It is with a mixture of sadness and excitement that I inform you, my delightful, poetry-loving (I assume), ever-supportive Red Bat blog audience, that 2011 is my last year with Red Bat Photography. Yes, that’s right, I’m leaving! Starting in January 2012, Red Bat will be minus the Rebecca Barnes component. Patrick will carry on as a solo Red Bat, though he may bring in Guest Bats for shoots that require it.

Why am I leaving? I’ve long had many personal projects on hold, and the time has come for me to get back to them. Some of those are photography projects, some involve writing, and some are so nebulous and strange that I’m not even sure how to describe them or what they will look like. For a few years, I was okay with having so many projects lying around half-begun. I’ll get back to those eventually, I thought, and accustomed myself to the low-level background buzz inside my brain that indicated the presence of ideas being ignored.

But during 2011 that buzzing increased in volume, as many new ideas were born. It became clear that the only possible solution to the brain-buzz problem was to give myself lots more time to experiment. Sadly, this means letting go of Red Bat Photography and my artistic/commercial partnership with Patrick.

When we started Red Bat Photography in 2007, I had no idea how much I would learn from the experience, and not just about taking pictures (though wedding photography has taught me more about that than any previous photography experience ever did). Being present at important events in peoples’ lives and then poring over their images for weeks afterward has given me many new insights into human relationships, into how we see ourselves and others. The challenge of fitting a photography business into an already full life has taught me how to be organized and creative at the same time, how to take breaks, and how to let go of my impossible expectations. I could list many more things I’ve learned but I’d be exhausted by reading it. I’m sure you get the idea. Red Bat Photography was totally worth doing. All of you lovely clients were worth meeting, and I thank you for how you’ve enriched my life with your presence.

This isn’t my final Red Bat goodbye- after all, it’s still 2011 for a few more months! I’ll pop back in closer to the end of the year to say farewell and provide you with ways to keep track of me and my photography-related activities once I’ve become an emerita Red Bat. In the meantime, here is a photo of me doing what I’ve done so frequently over the last few years: clutching a camera and a crumpled shot list in a dimly lit room, and feeling ridiculously pleased to be a photographer.

Have we told you about our magazine covers? We haven’t? Well, we shall have to rectify that! To date, our photos have appeared on the covers of TWO magazines. Yes, that’s right – TWO, which is two more than zero.

The first cover was the summer 2008 issue of Slow Food USA’s The Snail. Here’s the cover:

Ours is the sheep photo, not the fish thing.

The second cover is out now, and it’s the Spring 2009 issue of Mystery Scene, starring Laurie King:

That’s simply a screenshot from their website, but as you can see, the interview offers a bit of “Subversive Fun” with Laurie King. Intriguing! I also like how the “Y”s in their title font look a bit stabby.

Finally, I’m not sure if you’re all aware of this, but I’m kind of a big deal in Masonic Imposter circles:

I’m not sure what I’m doing with my hand there, but you can read more about faux Masons at the National Heritage Museum’s blog.