Newsletter No. 27: October 2007
© Chris Harris. All rights reserved.
CONTENTS
1. It’s Here! And It’s Beautiful!
The Advanced Copy arrived last week! I was working alone in the office when Mr. Fed. Ex. came knocking on the Gallery door. I calmly signed for the parcel, locked the Gallery and went to the house to perform a ritual I have now done nine times before. I cleared a table in the conservatory and lit a candle. The thin cloud cover of the morning provided a diffuse light – perfect conditions to view the book for the very first time.
It’s difficult to describe my feelings as I opened the box and stared at the cover. I was apprehensive but excited. I was nervous but confident. I appreciated the front cover for a moment and then I opened the book and slowly went through it one page at a time. I examined every image for quality and by the time I reached page 224 I was both relieved and thrilled. There were only a couple of images that I felt could have been better but there were also a couple that turned out better than I expected. Overall I felt the printing job was masterfully done. When I finally closed the book and saw that the back cover wasn’t printed upside down, I just plain felt thankful. Four years of hard work and it all felt so worthwhile. I was excited and grateful.
I poured myself a glass of wine and went through the book again. This time I was more relaxed. As I looked at the images the second time, the memories of making each image and spirit of each of those moments began to flood back to me. I was in heaven!
While going through the book for about the tenth time, Rita arrived home. I sat back and watched her as she too went through the book one page at a time. She was elated and we hugged. It was just a great time to be alive.
I then called Mike Duffy, the gentleman whose conversation in the bow of my canoe sparked the idea for this book in 2003, and told him he had to drop everything he was doing and come over to the house. Within fifteen minutes he too was going through the book, slowly, one page at a time. In the end, we all sat around the table, laughing and sharing stories. We celebrated.
When Mike left, I called my closest friends, fellow contributors, and my two largest supporter/donors to share the news. By then the day was shot! I was no longer in the mood for office work. I took my dog Sandy for a long walk and then Rita and I took the rest of the day off!
The main shipment of books is arriving in the port of Vancouver today (hopefully) and should clear customs by about the 14th. I’ve been a little nervous all month as I know this is cutting it a little close, but if everything goes according to plan, all the books will be here just in time for the Grand Launch on the 20th! Yahoooo!
2. Everyone is Invited!The Spirit in the Grass Book Promotional Tour is about to begin. The official book launch is here in my home town of 100 Mile House on October 20th at Martin Exeter Hall starting at 7:00 pm. Everyone is invited. You might want to get there early. David Zirnhelt will represent the Grasslands Conservation Council of BC, and contributors, Kristi Iverson, Ordell Steen, and Harold Rhenisch will all be a part of the grand slide presentation.
After that, there will be presentations in Vancouver, Fort Langley, Edmonton, Tsawwassen, Victoria, Williams Lake, Vernon, Kamloops, Quesnel, and Surrey. More are in the works, so please tell your friends and check my web site for locations nearest you.
3. Grasslands GalaOn October 23rd, the Grasslands Conservation Council of British Columbia (GCC) is holding a Grasslands Gala Fund-raising Book Launch Event at The Royal Vancouver Yacht Club. The doors will open at 6:30pm, followed by a dinner and auction for 5 grasslands prints. I will be presenting my book launch slide presentation after dinner. Tickets are $90.00 per person for the evening event and can be purchased through the GCC by email at sandra.macievich@bcgrasslands.org, or by phone at 250-374-5787. Complete details for this event including registration form can be found on their web site. Everyone is invited to attend. You can see the slide show, enjoy a delicious dinner, and support the Grasslands all at the same time. It should be a wonderful evening.
First Light Over the Grasslands
This panorama comprises of 8 vertical format images that have been stitched together to form one image. They were taken with my Canon EOS-1D Mark II.One of the wonderful aspects of this book is the clearly written informative text that accompanies the images. These multiple valley terraces were formed when the Fraser River cut down through sediments deposited on the bottoms of ancient glacial lakes and rivers that filled the valley at the end of the last glacial period.
For me as a photographer, some of my most profound experiences during this project were to await the first light over the Fraser River Canyon. Terrace by terrace, the sagebrush and grasses and all their colour and texture would appear. I created this panorama with eight images in order to try and capture the vastness of this spectacular landscape. It was magical.
4. Limited Edition Books – Important Notice
UPDATE Nov.17, 2007: The hard-covered version is now sold out.
Country Light Publishing has made a change in how the book Spirit in the Grass is to be distributed and sold. Both hard cover and soft cover editions will be released at the same time: October 20th, 2007. What is important to note is that each hard cover copy will be signed and numbered as a Limited Edition of 515. That means each book will be signed and numbered 1/515, 2/515 etc. Only 515 hard cover books have been or will be printed. That’s it.
The hard cover edition is a beautiful gift book and will retail for $59.95. The soft cover edition, also a beautiful book will retail for $39.95. Books can be ordered online, at any of the book launch presentations, by calling the office at 1-800-946-6622 or 250-791-6631, or by fax at 250-791-6671. Please note: specific Limited Edition numbers cannot be reserved. They will be issued on a first-order basis. Orders are now being taken but delivery won’t begin until October 21st, 2007.
For those of you who can make it to one of the book launch presentations, I look forward to seeing you there.
I will resume my regular Newsletter format with more information about photography and the creative process as soon as the Book Promotional Tour is over. Thank you.
If you are nervous about not getting a Limited Edition hardcover copy by the time the Book Promotional Tour reaches your community, you can order now with a note as to which presentation you will be attending. I will bring your book order to that location to avoid shipping costs. Thank you for your cooperation.
