Designing Scarves So Exciting!

As I sat to write this blog post I suddenly have a song in my head singing …Where do I begin, to tell the story of how great a love can be… Which may or may not be exactly the right words to the song in question but the sentiment of the song is about LOVE, And Love is what is happening here. I LOVE creating– insatiably. Last year I created a line of scarves and it was a long time coming. I’ve been making/sewing scarves for years. In fact, my entire life I’ve had a quiet obsession with textiles and fabric of all kinds. In high school I wanted to be a textile designer but did nothing about it. It was a sweet dream never acted upon. Life took me many other directions, many of them wonderful so I’ve no regrets about that. I believe things happen in their own time and this is part of Charr’s Luxury Scarves story.

Three of the latest limited-edition designs soon to be offered. They are Long scarves, in Satin.
Accepting Pre-Orders, get in touch.

Drawing patterns and fine lines in black and white or bold, even outrageous color combinations has always been a passion. I was reminded of that today when I saw a decades old college photo of myself and was suddenly reminded of the colors I was wearing– a turquoise top and magenta pants. Not a common combo no matter what fashion era unless you’re talking about the hippies way back when. I was too young for that but in my heart I am one and definitely lean towards that pop art and kaleidoscopic style even today.

But back to the point. For many years now I have made and sold long silky scarves at holiday time. I purchased fabric and spent hours turning it into beautiful things. Many times it crossed my mind that I could design and produce my own fabric but then I didn’t. I told myself it wasn’t possible, I couldn’t afford it, I said NO to myself– for many years.

Until last year that is. I did the math and finally said YES! It was just a matter of weeks to design and produce the scarves, with my own gorgeous designs in a delicious satin. The colors unbelievably vibrant and a part of me still can’t believe I did it as quickly as I did– the designing, producing, sewing, finishing, packaging and all it takes to produce a unique product. In fact it’s practically a blur. The results were amazing, the scarves sold like hotcakes and I’m so proud of what I created and set free into the world.

A few weeks ago I felt the new line of designs gurgling and bubbling up again and I’m delighted to say I just put a brand new fabric order through and the yardage should be arriving this very week.

I’ll be selling scarves in an Etsy shop I am setting up, which has always been the plan, so you’ll be able to go and get ’em! I’ll sell them in person later this year as usual. Or if you live in Sacramento and want to buy on the spot get in touch and I may even arrange a personal viewing just for you! Charr@me.com

Title: #EyesofLove
This is a Legacy Square Satin Scarf Design. Accepting Pre-Orders, get in touch.

Also, if you are not on my mailing list yet please get on it so you can be amongst the first to know what is up with creative endeavors here at Penguin Palace (what my husband and I call our home).

Website re-design and life as an artist

Today marks the beginning of a website re-design and truth be told a finer tuning representation of myself as an artist making some very unique new art. I’ve always been one but have made a broader, deeper and wonderful career as a photographer/photojournalist. These days, armed with my iPad, Apple Pencil and photos I take on professional gigs or with my iPhone I’m also making art that comes from who knows where. It arrives in my minds eye and something new is born when I put pen to digital device. Figured I’d keep you posted on the changes you’ll be seeing along the way right here on the website. Pages will change, offerings too and there may be a few obvious things that aren’t quite right– YET. It’s a work in progress a little each day so thank you in advance for your patience.
Seussical as inspiration

Alien Nation Art Piece by Charr Crail

This accompanying image is an example of the unique kind of hybrid art I’m very involved in creating. The original inspiration for this art piece was from a photograph I shot during a theatrical production of Seussical at a local Sacramento elementary school. Pretty much no matter where I go I find some delicious visual morsel or two worth capturing with my iPhone that I know I can use later in some interesting way. On jobs, may of which are from theatre productions, I have living art performance photos to draw from like this one.  During the performance there were a few seconds open for me to consider some of the background characters and snapped a few faces in the crowd.  This photo was almost an outtake but had some fine qualities that made it stand out to me– faces, lighting, body language for example.  Using my iPad and a favorite art app I rearranged the characters in the art piece as I developed it so it’s very little like the original photo at this point. I’ve been actively exploring creating my own gorgeous patterns too and in each of the characters is a variety of patterns I’ve made that turned into fashion/clothing seen here.  I’m using that technique A LOT these days and am even planning to have yardage made so I can sew some clothes from it for myself to wear my art! My husband and I take what we like to call “mini-moons”, which are very short vacations- 2-3 days on average- to places that inspire us. Our last mini-moon was earlier this month to San Simeon to take a tour at Hearst Castle, which is fantastically beautiful.  I wanted to get some great location photos to use as backgrounds for future art pieces too and this is the first one I’m showing.  The background is from the indoor pool there.  A truly magical place. The colors?  Just used the minds eye suggested and it felt right when I began making choices for skin tones.  Seussical is whimsical, colorful and quirky so an odd mix of colors, textures and attitudes made perfect sense. I am planning to be blogging more again soon and keep you posted on the art I’m making along with some back story on them too. I’ll also be setting up a way for you to buy these brand new art prints, something I’ve been wanting to create for a very long time online.  You can do it now via the link in the Buy Prints tab above from some of my earlier works– digital art, music and more. Visit there and stay tuned here! If you have questions and want to get in touch with me please do! You can email me direct: charr@me.com.

