A New Year's Wish and Commitment.

To all of my awesome friends, the most sincere "Happy New Year" wishes ever.

2011 is going to be a breakout year. 

I have never, EVER been so positive about the coming 12 months as I am now.

The stars are aligning, the foundation has been laid, the big storm (the financial one) has begun to clear, and the sun is beginning to peek out at us all.

At the same time, I think we are all aware that we need to work together to break out. 

Working on our futures alone will get us the same results we have always had in the past.

So let's try something better and different..

I personally commit to helping at least one of you in some way, every week during this coming year. 

This could be something like pointing you in the direction of a contractor you can trust - or an accountant, or a B&B...

Or it could have something to do with photography, (who would have thought....)

Or maybe I could pick you up a gallon of milk on my way home.

Or maybe, I could keep my ears open if you need a job, or write you a testimonial or letter of recommendation.

I'll do this alone if I have to, but it will be so much more fun if I have company on this trip!

Who wants to join me?

Just commit to being open to the opportunity to help each other.

It is the GIVING that makes us feel great.

And forward this to YOUR friends too. Let's make this a BIG party!

So if you have a need, sing out! (this is the cool part) If you have a need, you are not imposing on me, you are giving me an opportunity to do something that will make me feel wonderful.

I know, it sounds almost perverse in its reverse logic, but by you asking for help, you are doing me a favor.

But again, this is not nearly as much fun if I do this alone, and nobody is going to track your good deeds. The benefit is for you and you alone.

Reply to this post if you will commit - or even if you think it's a cool idea.

If we get a great number of people interested, maybe I'll start a Facebook page of people helping each other, where people can post needs and connect with those who can help.

So again, Happy New Year. Have a magnificent 2011!

May your blessings flow and gently touch every one you meet!

Monroe

Since I emailed this a few days ago, I have gotten a mountain of responses, and the blessings have begun to flow. I have found a good friend from a previous life who was laid off, and wrote him a letter of recommendation, done a testimonial for another business, and a bunch of other stuff. 

But the people who have been moved to think about others while they, themselves are in need has been stunning.

We, together, will make this a better world.

Please let me know your thoughts. Visit the site, www.ithacastock.com, send me an email, monroe@ithacastock.com, or just follow us. 

2011 is going to be a wonderful ride!

A Christmas Idea

Hamish, resting up before the evening's carnage...

Some things never change.


The cats find every ornament to be a new and exotic toy, especially those that are just out of reach. Especially the glass ones.
The kitchen smells wonderful with cookies, baking breads and the holiday turkey.


In our home, my wife goes all out in making Christmas a time of bright lights, cinnamon and pine smells, fancy swags with ornaments, frosted cookies and snowflakes. Ok, I help, but the project is hers.


Oh yes, the other thing that never changes is that we are never quite ready when Christmas eve arrives. This year is no exception.


With all of this going on, lets take a few moments to remember our blessings.
First, we are alive. That's a good start.
Second, we have a roof, a warm place to sleep, and food - usually at this time of year, too much food.


We have our friends who love us, and our family who puts up with us...


The list can go on and on. My advice to you is to think of each blessing in turn, and say a quiet "Thank You". Nobody needs to hear, as long as your soul hears. Thanks is the greatest gift you can give to others, but it is also the greatest gift you can give yourself.


So try this under the tree on Saturday. When you hand out each present, say thank you. 


Some will know. And the rest - well, share your gift of thanks.

From Yuk to Brilliant in Four Easy (not) Steps!

I thought I'd take this time and show you a few of the stages photos take in their life, from being taken, almost thrown away, played with, modified and eventually turned into a work of art.

Have you ever heard someone say "...but sure, look at the camera he has. I can't take photos like that with MY camera...."  I respectfully respond, "Horse Hockey".

The image I'm showing today was taken with a Canon 10D, a 6.3 mega pixel DSLR. Most people today have more firepower in their i-phones. 

So lets consider this photo taken at Disney's Port Orleans Resort.

Lousy lighting, but the emotion was exquisite

As a professional, my job is to get the perfect photo at the exact moment. I didn't have the time to kick on the flash, adjust the white balance or any of the stuff I do when I expect to be taking a photo. He swept her, and I had to get the photo right then.

