Hello everyone who reads my blog, I apologize there have not been any updates for almost three weeks. As you have read by my earlier post, I was going through a tough time. Well it is not over, but things are looking up. I have some help with my business, someone who was a manager of a studio previously, and he is also a friend. So thank you everyone for your patience!
It is amazing how things happen, life is like a roller coaster. You have ups and downs. Back in August 2007, I left my job and pursued photography full time. Was this a bad decision? I don’t think so, the timing could have been better. I had been living in Arizona for about 1 1/2 years and still did not know a lot of people. I had been working to build the business on a part time basis before, but now here we are, my only source of income.
Did I make mistakes? You betcha! I did so much stuff for free or the “I will introduce you to everyone and help your career”. Well any photographer knows how that goes. So I spent at least 18 hours a day working on building the business, creating the foundation. As those know this business is not like a big store where you open the doors and have instant business. It has to be built and without a storefront, it makes it harder for people to find you.
I don’t want to turn this into a poor me story, I am just expressing my feelings right now at a low point in my life. I love what I do, photography is a passion, and to be good it takes a gift, which I feel I have. To me photography is an honor, when a family asks you to capture them in photos, wow! They are asking you to photograph their most prized possessions. I just wish business was better. This is where I do not have much experience, business. I think it is hurting me. Hopefully some of the projects on the horizon will come through before it is too late. It gets difficult to run a household on one income.
I do believe and try to keep the faith, but at times like this it gets hard. I feel like I have pushed everyone away, my family, my friends, all for the business. And why? Back to the title, for the money. So I can pay my bills and enjoy a good life, but at what expense? Is it worth it?
There is no right answer to that question. To follow your dreams and to do what you love is a gift that should be embraced like a newborn child.
So if you do what you love and can afford to continue, consider yourself lucky! Most people cannot say that. I for one am doing what I love, but don’t know how much longer I can afford to do it.
All I ask is wish me luck and keep me in your prayers that a steady flow of income comes my way and I am able to have a more stable “normal” life.
Today was the Chandler Chamber of Commerce monthly event Business after Business. This event is designed to bring many members of the Chamber in touch with each other and a local business. Sponsored by Guaranteed Clean Carpet Systems, Norma does a terrific job. Todays event was hosted at the Radisson hotel, located on the S/E corner of I-10 and Chandler Blvd. Ted the general manager and his entire staff did an amazing job. The dress code was beach attire, unfortunately some of the members could not dress accordingly because of their jobs, but others did and everyone had a good time despite a 110+ degree temperature day.
There was bar outside, with a DJ, fruit, steak kabobs, shrimp, so much food. They also had some fun activities, hula hoop contest, limbo, water balloon toss, putting contest, and a special contest, Ted threw some discs in the pool and whoever found the red one got a happy hour for six people. Look at the photos and you tell me if they wanted it bad. LOL. With 2 day getaway prizes to various Radisson hotels, the prizes were worth trying hard to win.
After seeing the photos and the fun everyone had, if you are reading this, you should either be joining the Chandler Chamber of Commerce or if you are a member, get yourselves down to the events.
I hope you enjoy the photos as much as I enjoyed taking them.
Today the Chandler Chamber of Commerce had the pleasure of being at the National Bank of Arizona, located at 6025 W. Chandler Blvd, 480-705-6273. Headed by their branch manager Darrell Washington, this looks like a place you want to bank at. The specialize in relationships with their clients. They made everyone feel very welcome and there was a fun atmosphere the entire time we were there.
If you need a bank that cares about you and doesn’t treat you like a number, this is the place to go. Tell them Larz sent you.
OMG! Words cannot describe how I felt seeing my first grandchild. Julian is the most beautiful baby I have ever seen. OK, maybe I am biased but I don’t care, it is my blog and I want to brag. I think that is what being a grandparent is all about. The pride of seeing one of your children that you raised create something so perfect, WOW!
He is so little and I was nervous of hurting him, but looking at him while holding him in my arms was one of the best feelings in my life!
