CONGRATULATIONS  WILLIAM !!!


MWS would like to extend a very sincere congratulations to our own Project Manager, William Fox.  Our Project Manager has been promoted from Mid-Management to Executive status at one of the oldest and well established publishing houses in New York City (and really in the country).  William is now Director of a division at the "house" that produces approximately %70 of the revenue for the entire company!

Employed at the company for fifteen years, William has worked his way up from an entry level position to Executive status because of an incredible work ethic, tremendous loyalty, dependability and not to mention a bit of sheer brilliance...hee hee!  

MWS is so very proud of William and truly feel honored to have him as Project Manager/advisor/confidant/creative consultant and visionary on this once in a lifetime project.  To tell you the truth everyone, without William this project would have never gotten off the ground, much less been completed.  It is because of the vast experience and direction which William provides, that this project heads towards the final stages of completion.  The next phase (shopping the project in NYC) will be the most challenging and grueling phase of the entire project.  With William directly involved and believing in the project whole heartedly...we move forward.  Believe me ladies, when you get an email, advice, and/or direction from William know that he IS the expert in the publishing world and is ultimately responsible for getting the project published...so be confident in his directives.

Congratulations William...we are very, very proud of you!!!  :}

There will be an update on the project in a couple of days...so expect another alert.  Enjoy fall everyone!

Meet our last Mystic woman to be photographed, Lea Hill (excluding my shoot, as I promised the Team over a year ago...we'll see how things go).   Lea is an author and an autism educator at Northshore Community College.  She has also taught workshops in Lilydale, New York and teaches in and around the Salem, Ma area.

Lea is a lovely woman that exudes positive energy.  Her focus is on teaching people about Sacred Geometry (now known as Sacred Shapes).  I have not been able to take one of Lea's classes yet, but I fully intend to after the publishing of MWS.

Lea's shoot was on Sunday, August 24, 2014 early in the afternoon.  I was just returning from a Maine vacation with my boys, but had "focused" in on Lea's shoot a month or so prior.  The visions about her shoot came fast and were consistent.  When you view her shoot on the Smugmug site be sure to read the captions below the shot to see my visions come to fruition.  Most of the visions were of Lea on the floor accompanied by her shapes in various positions and poses.

During her shoot of course the Goddess did not disappoint.  She always appears and lets her presence known by the weight of the air and the things that are happening through the lens of the camera.  Lea's shapes were glowing and in a "major" way...the closer the shape to her, the more intense the glow.  All of us in the studio were witness to this...time and time again.

Her dresses photographed beautifully and had I not known better, I would have thought that she was a seasoned professional in front of the camera.

The shoot in it's entirety lasted about three hours.  I was exhausted yet thrilled that the last shoot was over.  Lea and her friend seemed equally thrilled about their experience in the studio and were excited about the photos taken.

I appreciate all of you ladies being so patient and understanding during the course of this project.  Photographing so many women, coupled with outside photography (for the left side of the book) has been challenging to say the very least.

I will stop here, as this is certainly NOT my last post...we have a SHOW/EXHIBITION at Salem Ink on Derby Street in downtown Salem October 10 through the 14th!  I'm sure I will have many things to tell you about!

PR materials will be in this week and we will be distributing them over the next two weeks.

Stay tuned folks!!!

R :}

The Mystic Team is proud to present our new PR cards for the 2014 campaign.   Our graphic artist at Random House did a superb job considering the original design had to be scratched at the last minute.

I have told the ladies' during the course of this series that Freyja, Goddess of the North, has a way of repelling negative influences, entities, and people when they get too close to her project.  As I have said many times, I am just the vehicle of MWS...the Goddess herself is in the driver's seat.  I surrendered years ago giving her full and complete control.  Her ultimate goal at this time is somewhat unknown to me, but before all is said and done I'm sure all will be made crystal clear.  

The week I was trying to meet Random House deadlines, one of those negative people came entirely too close to MWS...the person originally designated to print all the portraits, pr materials etc.  The events were so shocking and bazaar that I can only "chalk it up" to the Goddess at work again. In summary there was hysterics/crying/yelling/screaming etc., in short, mucho drama from this person! Bottom line, the project was left hanging with no one to do our printing...the real "clincher" was that the person "over" the hysterical one, was supporting her bazaar behavior!!!

