We met with our accountant who is awesome. Refund? yes. Large refund? No. Anything is better than having to pay the State and Federal governments more money than I already pay them.

Earlier in the week I had an interesting conversation or should I say lively debate with some professional peers regarding the importance of the provision of the highest level of customer service. No exceptions. I’m not saying one needs to give away the farm but it’s important to listen to your clients and understand their needs. It amazes me what we allow to pass for “good customer service.” Once you have listened and believe you have a good understanding of your client’s needs, ask more questions to clarify and make sure both parties are on the same page. Too often we take such things for granted in the hopes of gaining a new client. When we don’t allow excellent customer service to shine through that leaves an unhappy customer to share his or her unhappiness with the world. As fast as communication travels with Twitter and Facebook we can develop a wounded reputation in a matter of seconds.

On another note, Winter seems to be on it’s way out. Mother Nature played a dirty trick on us and gave us all that false hope when she gave us warm temperatures for a few days and then threatened us with a storm eventually dropping a couple inches of heavy, wet snow on us. Damn you! Temperatures are beginning to slowly inch their way up to what most people would describe as civilized and livable. Ice has gone from the center of the Erie Canal and it continues it’s daily slow retreat toward shore. Another week and I can get my kayak into the water. Soon the ice boom will be removed and Lake Erie will allow the hundreds of square miles of ice to retreat the confines of the lake and make its long journey down the upper Niagara River before falling to its death over Niagara Falls. The sun has made an appearance or two leaving me wondering out loud if there really is hope for a sun filled Spring without snow and providing beautiful weather for the many brides and grooms who will be entering into matrimonial bliss.

I spent Saturday with my dad. We drove to Rochester and stopped at Hahn Photographic where I picked up a few things. I like Rochester. The city always appears to have more going on than does Buffalo. I love Hahn Photographic. Beautiful store, lots of stock and not at all cramped with great store personnel. Before we drove home we stopped at the Summerville Grill in the Town of Summerville, NY. We enjoyed a couple of Rubens and a couple of Guinness’. The weather Saturday was awesome as well. Nothing but sunshine. Not a cloud in the sky.

This past week gave us some bad news. Nancy’s dad took a turn for the worse. He’s been in a nursing home for the past year after his dementia grew worse and diabetes forced the partial amputation of his right leg. He developed a fever and his temperature spiked at 104. He responded to the treatments and for now he seems to have stabilized. Meanwhile we have increased the time spent with him. As I sat with Nancy and her mom I thought of my grandmother who had passed away just two years ago in the same nursing home. I remind myself daily of the importance of enjoying and living life to its fullest. Paul worked hard his entire life and enjoyed several years of retirement before Alzheimer’s and physical disabilities began to take their toll.

Thanks everyone for stopping by and for reading. Enjoy your week.

Namaste.

Christopher

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The Olympics have come to an end. I love watching the games and love even more hearing the stories of the athletes and their family’s. I think it’s important to understand what the non-professional athletes (are there any participating any more) and what they have given up or put on hokd to achieve their dream of being an “Olympian.” As a result of the athlete stories I’m not a huge fan of the team sports such as hockey. I’ve always been a fan of the individual sports where success and failure comes down to that one individual, their training and their effort that day. Cross country skiing has always been my favorite events and a sport I’ve enjoyed since I was small. I think about the 50K Classic Cross Country event. 30-miles on skis with a stop long enough to change skis. the athletecism is remarkable that after 50K the time difference between first and second place needs to be decided by a photo finish.

All week long we braced for the snowstorm we were supposed to get by Thursday. Thankfully we escaped the storm and  instead of the 6″-12″ predicted, we got away with 2″-4″. I awoke Sunday to find a fresh coating of snow which had fallen throughout the night. Snow so weighted down with moisture the snow-blower wouldn’t handle the it. I procrastinated throughout the day and finally decided, after dinner to go to my parent’s house with Kujo to shovel their driveway. I like snow and I like Winter, but I’m ready for Spring. Enough already.

