Don't Have A Wall Paper Event!

Hello everyone! As promised this is a special posting especially for those of you who are planning on getting married or know someone who is. That probably encompasses just about everyone. Now, if you are good at reading between the lines, this blog posting would also benefit those individuals who are promoting themselves as wedding photographers. Either way, the purpose of this posting is especially important for you who believe that your wedding day is an event you want to remember and not take a chance in missing out on the memories in the future because I am afraid that in the next few years we might start seeing a few major problems develop. Why? Well, hopefully that will become clear as you continue reading. It might be a little long but compared to how long you might have to do without your wedding photographs you might find this time well invested.

What has prompted this post is a news letter I received from one of the nations top wedding photographers, David Ziser from Cincinnati, OH. I've had the good fortune to study under him about one and a half years ago there in Cincinnati. Some of the photos I took during that training can be found in our gallery. In this news letter David was talking about a "guest blogger" article he was invited to write in one of the leading photography blogs about the state of the wedding photography business. What he had to say was very enlightening but also a little frightening as well. Why? Well what I heard him saying was that because of the development of the digital photography age, the economy, and yes the failure of the professional photographer to make adjustment to match the changes in the industry, the door has been left open for a stampede of new "photographers" entering into the market place. Now here's the scary part. The largest percentage of the "stampede" is made up of people who, because of the digital market, have gone out and purchased a "good camera" and, because of the technology built into those cameras, are take pictures that are exposed well and are in focus. In short, they have taken some nice photographs with their camera and, viola, they are now a photographer. And to encourage that thought, most of the dictionaries have changed the definition of the word photographer to one who takes pictures. Well I can change a flat tire, a burned out headlight, the oil in my car, and put gas in it. Got a Lamborghini you would like me to do some work on? The fact is this, yes, there are a lot of people out there that can take a decent looking photograph and because they are not solely depending on that to pay the bills and put food on the table they can offer their services for very little money. They may even be a friend of yours who you have looked at the photographs they have taken and they look great. Well that's similar to the changing a flat tire thing. There is just a little more to it than that.

A number of years ago, a family I know needed to have some wall papering done in their home. Some how they were told about a guy who could do the work at a real good price. While this was something he could do, it wasn't his main source of income if you know what I mean. Well this family got such a good deal that they had him do almost every room in the house. When he was done the family noted that the job had a few faux pas in the quality but the walls had nice looking paper on them and they got a good deal and besides they weren't that noticeable anyway. Well I was in that home just recently and guess what? There wasn't a room that didn't have major problems going on with the wall paper. Seams were separating and peeling off the wall. I'm not talking just in a few spots either, it was almost everywhere! They are not happy and the good deal isn't quite cutting it any more! I heard a story once where someone called a contractor of some kind and said to them that they want something done good, fast, and cheap. The contractor told them to pick two of those and then call him back! Well folks, here is the truly funny part of this story and it ain't no joke either. I use to be married to a lady who along with her mother was one of the best if not the best paper hangers in the Kansas City area. Top contractors call them for all their paper hanging work cause there was no compromising from them. They only use the highest quality material and when they hung the paper it stayed hung. To get it off the wall the first step was to rent a jack hammer. Seams? What seams? Saying seams to one of them was like saying "bump" to a low rider or "cops" to a thief. When they got done there were no visible seams anywhere. Maybe they were the exception but I don't think so. They took pride in their work and every job was a billboard advertisement. They never had to advertise because they were never without jobs scheduled way in advance. So much so that they finally got burnt out cause they just couldn't let their contracting friends down. This family with the falling wall paper wish they had known them. In short the good deal has mutated into another kind of good deal as in a good deal of problems and headaches.