In case you don’t know the story, let me fill you in. Young Julian was due May 31. So my wife and I flew from Arizona to New York the morning of May 30, we figured we will be here before just in case he comes early(lol) and stayed until Sunday June 8. Well when we left there was still no Julian. My DIL was scheduled to be induced at 5:00pm on Sunday. Unfortunately the little one did not want to come out so at 3:56 pm Monday June 9, our first grandchild came out via C-Section. Well needless to say we were very disappointed that we missed it. So Thursday night I found out that I was free this weekend, so Thursday night - Friday morning at 2:00 am, I booked a flight back to NY. The problem is it left at 6:40 am, yes just over 4 hours. So I packed and left, made it to NY safely and got to see my grandson. I only wish my wife could have been here with me. Do not worry, she will be here next week by her self as I will be in New Mexico.
So that is the story, I hope you enjoyed it.
To Lauren and Kenny, I cannot thank you enough for bringing this beautiful baby into our lives! You have made me SO PROUD!
Now for the part I know you have been waiting for…the photos. Well here are two, click the link at the bottom to view more at my web site.
Thanks for looking and feel free to comment on my blog.
Today we all learned about D2U shuttle Service. The Chandler Chamber of Commerce was on hand for the ribbon cutting as we learned that D2U provides a shuttle service from your home to participating bars or restaurants and back. They also have airport shuttles, concerts, sporting events or your special event, so you never have to worry about getting a DUI and wearing Sheriff Joe’s Pink Underwear.
When you need a ride, give them a call, 480-289-1156, tell them Larz sent you.
Wake up Chandler is sponsored by Wells Fargo. Today’s event was held at the Wells Fargo branch located at the NW corner of Chandler Blvd. & Alma School. What a great turn out it was. The first thing you notice was a lot of purple little people all around. TJ with Purple Pig Promotions was on hand with a lot of kids handing out samples to everyone, be sure to look at the van. Jerry Bustamante, the President and Ceo of the Chandler Chamber of Commerce was on hand to give us some words of wisdom.
All in all it was a fun morning and a chance to meet some new people and network with others. If you are not a member of the Chamber of Commerce or do not come out to many things, I recommend you do. Just look at the photos and see what you are missing.
Today we had the chance to join the Chandler Chamber of Commerce at Sushi Eye Sushi Restaurant. What a good turn out we had. Now I do not like Sushi, but judging from some of the photos, others thought it was delicious. Whenever you see someone cleaning their shirt after eating is a good sign they weren’t worried about it, the food was too good. So stop in and give them a try. They are in the Downtown Chandler Business District. 480-686-8183
I am so excited to tell everyone that we are now grandparents! My son and daughter in law just gave birth to a beautiful baby boy!
Julian James, 7lb 4oz.
Unfortunately the only photo I have was sent to my cell phone.
I am so proud of them, what a beautiful baby he is. It is an amazing feeling being a grandparent. I am sitting here right now with my eyes watering up I am so happy! I didn’t imagine I could feel like this.
For those of you that do not know me, my three kids are not mine by birth. They are my wifes from her first marriage, but we have been together 19 years in August, I consider them to be my kids. I love them all dearly and have them tattooed on my arm. So I was not there when they were born, this is the closest I have come and I am so happy!
I just wish he would have come a couple of days sooner when we were in NY waiting for him.
So to the proud parents from extremely proud grandparents, we are so proud of you!
To our grandson Julian, we love you so much and can’t wait to see you and hold you!
Hello everyone and thanks for taking the time to read this. I want to talk about my goals for my business and myself.
I want to change things from the way they are. The way people think about someone who they perceive as different. Different then whom? YOU? You are different then they are. Who are we as a people to judge someone else? Who is to say we are right and they are wrong? Who said he who is without sin cast the first stone?
So who should be judging others aside from God or whoever you happen to believe is there or not there.
I also want to become a household name. I want the Gay and Lesbian Community, GLBT and everyone associated with them to feel comfortable with me and for me to be the one they call when they need photos of anything. I am hoping to become big enough in this industry that big name people in this community will contact me to take their photos and shoot their ceremonies wherever they might have to be held.
This is something I believe in and am very passionate about. I really believe I have a gift in photography to capture that twinkle in you eye and create an amazing photograph that you will want to look at for years to come.
So if this is you, contact me now to book your photo shoot and be one of the ones in the beginning of my career in this direction. Won’t you want to look back in a few years and say “Hey, that is Larz, he photographed us, look at him now!” And then contact me and have me contact you back.
I never want to forget where I came from. I want to build friendships now that will last a lifetime!
Hello everyone, thanks for taking the time to read more about me.
