:: John Magnoski :: Photographic Artistry

2007-01-30T20:22:00.000-08:00

Ta Da!

THE NEW BLOG!!!

|| JMPA || blog

Click the link to see the new blog!

2007-01-30T06:43:00.000-08:00

New blog coming soon!
New blog coming soon!
New blog coming soon!
New blog coming soon!
New blog coming soon!

YOU WILL LOVE IT!!

2006-12-14T08:07:00.000-08:00

Who am I? I'm Spider-Man.

No seriously, I am. He was (and is) my favorite comic book 'super hero'.
To this day I still feel a connection with Peter Parker/Spider-Man.
I was always picked on in school, and nobody really knew the real me.
So I always felt like I lived a double life, nerd/geek at school who was capable of doing some really cool things when nobody was there to know it. But just like Peter comes to terms with who he is and what he is supposed to do, I too found what gifts God had blessed me with. So, like Spider-Man, I use these gifts to help others.

So when David Jay posted this quiz he found on the Internet on the Open Source Photo forum,
I just had to see if there were any real connections between my personality and my favorite character...
...and there is - check it out!

Your results:
You are Spider-Man

Spider-Man		85%
Superman		70%
The Flash		70%
Robin		65%
Green Lantern		60%
Iron Man		45%
Hulk		45%
Wonder Woman		35%
Supergirl		35%
Catwoman		25%
Batman		10%

You are intelligent, witty,
a bit geeky and have great
power and responsibility.

Click here to take the "Which Superhero are you?" quiz...

What's even more amazing is that Superman was my second fav and The Flash was my third.
That's so weird. But it is also re-affirming in a way.

Anyway, I thought it was funny since at Angie & Dave's wedding (see below), their ring-bearer (her nephew) kept calling me Peter Parker. Y'know, 'cuz I'm that geeky guy with the camera. ; )

2006-12-08T11:25:00.000-08:00

HMMM.... It's been a little while since I posted on my blog hasn't it.
Sorry everyone, but business went crazy and I had zero time to post.

With that said, and since my last post was of Dave & Angie, I thought it proper to now post a sample of their awesome wedding photos!

They were married on November 25th, 2006 - and the day was just perfect.
unseasonably warm (for Minnesota), bright and fresh... a lot like Angie & Dave really.

Anyway, I had a blast at their wedding and it was so awesome to see her sister Jolene (a high school friend of mine).

Enjoy the show (and the music)!

2006-10-10T13:26:00.000-07:00

Angie & Dave - what a fun couple!

I'll let the pictures speak for themselves but I must say that I cannot wait until next month when I get to photograph Angie & Dave at their wedding. I just know we are going to have just as much fun, if not more, than we did during their e-session. The session was photographed at Pioneer Park and in beautiful downtown Stillwater. It's one of my most favorite places for e-sessions and weddings.

Simply click the play button and enjoy the show!

2006-09-06T08:08:00.000-07:00

Great Video:

Bentley Gray (a member on Open Source Photo) posted this really moving video...

http://www.raisingsmallsouls.com/wp-content/themes/179/aschool.html

And for me, as a product of modern public schooling, is the reason my wife and I homeschool our children. Now of course, homeschooling is not for everyone but neither is public/private schooling. My children are a lot like me, very visual/spatial in learning. Again, as a product of public school, and having friends who teach in some of the best schools in our state, I can attest that many kids suffer due to ignorant standards. But that's my personal opinion based on my personal experiences.

Click the link above and enjoy the story.

2006-09-05T13:46:00.000-07:00

Morgan! ; )

Morgan is sooooo funny, we laughed all throughout her graduation session.

*Push play to view her awesome pics & enjoy the cool music*

I had photographed her sister's graduation photos two years ago up at Split Rock Lighthouse, just north of Duluth. And we went back there again for Morgan's session. But first I wanted to spend some time in downtown Duluth with her since her hair is so cool and cosmopolitan like and the surroundings fit her style like a glove.

We had a great time and got some amazing images not only downtown but also up at Split Rock. The light was so good up there and her eyes just popped in the late afternoon light, so I was really focused on showing off her eyes.

