Blog
Posted on February 3, 2012
by studioc7 
0 Some images just capture us. They stop us, dead in our tracks and make us look, wonder, ponder. These photos make us THINK!
I often get asked why or what drew me into the world of photography. Even after nearly 15 years of shooting, I still truly cannot answer that question. Photography is in many ways like a vortex. It has a pull and pulse of its own and it commands you to join it, to breathe it in, to stay with it just another moment.
My brother is a huge vat of knowledge and every once in a while, he sends me something that stops me mid-work to look. Because he is a huge audiophile, it is usually music based and awesome. But out of the 400 funny cat photos he finds me from Tumblr, he sometimes finds something that I can’t forget.
The image below was shot by photographer Hu Yuanjia , who used a Nikon- YES NIKON RULES 
and is simply breathtaking. Voted by Reuters as best photos of 2011 , I must share this image and the photographers words follow on how the image was made.
Buddhist Monk Photo by Hu Yuanjia
“I remember clearly that it was about 5 p.m. on November 25. I was just finishing an assignment photographing retired military soldiers bidding farewell to their comrades at the train station. On my way out, I heard someone yelling from a corner and soon after lots of people gathered around. I ran towards the sound and made my way to the front of the crowd, only to find an old man dead on the bench. As I raised my camera, a Buddhist monk walked out of the crowd and went directly towards the dead man. The monk bent down to hold the old man’s hand and started to chant scriptures. I began to take pictures immediately. One minute later, police came over and cordoned off the area. After the monk finished the ceremony, he bowed to the old man and quickly disappeared among the other busy passengers.”
Nikon D3, lens 52mm, f3.5, 1/160, ISO 4000
Last night I found out that a very special woman who hosted a wedding I was in has been placed in hospice. Why does matter? She matters because she single handedly hosted my best friend’s wedding at her lakehouse. In some ways, Suzanne Olsen makes Martha Stewart look like a bit of a slacker, with all of the wedding flowers and decorations in place, she even had an event tent set up on the shoreline property for the post-nuptuals picnic, and we all jokingly asked when would Martha be arriving for her lessons on wedding venues! She made an amazing day even more amazing, if that is even possible.
As Suzanne prepares for her departure from this world, my thoughts and prayers are with her and her family, and especially with my best friend, whom Suzanne meant the world to.
I’m a huge fan of Ted Talks. This clip is especially inspiring to me. I watch it as I think of what truly matters in this life and all the petty, little things that do not.
~H
50% off all 2012 St. Paul Firefighter Calendars
As we celebrate the Chinese New Year today, I can’t help but to take a quick second to remind all out there of the great, big , amazingly fun photo project of Studio C7 for 2012, that being the official St. Paul Firefighetr’s calendar. The calendar is currently on sale for 50% off the regular price at http://www.stpaulfirefighter.com. If you haven’t heard about it and live in the metro Twin Cities area, I would be shocked, as the publicity has been awesomely silly on this. The fireifghters are raising money to support their cause of choice, The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and all proceeds from the calendar go to it.
I’m so excited for 2012! First off, I would like to thank all the people that I photographed in 2011. I consider myself very lucky to get to be part of those very special moments in your lives. Considering the current economy, I am very glad you have made the choice to invest in professional photography, and I promise you it’s a decision that through the years you will be very glad that you made.
How AWESOME is this new webpage?!!! I decided, after tons of coercing, that some changes needed to be made. Hope you enjoy the new page and can find you way around here easily.
I’m off to fulfill some of my New Year’s resolutions! Good luck to everyone with yours and I hope to see your face in Studio C7 soon!
~H