This year...

As the year comes to a close I always find my self reflecting on everything accomplished this year. I also put some focus on the items that just did not come to fruition, and try to evaluate them to see what can be done to ensure there successful completion in the upcoming year.

So with that topic in mind for today's blog entry.

2010...

Crazy busy!

That is the best way I can describe, it was year two of full time Melissa McClain Photography, we more then dubbed our bookings from the previous year!!!

MMP was a blast this year, we got to work with so many wonderful clients, we also got to meet and work with and build relationships with some truly gifted and outstanding vendors in the central PA area. Its hard to believe that three years have gone by since my loving wife and I sat down after the holidays and decided to start a photography studio based on a set of guiding principles that are not reflected in the corporate world much today.

The Team...

Who would have thought that in year two, we would be looking at associates. All of our apprentices, training associates and associates have been wonderful, and we would not have been able to get where we are with out you.

I feel that a special thank you must go out to Scott Bostjancic. Shortly after Scott started shooting with us I had a feeling that we had something special happening. His relationship with MMP grew very quickly and extremely organically. I still recall a conversation between Scott and Melissa where he announced that he was not sure if he wanted to shoot weddings. After two years, wow, can Scott shoot weddings!

Early this year Scott graciously accepted the official title of "Lead Training Associate", or I think we called it something like that, but the title dose not truly tell all that he dose for us. Scott is as an intricate part of MMP as Melissa and I are, and with out his involvement, enthusiasm, energy, and technical adaptation we would not be where we are today. He is the craft beer of MMP, the slightly off-center component that keeps us all centered. Scott also took on the "other duties to be assigned" role training the associates and apprentices. He is a sounding board and brain storming partner for all the seeming technical and business challenges we encounter together, all the while he is consistently a producer of some of the finest images I have seen.

Scott also plays the every important job of running the occasional interference between Melissa and myself. Working with my wife is nothing short of a dream come true, and I feel truly blessed I get to share every day with her. There are those very rare times when I just want to.................... and then there is Scott. For that, I personally thank you, with out you we would not be on the path that we are. I speak for both Melissa and myself when I say that we look forward to our joint futures together.

I believe a special thank you must also be made to all of our family's and loved ones. With the busy lives that we all lead, family time is a precious and valuable thing, allowing us to steal away that time to peruse our dreams is a truly amazing thing.. (Even when you beg us to get them out of the house for a Saturday)

Our Clients...

I can't say enough about our clients, aside from the fact that we think of you all more as friends. Getting to spend these precious times with you and your family's this year has been truly magical. I find it strangely un-nerving how emotionally attached I can sometimes get to my work, this year I have laughed and cried with my clients. From rings being dropped, the jokes told, bridesmaids passing out, first and last dances with grandfathers, to bride and groom gitters a like I have truly enjoyed them all. Working with all of you has made this year a truly wonderful experience.

The should ofs and could ofs...

There we a few of them this year, we learned so much, developed our photographic styles so much this year that it still amazes me to look back and see the development. Of course there were mistakes made this year, shots that we took time in setting up that never really turned out. Now that I sit back and think about them, I am very glad that they all happened. They were so intricate in our learning process, each mistake and brick wall that we floundered into caused an explosion of ideas and growth. While hind site is 2020, I would not give up those experiences with the gift of foreknowledge.

Personally...

During all of this, on a personal level we got out from under a very nice but WAY to expensive townhouse, and into our own home, and added an addition to our little clan in the form of a fourth pet, and sort0f well behaved, very funny, and sometimes supper lovie Beagle/Jack Russel Terrie named Kooper.

A conversation...

A photographer just starting out contracted me via social media and asked what I thought was the most important thing they needed to know in order to start a successful photography studio. My reply was "Forget sleep".

While my reply was to be witty, I don't think I can answer that question for anyone except us. I know what we needed to do in order to start a studio, but I think that is different for each person, for each creative and shooting style. What works for us, would fail if turned in a Starbucks franchise format.

On the horizon...

We have so many things planned for next year I sometimes have a hard time keeping it all straight. There is everything from new gear, to new techniques, a new web page design that has to happen. We are expanding our market share again next year, as well as bringing on some new vendors for products and services. We are also looking to launch this blog into its full learning and development potential for photography education. Its is going to be an extremely exciting and busy year.

Closing...

