Show at the Biltmore Estate

Two of my three submissions for the “Flowers, Farms, and Forests” show at the Biltmore Estate have been accepted. Anyone who happens to be going to Biltmore this June or July, go check out my work. They will be in the gallery at Deer Park. The farm picture is the one that didn’t get in. The waterfall and sunflower made it. Now I have to put a price on these. They are 16 by 20 inch prints that I’m going to mat and put in a nice frame. So how much do you think I should charge?

Katie

Doggie Cuteness

Here are some pictures of our dogs I’ve been taking with my new digital camera. These are in no particular order of doggie cuteness.

Katie

New Gig with HDTV

I have a gig coming up to shoot stills for the HGTV dream house giveaway. This year the house that they are giving out is at Lake Lure, which isn’t too far from Asheville. My photographer friend Ryan got me the gig for next Friday and Saturday. It’ll be nice to be on a real set again. So more on that later.

I also got a new digital camera. It’s a Nikon D200 and it’s really sweet. I’m having fun playing with it. I’m not abandoning film. I’m still keeping all my old gear. I am still a film snob at heart, but now instead of burning film whenever I have a whim, I will save it for special occasions. Plus digital is so much better for work. It’ll pay for itself in the long run.

I attached a picture of a ladybug just because.

Katie

Film Reviews

A friend of mine was surfacing the web and looked up my name to see what would pop up. He came across these reviews for movies that I’ve made that I didn’t even know where there. Here are some excepts:

Katie

Nolan's Pop Culture Review

By: Nolan B. Canova

...excerpt...

Just Due [Katie Damien] played at the 4th Renegade Film Festival (Saints & Sinners), but I missed it there due to hobnobbing in the lobby too long. The setting is the old west and two gun-slinging sisters are talking about how they're going to handle some tough business that day. Suddenly, a shout from an abusive landlord/boss awakens them...and us...to the fact that this just is a daydream. The two sisters are charwomen, scrubbing floors on their hands and knees for a drunken, redneck jerk. They escape this harsh reality by whispering little bits of their wild west fantasy to each other. As the abuse grows and tolerances are tested, the fantasy threatens to become reality. Highly recommended. (RT: about 10 minutes)

Vanity Mirror [Katie Damien] also played at S&SIV, but I only saw a part of it. This was a little bit more of an abstract experience for me, but still intriguing. A woman, seemingly haunted by visions of stalkers and self-mutilation, finally acts out some self-destruction via her broken mirror. Hard to follow in what can be the occasionally noisey atmosphere of the coffeehouse, so I'm afraid that's about all I got out of it, but still worth a study! (RT: about 10-15 minutes)

Coffeehouse Film Review for May

By: Nolan B. Canova

...excerpt...

The Mime Series by Katie Damien: Destiny and Marco won’t quit. No matter what situation they find themselves in, they refuse to speak. Three short chapters, end-to-end, all very funny. Leave it to Katie Damien to make mimes in movies a workable format! I love her work and have yet to find a Katie Damien piece I don't like. I don't recall ever meeting her, but I'd sure like to. Her other movies "Just Due" and "Vanity Mirror" left lasting impressions.

The Beauty of Western North Carolina

In Asheville there is such beautiful countryside all around you don’t have to go far to find these kind of marvelous sights. I took the shot of the waterfall at Chimney Rock State Park. It’s the bottom of the falls that is featured in the last scene of Last of the Mohicans.

The other shot I took at the top of Mt. Mitchell and I was so disappointed at the cloudy weather we encountered at the top. There was never a break so you couldn’t see the marvelous view of the surrounding mountains. Little did I know I would come across such a cool shot as the clouds almost cleared to reveal a lovely orange sun through the silhouette of the trees. Maybe next time I go back I will be disappointed that there are no clouds.

Katie