Podcasts! Getting interviewed is…

…kinda awesome!  Podcasting– an ever-growing audio world that is exciting, fun, educational, insightful… and well, all of the above and so much more!  I’ve been interviewed for several podcasts about my approach to creativity and life as a professional photographer and figured I’d share the audio recordings here.  I can talk, and anyone who knows me will chuckle with a very knowing nod.  Just ask me a question and woah!  These wonderful people, Karen, Wayne and Chamira, are so very good at what they do they made being interviewed easy and the conversations are really good.  I hope you take the time to listen and enjoy!  Comments much appreciated!  🙂

This one is with Karen Poirier-Brode on The Creative Approach.  CLICK HERE TO LISTEN.

This one is with Wayne Cook on HotMix.  CLICK HERE TO LISTEN on SoundCloud.

This is with Chamira Young on Zenjoyable with more of a focus on the business end of being a professional photographer.   CLICK HERE TO LISTEN.

#iwitness and Visual Storytelling

4:44 pm on the dot.

Musings on a Monday afternoon…
#iwitness. I’ve been a witness with a camera, professionally, for decades.

In just a few weeks we launch into Music Circus Season 2017. I’ve been company photographer there since 2005 and these intensive summers have been some of the proudest and most fun of my entire photography life.

My first show in 2005 was Beauty and the Beast. At intermission I just remember the sweat on my face and finally getting to catch my breath. I was breathless and stunned at what had just happened in front of me! I had no idea what it was going to be like, though I’d seem many shows there as a patron. It’s not the same when you’re trying to capture the action of 20-30+ people on a small round stage all singing and dancing and leaping with a 360 degree perspective. With theatre-in-the-round, which Music Circus is, there’s not a bad seat in the house!

As I look at this picture, shot several years ago as a publicity still for Music Circus, a California Musical Theatre production, of Bye Bye Birdie, I’m sometimes in awe of my own good fortune to photograph some of the coolest things ever!

Nathaniel Hackmann as Conrad Birdie in Bye Bye Birdie, produced by Music Circus, 2015. Photo © Charr Crail.

For example, I get to photograph art in the form of theatre. Sometimes it’s live and happening NOW. Other times it’s a set up and the performance is put on just for me while I aim my camera and snap the shutter. I LOVE it. And the second I choose the moment to click that shutter I’ve captured something never to be seen or experienced in quite the same way ever again. That’s the extraordinary beauty and profound delight of theatre. No two performances are ever exactly the same.

Visual Storytelling.  It may sound weird but it’s a lot like photographing live sports too. I’m looking for peak action and storytelling moments. For example, in any sport, football or baseball or basketball— you watch for the action, the touchdown, the homer, the slam dunk– you go where the ball goes. And even more than that— to do it well— you gotta anticipate the play to know where the ball is going to go. And then there’s emotion— who wins, who loses and how they react either way. Storytelling. That’s what we can do with our cameras.

So I guess theatre and football aren’t so different!

It’s pretty much the same in live theatre too — the movement, the emotion, the interaction, the peak moments,  the story outcome. What are the characters saying? Feeling? Experiencing? Get in touch with their emotions, watch their subtle body language and stay in tandem, your lens following along with them as they move across the stage. You may not know just where they’re going but you can anticipate loads by paying attention to their body language, their words and inflections, the emotional state and the storyline.

Oh, the things I’ve seen.  The art, the humanity, the creativity.