Morgan, you rock!
Remember, you are 'one with nature'! lol : )

2006-09-01T07:07:00.000-07:00

Now here's some great photos!

Push play to watch the slideshow.
(you may want to adjust your volume, there is some cool music)

I photographed Kelsey and her family 5 yrs. ago (she was only 12 yrs old I think), well, now she's graduating... Time sure flies.
She did awesome for her senior session, the pics prove it I think. We had great light (it had rained just before the session) and of course we had a great subject to work with. We started the session indoors at her home and then drove up to Minnehaha Falls park for the rest of the session. We had to wait about 30min or so since it began to rain pretty hard when we got there.

Kesley was awesome! She never acted as if she got tired of having her photos taken, even at the 'end' of the session, just before I spotted the way the light was hitting the little train depot. I said "oh wait!, can we do some more?" She and her mom laughed and continued on with the session. We spent about 5 hours I think shooting and having fun, and to me it was well worth it. The photos turned out beautiful. Personally, this is one of my best senior sessions ever.

Of course, I do have another cool one that I am currently processing. Stay tuned for that one...

2006-08-25T08:06:00.000-07:00

My apologies for being selfish

I thought we had it bad from last nights set of storms but I was way off.
We came out great as we still have a home to sleep in.

I have clients in every area that was affected by yesterday's storms and tornados and I just feel terrible about complaining that our siding and roof is needing to be replaced. I can't imagine having to re-build our new home... My apologies to all of those who lost homes and loved ones.

So instead of complaining I will simply offer a prayer -
Heavenly Father, through the grace and mercy of your Son, Jesus Christ and through your Holy Spirit I pray for everyone who was affected by yesterday's storms. For the elderly, disabled, for the infants and children I pray that you will protect them from further harm and fright, and for those who experienced destruction of property or the loss of loved ones I pray that you will comfort them with the peace that passes all understanding and give everyone strength through your most Holy name to overcome and to rebuild. I pray that all who are affected are thankful and realize that what matters most in life are not material things but the love of our family and friends, and especially the love that you, dear Father shower us all with. May all who do not believe come to the realization that you Father are one God who is the just judge and that you sent your son, Jesus Christ to die for our sins in order that we may have forgiveness and entrance into your heavenly kingdom. Amen & Amen.

2006-08-24T19:40:00.000-07:00

When It Rains, It Pours...

I got home (Northfield, MN) today at about 2pm from photographing at Harding High School in St. Paul and found the entire city ripped to shreds. Well, it wasn't total destruction like 'Katrina' or even a tornado, although we were under tornado warnings all night. But what ripped through our town was baseball sized hail... yes, baseball sized hail.

You should have seen the cars on the main strip through town, the car dealerships, the apartments and homes. It was a site that I have not really seen before. I have been through many 'bad' storms but this one packed a whollop. There were hail stones still in the yard, about 2" down in the dirt. My neighbors and I joked "hey, at least we don't need to aerate our lawns this fall now..." a little humor helps when you are seeing the damage around you.

I did not have time to run through the town and snap photos, I was too busy duct taping the holes in my roof vents as well as helping three of my closest neighbors with their roofs. We did this to prevent more water from entering into our homes and causing further damage.

And it was by the God's grace that I got the last peice of duct tape on my neighbors vent when the second storm wave passed through. We got lucky the second time, even though there were tornado warnings, nothing more than heavy rain and hard winds hit our town. I am not sure how the other cities around us have been effected, I pray that they are all okay too.

For those who would like to see my new home, please click here.
Nothing fancy, and I must say that we came out pretty good from this storm. Although my driveway was littered with peices of shattered siding, we have zero broken windows and both my wife and I were not home at the time so our vehicles are okay. I can't say the same for others in our town. As I was driving to Target to get more duct tape, I saw a guy who was driving home and his car looked like a golf ball - and it had no windows anymore... every single widow was gone.

For those who care, please pray for our town and surrounding communities who were affected by this storm. I hope that the other cities south of the metro, who went through the same storm, are okay and that nobody got hurt.

Anyway, I promise to update my blog when all settles down. I do have some really good images to share with you all.