So how does this relate to your wedding photographs? A lot more closely than you might think. Just because someone has a "good camera" and can take a well exposed, in focus photograph and is offering a "good deal" on their work isn't the whole story. The paper hanger had good tools and used pretty paper with the right type of glue but that wasn't enough in the long term. At first the family though he had done a good job. Compared to what? Just as in wedding photography you don't have anyone or anything else to compare it to and once the job is done, it's done. If the job has a few faux pas it's a little late to change it. And then there is the resulting product you're left with. Will it last? Yes there is a good chance that something will happen and you could have your photographs fall off your memory wall. Unlike the family with the wall paper problem who think they can glue the worst parts back with a little super glue, when photographs peel off they can't be fixed. Law suits have happened more than once involving "wedding photographers" with a "good camera" and disappointed brides. I'm not talking about artistic interpretation or the bride just didn't like many of the photographs she got, either. It was much more to the skill of the photographer that was the issue. My company is very careful about who we use for work on the studio side of the business. We work with those who are interested in learning more and doing more in photography then just taking pictures. We have them sign no compete clauses when they come to work for us. At first it was because we don't want to train our competition but that has changes somewhat after a few interviews we had. One applicant was interested in our training program. They had been taking wedding photographs for numerous weddings over the past couple of years and their references told us that she was a "great photographer" and would take great picture for us and we would be well advised to hire her. Thinking that she had a good working knowledge of the basics at the very least I began giving her an idea of the basic skills that we would most like jump over for her but I quickly realize that everything I was saying to her I might as well had been speaking in Greek. She didn't go to work for us because she was afraid that she would not be able to continue doing weddings and she was right. Because of this and others we now have and additional reason for the no compete clause be signed.

Many of those individuals who are out there doing wedding photography to make some extra money are doing so by doing little more than take a couple of hundred photographs and down loading those photograph many times unedited onto a standard CD or DVD disk. Then they get your $250 to $500, give you the disk, and say thanks and goodbye. You are generally left with the task of going somewhere and having your photographs printed but in many cases that little task is put off. Besides if you ever want to look at them all you have to do is plug it into the old computer and viola (I like that word if you haven't noticed). Here's a bit of homework for you. Search out information about how long information such as photographs stays on standard disks. If you think that you can wait to view your wedding memories say on your 10th anniversary you might find those photographs are only a memory. Ok, so you'll get those pictures saved on your hard drive. Might want to think that over because that hasn't worked out for some folks. Ok, you'll get all of them printed. So you go to one of the more popular cheap places to get them printed, all two hundred of them. So now you have a little chunk of change wrapped up but you got such a good deal on the photographer you can splurge. Remember the paper hanger? Did the whole house right? How will you store that many photographs. In one of those cheap sticky back albums or a shoe box? Have a relative that did that. Wedding was about 5 or 6 years ago and you guessed it, can't find a one of them. But let's say you're good and you keep good track of them. Are they coated? Yes, coated like as in UV and water resistant coating. If they aren't than they are vulnerable to the environment. Oily fingers, acids, light, moisture, and a host of other things that conspire to destroy your memories. Ever looked at a faded picture and wonder what it was taken of? One thing is clear and that is the photograph is not doing the job it was intended to do.

Let's face some reality here. The economy, high unemployment, and reasonably price cameras and ease by which those images can be saved and viewed is making weekend photography a tempting quick money maker for a lot of unexperienced people. I don't believe they want to do any harm, they are just like everybody else who needs or wants a few extra dollars. In fact, many of them will tell you that they think they are doing a great service for those who are getting married, graduating from school, or wanting memories of special events. They would say that in this day and age the prices that the pro photographers are wanting are so high that the regular Joe and Jane can't afford them and in many respects it's a valid point. Some photographers coming out of the film era failed to see the need to adjust the pricing. Before when a photographer would shot a wedding it wasn't out of the question for them to shot between 40 to around 400 rolls of film just for one wedding. They had to have equipment to make sure they were getting the picture right "in the can" because until they had the film developed they didn't know if the shot turned out right or not. So they had to get proofs or contact sheets made so they could go to the newly weds for them to choose and decide how they want those pictures to be edited. Then those were sent back in to the photo labs who would then make the editing changes and process the final photographs. Talk about costly, some of the film was roughly $4 or more per roll and to get the photos edited and developed could be nearly $1000 by some reports I've heard. That was just the cost to the wedding photographer not including their equipment which was really expensive! Then if you wanted those photographs in a wedding album, well let's just say that really went to a whole new level of effort, time, and cost. Any wonder there wasn't that many wedding photographers 20 or more years ago. But that's just it, a lot of people out there in the real world think that it was the expense and the time putting all those photographs in order that made the need for the pro photographer instead of just having someone take pictures with their Polaroid camera. Don't get me wrong because I do know that back then people recognized that a photographer had to have a lot of knowledge to do what they did. But that has been forgotten as of late because todays cameras have built in computers which make taking a descent picture in the automatic settings almost goof proof. Goof proof that is as far as good exposure and focusing is concerned. As a result I think that there has been other factors that has also been forgotten, skill, creativity, craftsman/workmanship to name but a few. The true professional photographer practices their skill and takes pride in the work they do in a profession they love. Photography is there main focus (no pun intended), their principle job that they work at daily to improve their skills. They don't do this for weekend beer money or to add to their vacation fund. It's not a hobby or a sideline. Sure the pro photographer makes a living doing it but they realize that they need to also be concerned about the customers need if they want to continue in their profession. The weekend photographer doesn't have those worries to that same degree.