Saturday Stephen and I took a ride to Alfred University located in of all places…in Alfred, NY. Kujo was accepted at this and several other schools. Academically his hard work has paid off and he’s been offered a nice scholarship that will help to offset his tuition. Unfortunately at  Division 3 schools there is no hope of any athletic scholarship but the awesome words by the coach all but assured him of a starting inside linebacker position providing he continues to work as hard as he has throughout his football career. This should be no problem for Kujo as his love for football and his intelligence should afford him the opportunity to play and to start. Kujo and I really enjoyed the campus and the meeting with the coaches. It was great to hear the discussion he had with the head coach who praised his play, his leadership and his hard work. I smiled big inside and know Nancy and I have done our job well with him. We were sad mom had to work as it would have been nice to have had her along for the visit. I love spending time with Kujo. It has been difficult to believe how fast the years have flown by. He’s 17 now and in several months he’ll be leaving for college. I look back at the years and wonder where they have gone. I have few regrets but hindsight is 20/20.

Sunday I met with a bride who flew in from Houston, TX. She brought her mother and we had a fantastic conversation regarding her 2011 wedding photography needs. I hope to hear back from them within the month and book another wedding for 2011.

Nancy’s Dad isn’t doing well. His left leg has developed an infection and the conversation has turned to what to do. No doubt he will have to return to the hospital and more than likely face another amputation. Paul worked hard his entire life and this is just no way for someone to spend what should be one of the happiest times of your life.  Alzheimer’s, diabetes, gangrene and amputation.

The photo below is of the The Robert R. McComsey Career Development Center at the Allen Steinheim Museum. The minute I saw this building on the tour I knew I needed to take a photo of it.

As always, thanks so much for reading. Keep coming back.

Christopher

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As the night came to an end the couple made plans to see each other the following night. They got together and immediately fell in love. As Sunday arrived, Jason needed to return to Binghamton and Kristina realized she was sad to see him go. She was pleasantly surprised when she received a call from Jason inviting her to visit him the following weekend. That weekend spent together was the first of many.

As their relationship grew the couple realized their love for each other also grew. They returned to their respective homes, she in Buffalo and he in Binghamton. Many miles were added to car odometers as the couple spent each weekend driving across the state to see each other. Weekends were brief but they enjoyed every minute of their time together. Kristina said she wasn’t sure when it was they knew their relationship had grown to another level but it had become obvious to both they could not imagine their lives without each other.

Jason moved to Buffalo in May 2008. This move allowed the couple to spend more time together. Kristina said, “We made new friends together, explored new places together and most importantly we realized we wanted to experience a lot more together.”

On Monday November 9, 2009, Jason called Kristina and suggested she stop at a local store to pick up eggs and breadcrumbs. Kristina thought this to be a little strange as she required neither of these ingredients for the dinner they planned that evening. Being a good sport, Kristina went along with the request. Jason needed a few additional minutes to sprint to the florist thirty seconds before they closed so he could purchase a bouquet of beautiful red roses. When Kristina walked into the house she found Jason smiling at her. Her eyes locked on the roses and after some heartfelt words he asked her to marry him. A shocked Kristina said “Yes.”

As I said in the preview post of this couple, “I love this bridge.” When people in the twin cities say “I’ll meet you at the bridge” we always referred to this bridge.

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This past week had many highlights. When I look back at these highlights I smile. I smile because I made them happen. Monday, like any other day can be a sad day. I choose, not without some occasional difficulty, to make every day the best day t can be. I work hard everyday to achieve the highest level of success I can achieve. I remind myself “I made these successes happen. I developed and grew the relationships which allowed me to experience the success I’ve achieved.” I learn something about myself every week and continue to practice daily mindfulness meditation which helps me to successfully maintain a centered approach to life. Every once in a while my life veers either to the left or right, but my meditation practice helps me get it back on track.

The biggest highlight I experienced was a meeting with a great couple and and awesome wedding planner. Forget Me Knot Details wedding planner in Buffalo, NY featured one of my recent engagement sessions on their blog. This was hugely important for me and one of the most exciting things to happen in several weeks. Thanks for the shout out Liane. Lunch with friends and dinner with my wife rounded out a great week and as always the weekend raced by much too quickly.

