New Blog

I've started a new blog separate from this one devoted specifically to my journey through shoulder surgery. I didn't want to bore everyone here with it, but if you're one of the tens of thousands of people with shoulder surgery in your future, the blog may help, or scare the crap out of you depending on how this journey turns out for me.

http://shoulderjourney.blogspot.com/

Crazy 11x14 Sale is Back

Ten Years

I finished my photo shoot in Rockland County last night just before midnight. I was an hour north of my sister Caren's apartment in Manhattan, so I didn't want to head south for an hour to drive five and a half hours north in the morning. I figured I would head north up Route 17 and see how far I could go before I needed to pull in to a rest area and get some sleep. Surprisingly, I made it as far as a rest area on Interstate 81 25 miles south of Syracuse. After an hour of tossing and turning in the drivers seat using Mushy, my plush bear that I bought Freshman year of college, as a pillow, I decided to get back on the highway. I don't normally travel with a teddy bear but he was accompanying Sarah who took the trip downstate with me to spend time with my little nephew Eddie, who is named after my father. We pulled in to the driveway at 5:52 a.m., so I texted my wife telling her we were home so she didn't freak and smash me over the head with a shovel when I came inside. I climbed in to bed and slept until 1:00.

I woke up, had a great breakfast of stuffed french toast that Sue made and then watched the Jets game. It wasn't until my sister Ellen called to see if I spoke to Mom yet that it dawned on me that today was the tenth anniversary of my Dad's death. How could I forget such a huge date? For the first 31 years of my life, my existence seemed to revolve around my Father. He was the center of the world. He was as powerful and vital as gravity and air, never faltering, just taking for granted that he would always be there. And then he wasn't. He lost a heartfelt but inevitable battle with esophageal cancer.

It is now ten years later and his gravitational pull is still as strong as ever, binding our family together. We all still feel the loss as if it were yesterday while at peace enough with it I suppose to be able to sleep half the day away before remembering it was December 4th. With the grief of my Grandmother's passing so fresh, it kind of puts some distance back to my Dad's passing. I see him everyday though looking back at me in the mirror. Sometimes the resemblance is so real I just chuckle and say, "Hi Dad."

Small Business Saturday Sale

In honor of Small Business Saturday, we are having a sale on our wicked cool custom holiday cards. Today only, all of our card orders will be discounted 25%. The studio is closed today so send your card orders to Steve@Cheslerphoto.com to receive your discount. We have both folded and flat cards as well as boutique cards with die cut edges. We have an entire PDF of card designs. E-mail Amanda@Cheslerphoto.com to see the PDF.

Check back Monday for a cool Cyber Monday Sale!

Bess the Great

For all of my four decades of existence my Grandparents have always been on top of the family pyramid. Even when their parents were alive when I was just a wee grasshopper, my grandparents were still at the top, caring for their aging parents. When my Grandfather passed away back in January, we knew it was only a matter of time before Grandma would follow, dying from a broken heart. Last Friday, my Grandma Bess was reunited with my Grandpa after a 10 month hiatus in their 74+ year marriage.

Their marriage was one for the record books. They were frequently asked the secret to their longevity and healthy marriage and Grandpa would always reply with a sly grin, "Lots of oral sex." It's hard to grieve for the loss of my Grandmother when it coincides with the reuniting of such an amazing legacy of marriage. It's like peanut butter existing without jelly or macaroni existing without cheese. Sure it can happen, but it's just not complete. When Tom Cruise uttered the words, "You complete me," to Rene Zelweigger in Jerry McGuire, he must have been inspired by my Grandparents, because there was never a more complete couple in human history.

Here is a news story that ran in 2009 on their 73rd Anniversary.

One of the big questions that came up the past few days was where to go from here? Who is at the top of the pyramid now. We realized that we are all at the top of our own pyramids now and that's how it's been throughout civilization. When the top of the pyramid falls off, ten new pyramids are created. Our family is different though. Our Grandparents instilled such strong values of family in to each one of us that even though the top came off the pyramid, we're all throwing ropes to each other to keep the base together.

Grandma, you will be missed terribly. Your chicken soup and apple cake will forever warm my heart.

Project 9-11 Slideshow

On September 11, PPSNYS member photographers captured what they were doing that day to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the 9-11-2001. Here is the slideshow that PPSNYS put together as a tribute. My embedded videos have not being showing up when viewed on Facebook, so here is the direct link to the blog.
Cheslerphotography.blogspot.com

Trash the Dress, In Diapers?

I was interviewed yesterday for an article on Trash the Dress that ran online today on TheStreet.com. The article was on 5 New and Unusual Wedding Traditions, Trash the Dress being one of them. Here is a direct link:

TheStreet.com

One of the new and more unusual trends in weddings appearing is the use of bridal diapers for brides wearing dresses that are too difficult to go to the bathroom in. I guess forgoing the diaper would bring new meaning to trashing the dress.

My brides don't wear diapers, they just wash their dresses on the cold cycle while they're still wearing them.

Santa!!!!

I couldn't have said it better myself, Santa's coming and we're just as excited. November 19 and 20 we are once again offering our awesome photos with Santa with a 15 minute session 1-8x10, 2-5x7s and 25 Holiday Cards for $75. Book your appointment today because we sell out quick by calling 585-393-9242.

Remembering Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs

1955-2011

When I saw the headlines come across the news last night about the passing of Steve Jobs, I was shocked, not only about the news itself, but also my reaction to it. I knew he had pancreatic cancer and stepped down as CEO of Apple in August, but I never would have guessed he would go downhill so fast. Although I didn't know him personally, I really feel a personal sense of loss, greater than just hearing of the passing of a celebrity or sports star. His innovation of products as well as the marketing of those products has been such an intrinsic part of my life, I couldn't help but be affected personally. My iPhone and iPad are such indispensable tools in my life now. We are in the process of transitioning the studio from PC based to Mac based as well. It's a slow process as finances become available, but it is a direct result of the influence Steve Jobs has had on my life. Weekly I would browse the Mac-Life app on my iPad to see what new products Apple was introducing, as well as the way they were introducing them. Jobs was a marketing genius that I would love to emulate on even the smallest level. Rest in peace Mr. Jobs. I'm sure you will be missed by millions.

Life Lesson

I have my cameras with me all the time, so much so that I'm sore from carrying them on my shoulders. I woke up this morning to the sound of torrential rain on the roof and my wife getting my son ready for his football game. I shoot as many of his games as I can, but today I made the decision to abort and keep my equipment dry and give my body a day off. Instead, I set my attention on dressing appropriately for two hours in a 48 degree monsoon.

It's been raining for days, so the ground is completely saturated. Cade came home from football practice yesterday in tears he was so cold and wet. At today's game we were armed with rain gear from head to toe and enough hand warmers to cook a turkey. I knew the game would be a soggy one, but I never anticipated the four inch deep puddles on the field. With every tackle, tsunamis of water would hurl up in to the air. My mind began snapping photos, still shots of water dripping off the ends of noses, the agony of cold fingers slamming in to helmets and the never ending spray of water shooting up, showering the pint sized athletes. Unfortunately, my camera lay peacefully tucked in it's warm dry bag in my house. From now on, it will come with me whether I plan on using it or not.