If I leave you with anything in particular it’s this. As a photographer you’re not just taking a picture— you’re capturing an experience you’ve witnessed.  How you capture it is dependent on far more than the obvious technical aspects of a camera.  The visual story you tell is happening inside you first– in your head, your heart, observations and your choices on when to click the shutter.  It’s your own interpretation of life and visual storytelling skills driving this show– The Photograph– one single shot of a moment you witnessed, now frozen in time, all because of you.

Focus on Creativity– Conversations with Amazing People

From a flicker of an idea to a realized reality— such is creativity!  I am so proud to announce my brand new YouTube channel featuring a project near and dear to my heart— Focus on CreativityMany thanks to the people who have already agreed to be part of this amazing conversation and the many yet to come and meet with me to share even more great conversation.

Creativity has been my life, both personally and professionally.  We are alive in this extraordinary time where with a few simple clicks it’s possible to connect with anyone in the world and get face to face, smile to smile, voice to sound anytime we want.  And this month I’ve been connecting just that way during online conversations with some remarkable people—  it’s been wonderful so far!  I pose the question “What is creativity to you and what is your creative process?”  The answers given during the conversations in Focus on Creativity are invariably unpredictable and fascinating.

I talk to international speakers, radio hosts, tantra experts, actors, authors, musicians, life coaches, health and beauty experts, landscape designers, photojournalists– and this is only the beginning because creativity is in everything and everyone!

When we think of the word “creativity,” art, music or culture often springs to mind.  But as one of my guests reminded me— we breathe, we create— and that is one of my most core beliefs.

Why does creativity matter and why is this conversation so important?

We all want to be more creative.  We are all searching for ways to bring things to life or to continue enhancing what we have or do.  That’s creating.  For me this began when a professional photographer told me they weren’t creative.  That shocked me and stuck with me, forever changing my view of what I had thought was a given.  So many of us wonder how to be creative— as if we aren’t already.

Creativity can appear mysterious and even seem to be a magical process.  Each one of us creates in our own unique way and has our own unique process.  Still, we wonder about how others do it.  We can learn from each other so we can go even deeper with our own creativity.

That’s what this conversation in Focus on Creativity is about.  Each one of us is a universe unto ourselves but we are not alone.  This Focus on Creativity conversation seeks to see and explore our unique ways of creating and the ideas and the process for each of us so we can share the mysterious, the magic and our connection with each other.

I am so delighted to share this ongoing project with you.  Please enjoy the videos, subscribe to the channel, and share.  What does Focus on Creativity look like in your own life?  Please feel free to comment and if interested in having the conversation with me be sure to get in touch!  I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Join the conversation– CLICK HERE to view and enjoy!

Charr

Charr is the Host of Focus on Creativity, a photographer, an artist and a muse!

Charr@me.com

Focus on Creativity– Today we launch!

Creativity.  To some of us it comes easily.  To some of us it’s a constant question mark. We have all kinds of notions about what creativity is.  To me it’s everyday in everything.  To you it may be something very different but in the end, I promise you, it’s in all of us.

I actually remember the very moment I saw creativity in myself.  I was about six years old and in the process of coloring a bunch of grapes I had drawn.  My mom came by and exclaimed with surprise at how I had used unexpected colors in my grapes.  They were NOT all purple.  I had colored them with varying shades of blue and purple.  It was a sophisticated view for a child and her delighted reaction showed me something about my self— originality.

We all have originality.  You are original.  Your DNA says so and I bet many people in your life would say so too. We can’t help ourselves.  It is just what is so.

So what exactly is creativity and how does it show up?

According to dictionary.com it’s “the ability to transcend traditional ideas, rules, patterns, relationships, or the like, and to create meaningful new ideas, forms, methods, interpretations, etc.; originality, progressiveness, or imagination.”

Creativity is how we like our tea, what we choose to wear on any given day, how we sigh, how we laugh, our handwriting, our personality as well as a million other far more obvious or subtle signs of self expression.

Why did this conversation even come up for me? I was the featured guest speaking about my photography and showing examples to a large group of professional photographers at their monthly meeting.  One of them raised his hand and pointed at one of my images on the screen and said.  “I can’t do that.  I’m not creative.”  That single moment has forever changed my ideas about creativity by revealing a shocking truth— even people in a creative field don’t see their own unique creativity.  It has become my mission to help people see it, to embrace it and to express it freely.

So, just a few weeks ago I was inspired to create a series of recorded conversations with people about creativity in their own lives and their thought process behind it.  So began my new endeavor Focus on Creativity, an ongoing series of video conversations with people that I will be publishing on a regular basis.  From hair stylists to actors, professional speakers to musicians and life coaches–  I believe everyone is fascinating on this topic and today is the day I’m telling the world about this brand new project— Focus on Creativity. 

