Pennsylvania Wedding & Portrait Photographer - Joe Maher's Blog

New Blog Home

I will be moving to a new blog in the very near future. I think a change is wanted and a newer look is needed.  I HOPE to be able to move all my content from here to the new blog.  I am told it is not an issue, but then again... you just never know.  So, I may still keep posting her until the switch is made, or I may risk it and make the switch on the word of others.  (I say trust the guys and gals that know and understand how all of this works.  After all they are tech people) 

A virus in our business

For the record I love when new people come into the business of portrait and wedding photography.  I think it opens new doors and new relationships.  I never look at someone as the "enemy" in the business.  We all have different styles and looks to our work.  Some I love, some I find boring. But my work does not relate to everyone either so I am in the mix as well. 

I say this because of a blog post I read a few days ago. The post , And you call yourself a professional, was written by one of the many blogs I read from time to time. (I am a secret blog stalker) Everything Scott mentions is right on the mark.  His post has nothing to do with some shooters being afraid of competition, but rather major undercutting and what that does to the industry and what "photography" is worth.

Now back to stalking......

And the winner is...

Nancy Krinks from the Linesville area. She (and her family) were nominated by June Dunn of Grove City.  It was a very well written, thoughtful email and it touched the very reason why I wanted to be a part of this great giveaway! The other emails I received were also very thoughtful and this was a very difficult decision.  There was also a nomination from a person that wanted to donate their possible winning gift to another family.  Talk about giving!

All in all it was a great first effort on all the people that participated.  I hope to have more entries next year and I look forward to posting a few images when we get the chance to take the portraits!  Keep looking!

Also, June Dunn is also a winner for more than one reason.  Not only did she care enough to nominate someone for this giveaway, but she is also the winner of a $350.00 print credit that belongs to her!

Again, thanks to everyone that made this a great great Christmas!

2010

Along with happy new year wishes and the best to all of you I want to thank all of the high school seniors, brides and families that have allowed me to be a part of your lives in 2009.  Thank you for inviting me to become a little part of your family's history.  It truly means the world to me.  

A ton of great things happened to me and to JM Images in 2009.  Business growth was huge and I cannot say enough good things about the Grove City area from this past year.   I have been welcomed with open arms and I intend to bring more photo goodness to the area with more ideas and cooler photo events and a few more ways to give back to the community.  Keep looking here for a new program I am working on for the kids of the area.  I hope it will get off of the ground and take flight in 2010.  A new website design will be launched this week and I am looking forward to showing it to you!  It has been a long time coming and I am very excited to launch!  Stay tuned for more on that as well.

The 2010 beach trip to the Isle of Palms, SC is coming along and is looking great!  The trip is beginning to fill and is going to be a great opportunity for the 2011 Senior Class!  WIth only 20 spots available it is now time to call me, email me, get your group together, tell your friends and send in the deposit to hold your spot.  (I am also looking for Senior Ambassadors for Mercer, Slippery Rock and Grove City High Schools.  Lakeview has been filled.) So please make sure you get your name to me if you are interested.  It is sooo worth it!

The response for nominations for custom photography did pretty well this year.  The emails have been rolling in and the winner will be announced on Sunday January , 2010.  Yes, I was going to announce the winner last evening but I had a few emails come in under the wire and wanted to give them the same consideration I gave the other entries.  So, look back here Sunday for the final decision.

Finally,  In this new year I hope you all take the time to give back a little to our/your community.  It is easy to do from November to January.  But try to take the time to give back the rest of the year.  In the months to come try not to get caught up in the daily grind so much that we forget about the less fortunate.  Food pantries, homeless shelters, animal shelters, your local school boosters (and many many more organizations) need our help.  I have been guilty of not doing as much as I could be.  I am working hard on doing more in the community and I hope to see you there!

God bless

Nominations

Just a quick update on the nominations for the free photo session/package being given away this New Years!  The nominations are rolling in and it is great to see so many people taking advantage and sending in requests/stories of people they know who are deserving. It is also making it difficult to choose the family most deserving. 

Again, please email your nomination to info@wjmaher.com

Merry Christmas to you and may you have love and peace in your hearts and homes!

Warmly,

Joe Maher

Passing along the love and continuing the movement

(This information was borrowed from www.givingisawesome.com and I am continuing the movement here in the Grove City area.

The words were written just right so I have used them, with permission, with a few tweaks here and there.)

You know someone, someone who has experienced a tragedy, is struggling to stay afloat, is raising kids while holding down more than one job, or is volunteering selflessly despite extenuating personal circumstances. You know someone who can't afford custom photography, but who would cherish it this holiday season. You know someone who deserves a year-round reminder of their family's spirit, love, and beauty.

You (we) all know someone…

I am asking you to tell me who they are and I want to give them the chance to experience complimentary custom photography -- $750 worth, to be exact. Albums, wall portraits, portraits for the Grandparents or a slide show to view time and time again. It's in your power to give them the artwork they deserve this giving season.

AND, the second best reason to do this? The person who nominates the winner receives a $375 print credit. What better reason to show some love could there possibly be?  Sooooo, how about it?  Let’s show a little love!