This is about my photography and how I am.
Photography is one of my favorite things to do. I was asked once if money was no object what is the one thing you would want to do and without a thought it was photography. I consider myself blessed for I get to do something I love and make a living at it. Others are not so fortunate, to them I say keep looking, your one thing is out there someplace and I wish you luck finding it!
Back to me. I am often asked what will I shoot and where?
Well my tag line is “We Will Shoot Anything Legal”. Now this goes into some gray areas as gay marriage is not legal in some places, but I would be honored to shoot that. I am originally from New York and travel back there 3-4 times a year. I am actually writing this from there right now.
So I am almost unshockable, living in NY for over 35 years and I was a volunteer firefighter for 9 1/2 years, so I have seen most things. If there is something you have in mind, feel comfortable to approach me with it and not be judged.
The other question is where? I tell my clients I have a passport and a suitcase, I will travel wherever you need me.
To be asked to photograph someone to me is an honor. You are being asked to capture a special moment of their lives for them to cherish forever. So to my past clients, I say thank you! To my future clients, I say let’s get going and capture some amazing memories for you.
I have also changed my target market. I will still shoot anyone, but my main market is the Gay and Lesbian market. This group of people needs people that will not judge them because someone calls them different. So until next time, feel free to contact me with your questions, I am happy to answer them. Also please leave a comment on any of my blogs and comment the photos as well.
If you have read my my space blog you have seen the things I wrote, if not I will be writing more here.
I have decided that my target market is the GLBT community who are looking for someone to catch the twinkle in their eye.
The reason I decided this is to be my target market was after reading about a wedding photographer who was sued by a gay couple for refusing to shoot their ceremony.(now before both sides get crazy, I understand both sides myself. I understand the gay couple for feeling like they were discriminated against. I also understand the photographers side. Most do not have a problem shooting same sex next to each other, it is when the time comes to be intimate with each other that some photographers are uncomfortable, and is this the person you want to shoot one of your most important days? I also understand the religious aspect of it where to some religions it is a sin. Now with that aside, let’s move on) So I decided that since I have had gay friends most of my life and am very comfortable with them, why not be the one who helps capture who they are on their most important days.
I was fortunate to be invited to shoot a drag queen-drag king show at Club Vibe by Anson Reign and had one of the best times. The show was so much fun, the mood was joyous and the people were all great. Nobody made me feel like an outcast, they welcomed me in to their environment with open arms. To all of you at Club Vibe that Mothers Day I say THANK YOU! Thank you for making my first experience an enjoyable one.
After that night some of the drag queens loved my photos so much they started to talk. Next thing I know I was invited to another show at The Rock. WOW! Another warm welcome and another great show. So as time is going on, I am meeting new people and getting a chance to show them my work. Well now more and more people are approaching me to do photo shoots and so it has begun.
The way I see it is the GLBT community needs someone that is comfortable with themselves and comfortable with them to be able to capture that twinkle in the eye. I choose to be that person. Now this is not all I intend to do. I plan on continuing with my tag line of shooting anything legal. (yes legal is a grey area).
I also want to do something even more with my photography. As I was waiting for a show to start on Memorial day that I was hired to shoot, I read an article in the Echo, a gay magazine. In there was a story about a politician who said some very negative things about the GLBT community. Well that pissed me off!
First off, why are they being discriminated against? Spoken about like outcasts? They are not. Let’s look at the term gay people. They are people, HELLO…human beings! Yet they are treated much worse. Illegal aliens who do not pay taxes or work legally get more rights then those American citizens who have legal jobs, pay taxes obey most laws, and are great people. I ask you, what is wrong with this picture? Why are we treating our own people like this? Well I for one think this needs to stop and stop NOW!
How? I am not sure yet, I now there needs to be stronger voices in politics. The GLBT community has been fighting for the rights that should be theirs all along, but some jackass politician decided that it was a sin and took away those rights. Well it is time to take them back.
If you have any ideas on how to do this, feel free to post them here. If you have an idea and my photography can help, count me in! I am more than a photographer, I am a human being and an American citizen and feel all American citizens deserve to be treated equal. I will do what ever it takes to bring this point across.
Help me to achieve this goal! Post comments on this blog, link from your blog and my space page to this blog. If we can get enough people looking and talking about it, maybe the right person will see it and have an idea how to turn this around so that the gay community has the same rights as everyone else, those same rights that they deserve!