I completed a brief photo shoot for the Ramada Inn located in Amherst, NY. The photo listed below is one of the photos from that shoot. What a great venue and an awesome representative. Thanks Alison for the shout outs and for your continued support. My wife accompanied me on this shoot and as always was helpful in more ways than she will ever know. Thanks for the company Nanc.

I look forward to this week and another exciting week.

As always, thank you for reading and keep coming back.

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Diana, Joyce and Yaritza. Three great people to hang out with in the back of a pickup truck throwing out beads, toothbrushes, dental floss and condoms in below freezing temperatures. Woo Hoo!

Melinda, a nurse practitioner at the clinic drove her truck and laughed at us as she had the heater blasting inside the cab of the truck.

Joyce has her beads ready to throw.

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I spent Friday afternoon meeting with a representative of the Ramada Inn in Amherst. Alison is one of those representatives who really gets it. I enjoyed our conversation very much. Alison requested I put together a 20×30 collage print of Megan and Rob’s January 9, 2010 wedding as there were many photos which showcased much of this fine venue. Alison fell in love with the print and was excited to show my photography to couple’s looking for a wedding photographer. Alison really enjoyed my work as well as the conversations we have had and the conversation turned to her daughter who will be a senior next year. The meeting with Alison was the highlight of my week as the rest of the weekend was difficult to navigate and one I would love to forget.

The rest of this post was difficult for me to write. In writing it I’m taking a nod from a photographer who I respect very much; Jasmine Star. Jasmine who posted an entry to her blog on 1/10/2010 which really touched me. In the post she discussed her battle with depression. While I’m not battling depression I have a family member who is battling Bipolar Disorder. This battle, while difficult for the individual is in some ways equally if not more difficult for the remainder of the family. We see what the person’s illness does not allow them to see. Talk about frustrating. At times it’s like banging my head against the wall just to see if it still hurts. many times I have walked away from these encounters wondering if, in some strange way it really is my fault. That belief coupled with the intense roller coaster of emotions leaves you not only breathless but physically and emotionally exhausted. That feeling of exhaustion coupled with the lack of visible sunlight left me exhausted. On one hand it forced me to not do much of anything this weekend but on the other hand it forced me to not do much of anything this weekend. I had no energy and no desire. Things in que waiting to get accomplished were forgotten about until I shut off the computer. Then like a V-8 moment I remembered the importance and went back to get it done. What makes this illness additionally difficult for me is I remain working as a social worker. as a social worker. I work with patients all week long who attempt to manage this same illness. This is not to say that the task of managing those symptoms is an easy one. I know it is not. Just when I would love to “turn off my brain”, I am forced to keep it on. Overload is difficult to avoid. As I’ve said in previous posts, a few of the things which help me maintain a positive balance are photography, listening to music and reading. Unfortunately when there is little energy left, all three of those things become difficult.

Like Jasmine, I smile all the time on the outside. 95% of the time those smiles are real and the other 5% of the time they’re hard work. I tell myself smiling is better than not smiling. While this is true it still hurts to see a loved one suffer like this. I am legitimately happy the majority of the time but feel sad. Sad this person continues to struggle when there does not need to be a struggle

Valentine’s Day was a wash as Nancy and I continue to struggle with our daughter’s behaviors. There, I’ve said it. It is my daughter who suffers from this illness. Valentine’s Day was a wash. Neither Nancy nor myself felt like celebrating, anything. As we sat down for the evening to watch TV, it was only a brief period of time before we had both dozed off.

I’m looking forward to Monday. I’m looking forward to escaping the uncomfortable feelings associated with this mental illness and working with my patients. More so I’m looking forward to spending some time with some cool couples and some cool events.

The photograph below has dual meaning for me. I love lighthouses and their significance as a historical treasure as well as the beacon of hope for which they stand. There are times when I feel alone and my lighthouse is my photography. For that I am thankful. There are lighthouses all around us. We need to look for them and some of them don’t come in the typical “light house” representation. We need to be open minded to the options and the opportunities around us. It is these things which will lead us out of the dark. My hope is one day my daughter will see the light from her own lighthouse.