The drama that surrounded these events were severe and left me physically helpless for days.  So...I missed the deadlines with Random House.

The problem(s) have been somewhat resolved but at this point..."I'LL BELIEVE IT WHEN I SEE IT"  and that will be when all is printed, mounted, and hanging on the gallery walls.  

I am eternally grateful to our graphic designer, Ginny Chu who worked with me and the Project Manager very closely in order to meet bulk printing deadlines.  However, because of all the drama the original designs and artwork had to be scratched.

The above images are the front and back of the 4x6 pr cards.  The posters need a bit more work and elements added to them, then they will be ready to print.  Our goal is to have ALL materials distributed and on display by no later than October 1, 2014  (that's a lot of running around folks).

This weekend I will be finishing up the portraits of the last shoot and getting ready to launch them on social media.   The following week we will be doing "test" runs of the portraits...I will be editing and making final changes and preparing them for the printing and mounting process.  By the way, if any of you know of any millionaires that want to be a sponsor of the project...let me know...!

I'm still working feverishly to complete each deadline and so hope that someday I can say, "it was so worth it"!
:}

First…the Team and I would like to take this time to congratulate Mystic Woman, Barbara of Angelica's on her first book!  We are all so proud of you Barbara and believe me when I tell you I so understand what a huge accomplishment this is.  CONGRATULATIONS !!!!


Your photographer is continuing to work extremely hard and am continuing my education in the arts. 
As it turns out your photog is being honored as a painter.   Who knew?!  
See below - toot, toot  (my own horn) !!!

Once the book(s) are complete and published, I will be incorporating these painting skills into my photography.  This is a very old technique that was done years ago by master photographers.  The technique is yet another one of those dying (or dead in this case) art forms. However, I am here to tell you I WILL be bringing it back when I ultimately open my own photography/art studio.    It shall be quite costly to purchase, but this is one of those heirlooms that your entire family would fight over…I know mine did!

These types of portraits are printed and painted on canvas.  I am fortunate enough to have inherited one from my Mother.  A forty year old portrait that truly looks like an oil painting.  When I brought it to school the professors had a fit over it…"WHERE DID YOU GET THAT?" I sheepishly responded by telling them,  it was me when I danced in Swan Lake.  

I hope to bring it to the photography studio again and shoot it digitally, so I can share it with all of you!

We have two shoots remaining.  When those are done the entire project shooting schedule will be completed!!!  Now…that certainly does not mean the project is complete, what it means is that all SHOOTING is done.  This summer the Project Manager and I will be editing, compilation, cover design,  reviewing essays, design and implementation of another PR campaign, and the list goes on and on.  HOWEVER, we are certainly closing in on a finished project!  AND WHAT A LONG STRANGE TRIP IT HAS BEEN !!!  :}

Stay warm New Englanders and everyone else on the east coast! 

R :}

SHHHHHHH  I have a secret...

SECRETS  OF  THE  UNIVERSE!!  :}


This was taken during my advanced digital class...of course what is above is absolutely NOTHING like the shot that was actually taken.

Hope you are all well and will update with blog news over Spring Break (in a couple of weeks).

R  :}

To all of our followers...

Please don't try to read this post from your email address, too much eye strain!  Please go to

http://mysticwomenofsalem.blogspot.com/p/our-team_16.html  to check out the latest post at

link and read directly from the blog itself.  Believe me it will be a much easier read.   :}


The MWS welcomes our new PR gal - Dawn Dorgan!!!

The Project Manager and I are thrilled to welcome aboard our new "all things PR gal"  Dawn Dorgan.

Dawn will be "the face" of the MWS in various PR materials and a variety of diverse advertisements and media.  Not only is Dawn a natural beauty and extremely photogenic, she has also demonstrated an extraordinary level of dedication to the project over the last year and a half.   This includes hours and hours of posing for very difficult and high level studio shoots to assisting in MWS shoots and the consistent promotion of the project to a wide range of people.  Being from the Salem area has enabled Dawn to be quite knowledgable in many areas of the city itself, businesses, local and long distance contacts that will (or have) behooved the efforts of myself and the Project Manager.  She has become a valuable asset to the development and success of MWS and we are so grateful that Dawn has agreed to join our Team.