Lousy fluorescent lights.

Anyway, going through the photos after the wedding, I was sorely tempted to throw it away, but something within me said that there's something special here. So I reluctantly kept it in consideration.

I tried to rescue it by playing with the white balance and hue, exposure curves and many of the tools within photoshop.

Ok, skin looks like skin now, but it's not great by any means.

Ok, they don't look like aliens any more. The expressions and action is good, but frankly, it is not technically worthy for anything.

At this point, my daughter and photographic partner Mindy Porter said very gently,

"Gimmeeit."

She turned it to black and white. Although it is still missing something, there is a real special image here somewhere.  Playing with the blue, red and orange channel mixers brought out the vest and tie where there had been a black blur before.

The special image is working its way to the surface now. It's close enough I can begin to taste it. So what do I do?  I say:

"Gimmeeit."

It looks like an old Clark Gable movie scene, so what was true about old movies?

Grain!!

Now, I'm starting to get excited. What we need to do is bring our subject to the front as if they're not there already. We do this by diminishing the background, both by subtly vignetting and cropping out the yukky stuff at the lower left.

What? You didn't notice it? That's ok, I did. It's my Job.

Now it's a matter of dressing the photo up a bit.

A couple strokes for framing, a black background to highlight their love, and we're all set.

This is what a professional photographer does, not just at the wedding or portrait session, but at every step along the line. These images are our babies. You may pay for them, but never forget that we invest ourselves in their creation. They MATTER to us. It's NOT just a job. It's a passion. And,

It is my life.


For awesome images, visit our site www.ithacastock.com, and for information about the more personal side of photography, www.paynefamilyphotographers.com, which is now part of IthacaStock!~

Sign up for our Email Newsletter













For Email Marketing you can trust

Halloween and The Holiday Season for Photographers

These are the times that try our souls. The Holiday Season.


Photographers are busy getting the Halloween photos of the goblins and ghouls prepared for the proud moms and dads, deciding on their Christmas card promotions, identifying their "drop dead deadlines" for the Christmas market and trying to prepare for the January and February "Dead Zone".


Some of us are busy as well with charity work and financial planning.


So there is no time left. None. Zero.


Here is my advice. Say aloud, "Thank You".


WHAT?!? Thank you for what? To who? For what possible reason?


There is a law of the universe, called the "Law of Attraction", which works whether you know it or not.


The thing that you concentrate on the most is what you attract to yourself. It always works - but here is where "Thank You" comes in.


When you give thanks, you are concentrating on your blessings, not your troubles. Concentrating on THEM, attracts MORE blessings, more business, more money, more love and more fulfillment.


Concentrating on that darned bill, the mountain of debt you have and the cool reception you got at home last night, yep, you guessed it, brings to you MORE of exactly what you are concentrating on. Think instead, on what makes you happy, and what makes you fulfilled as a person and as a professional.


I, for one, have been thankful for being busy, and I am, truly, busier than I have ever been. 


So as we approach Thanksgiving, what are YOU thankful for? Think on it. Dwell on it. Say aloud, "Thank You" for those blessings. 


Let the law work for you!

Mayonnaise Jar & Two Beers....

Ok, this is totally off topic. But I thought it was worth passing on anyway.


When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 Beers.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him.

When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls.

He then asked the students if the jar was full.

They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar.. He shook the jar lightly.

The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls.

He then asked the students again if the jar was full.

They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar.

Of course, the sand filled up everything else.

He asked once more if the jar was full.

The students responded with a unanimous 'yes.'

The professor then produced two Beers from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand.

The students laughed.

'Now,' said the professor as the laughter subsided, 'I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life.

The golf balls are the important things---your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions---and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car.

The sand is everything else---the small stuff.

'If you put the sand into the jar first,' he continued, 'there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls.

The same goes for life.

If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you.

Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.

Spend time with your children.

Spend time with your parents.

Visit with grandparents.

Take your spouse out to dinner.

Play another 18.

There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal.

Take care of the golf balls first---the things that really matter.

Set your priorities.

The rest is just sand..

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the Beer represented.

The professor smiled and said, 'I'm glad you asked.'