The rules:

* You cannot nominate yourself, and the person nominated must sincerely be incapable of purchasing my services. (Being unable to make mortgage payments for a third home along the beach does not qualify as sincere financial need.)

* The nominee must reside within a 75 mile radius of Grove City, PA. Tell me who you know, what they're experiencing, and why they deserve my artwork. Please include a way to contact both your nominee and yourself as well.

* You must e-mail me (JM Images) the full story : info@wjmaher.com

The winner will be announced on New Year’s Eve on my photography blog.  (http://joemaher.typepad.com/my_weblog/ ) SO -- get nominating! I can't wait to read all of your entries!

Open your heart to someone this holiday season -- and thanks for giving me the opportunity to open mine.

Warmly,

Joe

©= www.givingisawesome.com

Off day from photography

So I am doing things around the house today. Well, as soon as my father-in-law pulls up I will be doing things around the house.  Until then I decided, against my better judgment, to look up my beleaguered Pirates.  It took all of 30 seconds to realize this was a bad idea.

When "the play" happened in the final game of the 1992 NLCS (when "he who will not be mentioned" tossed a lollipop to LaValliere as Sid Bream was gimping around third base to end my beloved Pirates World Series run) I knew that the end of the Pirates had come. To add insult to injury I found this this morning.  I knew a lot of this, but it just hurts. 

I found this at this link.

Post subject: Pirates' Fun Facts

Posted: 08 Sep 2009 13:43 pm

From ESPN.com Page 2:

On Monday the Pittsburgh Pirates lost their 82nd game of the season, clinching a 17th consecutive losing season -- a record for any major professional sport. Here are 17 Pirates facts about the past 17 years:

1. Best record since 1993: 79-83 (in 1997).

2. The last time the Pirates had a winning record, Miley Cyrus hadn't been born yet.

3. 2002 No. 1 overall draft pick: Bryan Bullington.

4. Times finished better than fourth place in the past 17 seasons: 3.

5. Times with 70 wins or more in the past 17 seasons: 7.

6. The last time the Pirates had a winning team, Johnny Carson and "The Cosby Show" were still on NBC.

7. 1994 All-Star representative: 2B Carlos Garcia (.277 BA, 6 HR, 28 RBI)

8. Since 2006, Tiger Woods has a better winning percentage than the Pirates.

9. Franchise savior: Chad Hermansen.

10. Franchise savior: Sean Casey.

11. Franchise savior: Adam LaRoche.

12. There are millions of people with driver's licenses in Pennsylvania who have never seen a winning Pirates team.

13. 2003: Pirates trade Aramis Ramirez and Kenny Lofton to the Cubs for Jose Hernandez, Matt Bruback and Bobby Hill.

14. The last time the Pirates had a winning season, Brett Favre was making his debut for the Packers.

15. 2007: Pirates acquire Matt Morris and his $10 million per year salary at the trade deadline.

16. 100-loss seasons since 1993: Only 1! In 2001!

17. The Pirates have to finish 9-17 or better (unlikely) to avoid another 100-loss season.

and so it goes..... Hope my father in law gets here quick before I find a youtube clip of "the play".

I am turning soft

Alright.  I may have finally totally gone soft.  Not sure if it was the day I had or the lunch I ate or something in the Grove City water supply.  Whatever the reason something has made me turn totally into a blubbering fool.  I was fine at 4:00PM on September 22, 2009.  Sometime around 4:15PM or so I was a total mess.  Wondering what I am talking about? 

(photo of Trey running a few weeks ago against Slippery Rock high school)

Here is the SHORT back story:  My son Trey is now a 9th grader, high school kid, Freshman whatever you want to call a child at this stage of school.  He is running Cross country on the Varsity team.  First year to run XC as he has been a football player and wrestler up until this year.  While Trey is getting ready to run I was asked to be a race marshal and make sure no cars are going to interfere with the race while they cross a small road in the wooded area of the local park.  (no problem I said.)  I walk through the woods a little ways, put my red cone on the pavement and wait for the kids to cross.  While I am waiting I notice this area of the park is beautiful with the sun peaking through the tall pines with ferns along the dirt race path.  Just beautiful.

(Another photo of Trey)

All of a sudden the first runner goes blazing by me. (Honest adjective here... Jake is one of the top runners in the state) and not long after Trey comes running by, full stride with a good determined look on his face.  I watch the other kids go by and after a little while longer the last few scoot across my spot.  The sun was still peaking through the pines and I was thinking how cool it was to watch Trey compete in this quiet sport. (I am accustom to another sport, wrestling) It was just an awesome sight to see how the light played off of his hair and how the shadows outlined his body. It was just perfect lighting. 

