Tag Archives: Christopher Kijowski wedding photography

Monday Musings

This past week was a good week. It was busy, but it was good. There were quite a few highlights. Nothing big or over-the-top, it just felt like one of those weeks where everything clicked

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

Kristina & Jason: The Engagement Session

Kristina and Jason met in April 2007. Jason was living in Binghamton, NY and was planning a weekend return home to Utica, NY. Kristina had just returned home to Utica from Pittsburgh. Unbeknownst to each of them the brother/sister matchmaking pair of Roseanne and Dickie were hard at work behind the scenes.  The couple had not previously met and had decided to head out for a night on the town with friends. As the evening progressed the couple was introduced to each other and the seeds of their love had been planted.

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.

Monday Musings

Monday, Monday, Monday. Some people refer to Monday in a negative way. We say things like, “I have the Monday morning blues.” I’m not the biggest fan of Monday but I don’t hate them either. For me, Monday is the start of many things, the least of which is a new week. One of my favorite movies, “Office Space” has a great quote about Monday. The main character Peter Gibbons returns to work in his cubicle on Monday and states, “I think I have a case of the Monday’s.”

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.

Mardi Gras 2010

The Mardi Gras parade in Buffalo, NY sponsored by Artvoice. I rode with the crew from the OB/GYN department at Northwest Buffalo Community Health Care Center in Buffalo. it was a very cold but fun time.

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.

Monday Musings

It’s Monday again. For me this new week begins after a three-day weekend. This week moved by rapidly, not as rapidly as the previous week but rapidly nonetheless. For the most part it was uneventful. In many ways it was a “normal” week. typical with its many ups and downs. Normal for me means more ups than downs. 

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