I have a weekly meeting in a local restaurant’s conference room with several other area business owners. When it was over, and before getting into my car to drive to another errand and then back to the studio, I stopped off at the restroom to get rid of some of the Diet Pepsi I’d had with lunch. Keep reading…
When I entered the restroom, a middle-aged gentleman was standing in the middle of the room holding a white cane with a red tip. My presumption was that he was blind. He was waving the can to and fro in an attempt to find his way. I asked if I could help in any way, and he told me he just needed to find the toilet. I gave him direction and distance, and he was able to get there without further delay.
Then he dropped his cane. Given the tight space he was in, and knowing he would hit his head if he bent over (not knowing there was a wall there), I offered to pick up the cane and did so. When he had finished, he turned around and I handed him the cane and directed him to the sink (he wanted to wash his hands). I washed mine as well, and handed him a paper towel (the upper towel dispenser was empty, and I’m not sure he would have easily found the lower dispenser). He explained that he became blind after an accident in 2005, so most of his life has been with sight. He also thanked me several times. So did the woman he was with, who waited outside the bathroom for him.
This post is not about helping those in need. I know that most of you would do that anyway. It’s not unkind to help without being asked, even for someone who wants to do it themselves.
No, this post is about being grateful for the things we take for granted sometimes. As a photographer, I take for granted that I will be able to see the light, my subject, the surroundings, and the beauty that is my world. I can’t begin to imagine how devastating it might be to lose my sight. I’m daily grateful for my health, and my ability to help others see the beauty around them.
I’m hoping you all take a few minutes to look at the beauty around you… even if it means stepping outside for a few minutes. And rejoice in your health.
This happens once in awhile. The inevitable parent, grandparent, uncle, aunt or “well-meaning parental figure” jumps in front of my camera in order to get their shot. I took several more shots after this one, but I’m using it as a reminder to all you wedding-goers out there… stay IN you assigned seating area while the bride is coming down the aisle. :\
In all fairness, he did turn around later and mouth an apology. C’est la vie!
I’m just going to tell you this one straight up. No names, of course, but you’ll get the gist.
I went into a local office supply store which also has a copy/print center. I only needed 25 copies of something, and figured it would take a few minutes at most. I walked in, up to the copy/print center and removed my originals from the folder I’d brought along. And waited.
There were three employees (well, three people all wearing the same color shirt with the same logo on it… one assumes that they were employed there) in the copy/print center. One of the employees was talking with another, quite probably something that had nothing to do with me. In fact, I was never even acknowledged. I stood for at least 30 seconds (think that’s short? Stand up, check your watch, wait 30 seconds) waiting until the employee finally said “I’ll be with you in a moment,” only to continue a non-work-related discussion with another employee; for about another 1-2 minutes. I was seconds away from walking out when she finally asked how she could help me.
Nobody should have to wait that long for service when there are THREE employees doing virtually nothing else. What happened to customer first?
This is less a complaint (although you wouldn’t know it from what I wrote above) than an observation in how important customer service truly is to our business. Many of you could just as easily drop by the mall portrait center and get your photos taken… and you’d like be happy with your purchases. It’s great fun to have portraits done, and you might even get a good bargain in the process.
But here’s my point.
At EVERY step of the way, we are going to give you the best customer service possible. When you call, we are going to answer the phone promptly, respond to all your questions, and make sure you understand everything about how we work. If you have to leave a voice message, we’re going to call you back as soon as possible. When you come in for your session, we are going to spend some time before we break out the camera to get to know you. If you have small children, we’re going to let them get acclimated to us, and maybe even have some fun (See “How to Play Monster“) in the process. We’re going to listen to you, give you our opinion, help you decide on the best course of action, and take pictures until you are satisfied. When you come in to view the portraits, you are the ONLY person we care about right then. We will greet you, show you into our projection room, and make sure you are comfortable. During the order process, we will not SELL you anything… we don’t believe in high-pressure tactics. We will work with your expectations, your needs and your budget to get the best possible results from the images we captured.
Our finished products will last for many generations. We don’t print our products on-site, because the images from many quick print systems fade after only a few years. Ours are guaranteed (YES, GUARANTEED) for a lifetime (and more) not to fade. And if there’s something wrong with your order, we’ll fix it. Period. No qualms or arguments. Just bring your order back to us within 48 hours (two business days) and we’ll be happy to fix whatever is wrong.
We like people… it shows in how people like us. We’re fun-loving people so we’re going to have fun with you. But you’ll always get great customer service, because I cannot stand customer DIS-service!
It never matters your age when you wed. What matters is that you’re in love. And these two showed it throughout the day. Their guests were primarily derived from family and close friends, children and grandchildren. One image below is a fun attempt at getting three boys to mimic “See, Hear & Speak No Evil.” While it didn’t go quite as planned, the picture is fun.
Married at the Purple Iris in Martinsburg, everything was held indoors, in case weather was too cold, everything was great (as it usually is at the Purple Iris).
We get our inspiration for imagery pretty much “on the fly.” This pretty much means that we don’t go to a wedding thinking “I’m going to create this particular image today.” Instead, we look at a scene or subject and think about the possibilities, and execute whatever we can in the time we have.
This past weekend’s wedding was just such an opportunity. Over the years I have been doing photography, I have picked up the ability to see the finished image before I click the shutter. Sounds corny, I know, but I know what I can do with images, know my lighting and exposure well, and just fit the subjects into the image capture I saw in my mind’s eye.
Melissa and Joey had a fun wedding, full of happiness, surprise and wonderful family & friends.
