By: Chuck Miller
Having Fun

And Charity Season 2021 begins … NOW!

My photographs had a good run this year as part of my personally-named “Competition Season 2021,” so I’m hoping that my upcoming “Charity Season 2021” has just as much success.

“Charity Season” is when I submit my photos and artworks to various charitable organizations for their upcoming auctions and fundraisers, and so long as the pieces sell, then that money goes to the charity, and I consider that a success.

This morning, I’m dropping off my three entries for BUILT 2021, the art show / fundraiser for Historic Albany Foundation. A portion of the sale of these artworks helps raise money for building preservation and historic awareness of significant and distressed local architecture. I’ve participated in BUILT for the past 11 years, and it’s a fun endeavor.

  • Double Feature, Family Friendly. Nikon Df camera, Irix 15mm f/2.4 lens. Photo (c) Chuck Miller, all rights reserved.
  • Bond Clothes. Nikon D700 camera, Vivitar 19mm f/3.8 lens. Photo (c) Chuck Miller, all rights reserved.
  • Pride of the Palace. Kodak Medalist II camera, Kodak Ektar 100 film (two frames), Kodak Verichrome Pan 126 “Instamatic” film (3 frames, tinted). Photo (c) 2021 Chuck Miller, all rights reserved.

You can bid on these items anywhere from this Thursday to this Sunday, either in person (the newly restored Argus Hotel at 8 Thurlow Terrace in Albany), or online.

Then, this evening, I get to see if my other little baby, my lenticular Grateful Dead photo The Long, Strange Trip, finds a home as part of the Albany Institute of History and Art’s “Work of Art” fundraiser.

The Long, Strange Trip. Nikon Df camera, Vivitar 19mm f/3.8 lens, several different photos with filters, combined in PhotoShop. (c) Chuck Miller, all rights reserved.

It’ll be nice to see that car finally land in someone’s home or office. I wonder if the winning bidder is a Deadhead. Or maybe that person digs vintage Volkswagens. Or maybe they’re into distressed pine needles. I don’t care, just so long as the artwork is purchased and the funds help the Institute.

Oh, and one more thing that’s NOT related to my photographs, but IS related to Charity Season.

I just confirmed my travel plans with Equinox for their upcoming Thanksgiving Day turkey delivery run.

Equinox offers free Thanksgiving Day meals to those who are in need. Volunteers prepare the tasty meals, while other volunteers drive them to various homes and locales. This is arguably one of my personal favorite charities, and I don’t consider it a true Thanksgiving until I actually bring a turkey dinner to someone who needs it.

This year, while we’re still dealing with COVID, many of the Equinox drivers will bring meals on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of Thanksgiving week. My job is to deliver some meals on Thanksgiving Day itself as an “emergency driver,” meaning that if someone is in last-minute need and didn’t know about Equinox’s charitable outreach until … oh … the night before, they’ll still get a tasty turkey dinner with all the trimmings. And in the end, that’s all that really matters, right?

Charity Season 2021. Designed to lift the heart and nourish the soul. That, and to see a few creations fly to new, appreciative homes.

Yeah, that feels good.