We watched her take some info about a business and word it in a way that everyone wanted to go talk to that person. That is a gift, especially how quickly she was able to do that.
From my personal experience there, it was amazing! As a photographer, I have a wide range of clients and shoot such a variety of items that it has been difficult for me to focus on one particular market as I didn’t know how. With Victoria’s help and the help of everyone in the room, I was able to establish my target market and places to find them, so to all of you and especially Victoria, thank you for your help, time, and guidance.
For those now wondering what my target market is.
My target market is the Gay and Lesbian community that wants photos capturing them with a twinkle in their eye.
Now this does not mean that is all I will shoot, it is just that I was invited to shoot a few drag queen shows and had such a warm welcome and such a good time that this is where I wish to focus my attention.
It is an unfortunate circumstance that the country we live in discriminates against gay people yet gives so many right to illegal immigrants. That is when we know something is wrong.
Look for more of this in another blog post, coming soon.
Today the Chandler Chamber of Commerce was at Just A Tease Salon and Boutique. They are located at5865 West Ray Rd. Ste.#1 in Chandler. The S/E corner of Ray & Kyrene.What a wonderful place filled with friendly people. There was food and conversation and one special person, the massage therapist who let anyone try her service for about 10 minutes. I was lucky to be one of those and it was fantastic!
So go there and enjoy their company and their services.
Today we had the opportunity to go to The Buttes. What a beautiful place this is. With the waterfall in the restaurant and overlooking the pool, it needs to be seen. On hand was the Chandler Chamber of Commerce for the cutting of the ribbon.
Dear models, here is a guideline for you from a photographer.
1-Be on time! Our time is very valuable.
1a-If you are scheduled for a shoot make sure you show up or call in advance. The time is slotted for you, if you do not show, someone else could have been there and we lose money and time.
2-Be polite, you make look good but we make you look great!
3-Be clean. I know, but sometimes it needs to be said.
4-Make sure your finger and toe nails are clean and polished if that is required. They might be seen in the photos depending on the shoot.
5-Feel free to bring someone with you, BUT…NO boyfriends, husbands, significant others, NO EXCEPTIONS.
6-Put your cell phone on vibrate or turn it off so it does not disrupt the shoot.
7-If you have minimal experience, please do not tell us you have plenty of experience. We can tell in a few minutes. It is much better to be honest from the start.
8-If you want people to look at your web site or My Space page, please make it appealing. Flashing things that are distracting are not helpful, neither is tExT lIKe THis, iT is aNNoYInG aNd HaRdeR To ReaD. So to be honest, most photogs will pass you by if we see those things.
As I think of more, I will add them. If you are reading this and have any, please post them in the comments.
On Thursday May 22, 2008 the Chandler Chamber of Commerce was invited to Artistic Mystic for their grand opening ribbon cutting. Deborah has assembled an assortment of amazing artists to showcase, stop down and take a look. They are located at 2050 N. Alma School Rd, the N/W corner of Alma School and Warner. You can also call them for directions at 480-917-4566.
Just two of the amazing artists I had the pleasure to speak with and photograph were Marti Beson and Howard Scherer.
This morning the Chandler Chamber of Commerce held its monthly Member Welcome Breakfast. This is a great event where new members and current ones can meet and learn about the Chamber, and then network with each other. If you have not been to one of these, I highly suggest you go.
This one had a little surprise… Jerry Bustamante, the new president and CEO joined us with some words of wisdom. It was the first time I had the chance to meet Jerry. What a nice man to speak with!
I hope you enjoy these photos. To see more from this and many other events, click here.
Today we were at Desert Allure Med Spa located at 245 S. Dobson Rd. in Chandler for their Grand Opening Ribbon Cutting hosted by the Chandler Chamber of Commerce. They do everything here and then some.
What a spread they put out as well, wraps, snacks and a home made cake, mmmm.
If you have not been to one of these, I recommend you go. It started out at 98 South Wine Bar & Kitchen who put out a wonderful spread of food, from there Brad supplied a map of the local area and all the participating businesses. From there we visited each one, got to see their stores and left a business card for a chance to win some great prizes. We then finished up at San Marcos, where more food was prepared for us.
Here is a list of all the businesses that I visited and was able to get a business card from, in no particular order.
