lethbridge, that is one place to take it for sure. We have another three workshops to go, one on July 21st, another September 29th and the third on January 12th, 2008 to take in all the seasons of the garden. I just finished teaching a three day course plus a morning in the field where we went down to the river bottom to practice what we learned. It was very successful as well and we had a blast. I am looking at doing a couple of field trip workshops in the near future too so keep posted by going to me web site www.tombuchananphoto.com for more information. All my courses and workshops are listed on the site as well as the costs.

The travel business is picking up too and Maggie is having lots of fun with that. Go to her website at www.bumblebeetpi.com to see the special things she is getting involved with. It is an exciting time to travel and we can make it so much fun to do too.

So that's the scoop. All the best to everyone and stay posted.
Tom

2007-01-20T12:04:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,

Well things have certainly gotten off to a good start for the year. As many of you know, I am with Wind River Automatics Ltd. in Lethbridge, and a few of you know that I am also doing the safety coordinator job for Wind River Glass Ltd. too. Never a dull moment, I'll tell you. So the point of this is to tell you that we are gearing up to participate in the Home and Garden Show on March 21st to the 24th with a booth. We will be showing two new products that I sell for Wind River Automatics.

First is "Private Door", a product that allows people that have less mobility than most of us to operate a door on their own. It attaches to an existing door and can be operated remotely so that someone can simply push a button to open and close the door from outside or inside. When installed it doesn't damage the door finish and is simple to install. What a neat product and we are pleased to be able to offer it.

The second product is "AES Air Curtains". If someone came up to you and said they could save you 10% on your gas bill every month, would you be interested? Well we can do better than that in most cases. How? An air curtain is a device that fits over a doorway and blows a steady stream of air down across it, nearly sealing the opening completely from the outside with a curtain of air. It is a way to have a door both open and closed at the same time. You can simply leave the physical door open while it is running and people can walk back and forth through the doorway through the stream of air without the restriction of having to open and close the door. The major advantage is that it effectively saves the energy that roars out the door in the winter when it is opened and requires you to spend more money on heating. That problem is reduced dramatically and therefore it is an effective way to save on your heating costs in the winter. In the summer it keeps the cool air inside and prevents the hot outside air from entering your home or business. Another huge advantage is that if prevents flying insects and fumes from vehicles and smokers outside your door from entering too. But the part I like best is that it's very effective in substantially reducing the greenhouse gases you would normally be responsible for by reducing the burning of carbon based fuels to heat and cool our spaces. In fact I don't think there is anything on the market that not only will perhaps save you hundreds of dollars in energy per year, but will provide you with so much benefit in terms of comfort and automatically make you an energy conservation hero because of the reduction in green house gas. Another pretty neat product that everyone should investigate if they really want to make a difference not only to their own bottom line but to the world as well.

So there you go. That's my latest blog. Become a hero in your own right and do something to help the environment and pay yourself at the same time. Write me a note if you have any questions.

Tom

2006-12-16T09:37:00.000-07:00

So Christmas is upon us once again. Where did the year go? It has been an interesting year for Maggie and me. Filled with great challenges and many changes. Happily we are stabilizing at last and the future looks bright. The challenges are fewer and farther apart now and I am encouraged.

This is the time of year that we think of family and where they are in their lives. We are a busy people, us Buchanans. Our daughters are pursuing their careers in ernest on the coast and our son, Tom is showing that he has inherited the work ethic we are all known for too. We couldn't be happier about how our children have developed. You know, we don't say it enough about how we love our kids. The love we feel for them is beyond anything we can say. We think of them every moment of the day. How they think and feel about the world and their families in particular. About their feelings towards our decisions in life. Oh sure there are disagreements, but that's what makes it even more interesting. We expect their strong opinions to get the feathers ruffled occasionally and that's a good thing. But fundamentally we all love each other desperately and that is a really good thing. We are a strong family built on strong values and an even stronger love for one another.

We will miss our girls at Christmas this year. They are staying on the coast to celebrate Christmas in their own homes but Tom Junior will be with us this year. We will have a quiet time together again with lots of turkey and other good things to eat. I will cook the turkey which has become a tradition with us and Maggie will make her wonderful whipped potatoes and other good things for the dinner. On Christmas eve we will participate in the services at the United Church here in Coaldale and visit with our friends.

