Jason and Saida Hemsoth at The Gallery.That's my beautiful wife, Saida, and I in front of one of my two volcano photos from Guatemala.

The gallery is locally owned and operated by Marc and Juli Eckel, and is simply called The Gallery. It features monthly exhibits featuring the work of professional artists in various mediums and styles. This month Marc wanted to feature local photographers. I was super excited when Marc asked me if I wanted to participate! You have to head to downtown Warsaw to check it out! (Until you see it in person, visit them online at www.thegallerywarsaw.com.)

In the exhibit, you'll see work from these five local professional photography studios: Blosser's Photo Design Center, Bob List Photography, Cox Studio, Signature Studios Photography, and of course me, Jason Hemsoth Photography.

It was such an honor for me to be chosen to participate in the exhibit. It's really cool to be included with other great photographers that are all doing stellar work! Here are a few photos from the exhibit, but you HAVE to go experience it for yourself! And tell them Jason sent you! :)

Brothers being brothersI love this photo of these two brothers! I love the joy evident in their faces! (Oh, and they just happen to be my nephews!) Photography Exhibit Here in WarsawThe Gallery is a great place for anyone who loves art or is interested in learning more about art.

Bridal PortraitHere's a bridal portrait in Winona Lake. A beautiful summer day makes for perfect backdrop to get married!

Thank you Marc and Juli for putting this exhibit together and for all that you do for the community and the arts! It's a blessing to have you and your family here in Warsaw! Keep up the great work!

Support The Gallery by visiting and following them online: Website & Facebook

To see more photos from my recent trip to Guatemala and the hike up a huge volcano, click here: http://www.jasonhemsoth.com/volcan-acatenango

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Vote Now: Best Photographer Fort Wayne Newspapers Readers Choice Award 2015

When I got the call, I gotta admit I was a little surprised - and humbled and excited. I love photography and I feel so blessed to be able to do this, and get paid for something I love to do! It's been a fun journey, full of learning, growing, making mistakes and growing some more. There's a lot more to owning and running a business than I probably thought in the beginning, but it has all been worth it. I'm excited for what the future holds! Thank you Fort Wayne Newspapers and thank you to all my clients, friends and family! Especially my wife, as she has been super supportive and helps me a ton on wedding days. I know she's had to sacrifice in order for me to pursue this dream of mine...thank you Saida, I love you!

Best Wedding Photographer of Warsaw 2015Jason Hemsoth Photography is awarded the Best Wedding Photographer of Warsaw 2015. Warsaw Award Program Honors the Achievement

WARSAW April 6, 2015 -- Jason Hemsoth Photography has been selected for the 2015 Best of Warsaw Award in the Wedding Photographer category by the Warsaw Award Program.

Each year, the Warsaw Award Program identifies companies that we believe have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category. These are local companies that enhance the positive image of small business through service to their customers and our community. These exceptional companies help make the Warsaw area a great place to live, work and play.

Various sources of information were gathered and analyzed to choose the winners in each category. The 2015 Warsaw Award Program focuses on quality, not quantity. Winners are determined based on the information gathered both internally by the Warsaw Award Program and data provided by third parties.

About Warsaw Award Program

The Warsaw Award Program is an annual awards program honoring the achievements and accomplishments of local businesses throughout the Warsaw area. Recognition is given to those companies that have shown the ability to use their best practices and implemented programs to generate competitive advantages and long-term value.

The Warsaw Award Program was established to recognize the best of local businesses in our community. Our organization works exclusively with local business owners, trade groups, professional associations and other business advertising and marketing groups. Our mission is to recognize the small business community's contributions to the U.S. economy.

SOURCE: Warsaw Award Program

See the complete Press Release here.

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David + Susan Motion Video of Photos

This wedding was in Fort Wayne, IN at the Allen County Sheriff's Reserve. 

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The wedding and the reception was held at Autumn Ridge Golf Club, which is an excellent venue. It made for a beautiful, cozy space for a romantic ceremony and then a lively reception.