The conversations keep happening and I’ll be publishing them when they do so please stay tuned! 

The first video in the series is with Georgiana Kovell, The Entrepreneurs’ Partner in Mind Blowing Success.  Enjoy!  And if so inclined to leave a comment, please do!

Want to get in touch with Georgiana Kovell??  Click Here.

Save Big $ with DIY Marketing– Take your own Pictures!

charr-crail-100

Taking pictures is one of those things that’s super fun BUT it can also save you money as an entrepreneur. Wherever you go, There you are. Shoot the picture– with your camera phone!

Save Big $ with DIY Marketing– Take your own Pictures!

Wherever you go, there you are. Take the picture—with your camera phone! Are you a business owner or entrepreneur who needs pictures and videos to go on your social media sites and websites to help you market what you do?

Of course, we ALL need them, right? People often use stock photos, which I don’t mind but I’d rather see the real thing– the hand of the artist if you will. But do you know how easy it is to do your own photos? So easy! And it can save you massive amounts of money! You don’t have to hire a pro for everything, you don’t have to buy stock photos and you don’t have to risk copyright infringement in case you just did a Google search to find the perfect photo to go with that blog post but got caught. When it comes to your business wherever you go, there you are– with your cell phone. Take the picture. Tell Your Story!

I’ve spent a career as a photojournalist shooting events great and small and some of the most famous people on the planet too I am proud to say. To me pictures are everything and from where I stand it seems they get more important every single day! Pictures AND video are the first things people look at when online or thumbing through any publication. It’s what draws them in, gets them to pay attention.

There is a secret sauce to all great imagery and though you may already know what it is how often is it the main thought in your mind when you bring a camera to your face and click?

What is the Secret Sauce?

If I had to choose one single word to tell you the most vital thing of all when it comes to great or effective imagery this is it– Emotion. How does the picture make you feel? How people feel and the emotions they experience is the single most important key to the deeper level of visual storytelling. Emotion is what you look for and I could write a book on that topic alone. Hold the thought. For now we will focus in on the more practical matters of approaching a photo subject because even though emotion is the secret sauce there’s still a lot more surrounding any subject in the sense of creating a complete story. The who, what, where, when, why and sometimes how.

The following suggestions should get you started in how to look at and approach situations you want to photograph and convey to the viewer what you saw– and in a perfect world seeking the special sauce and showing how it felt to be there too.

Let’s look at three simple and practical aspects to visual storytelling that you can learn and use for capturing your own effective pictures for use in your own marketing materials.

So let’s say I’m at a public event and I want to take a few photos that visually tell the story, capture the flavor– show what it was really like to be there. It’s very possible to gather all kinds of relevant information into a single picture.  Napoleon Bonaparte said it best–  “A picture is worth a thousand words.” You can see time of day, the season or climate, how many people were there, get a sense of the location and mood of the event.

The Overall Shot— This is the scene setter. This is the picture where you establish location by photographing the scope of a place or an event. Things you might include are people and how many. Is it a bustling crowd or a smattering? Is there a seasonal aspect? What is the overall mood of the event– the emotional experience people are having. Happy? Somber? Lively? Rained-out?

Look for interesting activities happening or some main gist of the event and why people might have gathered there. For example—Let’s say this is a community event with artisans selling their work and there are hundreds of people, young and old wandering through. It’s a riverside locale with dozens of vendors on a beautiful summer day. Take a picture in your minds eye right now and imagine the scene. Click.

The Medium Shot— Focus in on some specific thing or aspect of the event of interest to you. Since there are many artists you might look for one doing something unusual or colorful to emphasize that it’s an art event. For example– a glass artist is creating on the spot. Taking a picture of them moulding the glass into a shape, the heat source, the intensity of the artist as they work. Look for emotion, engagement, interaction. Perhaps someone is watching the process close enough to keep in the picture too so you move in and center the frame on them a bit. That would be considered a medium shot.  Can you imagine it? Click. Click.

The Close-Up—This is literally a close up photo. For example—the artisans hands as they deftly shape the molten glass before it cools into a fine glass miniature that they’ll later sell. You can see the lines in the deft and experienced hands, or the sweat dripping off the artisans face, or the stretched molten glass thread-like. Click, Click, Click.

One Event, Two Stories. Which story are you trying to tell?

One Event, Two Stories. Which story are you trying to tell?