As I said, when it rains it pours. Not only have we been dealing with trying to unpack (only three weeks now since we moved into this new home), handle the business, get ready for another year of homeschooling etc., but my father-in-law is once again in the hospital due to his ailing heart.

Please pray for him as well, his name is Jeff and he will be turning 65(?) tomorrow - in the hospital. My prayer for him is that when the Lord Jesus decides to call him home, that Jeff is ready to meet our Lord and that he goes peacefully. Please pray also for my children, my wife, my mother-in-law and all of our family to have the strength to handle and cope should he pass.

God Bless!

2006-07-25T17:28:00.000-07:00

Wow - It's So Crazy...

My apologies for those who try to follow my blog.
I have not had the chance to update or write anything in a long time.

Ever since I changed my business name and website I have been swamped with new clients, editing previous weddings and all other things business related. Add to that crazy mix the fact that my family and I are moving to Northfield, MN next week and you can see why things have been crazy for me.

Even though I have been through moves and home purchases before, it never ceases to amaze me how much time is taken up just by dealing with the mortgage, insurance and other companies. I spent 3 hours today alone dealing with paperwork... C R A Z Y.

Now to my clients, please accept my deepest and most sincere apologies for the delays.
I am truly thankful for your business and even more thankful for your patience. I am working non-stop to complete orders, edit images and get things posted for private online galleries.
(I have been starting every day at 7am and I don't go to bed until 1am, but I do break for lunch and dinner with the family.)

Now I am not looking for sympathy - it was my crazy idea to move during the busiest time of the year. ; )

We will be moving next week and things should be settling back down after that.

Please look for an updated blog by mid August.
I will be posting some amazing wedding, portrait & engagment images once I am back on track.

Thanks again everyone for your patience.

2006-07-05T07:17:00.000-07:00

An Awesome Session!

I photographed this little girl (Kate) on the 21st of June at the University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum (a great place for photos). And at first she was a bit shy but warmed up pretty quickly.

The images I posted below are my absolute favorites from the session. It was so much fun capturing her personality and chasing her around. I used to do childrens sessions in a stuffy 'studio' environment but totally love and prefer allowing children to let loose and be themselves.

And to Leondra (Kate's Mom) I just want to say thank you for commissioning me to capture your precious daughter's fun loving personality. I mean, you had your choice of soooo many photographers in Minnesota but you trusted me to create these images - and for that I am humbled and grateful. I hope you are enjoying your image gallery at my website! Thanks again.

And now, my favorite images from Kate's session:

2006-06-28T10:19:00.000-07:00

Amy & Dan's Engagement Photos -

All I can say is - WOW, Amy and Dan!
You guys are so cool and fun to work with, I just can't wait to capture your wedding!

Enjoy the slideshow...

God Bless!
Johnny

2006-06-23T08:40:00.000-07:00

My first blog entry! [It's a long one - sorry]

I was struggling with what to write about but then it hit me, why not explain to everyone about my history and what's been going on with my previous business (Turning Leaf Photography) and why I have changed the name to 'John Magnoski - Photographic Artistry'. So here goes:

Photography found me, I did not find it nor did I seek it out initially.

It all started in 8th grade, when my family took a trip to Montana. My uncle had my father take his Minolta 35mm SLR to get some nice pics of the mountains. But my dad had me take most of the photos (thanks Dad!) which I thought was really was cool. My dad, trusting me with his brothers fancy SLR camera - whoa, what encouragement!

Anyway, I got some really nice images from that trip and even got some compliments on my abilities. The photography bug had bitten.

Now in 9th grade at my high school (Rosemount High) I was unable to take photography because I needed to take an art class that year. I liked art anyway and loved to draw so that was really no big deal for me. It was in this art class that I met my future wife, seriously I did, and I fell in love with this beautiful girl (now woman) and pursued her like crazy. She was of course not interested since I was a total geek and not very attractive (think revenge of the nerds). I got the old "I consider you a friend" line all the time...

Now, back to art. Let's just say that I thought the art teacher had a thing for the girl of my dreams - so I purposely failed the class to "show him!". Dumb, stupid, confused teenage mind!