Check out some photos in the video below...

Web Version: Wedding Day Photos

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Mi iglesia, Iglesia Betesda, celebró los bautizos de 18 miembros recientemente. Aprovechamos de un día hermosa cerca del Lago Waubee en Milford, IN, para relajarnos, comer juntos, adorar a Dios juntos y disfrutar la luz del sol. Fue un día divertido, pero fue más que eso. Fue una celebración espiritual, mientras que nos unimos como congregación para celebrar un paso importante en la vida de cada Cristiano, ser bautizado en agua.

In January, Zach and Jody did a workshop all about shooting weddings. It was an in-depth, 3-day training on all the ins and outs of wedding photography. Today's workshop was a follow-up workshop focusing on the process they have developed for handling all of the work once the wedding is over. Post-production and editing is a huge issue for photographers, especially wedding photogs, as we may shoot thousands of photos on the big day. It could be a very time-consuming part of one's business, taking up to 15-25 hours for each wedding! Well, Zach and Jody has slashed that down considerably - down to a mere 3-5 hours! That got my attention!

As I think back to the workshop, what really comes to mind is that they were disciplined in structuring their lives and their business to be the most productive, happy and profitable possible. Here are a few ways they do that:

• They schedule their days. 
• They READ, they learn, they dream big.
• They set time aside to spend together as husband and wife.
• They serve others.
• They value their time.
• They value knowledge.
• They have SYSTEMS in place and are disciplined in following those systems. Having these in place makes it easy to hand over tasks to a third-party if necessary.
• They enjoy life.
• They know their strengths and weakness, focusing on their strengths and either working on their weaknesses or being willing to let somebody else do it.
• They are on top of their finances: they give, they save, they know where the money's going and why, they spend (when it's the right time).
• They are inspired by others and they want to inspire others.
• They know how to stay focused on the task at hand: when editing, he goes into the zone. The headphones are on, the phone is off, email is off. He closes himself off from everything else - even photography related things. 
• When culling images, he does it very quickly, comparing groups of photos rather than each and every individual photo. Once the winners have been picked, he doesn't look back!
• They have the right tools to help them work efficiently.
• They don't even check email until noon. Email is important, especially responding to clients and prospects, but it can be a huge time waster if we let it run our lives.
• They purposely shoot it right in camera, so the editing time afterwards is very minimal.
• They make time to personally deliver certain products to their most loyal customers.
• They know when to say no.
• They plan their work and work their plan.
• They have mentors in their life, especially for their marriage. They meet with an older couple that has been happily married for a very long time and has lots of wisdom to share.

All this has got me thinking...

• What are my strengths?
• What are my weakness?
• Where can I go to get away to a quiet place where I can think, plan, journal, spend time with God?
• Do I have systems in place to run my business efficiently and profitably?
• Do I have my days structured in a way so that I can focus on certain tasks and do them well, without interruption?

Overall, it was very informative and essential to any photographer/business owner. I highly recommend both Zach & Jody and CreativeLive. Here are links to their respective websites: 

http://www.zachandjody.com

http://www.creativelive.com

I love our church and our pastor, who just happens to also be my father-in-law, but who's counting? We had a service Friday evening, a special service Saturday afternoon filled with participation from lots of people, and a bright and early sunrise service on Easter Sunday. My wife, Saida, along with Ely Romero, did an incredible job, organizing a special dance/drama that included a video, graceful and worshipful dance and glowing wings. It was absolutely beautiful. I was participating too, so obviously I couldn't take any photos of that part. Oh well.

I hope you enjoy the couple of shots I'm posting here. For all of the images, check out the album on the church's Facebook here. God bless!

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1. Question: How long before the wedding should I book the photographer?
   Answer: About 9 months before the wedding. This gives you plenty of time to find a photographer that has work you like, that fits your style and that you get along with. You'll have time to shoot an engagement session also.
    