As always, thanks so much for reading and keep coming back.

Christopher

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Of those facts I am unsure; what I do know is I love my wife.

Happy Valentine’s Day Nanc. I love you very much and cherish the fact you are in my life.

I thought I would use this photo of Nancy as she is rather camera shy. I’ll have you know this photo is considered a “Nancy approved photo.”

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We spent  quite a bit of time at the Albright Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo, NY. The architecture is just amazing. I love the columns and stairs leading up to the entrance that over looks Hoyt lake. This is one of my favorite places to go in Buffalo and spend time. It’s quiet and relaxing and allows me to find a place to sit with a book and a cup of coffee and be introspective. I was excited when the couple agreed to complete their engagement shoot at this location.

I don’t know what there is to say about this one. For me it is the emotion captured through a good black and white photo that allows the couple to demonstrate the love they have for each other.

Thanks again for reading everyone and keep coming back.
Christopher

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Saturday I had lunch with a friend who I’ve not seen since 1998. Sean and I went separate ways when we both left the same employer several years ago. Sean’s trip took him to Houston, TX and my family and employment kept me here. We went for coffee and lunch and had a great time discussing the interesting paths our lives have taken over the last decade. Sean also developed a name for a self-help group consisting of people who talk too much. He named the group “Yuck, Yuck.” I guess this was in response the fact we occupied a table at a Tim Horton’s for a little over 4-hours. Is that a long time?

Last week also saw me book a couple of a additional weddings. One of those was another 2010 and one a 2011 wedding. The week also saw me get back together with Sara and her fiance EJ to complete the couple’s engagement session which had been rained out a couple of Sunday’s earlier. I’m still editing those photos and we’ll have a preview posted later this week with a full post the next week.

Oh, and how can I forget the Superbowl with one of my favorite bands, The Who playing the half-time show. There was no worry of a “wardrobe malfunction” during this halftime show. The guys looked old, but then again they should; they’re in their sixties. I don’t care what anyone said, they still rocked. Pete Townshend was sporting the “windmill” as he jammed through the band’s set. It would have been great to see Roger whipping the microphone around as he did back in the day, and Pete smashing his guitar on stage, I think that was something the “older” fans would have loved to see.

The New Orleans Saints won the 44th Superbowl. I’m OK with that decision as I had not strong desire to root for either of the teams. I’m happy for the Saints, their fans and especially for the city of New Orleans, a city that continues to struggle five-years post Katrina. Congratulations to the Saints. It ought to be one helluva Mardi Gras celebration this year. Unfortunately the commercials were all yawns. There were, in my humble opinion two winners. They were the Snickers commercial and the casual Friday commercial.

I spent the early afternoon with Sara and EJ. We completed “Part II” of the couple’s engagement session as we were rained out of the first. We were blessed yet again with nice weather. Temperatures warmed slightly and almost broke the thirty-degree mark. I was happy to see the sun show its face. I’ve said before seeing the sun does something special for me. It recharges my batteries and just generally puts a smile on my face. This smile is immediate. I mean as soon as I see the sun…I’m smiling. A preview post will be coming later in the week.

I’m sure there were some other things which took place during the week but as I’ve said before I really don’t have much recollection of the middle of the week other than to look at it and guess where it went. I discussed this during a post last week. Today begins the second week of February, the second week! Lent will be upon us. Easter, Spring, longer days and warmer temperatures will not be far behind.

Thanks again everyone for reading.

Christopher

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This engagement session was shot almost entirely in Niagara County with the exception of the shots of this bridge. We started in Tonawanda, NY., traveled to Lockport, NY, then moved on to Olcott, NY, Wilson, NY and we wrapped up at Bond’s Lake Park in Sanborn, NY.

I love this bridge in Tonawanda. I affectionately refer to it as the “bridge to nowhere.” The bridge is leftover from another era and compliments the history of the area.

This photo was shot from the top floor of an old, unused parking garage in Lockport, NY.

Kristina and Jason I had so much fun with you guys and look forward to the wedding.

Thanks everyone for reading. Keep coming back.

Christopher

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