It was right then that I started to notice my body getting  warm and a lump developing in my throat.  I am not quite sure how or why I started thinking of this but somehow it finally hit me that Trey was in HIGH SCHOOL and that my little guy was no longer a little guy, but a very capable young man.   It was a strange feeling to have the last 14 years race through my head in about 10 seconds.  The lump in my throat got a little bigger and I had to stop walking long enough to compose myself before I made it to the top of the hill.  I was just not sure how I was going to explain my red eyes, hot face and my inability to speak for fear of breaking into a 40 year old whimpering fool. This just came out of the blue, no lead up, no warning......(Or maybe it just caught up to me?) Who knows.

I am a bit concerned right now.  If I am acting this way for a XC meet, I am just not sure how I will react when he steps on the wrestling mat for the first time as a Freshman in High School.  I was looking forward to that day...I may need a little more than a stadium chair for that.

Friends and Weddings

I was reading another blog not long ago and I came across a very insightful page when it comes to wedding photography.  ( I will link it at the end of my post) I bring this up because I received an email today from a couple I had spoken to late last week and they had decided to have a friend shoot their wedding as a wedding gift.  I have no problems with a friend shooting any wedding for the bride and groom as it can be very thoughtful and a great gift to the bride and groom.  (That is also how many of us get our foot in the door) Sometimes the photographer is a wedding photographer and the gift turns out beautiful.  But many many times these gifts turn out to be a very sad situation as the photographer is not a wedding photographer, but possibly serious amateur. (Amateur in the basic sense means "for the love of" which is why we do what we do) 

The intent is there, the love is there, but the inexperience of a non wedding photographer harms the art and the beauty of the day.  Stress, unpredictable situations, and other obstacles can easily get in the way and cause a beautiful day go South.  Many times I have been asked to re-shoot bridal shots because their friend did not capture the day as they had hoped.  It makes for a very uncomfortable situation between the bride/groom and the friend.

Again, I am in no way against amateurs making their mark and working on their craft.  In fact I LOVE it!  I love talking to other photographers about weddings and how they did this shot and that shot.  I enjoy helping newbies get their foot in the door in the wedding photography business as it helps everyone involved stay connected and stay true. I love sending a couple to a few friends of mine when I am booked for a date. That is how the business works.  The topic is about couples going into a their wedding day uninformed about what a wedding photographer has to offer over their friend who will shoot for free. I have shot weddings for friends and it is very much a stress fest, even for someone that has shot many a wedding.  It is just a risky business. 

Once again I do not want to sound like I am annoyed or hurt by anyone that does not choose my services for their wedding day. Couples that choose to meet with me have seen my work and have been referred to me by past clients and because they were referred I want them to be in the best hands possible.  I truly care for the people that walk through my door and that is why when I hear, "a friend has offered to take our wedding pictures", it worries me.  All I can do is hope that the friend is a wedding photographer and does an outstanding job!  And if they do an outstanding job I hope to meet them and add them to my network of photographers I can refer couples that I cannot photograph due to me being booked.

As I stated in the first paragraph, there is a website/blog I read from time to time, her name is Elizabeth Etienne and she is the Joyce Tenneson of wedding photography and she has a GREAT page that discusses this topic in much more detail.  Here is the link.

Fun fun fun

This shoot was a long time coming! 

I had first talked/thought about doing a "Trash The Dress" (TTD) session last year in 2008.  Most of the time the sessions are done with brides a year or so after the wedding and after they have time to realize that the dress is just going to be stowed away until, well, whenever. I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to do a TTD session with Stacey back in April. She loved it! I loved it and had received nothing but great feedback from the session. Again I say... it is all about the fun!

(I digress) Back to the prom dress TTD. 

I had wanted to do this shoot for months and months with Alexa.  With her busy busy schedule and mine it never seemed to work out.  Luckily, time had passed and I had a little more time to plan the session. In doing so I figured that it woud be a whole lot more interesting if Alexa had a few of her good friends join in the event!  So, she got two outgoing pals and the planets aligned and we went out this past Friday and did the shoot!  Not only did we get the shoot in, it came out exactly how I had imagined it.  

I wanted the printed advertising look.  I wanted shots that jumped off the page.  I wanted to get away from normal color and contrast that is done in most of the images you see.  (Even my own!)

 

 

I also wanted some bold black and white images. I could not have asked for a better group of girls than I had Friday.  Anything I asked they did. 

And I mean anything I asked.....

 

 

This was not a typical shoot in your typical setting with a typical outcome.  I wanted to push the images a bit.  I was allowed to do that becasue these girls wanted to have fun and because of the fun they will forever have images that reflect the day.  This was not just an hour in the day, this was an event!

The biggest issue is the remark, "that will ruin the dress!"  First off, how many prom dressed are worn after the date?  Secondly, they can get laundered if you feel the need.  Lastly, really now.  How can you pass up a session like this with great friends!

The finished product is not just a 5x7 or an 8x20 print. It is so much more than that.  It is the experience of the shoot and the FUN that they had while doing the shoot.  THAT is what the TTD sessions are all about and that is what I am all about.  I am about the experience and how that experience is played out.  Great images while having the time of your life doing it!

That beig said...

Becasue this went over so well with the girls and their families and friends and other family members (you get the point) I will be offering this TTD session as a promotion this year and for years to come.

Gotta love being a fun junkie!