You will be seeing a number of shoots and images of Dawn in various themes, costumes, and locations.  These shots will be used in all forms of media and promotional materials.  Not only will she be modeling, she will literally be our representative in a promotional capacity throughout the area and the world wide web, with particular emphasis on social media and web sites.

Check out Dawn's vision and photo at:

http://mysticwomenofsalem.blogspot.com/p/our-team_16.html  

Welcome, welcome, welcome D!

Rebecca  :}

Historical Photo Shoot with Laurie Cabot - The Most Famous Witch in the World

Listening to a story from Laurie

A very happy, yet anxious photographer and Ms. Laurie.

All is complete, now we head up to the studio!

All Behind the Scenes photos by Dawn Dorgan

On March 12, 2012, one of the most important shoots of my photography career took place with Salem's own Laurie Cabot, High Priestess of the Cabot Tradition.


*****Oooopsie forgot! Ms. Laurie wasn't in the studio 5 minutes before EVERY battery went completely dead!! This is a common occurance when spirits/spiritual energies are present (like when Ghost Hunters investigators' equipment/batteries die). Just had never experienced this happening with a LIVE person! Well, afterall it was LAURIE CABOT! :}*****


Needless to say, much preparation and coordination with numerous people took place months prior to this shoot date.  William, the Project Manager took off three days work and came in from NYC to assist with the shoot.  Mystic Woman, Dawn Dorgan took an afternoon off work to assist and provide transportation.  Several Professors went above and beyond the call of duty to make sure that we had complete access to the studio and that there would be no problems.


Laurie, her daughter Penny, and Dawn arrived at the University mid-afternoon.  We spent about 15 minutes in the lobby area going over the concept of the shoot and processing paperwork.  Afterwards, the whole crew headed up to the studio.  William and I had set everything up and had finalized the lighting design, tested all equipment, and set up the studio the day before the shoot.  This was a necessary plan as I knew that the lighting was going to be difficult and quite frankly I was not 100% sure I could even do it.  Candlelight/natural light sources in a studio is challenging to say the least.  However, with the assistance of the Project Manager and much effort we accomplished our mission for pre-sets and design on Sunday.  Boy oh boy am I glad we did too!


Laurie looked beautiful but fatigued.  She told me upon arrival that she was not feeling well and that she was concerned about the length of time it would take to do the shoot.  So, I knew that speed was going to be mandatory.  The entire shoot only lasted 20 to 25 minutes from beginning to "wrap."  I only used one lighting set up, one prop set up, and just two angles.  I was very concerned about Laurie and I could see her "fading" in just moments after we began.  It became very important and a priority to finish and get her safely on her way home.


Today, I came into the lab and started processing the photos.  Kim, one of the photography professors that is on the Portrait Selection Committee was here, thank goodness.  She was very impressed with the shoot and calmed my fears by taking really close looks at a few of the photos I was working on.  I learned yet again from Ms. Kim, she was telling me that all photographers go through the frustration and fear stages that we experience during a very short shoot.  Thanks Kim!!!!


I have posted two portraits on smugmug and there will be a few more uploaded over the course of the next couple of weeks.  


Many, many heartfelt thanks to William, Dawn, Laurie, Penny, and the Professor's for making sure this shoot happened.  A special thanks to Laurie...I know all too well the huge sacrifice it is to "show up" when you are hurting.  It ain't easy folks!


Laurie told me personally, a year ago, that I would be the last photographer to shoot her in the studio and believe me, she has been photographed by many accomplished photographers over the years.  
So on March 12, 2012 history was made, I did a studio shoot of the most famous witch in the world for the last time.  I feel honored and fortunate to have had this experience and this shoot will most certainly enhance the success of 
The Mystic Women of Salem project !
:}

SALEM STATE UNIVERSITY ENTERS MWS POSTER IN COMPETITION!