In Davids' article he made it clear that the pro photographer needs to reevaluate there business. First we have to show to the public at large that there is more to having quality photography done than just getting the picture in focus and descent exposure. For the consumer there is to much at stake and to great a chance for losing those precious and irreplaceable memories. We have made it look too easy and the skills needed are so invisible that like a lot of things there is this thought that anyone can do it. Ever listen to someone talk about how poor of job a sports figure or team did during a game implying they could have done better? Ever listen to someone criticize a decision someone made in a high pressure situation or a player on a game show not able to solve an easy puzzle? When a professional of anything does their magic it will look almost effortless, that's why their pros. When everything is going right and not complicated such as changing the battery or oil in your car, than a lot of people can handle that. You might be able to change a flat tire but have you ever tried to put a new tire on a wheel hub and balance it? How good are you at replacing brake pads or replacing a tie rod? There are a lot of people out there who can work on cars very well and not mechanics, but there's a lot more who think they're mechanics and really not someone you would want to work on your car. Same holds true in photography. There is a wide range of skill levels out there and unfortunately a consumer doesn't know how to identify the level of skills that each potential photographer is at with the exception of looking at a few sample photos out of there vast collection and the price. Maybe one thing to consider is whether they do this as a sideline or full time. Think about it. If you need a doctor do you want one who lives, eats, and breaths being a doctor or one who does it only on weekends?

The next thing that pro photographers need to do is make there service affordable and more in line with the digital age environment. Like our studio, many pros are already doing this. In fact, many are providing more value and services than the weekenders and at nearly the same or better pricing. Let me ask you if you had the choice between a new bicycle or a new car for the same or reasonably close price, which one would you choose? Let me just say that if you are settling on a few hundred photographs taken of you wedding and delivered to you on a standard CD or DVD especially unedited photographs and little if any future options for around $300 to $500 you just might being missing out on something a lot better. Surely it's worth the checking out as most consultations are free. Just how important is your event? Is it worth remembering? If so you just might give this post some consideration. Not only that, but many photographers are now making it possible for you to get "more bang for your buck" due to the extras that those other guy can't or won't do. There's a lot of time and effort that still goes unnoticed and unseen in the world of wedding photography starting with the first consultation meeting. Don't gamble on the thought that none of those will matter at the end of the day. Don't forget the wall paper!

At the end of the day what really matters is you and the quality of service you receive. More and more the cost factor is becoming less of an issue but a new issue is slowing coming into focus (again, no pun intended, just trying to EXPOSE something). The true down side of those weekend non pros is starting to be understood and the changes in the service and value of the pros are starting to be recognized. The non pros may be your friend or a friends friend but your memories are important. Would you trust your friend to do surgery on you simply because they have a knife and a bandage and read a book called "surgery for dummies"? I would hope not. Don't get me wrong. Pro photographers don't walk on water or at least most don't. They are no different from other pros in different fields like the mechanic who bangs up their knuckles or makes some other faux pas. Maybe it's better seen this way. In bowling I doubt that there is very many people who have gone bowling and haven't gotten a strike (knock all ten of the pins down for you who don't know the game) and most likely even picked up a spare. The professional bowler gets more strikes than the occasional bowler but when the pro doesn't get a strike they pick up more spares then the non pro as well. What's the difference between them? Both do basically the same thing, right? The results in the score would suggest that something is different. How about skill, knowledge, and practice, practice, practice! Subtle differences, some not even seen, with a big difference in the results.