So as you can see, we have everything well in hand and are looking forward to having a few days to relax over the holidays. And we wish the same to all of you as well. For a very merry Christmas and a happy and prosperous New Year.

Peace on Earth and our hearts and thoughts go out to our Army, Navy and Air Force serving overseas this year. May they be successful in their mission and come home safely after their tours of duty.

God bless you all,
Tom & Maggie

PS, the Christmas Card image was our front yard this morning, December 16, 2006

2006-10-15T13:20:00.000-06:00

More Changes are Happening...

In the continuing quest for a more secure future, I have started looking at some new ventures. Once again I can't tell you anything about them till they are complete. All for the better though and that is good. Keep watching for them, same time, same station. News at 11:00 and all that.

Tom

2006-07-27T10:18:00.000-06:00

So, hello there my friends. Well I told you things are happening and so they are. Here are some details for you to ponder.

Both Maggie and I have taken on other jobs. The reason is simple, hunger. Both of our businesses are cyclical, yes sometimes they go upside down. In order to combat that problem we have begun working for other firms to stabilize the effect.

I have taken on the job of technical selling for a company called Windriver Automatics in Lethbridge. We sell automatic doors and air-curtains. What the heck is an air-curtain, you ask. Air curtains are devices that you put at your entry doors on restaurants or businesses to isolate the outside from the inside with a curtain of air. It keeps the bugs out in the summer and the cold out in the winter. It provides an excellent boundary to keep your environment stable in terms of energy too. So that's what it does. Neat eh?

Maggie has taken a night-time job working for a large retailer. She is stocking shelves and loves the work. I'm very proud of her.

So here is the rest of the news.

We are moving the travel office back to the house. The cost of running it is prohibitive in this competitive business and we just couldn't justify it for the return. Remember the upside down analogy above? Well the travel business is often in that configuration so we needed to stop that. At the same time, we are shifting our focus to specialize more too. For instance, being a full service travel agency simply doesn't make sense either. Domestic airfare tickets are expensive in term of time to produce, so our focus is going to shift from booking that type of business. We currently have to charge a transaction fee to do it because of the loss of commission from the airlines so it isn't worth the work involved without that transaction fee. Now we will still book them with a reduced transaction fee of $35, but we will suggest if people want to book their flights and save themselves the transaction fee, do it on the internet instead themselves. For international flights, we will continue to provide the same service we have always provided. We can usually effect a savings in comparison to anyone trying to do it themselves.

We sat down and figured out what it was costing us to do the business from the office and the amounts we are spending for that presence and amount of business a storefront provides, isn't justified. By bringing it back to the house and consolidating the costs we can use the diffference to advertize more aggressively and get a better bang for the buck.

So where is the focus going to be? We are going to work hard to develop a cruise and high end tour business instead. This is more to our liking and from conversations I have had with others makes perfect sense. So how are we going to do this you ask? Well quite simply by creating a travel club in the Lethbridge area. This has been successfully done in Vancouver and elsewhere and plagerizing the model (with permission by the way) from another successful one outside of the Lethbridge area, we will embark on it by aggressively advertizing and by putting on presentations in the area. We are both involved in many activities and that gets our name in front of lots of people. Our first meeting is going to be on September the 19th in Coaldale, likely at the Gem of the West Museum in the gallery. A great facility.

And still on the subject of the travel business, I am going to spend more time on it as well. I love the travel business and enjoy talking to people about their travel adventures and plans. I will be out and about much more often than I have been before and that will allow me to get things stirred up a bit. That is a good thing and I look forward to it.

So what is this about being out and about more often? Well, as you all know, I am associated with Kemmet Photography in Lethbridge. Up to this point I have been spending most of my time keeping the place open, answering the phones, etc. That was not my intention when I became associated with them, to be a clerk. Sorry, not my bag folks. So from this point forward the four of us that are associated with the business have decided to share the load more. My focus is to work more on my stock photography business and am aggressively working on putting a website powered by PayPal to sell my stock work and CD's on-line as well as through an global agency. I'm also working with another firm combining my photographs with laser imaging to create some of the most beautiful laser cut glass and other materials ever seen. Steve Kothig from Mirage Laser Designs and I have worked on a few projects together and we plan on working on many more. This is a good alliance for both of us as it provides us with an unlimited opportunity to combine our talents and provide the area with the best of the best in terms of permanent glass, marble and wood creations using my photography. And I am directing some efforts to serving the seniors in the Lethbridge region with professional photography. That is my Grey Power project which I have mentioned before in another blog.