2. Question: How should I go about choosing a photographer?
   Answer: Choose somebody that specializes in weddings. You will spend the whole day with the photographer, so choose somebody that you get along with. There are many different styles of wedding photography, so make sure you know what type of style you like most and choose somebody that shoots in that way. Budget is a concern for most couples. Most people recommend NOT skimping on the photography, since these are the pictures of your big day that you will enjoy for the rest of your life. It is usually suggested to spend as much as you can within your budget on a quality photographer. This can typically be somewhere between 9-15% of the total wedding budget.

These are only a couple of the top questions. More blog posts will come in the future with questions and answers to many more common questions.

Of course it's easy to love our husband or our wife when they do nice things for us and times are good. But how do we act towards them when they are less than perfect? How about when they lie to us, are rude to us or simply ignore us? Do we still respond to them with love? Jesus has an unconditional love towards us that we probably can never fully comprehend. Since he so graciously extends that love to us - because we sure don't deserve it - we can then be empowered to extend that love to others, too. No, it's not easy, but love isn't always easy. Love isn't a feeling or an emotion. True love is patient and kind and lasting. It's unconditional. 

Check out the video. It's well made by the folks over at Hyper Pixels Media, and while the message is simple, the lesson can take a lifetime to truly put into practice. I encourage you and your spouse to love the way Jesus loves.  

http://www.hyperpixelsmedia.com/sermon-illustration-videos/love-the-way-jesus-loves

Love-Hyper Pixels Media

Unfortunately, recently the Colts' fortunes have taken another drastic turn. This time for the worse. It all started a year ago. What began out as what I thought was an insignificant off-season medical procedure, turned into the absolute worst case scenario for Colts fans. The team's long-time All-Pro quarterback, on-field general and heart and soul of the team wasn't able to start the regular season. For a man who had been so reliable, going over a decade without ever missing a game because of injury, the unimaginable happened. Manning missed the whole season. Without him, the Colts nose-dived their way to a 2-14 record. The nightmare continued, as owner Jim Irsay decided to totally dismantle the team from the front office, to the coaching staff, all the way to the players. Even the face of the franchise was not exempt. Peyton Manning was let go. It was a sad day for Colts nation.

So why am I mentioning this on the blog? What does this have to do with weddings or photography? All this has gotten me thinking. What are the lessons we can learn from this? First off, I'm reminded of how quickly things can change. In fact, change is one of the only things that remains constant - we can count on change coming our way at some point, no matter what. How will we react to that change? What will we do when things in life get tough? How will you react when things in your marriage get a little rocky? Will you stick to it, knowing that God is in control, trusting that things will work out and committing yourself to making things better? Or will you buckle under the pressure?

Mr. Irsay's decision when faced with difficult times this past year, was to start over from scratch, with new coaches and new, younger players. Was it the right decision? Well only time will tell. I'm not here to judge what he did, after all, he is running his team and his business as he sees fit. It'll be exciting to see what the next few years have in store.

I learned another lesson from Peyton himself. And this was one of being authentic, humble and being willing to shine the spotlight on others. In his going away press conference, Manning had to choke back tears as he thanked fans for the support over the years. He wasn't afraid to show his emotions, whether it was intentional or not, as he looked back at the good times as the Colts quarterback. He showed grace when he could have lashed out at the ownership that let him go. He could have refused to even show up at the press conference, but displayed class in delivering one of the greatest speeches ever by a player in his situation.

As you prepare for your wedding, undoubtedly there will be times in which you'll feel overwhelmed, emotional and perhaps even disappointed.  When it seems like a potential vendor is trying to cheat you, remember to try to react with grace. When it looks like it'll be difficult to get everything you want and still stay within your budget, remember to stay calm, keep your poise and work together with your fiancee to figure things out. 

And unlike an owner's relationship with his players, your marriage will last a lifetime. Don't be afraid to put in the work necessary to make it be the best. Making it through difficult times will strengthen your relationship as long as you persevere, trust in God and remain committed. It will definitely be worth it. After all, a lifetime of marital happiness is worth more than an the applause from fans, more than an MVP trophy, more than a Super Bowl trophy. A lifetime full of mutual love is priceless.