10th grade rolls around and I have to take yet another art class with the same teacher and I finally get to take my photography class. I took to photography like I took to swimming. Even though I failed 9th grade algebra and was nearly failing all the other courses (except for the business and computer courses - LOL) I 'got' photography. It made sense to combine the f-stop with the shutter speed to create your vision. I aced the course and my teacher, Mr. Hugelen encouraged me to continue pursuing photography - that I had a built in talent and an eye for it. He told me to find a job at a local photo lab, but I was too busy trying to win the love of my life to worry about a career. And by the middle of 10th grade I finally convinced her to go on a walk with me. To us, that was our first real date and it was amazing.

Heidi (my wife) and I started dating then and she inspired me to a level I had never known. Here was this gorgeous girl wanting to spend time with me, helping me to focus on my homework and raise my GPA. My parents fell for her too, and we dated on and off pretty heavily throughout high school. Throughout this time I continued to snap photos whenever I could - just for fun.

Now senior portrait time came around and she and I did not have the money to go to the more expensive studios. So we decided to go to the local ProEx Photo Studio (Apple Valley, MN) to have our senior pictures done. I walked out of there with a job that day and rose through the ranks and became one of the most requested photographers there at the time. It was also through working at ProEx that I met some of my best and closest friends, and they too inspired me to not only pursue my talent but to pursue God's will for me. I got saved then too - it was such an amazing time in my life! And for Christmas, my parents gave me a Nikon N50 SLR kit - and for that I am forever grateful!

After working for ProEx for roughly 18 mos. I was offered a job by a Lifetouch 'headhunter' to photograph school portraits and groups. The offer was $5 more per hour (plus mileage) than what I was currently making, so I jumped on the opportunity. I had also graduated HS at this point and needed a more reliable, full time job with benefits , as well as a new car. All I can say is wow, that was a hard job and I commend & respect those who do it every day.

The management at Lifetouch could tell that school photography wasn't for me, so after the season died down a bit they transferred me to be a key photographer in their Mall of America studio known as Images by Lifetouch (it was 'Faces' before I got there) which was a glamour shots type of studio that focused more on cutsie kid, senior and family photography - a precursor to their now popular 'Flash' digital portrait studio.

I really had a good time working at Images. I had moved out of my parentÂs house, since they had moved to AZ that year and I was pursuing my dreams. Now at this time in my life I really wanted to find a great girl, get married and have lots of kids (Heidi and I were broken up at that time).

I hit on every cute girl I photographed but nothing ever panned out further than a phone call and or a date...

So, feeling sad and depressed I prayed for God to send me a woman who I could be with - to love and share my passion of life, God, and photography with. I did not see it at the time but she was always there - as my best friend and former girlfriend, it was Heidi - the girl I fell in love with in 9th grade. She and I decided to go see a movie at the Mall, and as we walked out we noticed we were accidentally holding hands. I did not let go. It was raining hard that night and when I went to drop her off at her house I asked her dance with me in the rain. She thought I was crazy but I insisted and she agreed. It was then that I realized who she was and that I had lost sight of what God had blessed me with in her. So I professed my love to her there, as we danced in the rain (the song that was on the radio at the time was "Like the Rain" by Clint Black - how fitting.) From that moment on we were together again. I later asked her to marry me at our favorite pizza joint (the Italian Pie Shoppe in Eagan, MN) and she of course said yes.

I now had a renewed sense of inspiration through the love she and I felt towards each other...

Fast forward to 2000 (I had gone back to ProEx and worked at their Burnsville, MN location in 1997 and was also assisting other wedding/portrait photographers at the time.)

I started Turning Leaf Photography in the early spring of 2000. I was managing a studio in St. Paul, MN at the time (I had finally quit ProEx to have this 'better' job).
But I felt that I needed to break out on my own and pursue what I love.

Having only worked for the this studio for 3 months I approached the owner and told him how I felt and that I thought the main photographer would make a better manager for him. I offered to work an additional 3 weeks to make the transition easier for him and his studio.