2011 MWS Poster

 


 Rose Cooke, Supervisor, Copy Shop, SSU and  Rebecca Fox, Photographer
"I was really  impressed when I saw the Mystic Women of Salem poster, because of the detail, high level of excellence, and visual beauty.  When the photographer returned to the Copy Shop I asked her if she would consider allowing the University to enter her poster in a national competition hosted by InPlant Graphics,"  stated Rose. 

Of course I was so excited and honored to even be considered by the University for participation in the contest... I JUMPED at the chance! 

 In 2006 Salem State Copy Center won 2 Gold awards in this competition.  One (created by an SSU student) in the non-offset calendar division and the second (in-house creation) in the poster/flyer division for the theater production of The Snow Queen.  So, the University has a history of participation and wins in this competition.  We should all be very proud and happy whether we win or not, I am certainly feeling honored, right now.

I have had numerous conversations with the MWS ladies about the technical aspect of their portraits, and believe me when I tell you this poster will be judged to the "inth" degree by the selected judges of this competition and it will be VERY technical (even down to a speck of dust can cause disqualification!).  Below is more information about the contest, their mission statement, the judges and more.  

Mission Statement:  Founded in 1964, the In-Plant Printing/Mailing Association is the only professional association dedicated exclusively to the needs of in-house corporate publishing, printing, and distribution professionals.

"The contest has a reputation as being one of the toughest contests to win in the printing business.  That's because the quality of in-plant printing is so high.  As a result, our judges have traditionally spent alot of time analyzing each printed piece.  Our panel of judges this year consists of:  Chris Anderson, Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators - Dr. James Sours, Department of Graphics and Imaging Technologies, Pittsburg State University - Mark McCarty, Missouri State Univsersity - Jerry Chisam, University of Kansas Medical Center - and Larry Clements, Redlands Community College.  One Best of Show winner will be selected from the winners in the offset categories and another Best of Shaw winner will be picked from the non-offset categories.  Winners' will be revealed at the awards dinner during IPMA's conference, taking place June 24-28 in Kansas City.  Judges will consider the degree of difficulty required to print a job, design and letter spacing;lines of text;fuzzy photos, holes/missing dots in solids possibily due to a speck of dust, spots and specks, ink coverage, mottling, centered images, any marks on page, color consistency and the darkness of toner." In-Plant contest information as stated on website. 

These are just a few of the judging criteria.

Winners will receive elegant plaques and trophies during the IPMA Awards Banquet in the summer of 2012. 

Here are just a few of the past winners -

Conoco Phillips, Boeing, USAA, Hitachi, Phillips Petroleum, Brigham Young Univsersity, University of Delaware and the University of Missouri. 

The contest is sponsored by the International Publishing Management Association and In-Plant.

I hope all the MWS ladies are as excited as the Team is, and I will certainly keep you all posted!  Wish us LUCK!
:}

MWS Welcomes Our Cyber Sorceress to The Team!!

Good Afternoon Everyone,

I hope all the MWS featured women are remaining calm, continuing to breathe, getting at least some rest at night, and are enjoying the fruits of their year long labors during the madness of October 2011 in Salem!

Many, many things/events have occurred over the last few weeks and one in particular that I am very, very proud and relieved about, is our newest addition to the MWS Team - Samantha Shostak (Sam)!


Sam is a grand addition to the team and one that is a perfect fit.  Her skills in  graphic art design are to be admired, her dedication and level of professionalism are extraordinarily high - an absolute must with this project.  The Project Manager said after reading just 2 of her emails, "jeez, I love her already!"

Sam was my tutor in electronic design class in 2010.  I soon learned that she possesses the gift of being a natural born teacher...patience, skill, and a little psych thrown in there as well.  I just adored her, and as she says,"we quickly became friends."

William and I are honored and feel so very fortunate to have Sam on the MWS Team!  I cannot wait for all of you to see some of her work!  She is not only highly skilled, she is also VERY creative and brilliant to boot.

Please join us in welcoming our Cyber Sorceress - Sam!!!  Check out her bio on The Team page!

