The Happy Bear

It’s gorgeous, looks like he is giggling to himself!

Thanks kseriphyn, I’m glad you like it.

Hehe the giggle bear. This is not such a bad series idea Damian

Thanks Leia, that’s what I’d thought too, with his wide pink smile :)

Thanks Robert! The giggle bear, LOL, this is pretty different to what I usually photograph :)

This would ,make a lovely card, print or ‘t’ for someone who has just had a child / has kids. Glad to see he is happy.

Ahh – thanks Damian ….. NOW everyone else IS happy!! :)

Lisadee’s quite right about it making a wonderful card or print for a nursery!!

Thanks Lisadee, great ideas! You can tell I’m pretty green still with this sort of marketing! And the bear can be happy too :)

Hey CathieT, glad you came to look. Thanks for the suggestion of showing his face, I probably would’ve left it with just the single image otherwise :)

well…everyone has a dark and a light side…even teddy bears apparently…I think it’s quite a nice shot actually…

Thanks artemis, I’m glad you like it. I don’t dislike it, just I had an idea, and I never quite got there. I’m taking my frustration out on the happy bear lol! Now I need an angry bear :)

Mmm…I was thinking that whilst sitting here procastinating yet again…maybe you could evn do a killer bear one?...or I know….nah actually that wouldn’t be funny to most people…hehe

ooo sounds interesting! Email me if you don’t want to ‘comment’ it :)
damo58@hotmail.com

all together now…”AWWWWWW” that is to cute…its so easy to suffer domestic blindness when it comes to shooting…. soemtimes the most simple everyday things make the best shots!!

LOL, thanks Danielle! I think I still have a good dose of domestic blindness though :)

OMG! Someone bought a card of the happy bear!! That is my first RB sale that wasn’t by me LOL!

Loved him soooo very much i just had to have a mounted print of him! He has a certain charm that is hard to escape…. who am i to resist! Lovely shot Damian! :) Much appreciated!

Thanks a lot Shannyn!!! And thanks for letting me know it was you, that’s sooo cool :)
I liked the little bear too, with all his rough stitching.

Do it damian…go on…it would be hilarious…if you don’t i will…hehe…you should be living up to your namesake anyway…..

Haha artemis! Now everyone’s either curious or confused :)
Hey, I haven’t resembled Damien from the Omen for days (he spells his name funny, that’s the difference)
As for the idea, I’ll probably have to get ethics clearance before i sacrifice a bear at the alter of photography lol! You should go for it for sure!

Ahh…don’t temp me…....yet another avenue in which to direct time that one may argue should be directed in other areas…..

Tell me about time! I’m still awake! I’ve ended up on Facebook now as well… oops!

Yeah…well i divide my time here in internet land between this and Myspace…ahhh…It’s Kitsmummas fault she put me onto this…I should go to bed but now I’m wide awake..mmmm…must find an old teddy and some scissors…haha

he he he…ok..so this looks more like a conventional bear….and he is obviously gaining a lot of admiration from many…i like the rusty knot more Damien :)

Artemis, I hope you found your way to bed, and the teddies survived the night :)

Haha thanks Suzanne, more like a conventional bear :)

He is lovely Damian – and it wasn’t me that bought him (yet)!! Artemis – if you’re gonna sacrifice one to the altar of photography, make it a new one … the old ones have much too much character!!

C

Alright, happy ending!

That’s really sweet, Damian :) Could almost be whispering something to us….
I like the idea of the interactive artwork, too. What else can we come up with, for you to photograph for us? Hmmm :)

Thanks Cathie!
I’m not sure who bought the happy bear as a card, but Shannyn bought it as a mounted print (thanks again!).
As for the sacrificial bear, you’d have to be careful of the choice! Could result in turmoil if the wrong one dies…

Thanks Chris, happy ending all round! Or is it… (whoops, channelling Dr Evil)

Thanks Alison, it could be the confiding bear too.
More interactive artwork sounds like a fun idea. What other suggestions are lurking?

Who knew a little bear could cause such a flurry of activity and thought! Powerful is he! The suggestions worked eh…good for you Damian. It is a lovely gift idea one i will be keeping in mind.
Suggestions….small child/infant asleep (loving) cuddling the bear…. very peaceful, he’s been through enough, now people want to kill him. Bear walking the green mile? No he needs a hug and a nap.

There is a Melbourne artist who photographs dolls, one was featured on a huge billboard last year in ??? Elizabeth St city? Have you / Anyone seen the work? Very powerful.