And they were very cooperative when I had an idea about this image:
I’ll post more images later… this one stood out, and I wanted to share it. 🙂
The rite of spring for high school students everywhere is the The Prom. And the Berkeley County proms are THIS Friday and Saturday!
But sometimes one of the biggest hassles of the prom is getting photos done. First, there’s the line… it’s usually long, and takes up almost an hour of the limited amount of time you have at the prom. Then, there’s the background and photos… you have NO say in how those photos are done, and there’s always only one background – like it or not. Finally, there’s packages that you may not want, or packages that don’t meet your needs.
We’re offering a solution that answers all your concerns.
First, our prom photos are going on BEFORE the prom starts, from 3-7pm at our studio. There won’t be a line; at least not one to speak of. And when you arrive, our professional team will be ready to help you look your best, and give you directions along the way to get you in and out quickly.
Second, we’re offering THREE different background sets. Two will be exclusive offerings that combine great lighting and amazing set design… you will never see anything like this in a school prom portrait. The third background will be all white, a look that is timeless and focuses on JUST YOU! We will have a collection of additional props, chairs, and accessories you are welcome to use for your pictures, too. Just as a teaser, imagine having your prom photos with a feather boa, shimmery gold fabric or something else really cool! Since we will have time to spend with each couple, we can do MORE than just take your picture and shove you out the door.
Finally… we’ll have build-your-own packages available. Yes, we’ll have some pre-made packages, too. But if you don’t want any of our packages, you can create your own to your liking. You aren’t locked in to just one thing that way. You can select from desk prints, wallets, and several special items we will have available.
Let me wrap this up by telling you that this is a unique experience. And the only thing you pay for is the pictures. Packages start at $12, and we welcome car loads of your friends.
Interested? Go here for details, you can download an order form, and even get directions—> Prom Portraits!
Okay, the subject is kind of an attention getter. But to be honest, there really was a cow here… just a week ago. A real cow… bovine, hooves, moo… the whole thing.
You’re going to love the cow’s name, too. But that comes in a minute.
The REASON the cow was here is because it is the show piece of one of our seniors, Samantha. She wanted to highlight her affiliation with the FFA (she’s a local chapter president), and her intense love for farming. She’s even going to be going to school to specialize in farm science. That’s serious!
She wanted pictures with her cow, and some traditional images for her family…
Coming from a farm family, you have to remain practical when it comes down to understanding how you will treat your animals. As such, and with all the practicality of any good farmer, Samantha named her cow “Meatloaf.” 🙂
I’m in the unique position of meeting up with parents who have small children. Thankfully, all of these small children have an array of games that I have quite frankly almost completely forgotten over the years. Just a few weeks ago, I was reminded how to play peek-a-boo, and not long before that I received a complete training session on “tea party” (not the political one, either).
But last Friday I was thoroughly schooled on how to play “Monster.” If you’ve met me, you know that I can appear to many very small children as monster-like proportions. But little Miss Sarah wasn’t daunted. In fact, SHE was the monster, and I was the person “to be chased.” Well… it turned out to be a lot more fun than I remember. And there are a LOT of great hiding places in our studio. 🙂
Sarah as the monster:
Sarah as Sarah:
Today it was great pleasure to accompany my wife to the 13th annual Brain Games, held at Shepherd University.
She got involved after I saw a pleading by Tim Procita, the CEO of MVB Bank, on Facebook asking for some knowledgeable people to be a part of his Brain Games team. I suggested it to Diana, and she agreed to talk with Tim about it. The set everything up, and Diana was one of six members of the MVB Bank team. Another member of the team was Lauren Epperly, another member of the RNE group to which I belong.
The way it works is that the teams are sitting at tables… in this case, in the Ram’s Den (a kind of dining hall for the college students). Four times during the afternoon, the teams are given a sheet of 25 questions, and have 15 minutes in which to answer the questions. The questions are essentially trivia-type questions from a variety of subjects, from history and economics to movies, TV, and music. The questions are, for the most part, really hard for most of us commoners. But the Brain Games players are just a notch above the rest of us.
At the end of 15 minutes, the answer sheets are collected and sent to the judging chambers, where they are scored. A listing is updated on a projected computer display after each round has been judged. I went as an observer/supporter, but since pom-poms and cheers would not have been appropriate, I sat quietly at an empty table and busied myself with editing and a few emails.
Diana did very well in her contribution to the team. The MVB Bank team finished tied for eighth place… a respectable showing indeed.
The real reason I’m writing about this, though, is to bring a little awareness to the purpose of the event. The Brain Games project benefits the Literacy Volunteers of the Eastern Panhandle, which I strongly urge you to learn more about. Each team pays to be a part of the games… this is the biggest element of raising funds from this event. There are also books for sale (Diana donated several books from her library), cookies and water (all donated) available for donations, as well as door prizes, and silent auction raffles ($1 per ticket, 6/$5). In all, the day is about volunteering time, a little money, and some of your brain power for a very good cause.
I’m proud of Diana for getting involved. She and the MVB team really did well.
I hope that the LVEP raised a lot of much-needed funds. By the way, there is a DONATE button on their website (hint, hint).
🙂
I have a weekly meeting in a local restaurant’s conference room with several other area business owners. When it was over, and before getting into my car to drive to another errand and then back to the studio, I stopped off at the restroom to get rid of some of the Diet Pepsi I’d had with lunch. Keep reading…![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=524cfb39-c184-4c8e-99c2-4415b464f45c)
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