Introducing…

So a little thing happened about two weeks ago for our family whom we like to call Miss Finley George Sutton McClain.  She came screaming into the world at 12:59pm on February 11th weighting 8lb 10oz and 19.5″.

Thankfully everything went relatively well with our scheduled delivery by comparison to when her brother joined the family.  I did sadly have to make an unplanned visit to the ER the day after we were discharged (which I didn’t take well at all) for a spinal headache, something I would never wish upon anyone for how painful that was. We are counting our blessings for two happy, healthy children which have made our family complete (insert our no more kids happy dance here).

I’m slowly getting back to my day to day routines and finding our new work/life balance but also very much looking forward to getting my camera out of the bag in a few weeks for the kick ass wedding season we have in store this year.  I’m also chomping at the bit to get back to physical activity asap- Bring on the dead lifts and kettle bells!

Until then, feel free to follow our journey on Instagram (Mel/ Jas).  Photo Cred: Klose Photography❤

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Getting Personal

Circa early 2000’s, I remember sitting in a college course discussing the sociology of everyone’s favorite topic- themselves and self reflection.  In 2005 when I graduated, social media was just starting to gain popularity (OMG I feel old typing that) and picking the right song to play on my MySpace page was a really big deal.  People started hopping on social media like it was free coffee day at Starbucks, creating even more of a release on personal information sharing… which over the years I started to shy away from to a greater extent.  I never really liked talking about myself- opting more for getting to know others instead.  We’re talking to the extent that Jason and I often say “Really? We’re not that interesting?” in light of certain social circumstances.

This past year, I fully admit on clamming up a bit more, especially after the spring when we learned about the very untimely and unexpected loss of a favorite client we’ve had over the years.  Her news was highly publicized, with lots of speculation and hurtful comments around her disappearance.  We had reporters contacting us for wedding and session photos which became locked down and hidden.  I can’t even begin to imagine the pain and heartache within her family but it took me back a little from getting more personal as we had in years past, keeping our circle tightly wound and offline. Seeing how people speculate on very little information that someone might share, or blow out of proportion, was disheartening.

Late spring we had another surprise, a planned one, but never the less a very happy moment in learning we were expecting our second (and final) kiddo in February 2017.  Although sharing the news would have been spectacular, we kept things under wraps as a personal choice.  The only snafu is our network of friends and family is so spread out that sharing our moments online is almost easier.

Have we had experiences in our life that we’d rather not share- of course!  Everyone does- but my main goal this year is to step a little outside of my sharing comfort zone. I’m hoping to keep both friends and our client family more in the loop of our day to day that makes us who we are (without being this guy), which I guess makes us somewhat interesting?

 

Dearest 2012

Dear 2012,

As we feel truly blessed and honored to work with so many people in 2011, we’re looking forward to adding more unique and fantastic people to the MMP client family in 2012!  Thinking back to where we started in late 2008/ early 2009 of shooting our very first weddings, learning the ins and outs of running a successful photography business and keeping our priorities in line, I never imagined where we would be today!  I look forward to seeing how each of our goals tie into this year’s events and two words I personally will be leaning on.  Inspiration and Hope.

I want each of our clients to feel inspired!  Inspiration is everywhere from Pinterest, to conversations, to hopes and dreams.  Inspiration is my drive and hope is my dream.  Hope is always keeping the positive side in mind, even if things go awry or out of plan and yes this sounds a little Miss America like, but such is the life of an empathetic optimist.

Wishing all of our friends, families, and especially our clients who are a part of the MMP family, a very happy, hopeful and inspired 2012!

 

[2008- Taken on our honeymoon to Ocracoke Island during our trash the dress session.. i.e.  Camera on a Tripod, Trigger in hand: Hope’s origination]