This is storytelling but you are doing it in pictures. Sometimes you can get it in one picture. Often you’ll get it in the three I just described. The Overall, Medium and Close-up. Do this at any and all situations or events you attend and you’ll always come away with a solid visual record in photos you can use for blogging, posting on websites or social media of all kinds.

Showing up, getting your voice out in the world and telling a story from your unique point of view– it’s all a big and powerful part of great marketing.

You don’t have to be a journalist to think like one and tell a great visual story. You don’t have to be a professional with thousands of dollars worth of equipment to capture great pictures and the essence of photo subject. Listen, sometimes only a pro will do so by all means hire one for those important things like professional head shots or high end brochure work. But since wherever you go, there you are why not go ahead and take the picture yourself—with your camera phone– and post all over the place! Marketing is more than just advertising. It’s about connection, top of mind, being seen, noticed and recognized as a solid resource. And don’t forget the secret sauce.

Pictures and videos in social media are the first things people see besides a striking headline. Create and use them liberally as part of your ongoing business efforts. Pictures and videos are just two of the dozens of things I use my cell phone for when it comes to business and I love teaching how to do it.  Do you want to learn all about making photos, videos and using apps to market your business? I’m TEACHING how I do it all. It’s rad fun. Check out my workshop page– CLICK HERE!

About the Author: Charr Crail has been a photographer and artist all her life, and a working professional photojournalist for over 25 years. She specializes in photographing people, entertainment, creating imaginative photo illustrations and teaching. Charr is an oft published photographer in both newspapers and magazines and has won numerous awards for her photography and art work world wide. Charr also speaks to professional groups and colleges about photography and puts on workshops at her photo studio in Sacramento teaching art, digital imaging and marketing with your camera phone to both beginners and pros.

Learn and see more about Charr on her website: www.charrcrail.com or get in touch directly via email: charr@me.com

Live on FB, Spontaneity at my Workshop

Amazing day at my latest workshop– Creative Marketing Using Your Camera Phone!  

Seriously, how can you talk about marketing without mentioning Facebook Live and then doing it right then and there–  Fun!  Yep, we went Live on Facebook at the very end of a fabulous workshop– Creative Marketing Using Your Camera Phone.  A wonderful class for anyone in business who wants to get creative with pictures and videos so they can shoot their own, edit them, turn them into videos and market their product or services all right in the palm of their hand using the iPhone!  Had a blast learning and practicing some wonderful tricks and tools built right into your iPhone that you can use to create pictures and videos you can post online– social media, websites and more.

Perhaps the best part of this class for me was the unbridled enthusiasm these students had and the really great photos they captured.  It was a ling full day of learning, getting hands-on and even making videos from the pictures we captured.  Everyone had a blast!

Learn about this class and many more at my website:  www.charrcrail.com

Wherever you go, there you are!

charr-crail-wherever-you-go-memeSeriously, Wherever you go, there you are.  I’ve been thinking so much about my business and other entrepreneurs who want pictures and videos to go on their social media sites, their websites and marketing stuff.  I know a stock photo when I see it.  I don’t mind them but I’d rather see the real thing– the hand of the artist if you will.  It just looks real so I’m getting kinda more passionate about it these days because it’s become that thing that is always in the back of my mind.  Business, photos, posting, working–  Wherever I go, there I am, with my cell phone.

When someone is crazy for something, can’t stop thinking about it or doing it and is all about that particular thing… ?  Yeah, they joke about that saying “like a dog with a bone”.  I get it, and I am a dog with a bone now too.  My iPhone.  My camera phone.  I use it for EVERYTHING practically.  Well, I may not use it as a spatula to turn over a hamburger patty but I do use it more and more everyday for more and more. Here is a list for a few of the things I use it for.

Making art

Time and Date

Calendar

Games

TV

Alarm Clock, Timer

Texting

Email

Internet and Social Media

Photographing

Shooting Video

Listening to music

Maps and GPS

Learning with education apps

Shopping

Health, Exercise

The News

Invoicing

Banking

Taking payments (credit cards)

Making payments

Investing

Calculator

Weather

Audio Recording

Making notes

Reading books

Flashlight/Nightlight

Archiving and Sending/Sharing files

Attending live webinars … and so many more things…

What about you? What do you use your cell phone for?

Of course my main thing these days is photos and videos.  Shooting photos and videos, making videos from my photos, making memes with my photos– and now TEACHING how I do it all.  It’s rad fun.  Check out my workshop page– CLICK HERE!