I believe you have come to the conclusion that there is probably a lot that you haven't realized about this subject. Hey, the closest that I get to being an expert is being a "has been drip under pressure". But I haven't forgot that the more you learn the less you know, so you'll never learn it all. That doesn't mean you should be content with where you are and not keep striving to push the envelope. Knowledge is power and you need to use it to your advantage in making your life both in the future as well as those memories as time goes by the best you can make them. I know that this post has been extremely long (I haven't covered everything so it could have been much longer) but I wanted you to be aware and have the opportunity to avoid your own wall paper good deal event. So with that I guess I'll peel and separate.

If you have any questions or if we can help you with your photographic needs, contact us. We have new package pricing for weddings, school and senior photos, as well as organizational services available, which will all soon be update on our website. Have a great day everybody!

Richard

Deja Vu!

Hello, everyone. Hope you had a great Thanksgiving. It's my hope that you all had reason to be thankful this year. I know I have a lot to be thankful for but like most of you there is hurt and pain that is going on in a lot of peoples lives today. I know people who have just lost someone very close to them, people who are having deep financial problems, family and marital problems. But even with all that they all have things that they are deeply thankful for. It is my hope that this Holiday Season brings joy, happiness, love, and peace to you and yours.

There are a few traditions that I follow every year and this one is no exception. Before Thanksgiving day comes to a close I always get out my VSH tape of "A Christmas Carol" staring George C. Scott and watch it all the way through. I know most of the movies dialog and find myself speaking the lines right alone with the characters of the story. I also took the time to watch "A Charlie Brown Christmas", I know all the lines from that one. And this won't be the last time this year that I watch these shows. Christmas Eve into Christmas Morning you'll find me in front of the TV enjoying these classics again. You have a standing invitation to pull up a chair and enjoy them with me.

These are some more photos taken on the movie set of the "History of Branson". Have you picked up your copy yet? Many have and the reviews and replies that have been receive have been most positive. Mike Johnson talked to me and gave me an update to his new project preparations and the pieces are all starting to come together. I am so looking forward to this new project because unlike the the "History of Branson" project, I am getting the opportunity to work with it from the beginning instead of picking it up in the middle. Man what an honor to be included into the Bear Creek Production Team. These are a great bunch of guys and gals who love their work and are committed to the production of a great product.

Well with a little good fortune we are going to be able to set up a retail selling outlet within the next few weeks. We are zeroing in to a location and hope to finalize the are plans soon. Then you will have the opportunity to pickup some of our work without having to go through the ordering process and shipping time. And if all goes as I hope our prices for our pictures will be very reasonable in deed. And there will be more than just our pictures for sale, but you will have to wait for that added announcement.

This installment of Pro Pix Tips is going to continue with our discussion of composition but is just a bit off the trail. We are going to take a quick look at the use of flashes for our lighting needs. We have had some discussion about lighting in past post but I want to touch on something that came up in one of our venues were we are using multiple flashes for our photos.

Cameras with flash capability have what is called a "sync speed" which simply means that there is a maximum speed that the shutter can be set so that the flash will fully be able to light your subject so that is captured by the sensor properly exposed. If that speed is exceeded the lighting will appear to light your subject only partly. This will appear as a very distinct line where above it the photo will be properly lit while below the line the photo will be very much under exposed. This is due to the fact that the shutter is opening and closing so quick that the flash will not fire fast enough to expose the entire photo. On the other hand if a shutter is set to a speed less than the sync speed there will be very little difference in the lighting of your subject. This is because that for the most part the light from the flash does exactly what the name implies, it flashes at a high rate of speed. So if I am only counting on the flash as my light source it will make very little difference whether I use a shutter speed of 1/200th of a second or 1/10th of a second. The exposure of the photo will not be that much different. The ambient light being produced by any other light source will be different. Why? Because unlike the light from the flash, the other light source will be continually on throughout the exposure time. Therefore, the longer the shutter is open the brighter the ambient light will be in the photo, and visa versa. So how can you control the exposure of the photo with only a flash as the light source? With your ISO and aperture settings. ISO (International Organization of Standardization, so why isn't IOS) denotes the sensitivity of the digital sensor of the camera. The higher the ISO setting the more sensitive the sensor resulting in higher exposure, and visa versa. The aperture refers to how open or closed the lens is. The more open the lens setting the more light gets to the sensor and the brighter the exposure and visa versa. Only when combining the flash with ambient light will you be using different shutter speeds to control the light. The technique of how to do that will be discussed in a future PPTs.