And finally, I have taken on several volunteer jobs too. One of them is to sit on a committee for the Big Brothers, Big Sisters in Lethbridge for a Big Auction. It is happening on the 14th of September and we are auctioning off some notable people, including yours truly. I am going to auction my time to teach a day long course in photography either in Waterton or the Pass. I'm looking forward to it and if you need more information or would like to attend call me at 403 634 8801 and I will be glad to sell you a ticket. In fact we are looking to sell entire tables of 8 people so put your thinking caps on to come up with some ideas on who you could invite. What a great cause.

So that is the scoop here folks. If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to either respond here or give me a call on my cell at 403 634 8801.

All the best to you all...
Tom

2006-07-17T08:20:00.000-06:00

On Saturday Maggie and I decided to get out-a-town and drove to the south along the ridge. This is the area that separates the US from Canada. It was beautiful and green there and we continued our way out to Waterton Park. The day was sunny and the temperature was warm. We spent some time relaxing along a river watching kids play in the water and people fishing and then had dinner in the townsite. I got lots of images to add to the stock and it was worth every minute. Some of the most spectacular scenery in the world is available in that area and I highly recommend it to you.
Tom

2006-07-14T13:22:00.000-06:00

Boy isn't this weather great. If I hear someone complain about it, they better find someone else to talk to. The sky is a deep blue and the sun is shining and the wind is blowing any pollution out of the air.

So my plans are coming together perfectly and I'm going to tell you that when Maggie and I put our businesses together many years ago we created a plan to follow. But like most plans we often got off track and that was a mistake. We created two businesses. One is the photographic business and we tied it together with our Travel business called Bumblebee Travel - TPI. I am happy to say that we have decided to go back to the original and remove the stuff that isn't working as well as we want it to and are going to run both businesses on a part time basis. Because of that, both of us have taken other jobs on so that we can finance our own businesses through the growth stages. This was a prudent thing to do we think. So watch us grow our businesses by removing the aspects that we don't think fit the model and that will leave us more time to do the things that will make them grow. More news to follow folks.
Tom

2006-07-04T19:33:00.000-06:00

So on Saturday July the 8th we are going to be in a parade. The Settler's Days parade is happening in Coaldale and is one of the best and most well attended parades in Southern Alberta. This year we have a band from Cranbrook coming to march in the parade and as well there will be candy distributed for the day of festivities. Come on out and enjoy the parade and the day with beer gardens and a talent contest and oodles of other stuff happening. Maggie is entering a float that we have been feverishly working on to get ready. See you there.
Tom

2006-06-26T14:24:00.000-06:00

So what has been happening you ask? Well a ton of stuff. We have been getting ready for the Settler's Day Parade in Coaldale. Our negotiations with a company that we had high hopes for fell through so there is some repair work to do there and we are building the long awaited stock website that we need to get going. So no moss is growing on this fella's backside that's for sure. We will have more news on these important developments shortly. Until then, visit our website at www.tombuchananphoto.com to see our work and comments are always welcome.
Tom

2006-06-20T08:26:00.000-06:00

Well as I said in my last blog, things are happening and for the good. We are still in negotiation, but it is all starting to look like our our goals are going to be achievable and both Maggie and I are well on our way to success in our businesses. Whew it has been a hard uphill struggle though. I will write more about the new directions as soon as everything is solidified. In the meantime, it is back to work and planning. Once again, stand by for the updates.
Tom

2006-06-07T08:32:00.000-06:00

So things are happening. Lots of things. Changes in our directions are in the air. Good stuff. As soon as the negotiations are over I will bring everyone up to date. It won't change the way you are being served by either of us, but it will improve it dramatically. Stand by for the updates soon.
Tom

2006-06-03T09:41:00.000-06:00

What's that? You want to know who I consider my greatest teachers? Well I'll tell you, after working on a shoot yesterday and seeing the results, the greatest lessons I have learned as a photographer came from my association with Lorne Kemmet. Lorne is not only my friend, but a mentor and his ability to light things is astounding. He has a natural gift to understand how light works and how to make the subject stand out and be enhanced. Anybody who ever works with a master such as Lorne or others like Ted Dawson had better listen and learn because the lessons will be some of the most valuable things you will ever learn in this business. I can truly say that with his help I have become a much better photographer and can truly offer my clients a world class product. Thanks Lorne.
Tom

2006-06-01T09:48:00.000-06:00

Wow, this week has come and nearly gone. Lots of stuff to do to keep a person from growing moss on his butt. Photographic opportunities are everywhere and my direction is firm.