:}

A "Fare Thee Well" to Brian Miller

Brian Miller, Cyber Wizard of the MWS project is moving on to bigger and better things.  His schedule is just too demanding, therefore he cannot spend the time necessary on the MWS cyber designs and pr materials.  Brian's unique style, dedication, vision, and designs laid the groundwork for the  MWS project.  His knowledge of all things "cyber" allowed the blog (which the Project Manager was insisting upon) to be viewed and enjoyed by many.  Not only was the inital blog (remember, the yellow one) used for enjoyment,  it became an essential tool used by The Team to keep the public and the MWS women continually informed and up-to-date on events, progress, and news that was happening regarding all things MWS.

The PR materials are beautiful and esquisite in composition.  Brian took very basic ideas/suggestions and turned those ideas into breath taking art pieces.  The posters and pr cards are certainly nothing short of artwork in it's highest degree.  You just do not see posters/cards of this caliber very often. 

The women of the MWS project, the Project Manager, and myself would like to take this time to give our cyber wizard, Brian Miller, our most sincere thanks and gratitude for all his efforts.  Every single selected MWS woman (and many, many others) that have seen the pr materials are in complete awe of their beauty and excellence.

Thank you so much Brian, for laying the ground work for this enormous international project.  Because of your expertise and skill the world has taken notice of the project and most importantly, the Mystic Women of Salem!

We wish you much success in the future and we fare thee well.  I will miss the laughs and our hen house meetings! You are such a joy to me personally, and I will always hold you dear in my heart.

Rebecca Fox, Photographer
William Fox, Project Manager

Summer Interviews

I began interviewing in July, 2011 and am continuing through August and possibly September.  At this point it looks like it will be September before the final selections are done.  At that point the Team and I will be notifying the final 13 women and a new shoot schedule will be sent out.

The interviews have been fascinating, shocking, stunning, intriguing, and just plain AWESOME in every way.  Remember ladies, even if you are not selected for MWS that does not mean that you are not automatically being considered for The Witches of Salem (the final book in the trilogy series).
Diversity among the selectees has to be a heavy consideration ie the reason I named it "Mystic" Women of Salem.  I want to capture and reflect the incredible layers and levels of so many extraordinary women in our area though photography and artistic expression.   Being repetitive and redundant is simply not an option for this particular book, and I am constantly aware of the aforementioned during every interview.  The more diverse/different all the women are, the better.  So, please keep that in mind when announcements are made.

As always, you women of Salem did not and have not let me down...you consistently keep us inspired, focused, and committed to  The Mystic Women of Salem!


:}

Hello Everyone!

Brian and I met April 22, 2011 to discuss our next plan of action with the project's promotion. Designs and the implementation of the media blitz will begin in July, 2011. The cyber wizard will begin designing the poster and pr cards which will be distributed in September as listed in the April 29, 2011 update.

For now, we are running around campus trying to get our papers, projects, assignments, and exams out of the way. IT IS HELL WEEK at Salem State University!

For those "featured women" of MWS that are scheduled for a shoot in summer, 2011 you MUST bring a draft of your story that will accompany your portrait in the book, to the shoot. This is mandatory and there are NO exceptions. You may however, email your draft to the Project Manager (William) at foxhagen@hotmail.com prior to your shoot. I will confirm with William.

For women who are interviewed this summer, a draft of their story must be brought to the interview. Stories will play a significant role in the selection of the remaining featured women.

Due to many of the "featured women" urging me to become a "Mystic Woman", I have decided to join the rest of the women and include myself in the book. We don't have a mystic photographer! Hee hee! I will be working on my story with William and we will use that as an example for you all. As more stories are completed we will be sending them out as tools to assist the others with their stories.

OK everyone, I will be back with more news in a couple of weeks! Enjoy this weather everyone! :}

Good day everyone!

The cyber wizard and I met last week and discussed our media blitz campaign strategy for the promotion of the project. Instead of changing the color and appearance of the blog, printing posters and cardstock for immediate distribution we decided to wait. Our strategy is to do the aforementioned in September, 2011 when hundreds of thousands of people desend upon Salem for the October festivities. I am sure that a number of the shoppes will allow us to place the pr materials in their stores during this time. We most certainly will be distributing in Boston, and New York City as well. Why are we doing all this so early in the game? As the Project Manager, William, told me in the beginning planning stage of MWS, it is critical that we reach the masses and develop support BEFORE the agent/publishing house becomes involved. The more that is done the better! The entire book will be done and I will have an original printed for their review. This gives the project an immediate advantage, in that they can SEE what we are producing versus just telling them (a great disadvantage). This is the primary difference between literary and photography publishing. So, your information that accompanys you in the Mystic Women section of the blog should be done by then, for sure.