I started writing this post on Friday and choose to finish it Saturday. While that seemed like a great idea at the time, sometimes life has a funny way of tossing in a monkey wrench or two into things. Today has been no exception. Personal notes are getting to be a habit for me. This one is most painful. I learned late Saturday evening that I have lost a very close and personal friend. The lose, though not that unexpected, has brought great pain and grief for me. I have known them for the majority of my life and having to continue without them will be very life changing for me. Life can be very cruel. It seems to get a kick out of dealing out cards in your life and watch you try to do something with them. None of us are immune from life's cruel acts. No matter what life gains from its' escapades, the one thing you can be assured of is the presents of shatters hopes, dreams, and lives that are left lying in its' wake. Because of my lose many of those aforementioned items have suffered that fate. No matter how many bowls of rusty nails you eat for breakfast, losses like this, no matter how they come, are always devastating. A part of me has been crushed by this lose, I fear to a point of no recovery. For those who truly know me, they know I don't take losing well. But as I stated at the beginning of this post there are still those things for which I am grateful, the times I shared with this friend among them. But it's the time in the future that life has stolen that generates the hurt and pain for which there is no relief. No matter how good the memories, how kind the thoughts conveyed, it's virtually impossible to be thankful when your heart is no longer in one piece. My friend is gone but my love for them will remain unchanged forever.

Richard

Moooooooooo!

Hello everyone! Welcome back. This time of the year is always hectic around here. Our souvenir division is busy keeping up with bus season and of course we do have our venue with a Santa Claus setting in front of a tree. Out of respect for our Santa, I will not post any photos.

Have you caught the commercial where it shows this guy standing in front of a photo on display that he had apparently taken. He is shown taking questions from what appears to be pro photographers and one of them ask if he would disclose what aperture setting he used for taking the photo. While holding his hands in front of him indicating a distance or size he replied, "A really big one." The announcer then says that this camera make taking great pictures easy. In others word, all you need to rival the pros is this camera. WOW! I didn't catch the manufacture and I'm praying it isn't Nikon because I really don't want to switch cameras but I might seriously consider it if it was them. The things that are done to make a buck with little consideration to the potential consequences.

To shift gears a bit, I have a friend that I have the opportunity to talk to quite frequently. He's been involved with a lady for quite awhile and have plans for the future. We have talked about those plans and this lady friend of his on numerous occasions and with full disclosure these plans involve many major changes in both their lives. He's always seemed up beat and happy about the relationship until the last time or two that we've spoken. He told me that he has met another lady who has been trying to steal him away and in his words "she's doing a pretty good job of it." He told me that in just the few weeks that he's known this lady, she has made him happier than he has been over the past two years with the other lady friend. While the stress and tension that comes with the plans they are discussing explains part of the bickering going on between them, it doesn't explain the difference in the levels of happiness he's feeling. No I'm not trying to turn this blog into a soap opera and I probably would have even bothered to bring it up if I hadn't ran across a different but similar situation. There's another gentleman I know who owns a business. Now while he has made some changes in his business operation there are certain aspects of his business which he tends to hold on to like a sacred cow. The fear of losing those things or at least the fear of lessening their importance to his operation grips onto him like a leech sucking the life from this guy. His friends have tried to talk to him and he does recognize the challenges that these thing present but even though he agrees with their arguments he still holds onto the belief that continuing to worship the sacred moo moo is the lesser of the evils. That is until the past few days. It seems that a knock has come to his proverbial door of opportunity. When he checked to see what was doing the knocking he found it to be an opportunity that he had not even seen coming let alone pursued. Now while his opportunity is in it's infancy it's still has provided enough encouragement to him to allow him to question just how truly sacred those moo moos really are after all. He said something that maybe we should all hear. Fear paralyzes us so much that we become blind to other options. Because of that blinding we allow things to control us to the extent we loose our own identity and self worth. As a result we feed the fear and the vicious cycle continues. It's an observation that I think has some merit. We tend to want to stay in our comfort zones no matter how uncomfortable it is. Why? Because while it may be uncomfortable it still is familiar and we don't like the unknown. Therefore, even though it may not be in our own best interest, we pour all of our efforts into maintaining those moo moos with our blinders on and our knees knocking. The problem is that while we pursue this course of action life is slipping away and opportunities are being missed. Not just in business but in our personnel lives as well. In a way we are making investments in our future. The problem is what kind of investments are we making? Are they those which lead us to a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction or regret and remorse? These are not easy situations and many times the situations seem either so crystal clear or so trivial that we fail to see how truly important and the lone lasting effects they potentially have on our lives not only now but for years to come. Since they are not easy and the majority of the populous love easy, people will generally allow what is easiest to govern their response and many times that turns out to be a huge mistake. Generally by the time we discover how big of a mistake it truly is, we cannot do much if anything to fix it. In some cases a higher power intervenes in spite of our fears and give light so we can more clearly see our moo moos as well as other courses that offers an even better life. But we can't always count on having things dropped into our laps (unless you are our Santa Claus. That's a private joke.). Most of the time opportunities are pretty stealthy and to see them you can't have your eyes on the moo moos. Don't miss out on the lobster because you're to busy putting pickles on the burger.