When I started my businesses I had a vision of what I wanted it to look like. It was a fairly simple model in that it was going to combine the two businesses into one. My love of photography and my love of travel. Both go hand in hand. The process of making them both happen was idealistic to say the least, but for the most part the plan is slowly coming together.

The total immersion into the photography business has produced a liveable income. The interesting part though is that it is being derived as something entirely different from what I originally envisioned. My idea was to delve into stock photography absolutely. That hasn't happened...yet. I have become a portrait and commercial photographer, but that is not my first love although I love to create individual portraits. Building the fine art and stock business was and is still my goal for the future. From the stock I will be striving to sustain myself as a man without a pension. (Due to unforseen circumstances and quite frankly stupidity on my side, I didn't get to build the pension the way I was planning to. Something about seeing the writing on the wall before you smash into it comes to mind.)

The travel business was my way of getting out to take those wonderful world photographs and to be able to share my "talent" for taking pictures with others and add to my stock to boot. It just so happens that it required more time than I could afford to develop that business while I was building the other, so I turned that part of it over to my wife Maggie. With lots of false starts, it is finally getting going and her business is growing nicely.

Now it is time to combine and make the dream come true. Be ready for some breaking news in the next few weeks folks.

A blessing on you all... Tom

2006-05-29T21:33:00.000-06:00

So another day is come and went. A Monday spent working on new and exiting ways to help others. I was thinking about maybe doing something using grey power, you know the people with grey hair like me. The boomers maybe. I wonder if they would like to have special portraits taken that would capture them in this great time of their lives. I'm thinking maybe in black and white only or in subdued colour with lots of rich earth tones in the mix. Lots of dark greens and blues and rich mahogany colours perhaps. I love that kind of light. What do you think? Let me know if you think someone would like that at my age or older. Write me a note and let me know.
Tom

2006-05-28T09:43:00.000-06:00

Happy Sunday everybody. This is a day to make some decisions on some special stuff that is happening. Aside from that I am working on some new CD's of stock images that I want to have available. These CD's are for the graphic artists that need stock from my collection. They are going to be priced competitively and will cover many subjects such as animals, British Columbia, sunsets, Alberta etc. If you want to see a lineup of what is available, you can go to my newest website called www.photos2010.com and look at the sample slideshow. Have a great and blessed day.

Tom

2006-05-27T08:47:00.000-06:00

So now it is Saturday and it is raining a bit in Coaldale. I have been working on a bunch of wedding pictures today for some clients.

I found out the other day that apparently if we want to take our clients to the local parks in Lethbridge, we are required to pay a fee for the use of it. The fees, according to the city website are $25 if you apply for your permit a month ahead of time and $60 if you apply 2 weeks ahead of time.

That is ridiculous and it has a lot of the local photographers pretty upset. Who comes up with stupid bylaws like that? It makes me wonder why we bother to go into the business at all with regressive ideas like that. You would think that the city would want us to use the parks and therefore show off our beautiful city and not penalize us for being artists by making us pay for the park. Apparently they have a bunch of Commissionaires wandering around checking things like that and you can be asked to leave the park if they catch you.

Tom

2006-05-26T16:56:00.000-06:00

So this is blogging. Well, Wow, what a neat way to get information out to the the public.

My name is Tom Buchanan and I am a professional photographer in the town of Coaldale, AB, Canada. My specialty is portraiture and landscape photography with lots of pre-school kids and a bunch of commercial work as well. I'm a fairly busy guy, not prosperous, but busy.

I also teach photography and am planning a tour on the east coast of the North America to teach a workshop on a Holland America cruise from New York to Montreal. Sound exciting? Take a look at my wife's website at www.bumblebeetpi.com to get the scoop on how to do this if you like.

So because this is my first blog, I am going to let it go out there and talk to you people. Have a great weekend everyone.

Tom