The situation that brought this on was Principle Hensley made a deal with his students. In an effort to get them to read more which has been an annual challenge, he proposed that if they read a certain amount by a set time, he would jump from a plane. Well as you can tell by the photos, they met that goal and a man of his word, he jumped.
I had an opportunity to speak with Principle Hensley before and after the jump. We spoke about some of the previous years events such as kissing a pig, staying on the roof of the school for the entire day. We also spoke about the unexpected lessons from this, such as when a student asked if he was scared and he replied yes, the student said I didn’t think grown ups got scared.
As you can see the entire school was on the field to witness this as were many parents and members of the community. When I asked if he would do it again, he said probably not.
Principle Hensley, you are a true man of character. I only hope other people look at your example and try to follow. You have my utmost respect!
What a tremendous turnout from the membership. There was food and drink, great people and many prizes (which I didn’t win).
If you need a printer or ink I highly recommend you go see Darline at Cartridge World. On the other hand, if you need help with your business, go see Stuart Preston. You can sign up for his tips online ( I highly recommend this, I did)
Here are a few photos for you to enjoy. If you are a Chamber member but do not come out for the events, I suggest you do, this is a great opportunity to network and catch up with friends.
Ken the owner and Karina the Marketing Coordinator put out a wonderful spread of breakfast items including bread pudding (yum).
If you have not had a chance to go to Famous Daves BBQ, I suggest you give them a try. They have great food and amazing people working there who take the time to listen to you and care.
For those members in the Chamber that have not been to a Wake up Chandler event, I highly suggest you go. Not only is this a chance to get your name and business out to about 100 people, but also a great opportunity to network.
If your business is not doing as well as it should, I suggest you come out to some of the events that the Chamber schedules. Come out and make some new friends and chat with old ones.
On Tuesday May 13, 2008 the Chandler Chamber of Commerce was on hand to celebrate the ribbon cutting of Gateway Pediatrics located at 205 S. Dobson Rd. Suite 1 in Chandler on the N/E corner of Dobson and Frye.
Led by Dr. Chandrasekhar, her family and staff, we were treated to a wonderful feast of desserts. There were over 75 people at this event. This truly says something about this practice that so many community members and patients came out to show their support.
If you have not had the time to look at her site, I suggest you do. This is an amazing woman. A fitness model for 10 years, she looks amazing. I had the chance to shoot her on Saturday May 10. What an experience it was.
Nita is a little woman who more than makes up for it with enthusiasm and energy! I enjoyed our time together to learn a bit about her.
I hope you enjoy the photos as much as I enjoyed shooting them.
Today the Chandler Chamber of Commerce was invited to the ribbon cutting for a great new restaurant called Carden’s Cafe. Their place is located on the S/W corner of Gilbert and Queen Creek in Chandler. Carmela and Dennis are wonderful people who relocated from Connecticut. Their restaurant has a warm friendly feel to it, a place you could sit and speak with friends for awhile. They put out a spread of sandwiches and cookies and chips, enough to make us all wish we had stretch waists on our pants.
Go to their web site and view the menu, then wipe your mouth and go get something to eat.
To Carmela and Dennis, I wish you all the success you can handle.
Today we were at Shane’s Rib Shack at the S/E corner of Ray and 54th St with the Chandler Chamber of Commerce. If you have not had a chance to try their food, myself and my belly suggest you do. Dana and her staff have built a great place to get together with friends and have some fantastic bbq foods. Dana’s dad was on hand to give a prayer during the celebration. You will also see photos of empty plates as Dana let us sample their menu and had everyone licking their fingers.
So give them a call or stop in, their number is 480-961-RIBS (7427), and tell them Larz sent you!
PS. On May 17 they are having an official grand opening. The first 100 customers will each win a free 1/2 rack of ribs, a large Coca-Cola Zero, and a free Shane’s Jersey T-Shirt.
Today I was fortunate to be on hand when Jennifer and Clay celebrated their one year anniversary with their business, A*V*E. If you have not had a chance to stop in and see them, I suggest you do. They are wonderful people to be around. They are located on the S/W corner of Queen Creek and Alma School in Chandler.
What they do is take any media format you have and convert it to modern day media. So if you have some old vhs tapes of your kids, bring them down there and they will turn it into a DVD for you.
Enjoy some of the photos taken today at their celebration.
