Long ago, in a galaxy far, far away…
Star Wars was probably the first movie (in a theater) I ever remember seeing WITH my father. I remember thinking “cool, I’m hangin’ out with dad.” He’s really been my best friend ever since. He was tremendously influential to me growing up. I admired his work ethic, intelligence and unique ability to become virtually anyone’s friend. He was truly the perfect package when it came to people you want to look up to in life.
Dad was the best man at my wedding in 1994. He gave me some of the best advice about marriage… by saying nothing at all. One of the fondest memories I have of my dad is just prior to the wedding ceremony, he steps into the room where I was waiting, stone-faced, solemn, expressionless, and says in the best monotone voice he can muster, “Tony… it’s time.” I felt like “hey, is this a wedding or a wake?”
I continued to look to my father as a guiding light. In my best of times, he would always point out things that I might overlook. In my worst of times, his advice and support was inspirational and always welcome. There was never a time that I did not want to hear from or about my dad. He just seemed like that little voice in the back of my head saying “be sure to check the details.”
I continue to remind myself that it was my father who was my inspiration in photography. Growing up he took lots of pictures of us kids (I have two brothers and a sister), and it was a G-R-E-A-T night when the slides came back from the drug store. Dad would carefully load them into the carousel or slide tray (more than once loading them upside down, backwards or both) and we would all watch the magic white screen to see what goofy stuff had happened to us over the last month or so. You are probably not surprised to learn that ALL of those slides are still in metal cases, stored under a bookshelf at mom’s house.
There are those who say I look like my father, have the same mannerisms and kindness as my father, and a respect for people… just like dad. If I could only have one of those, it would be the respect. To this day, people genuinely entertain me. I think dad got a kick out of the antics of some people, too. There were always moments growing up where dad seemed to chuckle at the silly things that people would do. So do I. In private, I laugh uncontrollably… and usually with Diana, who enjoys laughter just as much and almost as often.
To be fair, dad wasn’t the only great influence on my life. But he was a significant contributor.
He’s been gone two years today. I’ve made other blog posts about the days leading up to his death. I don’t need to recount those here. This is a celebration, after all.
I’d like to propose a toast… lift your glasses, be they adult spirits, juice boxes, or a tall drink of ice cold water… to the man who is truly a hero to me. Rest In Peace, dad. 🙂
We’re flexible enough to offer portraits in formal, traditional or casual attire. We photograph people, dogs, horses, cows and even iguanas. We have been up and down the coast, and in our own studio and the portrait park out back. And nothing strikes me as more fun than a family who enjoys being together. It showed today. 🙂
I get mixed feelings about the prom. I was not a big prom-goer in high school. I went to one, but it wasn’t a great experience. I was more a behind-the-scenes type anyway. So when I get to see all the kids in their finest attire and with their amazing personalities shining through, I get this happy feeling in the pit of my stomach that screams out “YES!!” and I cheer for these kids, having their last blast before the end of the school year. For many, it’s the end of high school altogether.
We took pictures on Friday and Saturday of last week for proms that were going on that night. It was for people who wanted something traditional, but that didn’t look like “school pictures.” No tricks, gimmicks, or overprocessed images. Just some good old-fashioned fun and portraits like nowhere else.
Now, I wish I could post all of them. But instead, I’ll post one that kind of epitomizes the great times we had.
We were thankful to learn that there were no major incidents at all three Berkeley County proms, and that safety was the main consideration for everyone. Good luck to everyone for the remainder of the school year!
A lady called us late last week and asked if we did restoration of old photos. We told her that we do, and she went on to explain that she had two large photos (for now) that were in a sad state. After a short description of the damage as a result of living through the years in conditions that were less than favorable for images, I asked her to bring them in.
On Wednesday, she was accompanied by her aunt (age 82) and her husband. The two images (both 16×20) were in worse shape than she’d made them out to be on the phone. Diana, who is our restoration specialist, reviewed them with the client and talked about what was necessary to get them back in to shape. But the whole time, I was looking at the one picture (shown below) and hearing its story… the photo is of the aunt’s great-grandmother. The photo was taken and printed some time in the late 1800’s. That’s over 100 years of history.
I’m showing you this now, before Diana does her miracles on it, because I want to share with you a portrait from years (over a century) gone by. I’ll be sure to show you before and after images for both photos, though.
Oh the babies we’ve seen!
I shouldn’t have to keep repeating this, but I will. I love babies!
This little guy is 7 months old. He had some wobble problems, both sitting and standing. But he was quite the trooper and made his mom happy with several fun and adorable images.
Oh… the fun that each wedding brings. A beautiful young couple always seems to bring out the happy times, the dancing and carrying on that is befitting such a celebration.
Melissa and Joey were married in Inwood, where they also celebrated with family and friends.
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).
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=b1ab02e3-4d91-485e-887e-a10704b5e2f8)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=e27e9625-9eff-44a9-a8ad-659fe5385adc)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=524cfb39-c184-4c8e-99c2-4415b464f45c)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=6e0e4e09-a7a1-4a51-a0c5-001695c155c8)