(Photo courtesy of Colts.com.)

That's why wedding photography is so important. A wedding day rushes by so fast. It's hard to remember all the little details. Sometimes it's not even humanly possible to see all the sweet little moments that happen on that special day. A well made photograph makes it possible to remember that day for the rest of your life. And it doesn't stop there either, photos are the main means of passing on memories to our children - and grandchildren. 

I was reminded of this when I saw a Kodak commercial on YouTube. Check it out below. It really makes you take a second thought about the importance photography place in the roll of preserving our life's memories, experiences and special moments. Enjoy!

In response to that unconditional love, I in turn want to love Him back. I want to live my life for Him. There's no way I could go through life and not want God's guidance and input on what I do - after all, He is infinitely more wise, knowledgeable and creative than I could ever hope to be. I want His input on how to be the best husband for my wife. God gave me the passion and talent for photography, so in turn, I want to pursue photography in a way that will honor Him. I want to do the best at whatever I do because it reflects back on Him. I believe that if I run my business God's way, it'll turn out to be the right way.

So, like it, love it, or hate it, that's who I am. I am a Christian. Photographer. Under the influence of God. Some of you reading this may not care one way or another, and may wonder why I would even mention it on the blog. I want to strive to always be open, honest and truthful here. I want to open a page in the book of my life on this blog. There's no way I could ever do that, without sharing about the biggest relationship in my life. I will strive to keep God first in my life. The relationship I have with my wife comes in a close second. Next comes family for me. Photography and business, as exciting and important they are to me, they come come next. I know right now I won't always perfectly live up to that standard, but I'll never stop striving to keep the priorities in my life aligned in this way. I think it'll all work out pretty good that way!

PS: I recently came across an ebook entitled Prosper: A 40 Day Prayer Journey To Seek God's Will For Your Photography Business, by photographer and blogger Scarlett Lillian. Today was just day one for me, but so far I love it and would highly recommend it if you too are a Christian striving to honor God with your talent as a photographer and with your business.

About a week ago, I had the opportunity to attend an event that was close to my heart for a couple of reasons. One, it was a marriage seminar. Two, it involved photography! I love marriage and I'm always reading to learn more about growing into the husband God has called me to be. And If my wife and I can help others along that journey, I am definitely all for it!

So, it was a lot of fun for me to be able to not only attend this event, but to be able to take the photography for the event too! I was able to use the 43" Apollo Orb Speedlite Softbox I purchased recently. I gotta say, I absolutely love this softbox; it produces a beautiful, soft light that is great for portraits of couples. Look forward to a full review in a future post. Feel free to take a look at the gallery: http://www.jasonhemsoth.com/unidosparasiempre

Most of the couples were a little hesitant at first, and after taking a couple shots, warmed up to the camera and then we got really nice, warm smiles from most of them. I was pleasantly surprised with one young couple, though. As they walked up to the area we were shooting, she immediately reached over and gave him a kiss on the cheek. We all erupted in laughter afterwards. It was a spontaneous, yet genuine moment that I was grateful to catch on camera. It reminded me of why I love shooting couples. Celebrating the love between two people is a true gift from God.

It also reminded that you always have to be ready to capture the moments as they arise. You may plan things to go a certain way, but be ready when they take a slightly different turn than you expected - because sometimes that's when the most beautiful things happen.

Here's a list of some of the subjects I'll be blogging about:

• Photography (ok, so that's an obvious one!)
• Photography industry and gear
• Wedding ideas, wedding industry
• Ways to keep your marriage healthy and strong
• My life
• My church (Iglesia Betesda Asambleas de Dios)
• My interests outside of photography, including living a God-centered lifestyle, music, Mexico, Colts football, Indiana University basketball, Ft. Wayne TinCaps baseball, living a healthy lifestyle, as well as iPhone, Mac and all things Apple

Once again, welcome and let's have some fun!