ON may 1, 2008 ICAN had a thank you dinner for the volunteers that help with this organization. There was food and soft drinks, dessert, and the Chandler Police Department Gang Unit was on hand to give a presentation about the gangs in the area. It was very informative and enjoyable.
Thank you to ICAN for giving back. To Emily Halbur, I want to say a special thank you. I appreciate how you have helped me to bring my program to the kids. I wish you well on your new venture back to Minnesota. (brrr)
Take a look at the ICAN site and see if you can’t help out as well. They do something very good for our Chandler community.
On May 1, 2008 the Chandler Chamber of Commerce was invited to the Kids First Pediatric Dentistry ribbon cutting. What a great idea they had, specializing in kids dental care. After viewing the office, myself and many others asked if we could be treated there. There were TV’s everywhere, in a big room, waiting rooms, and on the ceiling. To Dr. Tyler and Dr. Randy, we wish you much success!
On April 30, 2008 the Chandler Chamber of Commerce was invited to a ribbon cutting at The Yellow Apple located on the S/W corner of Queen Creek and Gilbert Rd. A good time was had by all, good food and great people made it a fun evening.
Friday nights at The Waterfront in Chandler, S/E corner of Ray and Dobson there is a Hot Moms Contest. This started April 18 and runs to the finals May 9. Contact them for more information or to sign up at (480) 732-0929.
Here are a couple of photos from Friday nights event.
Hello everyone! Today I finally had done what I wanted for some time now. I had the back window of my vehicle lettered. This is an inexpensive way to get your name out there. How many people will see your back window in a week? 100’s or more depending on where and the time you drive. Just keep in mind now, how you drive is a reflection on your business.
I had my sign done by Signs By Tomorrow located in Chandler, S/W corner of Ray and Cooper. The process was painless. The staff there were very professional and easy to work with, thank you Danna, Susan, Cole, and Kat. From start to finish, it was less then a week, but that is because I wanted a change on the original design.
Kat did the installation in about 20 minutes and I couldn’t be happier.
Here are photos from the process. Feel free to contact them and let them know I sent you!
Since I have not been to sleep yet, the day is not over yet for me. April 23 is my oldest son’s birthday. Happy Birthday Kenny, 30 years old. I am so very proud of you, the man you have become leaves me speechless. I know you will be an excellent father!
Remember always that I am here for you and that I love you!
To all the models and those that want to be. Here is a bit of advice. I just spent the last 20 minutes looking through a site where there were models looking for work. Here is what I found. There were very poor photos posted, one was even from a web cam. Show a variety of photos, all angles, and what you are comfortable modeling in. If you are comfortable in a bikini, show photos of that. If you don’t have photos, hire a photographer, there are many out there. I am running a special for the rest of April, only $65 for a model shoot and edited photos on a CD. I am looking for models now for a client that wants hard bodied women. If I can’t see what you look like you are going to get passed over. Also, fill in your profile. On this site, there were spaces for your height, weight, measurements, and many others. Fill them in to help those that are looking find you. I know for myself, if I am looking for something specific, I might have to look at hundreds of profiles. I won’t take the time to click to another site to see your photos or send you a message to find out details that should be listed.
Many people dread Monday morning. The first day of the week, back to work after a fun weekend, five more days until the next weekend. But…if you look at it like that, it is easy to see how you could become depressed and dread the week.
Why not look at it from a different view. Try to always see the positive side of everything. I know what you are saying, yeah right. I will admit, I do not do it as often as I would like to.
If you just said to yourself, man, this was a great weekend, now I am lucky to have a job that pays me enough to enjoy the weekend the way I want to. Without the bad you do not appreciate the good.
Plus it is easier on your body both physically and mentally to enjoy life.
We are only here for a short time, enjoy each day as if it were your last.
Today, April 17, is our 9 year wedding anniversary. I am so thankful to have met a woman like Linda. I realized it more when she went to New York for a few days for the baby shower. I was without her and missed her so much. You do not realize sometimes how much you miss someone until they are gone. Fortunately it was only a few days, but for some it is forever. So, do not wait until tomorrow to tell your special person how you feel. When I think about this the song by Garth Brooks, “If tomorrow never comes” always comes to mind. What if today was the last day you saw each other, would they know how you feel?