Yep Lisadee, a huge flurry of activity!
Haha, thanks for the suggestions too. Whichever I do next will have a different feel to it as the model will be different – this little bear is now 4 hours drive away from me.
I’m not familiar with the Melbourne artist you mentioned, but it sounds like they had some brilliant exposure!

I’ll see if i can track some of the images down or a link you can see them on. Congratulations on your sales too.

A link would be cool if you find one.
And I’ve been pretty stoked all day about my first two RB sales too :)

Nice feeling isn’t it, as i said to another RB’er it adds another dimension to your work. You have made an impact (again) but this registers differently, doesn’t it (to you). Well its official you have two career’s now. I dont like smileys but am tempted to add one here. Good for you!

Errhh, just noticed a smiley from you – sorry i am such a twit :0)!

Yeah, two careers officially; cool.
Haha, no worries on the smilies, I think I learnt it from RB to begin with. I’ll remember next time I go to your place though (trying not to add smile)

Thats is a good one I like now simple it is and it makes me smile :)

Thanks heaps Daijiro, glad you liked it!

wow…took a lot of scrolling to get to this comment!!! what a beautiful, soft, gentle image. kudos!!!!

Thank you EMIJIZ! I’m enjoying such a long scroll too!

Hey Damo … this little fella’s now on the front page of the gallery!! (Deservedly so!!)

I love this…such a simple subject for stunning results!

Looks like the little thing is in a far better mood today! Very cute and congratulations on the sales! Yay!

Hey Cathie, yeah, I spotted the front page thing too! Wow, that’s a first!

Thanks ange5573. I’d wondered if I’d gone too far by using my macro lens for the shot, but the closer framing worked better for this than the shots from further out.

He’s in a much better mood today for sure Mariana, thanks heaps :)

I finally got to the end to say i love the bear too!!!!
M:>

Thanks Michael, glad you did!

he’s so cute – -

Thanks lettie1957 :)

oh he’s sooo sweet…i love him

Almost wainting for him to look up and give a little wave,hehehe too cute..

Thanks a lot milja :)

Haha thanks Penelope!

This is possibly the most adorable thing I have ever seen! This image is fantastic!! Great job…
~Shelli xoxo

Damian, I just had to scroll for like 10 minutes to get here! Great work!! Made the top of the Gallery!!! Gorgeous shot, lovely light and great detail. There’s that lens again…......................

Thanks Shelli, I’m glad you like it :)

So cool, Damian, to see your beautiful bear up there first in the gallery! Well done!!!!

Thanks Sylvia, glad you like it :)
Wow, I just had a look at the gallery and see what you mean – it’s the very top image there (for the moment LOL). Definately a first!
As for the lens, I’m going to have to stop mentioning it aren’t I!

Thanks Mel, it’s a bizarre yet awesome feeling to see it there!

Cute man. It’s like the bear has exression or it’s smiling. It’s such a soft and warm childhood image. Everyone remembers their first teddy bear. Great shot mate.

Cheers Christian, the little bear definately had a cheery expression (now you’ve mentioned it, I can remember my first teddy bear too!), thanks!

Lovely image. Brings back memories for everyone. Great hot

very cute what a cool bear reminds me off the good old days were it ain’t all plastic brilliant

...i’m still for the ‘rusty knot’ damien

Thanks Stuart!

Thanks vjwriggs, I must admit, I hadn’t seen a bear made like this one before, something about being handmade by a little girl that adds to its look.

Thanks Suzanne lol, I like the rusty knot too :)

gee that was a long scroll to the bottom here Damian…..... this is sooooooo cute, it reminds me of stuff we used to hand sew in primary school….....OHHHH I wish now that I had kept that stuff….......I might have to go on a search and see what I do have. Thanks so much for reigniting my past memories, glad this did well for you…........will add it to my favourites for the next baby card I might need.
xkc

Awwwwwwwwwwww this is so cute!!

THATS GEORGOUS!

Thanks Karen! I was rotten at sewing at school, but then we never were able to do anything interesting or even useful, so I never saw the point. Hope you manage to dig up something good in your searching!

Thanks ChrissyB!

Thanks Lars!

i love this one!

Thanks melocin!

This is really beautiful; it takes a lot of talent to give life to something inanimate.

Thank you Adrienne, I appreciate it!

Thank you to the person who bought three cards of the Happy Bear!!!

Really makes the bear look alive…good job.

Thanks a lot Kieran!

beautiful shot love the colours.