He did not take the news very well and told me go home early (this was on a Friday), and to think about it over the weekend and come back in the morning to chat about my decision.
So the following Monday I enter into his office to further discuss my creative needs. He again got upset, called me some names, insulted my faith in the scriptures and compared me to Don Quixote. He told me that I was "jousting at windmills" to which I replied, "Y'know, One of these days those windmills will fall...". His reply to me was, "Get out".

So, with the $25 I had left in my pocket I headed downtown to register the name Turning Leaf Photography - and there I was, a business owner with the world before me and a growing family that needed me to support them. Again, I felt renewed and energetic. I made it my goal to knock his and other 'windmills' down. I wanted to offer everything to everybody, as was the way most 'successful' studios did things - at least that's what I thought. I wanted to be different and to tap into what so many had forgotten. My angle was customer service. Lower volume, higher price but with a better quality product and service than the competition.

And for over 6yrs I achieved my goals. I feel that I, along with many others in my industry, have helped to change the face of portrait and wedding photography. Guys like me changed the perceived notions in people minds about photographers. We were now on the brink of something big, something different. People began to respect and trust the photographic artist and the work we were able to create just kept getting better and better.

Now my dreams and big ideas for Turning Leaf Photography did not happen as planned.
I had plans to be so big, so huge, that other studios would be forced to change their 'evil' ways of how they mistreat their clients or face going out of business. What they had, that I didn't, was capital and big fat marketing budgets. So I went more 'grassroots' and word of mouth with my offerings. Business grew rapidly.

I wanted Turning Leaf Photography to employ teams of photographers, carbon copies of me and my passion, to storm the nation and provide the best we had to offer. And we offered everything from family, children, senior, baby and wedding portraits to Fine Art (Giclee) reproductions, commercial interiors/exteriors & product photography. I also offered consultative services to photographers and helped a custom lab in Minneapolis set up their fine art reproduction services. I was at the top of my game. But I kept losing assistants and friends to their own dreams of business ownership, which prevented me from achieving my bigger dream.

Now here I was, in the same situation I had left my former employer in. Here are some really talented people, people I have 'developed' and trained choosing to become, in a way, my competition instead of working with/for me to create the best studio in the state... But unlike my former employer, I did not get angry with them. I encouraged them to follow their dreams and pursue what they felt God was calling them to. And I will even be there for them, to help them succeed.

But all of that caused me to step back and reconsider my windmill jousting. Did I become like the Church of Ephesus (The book of Revelation ch.2)? Did I lose my 'first love' in my quest to be a 900 pound gorilla? The answer was clear - I did.

Not only that, but I was (and still am) so busy and lacking in the help that I need that I could not get orders done in a timely fashion. I could not respond to emails quickly enough or return phone calls fast enough. Top that off with the fact that for the last 2.5 yrs I have been working 6 days a week, 10 hours a day - without a break in site... Something had to change and God was gently breaking my business apart so that I could go back to my first love(s).

My first love(s) are God, Family & my passion for photographing all of God's beautiful creation, which is not limited to landscapes, scenics and nature - we are all His creation and He has given me an awesome gift to capture the truth and beauty of life's everyday moments.

So after much prayer and late night talks with my wife, I decided to change the name to :: John Magnoski - Photographic Artistry ::
And I have made a promise to God, my wife Heidi and our 5 beautiful children to pursue what I love, regardless of what the 'other studios' are doing. I promised them that I would not allow my business to run me and to take me away from them.

One of my favorite songs when I was a kid was 'Cats in the Cradle' - it touched me and I never really understood why. But I realized that I was becoming the dad in that song and what a poverty that is towards my children. We must never tell our kids "sorry honey, I'm just too busy for you right now." God never tells us He's too busy to hear us pray, He never tells us He is too busy for us and our needs. He is the only example of a truly devoted father who loves his children unconditionally.

So, here I am, with a new business name and model, and again, with the world before me and my family needing me to provide for them. The more things change, the more they stay the same...

I am eager to pursue my love's and enjoy my life with my family and my God.

Please check out my new site [http://www.johnmagnoski.com] and come back to my blog often.

And, please provide me feedback on my new site.
I want to know what my clientele are thinking, what services you like or don't like.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

God Bless!
<>< John Magnoski

Photographic Artist