John's Photography = Authentic

My parents blessed me with an extremely normal name - Johnathon Roger Nelson. It makes eyes glaze over and induces yawns.

Lucky for me, the name doesn't make the person.

When I started John's Photography, I wasn't worried about what I would name it. Nor was I concerned with making myself into someone I'm not.

I created John's Photography because I was meant to do so. It is my path.

When I sat down to fill out my tax license application, my heart skipped when I read "Doing business as:" I strolled through several unique and fun names in my head. These names might have worked. I have several talented and passionate photographer friends who started successful businesses with very interesting and fitting names.

I, however, chose my own mundane moniker.

Why? Because I want to prove that the name doesn't matter. The name doesn't press the shutter button or Photoshop zits off of faces. The name doesn't earn $1000 just to turn around and spend it on a new lens. The name doesn't trudge through a blizzard to take photos of the Campanile. The name doesn't read textbooks about wedding photography in it's free time. The name doesn't make things work. The name is a name, but I can make it more than that. I want to make my name signify authenticity and noteriety. I want to be my own brand.

Oh brother.

This is Jeff. My unfortunate younger sibling. Blessed with the better Nelson genes, he excels in basketball, MSN Messenger and attracting the ladies with his strawberry blonde hair.

I'm proud to say that he will be joining the Jackrabbit family in the fall of '09. Look out ladies.

One of those moments:

Like most people, I love traveling. I love seeing far-away places. I love the feeling.

Fifteen months ago, a wonderful journey brought me to this spot on Huntington Beach in Southern California. It was the first time I had ever seen the Pacific Ocean.

When I look at this photo, I remember how the first sweeping wave of water surprised my pasty South Dakotan feet, and then traced my heels on its way back into the dark blue abyss.

I don't remember exactly what was going through my mind. Maybe nothing. Sometimes your own thoughts just aren't important. Sometimes you just need to shut up and take it in.

This was one of those moments.

Life... it's like drinking from a fire hose

My Saturdays are relatively dull, so I watch TV and I blog. In the other 6 days, I encounter ideas to blog about. The problem is that I don't write down these ideas, and they escape me.

Every time I sit down at my computer, I ask myself, "What is worth writing about?" or "What would be the most meaningful post today?"

These are impossible questions to answer, so I'll stop trying. There's no need to beat myself up over picking a topic. Blogging should be fun, right?

Now. I've got my frame of mind, and there's some good, wholesome Fighting Swine posts in the near future.

Have a good day,

John

Drink beer? Yes we can.

This one is for all of my crazy, bitter, neo-conservative friends.

I knew that, even before I inked out that little oval on the ballot in November, I had already made the right choice.

This story affirms it.

Amongst the practical qualities of the new President: a likable personality. You gotta love it.

Have a good day,
John

Why reading is good.

In writing my last post, I found some other points in my brainage that I want to throw at you:

One of the many reasons for my love of photography is that it can tell a story without words. As a photographer, I'm a visual person telling visual stories. Photography helps me move and learn ideas and concepts better than I can with a keyboard or pencil. But the written word is still amazingly important.

I often credit Stacy for teaching me to read in college. I've twice learned to read. I'm a slower reader, but she really inspired me to explore reading for my own enjoyment. Her addiction to James Patterson became my own. She's my inspiration in more ways than one.

Advice from John:

1. If you want to learn and develop yourself, read stuff. It takes time, but it's easy. I've realized that, at some point, you have to stop giving excuses and just do it.

2. Public education doesn't always do what it is supposed to do. If you make babies, teach them to read a.s.a.p. so they don't end up with a third-grade reading level in college (I was seriously a slow reader until about 4 years ago. It wasn't fun.). If what I've observed is true, your kids will be much more intelligent, caring, understanding and respected in the long run. It's no news that knowledge is powerful, especially when it is voluntarily learned. By hearing others communicate, your kids will also be able to communicate much more effectively. (One of my ~30-year-old coworkers unknowingly spelled "do" as "due" in an email message to me today, and I've already forgot what the message was about.)

You know what I just realized? You're already reading. Perhaps I'm preaching to the choir. I need to go to bed.

Thanks for reading, in general.

John

What the heck am I doing?

Hey people. Sorry for the absence of posts lately. I've been busy doing nothing. No excuses here. I'm a lazy SOB sometimes.

Although I haven't been writing for a while, I have been reading.

What kind of sick and twisted stuff have I been reading? Here's the master list:

(in order from longest to shortest page count)

1. The Holy Bible: That's right kids. I actually read it. It's good.

2. Digital Wedding Photography by Glen Johnson: Yes, I'm getting into the biz. (Legally, btw.)

3. The Sacred Romance: Drawing Closer to the Heart of God by Brent Curtis and John Eldredge: This is some seriously deep stuff. I know what you're thinking. I'm not turning into a lush fruitcake. In this case, "romance" stands for the meaningful connection between a person and his/her creator, not "romance" as in mushy Danielle Steel novels. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to better understand and appreciate their connection to God without having to deal with awkward religious confrontations. Very personal, very wholesome.

4. TIME (magazine): I majored in Journalism, so I am one amongst the shrinking number of people who appreciate the hard copy. I read it once a week on Tuesday nights. For those of you who have never read time before, subscribe for $20 a year here. I know you're probably already moving on to number 5, but seriously, you should just suck it up and subscribe to something good and worth reading. If you don't subscribe to TIME, at least get Google Reader. I promise that you won't be disappointed.

5. Popular Photography (magazine): I would guesstimate that every issue has, on average, about 40 tips and tricks for photographers, and ends with about 10 pages of ads which make me drool for equipment I can't afford.

6. Outdoor Photographer (magazine): When I'm not taking photos of people, I'm taking photos that don't put money in my pocket, yet inspire me to subscribe to this magazine. Outdoor, nature, landscape and wildlife photography feed the hobby half of my inner photographer. Sorry for the verbal train wreck in that last sentence.

7. Usually a novel of some sort. I'm currently between Tom Sawyer and about to start Huckleberry Finn. I also read a lot of James Patterson and Dan Brown. By the way: Dan Brown, if you're reading this (he's not), you seriously need to write some more books, man.

That's it folks. I hope you enjoyed this journey through my current literary world.

Thanks for reading,
John