Also, I have to tell you that William is already beginning to see that we are fast approaching a "bottle-neck" situation due to the procrastination/delay of women getting their drafts (stories) to him. We are coordinating the story submission and shoots together now. If you have not been shot don't worry...if you have, you must get your drafts to him asap. Upcoming shoots (8-10) over the summer...if you are scheduled you need to be thinking about your story NOW. If you need guidance/help please contact William at foxhagen@hotmail.com

Let's avoid a terrible situation by staying on schedule which will lead to a much less "stressed" environment. I want this project to be excellent, professional, inspiring, successful, and FUN with the least amount of stress possible.

Thanks ladies and enjoy your Patriots Day Holiday! :}


PS - Please encourage everyone you know to become a FOLLOWER OF THE BLOG, I cannot emphasize enough how very important this is.

Due to scheduling complications Penny Cabot's shoot has been re-scheduled for this coming Saturday. Hopefully, (depends on studio availability) the following weekend I will be shooting Akurra of Aroma Sanctum!

We are running behind schedule for the shoots. So, I am probably going to be making some changes and/or additions to the shoot schedule. I will alert all of you when this occurs. Please let me know as soon as you get these changes if there are conflicts or even possible conflicts with your shoot date/time. If I know in advance (like a month or so) I can fill your slot with another lady and move you to a more convenient time. The key here is advance notice. The Team and I have to "amp" it up and get back on schedule...the further behind we get the harder and more difficult the shoots are for me. Remember, I am very limited physically and believe me, shoots of this magnitude really leave me listless and almost non-functional the next day or so.

Also, everyone needs to remember that your shoot is coordinated with working on your stories with the Project Manager, William. Please remember this. We DON'T want to be land slided at the last minute with an Agent/Publishing House breathing down our necks for information/answers. This is why we are working so hard right now...so that we can ALL enjoy this ride.

Thanks Ladies...you're the BEST!

This past sunday afternoon I photographed our very own cyber wizard, Brian Miller, in the studio. His portrait will be posted in "The Team" section in just a few days! Afterwards, we enjoyed a nice dinner at Rockefeller's and discussed many ideas and goals for MWS project. I will tell all you ladies that we are VERY fortunate to have Brian on our team. He is a master at networking and as you already know...everything CYBER! We have big plans for the future, some of which you will see unfold within the next few weeks. THANKS BRIAN!

Yesterday I had Penny Cabot's pre-shoot meeting at the Cat, the Crow, and the Crown. It still amazes me when I am around such incredibly creative and billiant women of this project. Penny and I discussed her costuming, lighting, poses, tones, colors, and the general message that we are trying to convey via her photo shoot. Her shoot will be a re-creation of a George Hurrell portrait done at Paramount Studios in the 1950's. Of course this re-creation will be done with my own spin on it, to keep it original...but, the basis and inspiration is the aforementioned portrait. She is scheduled to shoot in April, 2011.

For the next few days I am busy at school and planning the shoot of Laurie Cabot's birthday celebration. Much planning and organizing has gone on for this shoot. It is considered environmental and of course a location shoot...which in itself is difficult because of lighting issues. Brian will be shooting black and white film and I will be shooting color digital with portable strobe.

I am still gathering information from all of you to post in the "Mystic Women" section of the blog. It is taking longer than I had expected, so please be patient with us.

Thanks Ladies :}

Just FYI ladies...we have made a procedural change recently. Working with William on your stories will be coordinated with your shoot. After the shoot, you will then begin your submission(s) and communications with him. It just makes more sense that way...it gives you more time to think about it, and it keeps the project manager from being landslided with work all at once. Also, please remember to include your message to the world in the last paragraph of your story. It does NOT have to be what you told me during the interview...just remember your messages could and probably will have great impact upon our readers.

Thanks Ladies :}