I would like to wrap today with a simple and heartfelt thank you to Melissa. I could wax and wane lyricaly about how much I love and appreciate you and all the things you do. But I feel that nothing better explains it all better then.

Thank you and I love you.

As this years wedding season draws to a close, and preparations begin for next year, I can only think of one thing.

Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more
Let your shutters fly, and flashes sparkle
F-stop set and exposures calculated
Master, slaves dialed in and ready
Batteries charged, channels checked
Brides and Grooms, flower girls and fathers await for us,
They wait for us, anticipation on their minds of our creative eye
Trust and faith has been placed in us to capture the moment in their minds eye
Create the images, dazzle the mind
Show them the light of your trained eye,
Tell the story, tell the emotion, capture the detail
Let them dace, and let them smile
For one chance we have dear friends,
One chance, one chance alone to capture it all
2011 wedding season is coming, and she will be here soon!

As the world turns...

January 27th, 2010...

That's the date of the last blog post I made to Broken Shami, as with all things in life, change happens.

What's happened here you ask, I learned what I wanted to be when I grow up. Over the past two years my loving and always caring wife, Melissa and I have started a photography business.

With the assistance of our good friend Scott B. We have gotten our little start up off the ground and running.

I give you.. Melissa McClain Photography.
www.melissamcclainphotography.com

It took me till 33 years of age to come to terms with lots of things, one of them is what I wanted to do with my professional life. I have come to learn that I love photography, even the sucky parts of it.

No for the tricky part, I'm also a really good trainer, and learning developer.

So the goal over the next few months is to try to merge my two professional loves together. I am not the end all be all photography guru, I learn something new every day. This blog is a hope that I can share the lesson learned and "Hey that's neat" to anyone that is looking to listen.

Initial post subjects are going to be focused on:
Company Introduction
Wireless speed light triggers
Photoshop plugins, tips and tricks
Off camera lighting techniques

There is also a change that this blog may! just may move off Blogger due to image copyright issues, more to follow on that.

With fond memories we say goodbye to Broken Shami it has been fun, and hello Photo Force.

So stay tuned, more to follow.
~Jason

Excuse me sir...

On the road again, I just can't wait to get on the road again. I just want to get out there with all my long lost friends, I just can't wait to get on the road again.

Its Cold here in the northeast. DAMM cold. So while I know you can and have ridden in the winter, its just, well in truth, not that much fun. I give you the following reason:

1) Two words - FROST BITE!

b) Dressing up like the a extremely reflective version of the stay-puff marshmallow man.

3) Cold and sometimes WET saddle - Never impressive after effect.

Since I can't ride, I came up with a plan. Well not true, My wife came up with a plan, and then gave me enough time to make me think it was my idea so I would get behind it!! She is so smart.

The Gym...

We have a gym membership, and since gym memberships are allot like in home trainers, it has been collecting dust for sometime.

Hang with me for a few here, will get to the point after a little back story.

Last weekend, I went through all of my clothes and donated the stuff I will not wear anymore. I got a storage tub together for all the stuff that don't fit now, but I would like to have fit again.

Well 1 tube was not enough... Gerrrrrr. It ended up being two 35 gallon tubs of clothing that I liked but does not fit me any more, and two of the shits that made the pile I bought not more then 5 months ago.

So the wife (love you sweetness) directed the following conversation:

Wife - If her best wife voice

"We are going back to the gym!"

Me - In my best whinny husband

"But, I hate the gym!"

Wife

"You're going, get over it"

Me - trying to sound depressed

"ok"

So here is where I come to relies that my wife is a genius, I'm not talking about the saving man kind by building a better mouse trap genius. I'm talking the world is my puppet and all I have to do it pull the strings kind of genius. The kicker is she plays non-genius like for simplicity, and I think tax purposes.

We were supposed to go to the gym on Sunday, did not happen, we slept in, Monday, did not happen, worked to late.

By now, I feel like I got out of school for two days, but also I have been looking at my self in the mirror.

When was the last time you did that, I mean really look. If your over weight, take a look in the mirro with your shirt off!
How far down you sides do you arms hit?
Wow, that's a love handle, hell that's a love safety bar, its a love hotel.
What happened to my neck?

And here is the real kicker.

Me in High School -

Buff, athletic, Has a neck!

Cheeks don't puff out at the ear line
No cheek meat creeping into my field of vision!