Unfortunately our society is such that we all work too much and are after the better way of life, more money, better jobs, nicer cars, bigger house, BUT…at what cost? Stop and ask yourself, what am I working so hard for? Can we get by with a bit less but spend more time with each other? Everyone will have a different answer for this and my goal is not to create a debate over right and wrong, just to stop and have you think about things for a minute.
So to my wife Linda, Happy 9 years! I love you more now then ever and do not want to imagine a day without you!
I made a decision on April 3, 2008 to join my local Chamber of Commerce. I believe it was one of the smarter things I have done for my business. Since I have joined, it is just over a week now, I have met some amazing people.
I have spoken to others that have joined various chambers in the past and when I asked them about their experiences, they did not have positive things to say. Then I asked the question, How often do you go to the activities and how involved are you? Well the answer confirmed what I had thought. The said they did not go very often if at all, and they were not involved. I then said thank you for your time and moved on. After I joined the chamber and spoke to members that were active, I asked the same question and they were very positive about the results from joining.
So joining this is like anything else, you get out what you put into it. For myself, I want my business to be very successful, so I am putting in a lot of time to creating networking bonds with the many wonderful members in my local chamber.
Good luck in your business and if you have any questions, I would be happy to try to answer them.
Ask someone who shoots either brand and there is a little ribbing among the two as to who is bigger and better. Each will say their own. But now we have proof, take a look.
Hello everyone, as some of you know, my son and daughter in law are expecting their first baby, a son the end of May. This will be our first grandchild. Are we excited? In one word, YES! My wife even more so then I am. She has been waiting for this her whole life. Right after Linda found out, she started shopping. Every week she would come home with look what I bought our grandson. I just have to smile. To see how much joy this is bringing her makes me happy.
Linda is flying out in the morning to go back to New York for the baby shower. The larger suitcase needed to be used for all of the things she purchased. I should have taken a photo of all the outfits that are in there.
I will keep you up to date and let you know when our grandson comes into the world. They said they have names picked out, I said little Larz is a really cool name. I don’t think they are going to go for it.
Myself and many pros are often asked, what kind of camera should I buy? Here is my answer for almost everyone. Decide what you want to shoot and what your budget is. This is just my opinion, but I suggest that you stick to Nikon or Canon. I am a Nikon shooter, but either brand will be fine. In my opinion, they are the two best out there. Then go someplace that has these cameras and find comparable models to see how they feel in your hand. How do the controls feel? Are they easy to get to? How is the menu to navigate? When you find the one that feels like it was meant to be in your hand, congratulations! You have found your camera. Now go create some magic with it!
This is where I have bought camera equipment from and been very happy.
In this profession, people always ask, what kind of camera do you have? The reality is it does not matter. Is a mechanic good because he has good tools or a chef great because he has great pans, in one word, NO! Does it help to have good equipment, absolutely! There is so much more to it then that though.
If you want to try a little test, find a pro that is good at what they do and someone else not so good. Let the pro use a simple camera and the other use a pro body, then look at the results. I did something similar at a concert I was shooting. I showed someone a shot I had captured and they said, no wonder look at the camera you have. OK, so I took out my iphone and took a photo with that. When I showed him the photo from the iphone, he had nothing to say, the iphone photo was good as well, obviously the quality is different, but the composition is the same. My point is do not get hung up on what kind of camera you have, go out a take photos, enjoy your time behind the camera. For me I am happiest when behind the camera for I capture memories.
As with anything new, many of us sit here and wonder where to start. It sometimes becomes so overwhelming that we just quit. The only way to overcome this is just to get started somewhere, so here I am.
A little bit about me. I am a photographer based in Chandler, AZ . I moved here from New York in April, 206. I have expanded my business to be able to travel anywhere a client needs me. When they ask can you travel, the answer they get is I have a passport and a suitcase, I am ready when you are.
I try to take a different approach to photographing people. I like to have fun! This is a photo of me at Country Thunder, 2007 in Twin Lakes, WI. Photo credit, Paul Schneider of www.PASPhotography.com
Look for more photos coming soon as soon as I get things worked out with the blog.
Hello everyone and welcome. Our new site is active as of this week. We will be adding many new photos and content for you to view and comment on. If there is something you would like to see, please let us know.
There are many different events we have to blog. From weddings I have second shot for to an amazing experience with John Michael Cooper and Dalisa Cooper from ALTF, shooting with them on their Zero Package.
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