Thanks natmis :)

Great focus and clarity! I’m not quite sure what it is about this photo that moves me, but I love the concept. It seems like it could be a happy image or a sad image… but one that evokes nostalgia either way =)

Wonderful piece =)

Thanks Cadence, thanks for saying so :)

you must be a real softy to take this picture, but thats great the softer the more huggable!

LOL thanks southparkcamel, hmmm, maybe a softie. Don’t tell anyone though ;)

nice picture i like it …. its well taken nice work … and thank you for taking your time to check my work …

Thanks Jose, glad you like it! I enjoyed your work, great gallery.

Your slection of colours throughout your portfolio add alot to your work, this is no exception, the simple colour range really makes the image, Nice use of blur to draw the eye in.

Thanks for the compliments Adrian, I’m glad you like my portfolio!

nice bear

Thanks Rebecca :)

This is so cute, I think this bear knows something that i dont ;) A wonderfull shot. Thank you for your comment. Peace and Love xo

LOL thanks Katie! I think the bear has his ups and downs like the rest of us :)

somehow you took a cloth toy and made me feel emotional about it! now that is art!

Thanks Susi, I’m happy to hear you felt that way!

damn thats a cool teddy!

Thanks wasteland, glad you thought so (pretty far from your work LOL!)

Very cute, and nice focus.

Thanks Cathleen!

Too cute!!!! Love the lighting!!

Thanks Belinda!

aw! i have a little teddy bear i made that looks so much like this one but darker. i gave him to a friend. his name was Alister and i made him from scratch, even the felt! :D

Well done hatefueled, I’m impressed at the sowing ability to make a little bear from scratch! Hope Alister is doing well :)

He is definitely in on the joke….... a very good, well thought-out shot. Well done

Thanks arodmell, glad you thought so!

this is fun:) makes me smile!

Thanks Adela :)

What a gorgeous bear! He makes me smile!
Thankyou
xx Sam

Thanks a lot Sam, glad he made you smile :)

This would be so cute in a childs bedroom! I love the angle and slight fade of focus. looks like i’m not the only one

Thanks T. Lamoreaux, you’re probably right! I should get a print myself for my kids LOL!

nice composition. well done

Thanks Jelynn!

Thanks for the card sale!

i really love this.

Thanks hanARGH :)

awwww so cute, and so well captured

Thanks Laura!

I wish I had a teddy like this! cool pic!

Thanks googa LOL!

Wow! Damian, you can certainly win the ladies! I too have a teddy-bear, I love it, at my age!

Haha, thanks Basil, these bears pop up all over :)

this is sweet,colours and dof!

Thanks studiofascino!

It’s gorgeous. Haven’t got any more words!

Thanks Michelle (and I know you’ve got heaps of words LOL!)

Oh so cute!

Thanks aneta!

Ah… the lighter side of life! Yet, after seeing the earlier and darker shot from this series, there is something about that smile that sets my nerves on edge! Great series.

Hehe, glad you thought so Tuppers ;)

i love this photo… actually a very sweet shot

I really love the tone used here… the background fits so well with our little fellow here. to me, this bear looks as if build from scratches, patched up with a large needle, but still… smiling.
Life is hard, but smile is great… :)
Love it. Love its “happy side”... ;)

Thanks a lot Catherine :)

Thanks Crokus, and the way you’ve mentioned the bear being made are probably pretty close to right LOL!

brilliant, love it,

Thanks midzing!

Very cute shot!

Thanks Andriy!

i love this. this looks like the bears my great grandma use to make. great image. my favorite

Simple and beautifully exposed.

lol..wonderful image!

Thanks Christina; thanks Hazel! I’m glad you both like it :)

Thanks a lot Pete!

What a cute little fellow!

:-)

Thanks Michelle :)

He makes me smile…no he make me laugh. The dof works for me as well.

LOL, thanks a lot Von, I appreciate it!

lovely lovely lovely!

Thanks azzza!

I seriously love this.

Thanks jaycee!

That is such an adorable bear! Great shot! I just want to hug him!

LOL, thanks aLiLee :)

adorable!!

I’ve just created a new group. You may like to add this great work.
Toys and Puppets

He’s lovely!

Awwwwwwwwww, so cute.

Haha, Aww, he does look happy ^^

i want to know WHO made the bear! ? adorable.

That’s really sweet, Damian

Aw really cute-he looks well loved x

We have started a group called “For the Love of Teddy Bears” maybe you would like to come and have look and join us. This is such a special and lovely photograph.

That is too cute. He looks bashful – not sure why I’m saying he ( always do somehow?!)
Perhaps he’s embarassed by all his admirers!