Billy Sheahan March 2008 Postcard

Good energy. Sometimes when I arrive at a place I've never visited before, I instantly get a sense or a vibe from it. Part of it might be my state of mind when I get there, but I think it's something more than that. Some places just have something creative, artistic or even mystical about them. You can feel it hanging in the air.

Santa Fe, New Mexico is one of those places. I recently spent a week there and it was one of the most inspiring time I've had in a while. I think it ranks as the third or fourth largest art market in the USA and I can see why. The amount of creative energy coming out of that location is rare.

I gave myself what photographers call a "self-assignment" to make an image of a subject I had never done before. I grew up loving trains when I was a kid and so I headed to an abandoned trainyard near the center of town. When I got there, I parked and took my camera out, but something wasn't quite ready yet. So I drove off and explored another part of the city before coming back a little later.

Then I began shooting. Quietly exploring the tons of metal that seemed to be sleeping on the rails. I walked quietly around it, perhaps so as not to wake it as the afternoon sun set. I've never photographed something so lifeless before. But it still had energy. Good energy.

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New this month is the Gallery of the Month. If you like the image on the postcard, you can see more similar images at billysheahan.com. Click on Portfolios and select Gallery of the Month.

And postcard subscriptions through the mail are still $25 for 12 months. Details at the store.

Page Two

For those of you who prefer not to get newsprint on your delicate fingers, here's my picture from page two of the Chicago Tribune today in the online edition as well.

The picture on page two is a liiiiiiiittle bit tiny. But at least I'm above Rezko.

If the link above doesn't work, go to the Chicago Tribune home page and scroll down and click on "Photo of the Week Winners."

In the Chicago Tribune

It's been a while since I've written here, but that's because lots of great things have been going on. Santa Fe was wonderful and more than I could have ever hoped for.

And tomorrow (Monday) I'm going to be in the Chicago Tribune on page 2 for their new Photo of the Week. It's a photograph I made two weeks ago downtown looking out over the Wrigley Building as the sun was beginning to set. I made that image because it's been such a brutal winter in Chicago this year and it was nice to see a little color in the sky instead of the gray we've been living through.

So pick up a Trib and turn to page two. Not bad... only one page away from page one!