The Beer just shows you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of Beers with a friend.

Please share this with someone you care about. I JUST DID!

LIFE ISN'T ABOUT WAITING FOR THE STORM TO PASS...
......IT'S LEARNING HOW TO DANCE IN THE RAIN

Regarding Children and Pets:

We wrap our lives around them, don't we.

Little globs of emotion, they are.

They are soft, vulnerable, and dependent to begin with, subtly changing into explorers and questioners seemingly overnight, then all of a sudden, they have figured out that they know it all, and we, the nurturers are somehow no longer the repositories of all knowledge that they once thought we were.

The emotions on our part, however, change little. I'm 58, but still "his baby boy" to my 92 year old father.

Has the core emotion changed?

I don't think so. Even though I am now the care giver, my Dad is still trying to make things easier for me, and to protect me in any way he can.

So where am I going with this?

There are only two emotions, love and fear.

Every other emotion can be traced straight back to their source, love or fear. It is the light side and the dark side, straight out of Star Wars. Once you start down the path to the dark side, forever will it dominate your destiny.

Resolving to stay well clear of the dark side, my goal as a photographer is to capture the light side; the emotions of love, devotion, protectiveness, softness, joy, rapture, anticipation. In no case, are these warm and fuzzy emotions shown more clearly than in children and pets.

Dogs, in particular, have the ability to completely overlook our human shortcomings, and treat us as their personal Gods, yearning for our touch and the tiniest word of praise. A good all over rub will drive most dogs into spasms of ecstasy. "Dear Lord, help me be the person my dog thinks I am..."

Children, while not quite as forthright in their emotions, display just as deep of an abiding affection as their canine counterparts, with far more variation in their expressions.

Portrait photography is all about relationships. There is no adoring puppy without a loving master; no curious child without a parent guiding the way. Even if the dog's counterpart isn't in the frame, the relationship is there for the world to see in the brightness of the eyes and the anticipation of the next scritch behind the ear.

For the adult, it is a bit different, but the photographer will try to capture the essence of their subject within the image, with the fun, love, and yes, pain and struggle that has led them to this particular moment and helped them become the person that they are now.

And you thought photography was just taking a picture....

No, portrait photography, for the professional, is nothing short of identifying, bringing out and portraying the soul. It's an awesome task!

Life is short, but that's no excuse.

The thin thread our lives ride on is truly remarkable.

Today while perusing Facebook, I responded to someone who had made this post:

"No matter what you believe or who you believe in, it is my
opinion that we will all be judged on how we treat others and what
you've done to help someone else."

The words that sprung into my head from years ago were:

"....... What remains is the blessed flower of good deeds.....", which was translated from the Latin text of the baritone part of Symphonic Requiem, which our High School Concert Band had played back in 1968, directed by the composer, Vaclav Nelhybel.

This memory, which sprung back to me after all of these years, was probably the best episode I had in High School.

I can still see this man in front of the band, yelling at the kettle drummer, "Don't caress the drum, HIT IT!!!". I can remember the tears in his eyes as the winds and sax sections rode the waves of the second movement. I saw the love, passion, anger and joy he felt in creation.

The memory of him telling us that he had never heard his composition played more musically,.. but mostly the memory of the music brings tears to me still.

So why am I telling this to you all?

It is this. People affect you, and you affect people. Most of us are not aware of what our words and actions will mean to others. We just go through our lives, trying to cope with our own personal battles. But every now and then, let's sit back and wonder if we were the best we could be.

Vaclav Nelhybel didn't know me. I don't know if he ever laid eyes on me or took any notice, but the man profoundly affected me by being the best, most passionate artist he could be.

He took such joy in creating his music - it was infectious. We didn't play the music, we experienced and created and felt it all at once.

So now I'm a photographer, doing my best to pour all of my passion, joy, sadness, anger and love through the hole in the box, which is my camera. And I remember this man Vaclav Nelhybel, who 42 years ago affected me to my very core.

The only recording of Symphonic Requiem I had was an old reel-to-reel tape, so I googled his name, and came up with an email address. Just moments after I sent the email, I got a note back from his wife.

I'll not bore you with the details, but suffice it to say,

"Life is short, but that's no excuse.. to not say "Thank You".