Me Now -

Note the following:
Chin has friend growing under it
Cheeks go OUT at the ears
Neck? anyone seen the neck

Lets review the changes, ahh hell its easy,its 16 years and a 150 lbs.

My goal...

High school playing weight might be a little unrealistic, but being able to shop a Old Navy should

not be.

Today: 351.9

1st Goal: 299.9

2nd Goal: 250.0

Final Goal: 225.0

Weekly Goal: 2 - 4lbs
Target Date: Nov 24th, 2010

How I plan on getting there...

Step 1: Continue to eat healthy

We do a good job at this, but I have a weakness, its the after work snack. Well kabatch to that. I joined up at livestrong.com, My Plate for Food and

fitness tracking. (LINK)

Step 2: Eat less then your burn

Short of surgery, there is only 1 way to make your body loses weight. Its to eat less calories then your burn in the course of the day. I feel the key to that is to know what you ate at any given moment and then to STOP when you hit your goal. That is where livestrong.com and My Plate come in. If I eat it, I track it!

Step 3: Get active or die trying

I hate running, I have always hated running, but when I was an athlete, I was good at it. I was always a big guy, but I was a big guy in the way of, wow, he must be very strong. For a big guy I could run. 250 lbs and a 7.45 min mile. Time to get back to that.

Step 3 part 1: Couch to 5k.

Three very dear freinds of mine Dave H., Joe H. and Anna B. are all big fans of and support the Couch to 5k running program. (Link)

Last night I downloaded the podcast (Link), and the wife and I hit the gym.

I did something I have not done since 1996, I ran. No one was chasing me, I was not trying to get away from a crashing plane, I just ran.

Now I will fully admit that this program is designed for a couch potato, and not someone who has gained wight and is starting to look like a couch. But I ran. Me, big guy, RUNNING!!!

And it was... well... Fun.... what the hell is wrong with me...

There was a point in the podcast (I typed that potcast the first time, wow funny) where the guy says, "OK, this is your next to last push, you be starting to feel the effects of your runs at this point"

...hugghhhhhhhhhhhhhh

!!! bphuuuuuuuuuuuuuu

...huggghhhhhhhhhhhhh

Lets see was I feeling the effects? If the feeling that I was to be "starting to feel" was trying really hard to NOT throw up on the gym strumpet on the stair climber in front of me, then yea I was feeling it.

I completed Week 1 Day 1 and felt really good about my self, when I stepped off the treadmill I my legs went out faster than a diabetic child and pinata party, but I felt good.

Step 3 Part 2: We are going to PUMP you up.

I have two problem areas that need improvement.

1) Abbs - My six pack has gone south for the winter. "Me Tengo un six pack de cervesa, por favor"

2) Chest - Well lets just say I have never had that manly man chest and leave it at that shall we.

So to correct these two problems I am going to target them every time I am there with some sort of work out. It may always be something different, but I will always do something to work on these two areas.

Step 3 Part 3: My long lost Trigger.

I miss my bike, new job, new business yada, yada. But I miss ridding. I am going to get back in the saddle again.

Now I know what someone might be thinking. 'Hell man, you are running, and you can bike, all you have to do is get in some swim and you can do a baby tri"

.....silence....

Ahhhhhhh, well, there is a problem there, Its, you see, well, how do I put this nicely.

I sink.

Thats not a typeo (cause you know they never happen around here) It was not supposed to be 'I stink', its 'I SINK', you know the opposite of FLOAT. I know what they say, fat floats right. I am living proff that is false. Oh I'm not talking go to the bottom like a rock sink, I'm talking nose just under water sink. Like can't breath without swimming sink.

I like running, biking and lifting for the reason that when I get to tired I can stop and and not Drowned! Its the same reason I like driving over flying, you can safely run out of gas. AAA can't do a blessed thing when you run out of gas in a plane!

This is why I keep my butt out of the deep end of the pool!

So that's the plan, I will post updates after they happen.

Now for the three common Broken Shami posts everyone seems to love.

Why Helmets don't suck...

SEE! This is EXACTLY why helmets don't suck
Have to give the kid points on his technique, lead with the head!

Sgt Pezzer's Fail of the Day...

Before having dignitaries on the show, always ensure the seating is in working order.

Crazy Pet Pic...

Ever wonder what your pets do when you not home, well they bring over their friends of course!

The Deer Door - Watch more Funny Videos