Pro Pix Tips. Well we are going to quickly finish up this part of our GOBO discussion. We will continue to talk about GOBOs throughout our look at composition but for right now it is important that we introduce the more common ones and briefly describe each one. We've already talked a bit about cookie GOBOs and you can go back and read that post.

FLAG GOBOs are used to block light from spilling over into areas you don't want them ie. the background area or back onto you camera producing lens flares or light reflections on the lens. They are generally black in color and can be made of any material as long as it does not let light shine through it. Most arencommonly made of cloth, poster board, and foam core.

REFLECTOR GOBOs are used to redirect the light coming from a light source to an area of the subject which needs additional lighting but you don't want to add an additional light source. An example would be where a reflector would be used while taking a photo outside one a sunny day where the reflector would reflect some of the sunlight back onto the subject to reduce the dark shadow areas on your subjects face such as the area around the eyes to better illuminate them. Cloth, poster board, and foam core are the most common materials used to make reflectors. The colors can vary but the most common are white, which tends to give off a cool white or flash color light, silver, which tends to give off a cool white or flash color but with greater intensity, and gold, which tends to give off a warmer yellowish color. Which one you use depends of the the feeling or purpose of the photo. The difference in intensity between the light coming from the source to the subject and that coming from the reflector varies based upon the distance between the light source, reflector, and subject but a good rule of thumb is 1 to 2 f-stops.

SCRIM GOBOs are used to soften light coming from a light source by effectively changing a small light source like the sun into a much larger light source. I know, the sun is a very big thing but while it is very big and bright it still very far away and actually look more light a spot light in the sky. As a result the light from the sun (a hard light source due to it relatively small size) produces a very distinct and dark shadow. When we place a scrim gobo between the light source (in this case the sun) and the subject of our photo, the scrim actually becomes the light source because the light is passing through the whole surface area of the scrim in affect becoming a much bigger light source (depending on the size of the scrim) producing a more soft light onto our subject with much softer and less distinct shadow areas. Depending on the material the scrim is made of, a rule of thumb you can use to judge how much lower the intensity of the light will be from no scrim vs. scrim is about 2 f-stops. Cloth or silk material are mainly used with white the usual color, but don't be surprised if you see a golden colored one.

GOBOs play a very important role in our shaping of light when we use that light to capture our images. As we continue our exploring of composition we will us GOBOs a lot.

