Recognize wisdom when you hear it.
During the past couple months, I did video interviews of the inductees into the Hunterdon County Chamber of Commerce Foundation Business Hall of Fame. When you get to talk one-on-one with business leaders who have made a difference in their communities you certainly pick up a lot of wisdom.
Nobody tried to give advice or promote themselves. Instead they just spoke from the heart about what they believe and what motivates them. It was enlightening.
While I enjoyed hearing from all of the inductees, there were a few words of particular wisdom from Cathy Large Wettstein when she talked about what motivated the people in her life. Plain, simple, powerful wisdom. Here is a little snippet of Cathy’s interview (worth hearing).
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The inaugural event for the Hunterdon County Business Hall of Fame will be held by the Hunterdon County Chamber of Commerce Foundation at the Ryland Inn on Thursday, September 14, 2017, at 6:00pm.
The Foundation’s mission is to advance the interests of the Hunterdon County business community through business resources, economic & workforce development, leadership development, tourism, philanthropy, and the promotion of civic, educational, cultural and economic interests of the region.
The Hunterdon County Business Hall of Fame was established to honor current and past business leaders, businesses & organizations, who have made important contributions to the Hunterdon County business community and to tell the story and rich history of business and industry here in Hunterdon County, and to ensure these stories are preserved and shared.
Brokaw Photography & Video was selected to interview each of the recipients and create videos that offer insight into the views and thoughts of the current leaders of the selected businesses. It was a joy to meet with these leaders and see how truly sincere and authentic they all are.
This year’s Inductees are:
Pioneer Award: Custom Alloy, represented by President, Adam Ambielli, President
Contemporary Award: ShopRite of Hunterdon, by Joe Colalillo, President
Essence of Hunterdon: George Large & Edwin Large, represented by Catherine Large Wettstein
Essence of Hunterdon: Red Mill Museum Village, represented by Paul Muir, Executive Director
Distinguished Leaders: Peter G.Verniero, former NJ Supreme Court Justice & Attorney General
Distinguished Leaders: The Creter Family, Flemington Granite and Architectural Supply, represented by RIchard Creter, President
The Business Hall of Fame will have a permanent display at the Foundation, in the historic Reading- Large House in Flemington. There will be a traveling kiosk which will be exhibited throughout the county at places of businesses, public locations and our schools. The video interviews created by Brokaw Photography & Video and shared through this kiosk will tell the great story of those who have been inducted into the Business Hall of Fame and their contributions to Hunterdon County prosperity through the decades.…
Monkey see, monkey do? Maybe not such bad advice, depending on what the monkeys are doing.
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I came across this guy during a walk this weekend and boy, did he look exhausted. After 17 years underground you get one big chance to party. That must be why they are always singing.
Summertime is the right time if you are a cicada but there is no encore, no second chance. You hatch, you prep, you play and then … well, we try not to think about that, but at least you don’t have to worry about your retirement plan.
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Harry starts every week with total focus. Of course, he has his krypton glasses to give him an advantage. It’s his super power (and for sale for only $9.95 at the Fireman’s Carnival).
I don’t have a set of krypton glasses (yet) but I have a nice hot cup of coffee and am eager to dive into the week. I believe I can focus as well as Harry. I start with short bursts. I figure that if I put all my short bursts I’ll accelerate and build up plenty of momentum and be ready for whatever comes my way.…
When you think about it, there are a lot of steps to just about everything. The most immediate task may be pretty straight forward, but chances are there are a lot of steps leading up to it.
Candid photography seems simple enough. In many ways it is, just point and shoot.
Sometimes that works just fine, but not often. Candids are uncontrolled, As a photographer you can’t pose your subject, because then it’s not candid. But you can control how you create the shot. It’s all about framing and timing. The key is to see the whole picture, so to speak.
You are like a hunter looking for your prey. When you spot your target, you need to zero in to line up your shot keeping your eye on both the foreground and the background. Chances are your quarry is animated, in motion, so you need to anticipate where it likely will be and what it likely will be doing when you take your shot. Sometimes this happens quickly, other times it requires patient stalking. Either way there are plenty of steps involved. Consistently getting good candids doesn’t just happen.
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As part of the Hunterdon County Chamber of Commerce Foundation Business Hall of Fame project I had the opportunity to video interview Adam Ambielli, one of the owners of Custom Alloy in High Bridge, NJ. Adam graciously took me on a tour of the plant and allowed me to take photos to go along with the video.
This is truly a heavy industry but it isn’t a smoke stack factory. Custom Alloy shapes and refines metal products for industry, from large scale heavy equipment parts to products for the energy sector. Its emissions are minimal.
It is thriving and growing in the heart of Hunterdon and contributing to its well being. It is great to see when local businesses thrive, communities thrive, too.
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Frenchtown enjoyed two simultaneous events Labor Day Weekend that perfectly exemplified the envision-plan-implement process.
A local art and performance venue, Art Yard, provided a street parade of colorfully dressed bird people, while the Frenchtown Business and Professional Association held its Riverfest event, celebrating the town, the arts and the river. Both were a vision of the organizers who planned and implemented their events flawlessly and with joy exhibiting the perfect model for any business. Think it, plan it, do it!
It was delightful and inspiring to see the ecology flags lining the street and waving in the breeze. It inspired a vision for me. I wanted to emulate the glorious, flag-waving scene from Les Mis, palnned out what I wanted to do and struck out to find my photo. I wrangled Mike Tyksinski, the coordinator of Riverfest into being my subject, and we took over the street to create the image. Mike was the perfect subject and waved the flag with gusto.
It is always so satisfying to see a vision implemented, whether it’s a photo, an event or an entire business. It keeps us going with enthusiasm. A couple more photos photos below.
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Often it’s the simplest images that can be the most memorable and most fun. Frequently though, it takes a higher level of skill, thought and imagination to create that simple image. Think Apple. Its advertisements are always clean, simple and effective. That doesn’t happen by accident.
The image shown above by Michael Flood, is one of the 63 images that make up the Summer on the Delaware project on display in my studio this weekend. Michael is a craftsman, an artist and a photographer and has been experimenting with these kinds of images for years. When saw this shot I reached out to him and asked him to submit it for the show. It cracks me up. I love the simple originality of it. The Delaware is awash with tubers all summer so it’s only natural that a wayward storm trooper would want to relax for a spell, too.
The beauty of simple images is that they make an immediate impression. The viewer does have to work to see what you are trying to show. You don’t have to explain it in words or point out details that aren’t obvious. It’s the tried & true K*I*S*S formula.
If you are looking for some fun at small town festival, come visit Frenchtown this Sunday for Riverfest and stop in at 34 Bridge Street for Summer on the Delaware exhibit.
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