Now on a more personal note. One of my staff members and very close personal friend lost their mother late Monday evening. I have known Monty for well over 40 years. She was a good women even though we had our disagreements from time to time. She was funny, kind, and loved her children more than life its self. She cared about those around her, family or not, and was always quick to help others whenever she could. From what I know of her past, life was not always kind to her but that didn't seem to dampen her happiness and outlook on life. Over the past years she was troubled by some persistent medical issues but despite the pain and difficulties those issues produced, she never allowed them to get her down or stop her from doing what she wanted. If one was to look at all she had had happen to her, a strong case could be make that life just wasn't very fair at all with her. I personally can say I never her Monty complain about any of that. She was always quick to comfort others even when her own issues were affecting her worse. Her children were her life and she was constantly concerned about their lives, especially her grand children. But in recent years life smiled on Monty. Additions to her family came in the form of her beloved cat and a man who I believe she loved with all of her heart. Their relationship brought her the happiness and joy that I feel had been missing for most of her life. I believe in my opinion that happiest times of her life came in these last 5 or so years. It's true that I wasn't that aware of all that was going on in her life but I do know that she seamed genuinely content and happier. Life is really crazy. With all the medical issues she fought with all those years, it was a fall that took her from us. Even though her passing did not come as a surprise and one can easily make the case that she is with God, free of pain and all those issues that for so long assaulted her, our pain and sorrow of being without her presents is real and will remain with us. For us who knew her and profess our faith in Christ, we will see this wonderful women again because she knew Christ as her Saviour. And when you compare the length of eternity, our time separated from her will be short, but that doesn't lessen the sorrow and grief of our time now. I loved Monty and called her mom. My love and prayers are with her family especially for Jackie. Jackie has many of her moms wonderful traits and for that I am truly grateful to Monty. I will miss her.

Richard

Blog Grand Opening

Hi everyone. Welcome to our blog. This is the start of our blogging adventure so please forgive us as we will certainly make a few goofs for a while.

The reason we have decided to open up this blog here at 2C Photography is so we can better serve our customers, staff and our friends who have chosen to stop by and visit us. We want to post information about what we are up to as well as information that we think will be very valuable for all your photography needs. We want to give you ideas for improving your own personal pictures as well as helping you understand why it may be a good idea to have professionals take those picture of events that hold so much value to you. We want to pass on those things that will not only help you today, but also help you in years to come as you use photographs to reminisce about those special moments in your life. That's what we are all about here at 2C Photography..... memories! The reason is simple. When the moment is gone, in most cases, all we have left are the memories and it is the photographs that remain that are so important in helping us to recall those moments in time.
Photographs have been defined as a sample of the whole or overall picture. What is captured in the photograph must tell a story and many times that story goes beyond what is seen in the picture. Sometimes that's not as easy as it may sound. For example, how many times have you found a photograph and can't recall much if anything about the event you're looking at. The people and location seen in the photograph may or may not be familiar, but recalling the event or the reason for the photograph isn't there. I have been told that every event that has taken place in our lives are recorded in our memories and are there for use to recall if we have the right thing to trigger that memory. That is why we recall things seemingly out of the blue. Something triggered that memory. Sometimes the entire event is recalled or just a feeling or emotion. There have been times where I can recall things so well that I can quite literally smell as well as taste those things present during the event. That is why taking pictures is so much more than pointing a camera at something and pushing a button. Does the photograph capture a sampling of the whole event well enough to convey the story? If not, the purpose for taking the picture is pointless and the memory it should have captured is in danger of being lost forever.
Not every photograph taken by professional and amateur photographers succeed in capturing the story to the degree hoped. Those who have made it a passion in their lives, like those of us at 2C Photography, are constantly working to make sure that the story is captured and your memories are preserved because we know how precious those memories are to you. Special moments happen fast and are to important to trust to chance. If you had a family member seriously ill and need surgery wouldn't you want to place your trust in a doctor who does that kind of surgery and has years of experience instead of a person who has read a few medical books and has a very sharp knife and a big bandage. The question is how important are the memories you're making? I was given some advice years ago about gambling, even though I'm not a gambler. They told me that one should not take any more money to the casinos than one could afford to lose. Can you afford to lose the memories you want to make. If you can, why are you wanting to make them in the first place? If saving a few dollars on the photographer is that meaningful then consider how much you can save by not having the event at all. Remember, if it's worth doing it must be worth remembering.
Thanks for stopping by. We'll add to the blog frequently, so make sure you check us out often. Have a great day everyone! Richard