CLEAR IMAGE UNDER NEW OWNERSHIP

See the great press right here with the Marysville Globe!

After working with Clear Image since 2000 (with lots of travel and adventure in between!), and building trust over the years with the current owner (until Jan 1st, 2009!), Joe Gogal, I am excited to become the new owner of Clear Image Photography!  I find it wonderfully ironic that years ago, I stressed out my wife by spending our tax return on Photogenic lighting equipment and the sweet Sekonic L-608, a top end light meter, with hopes of starting out on my own as a photographer.  After traveling and fighting heavy baggage, I shunned everything except my tiny Minolta Dimage Xi point and shoot, and gave all my gear away to my friend, Christian Metlzer, who was with me in Lausanne, Switzerland at YWAM‘s practical Christianity University.  Years later, here I am with a highly successful and full service photography company!  This is certainly more than I could have asked for!  I thank God for His faithfulness, the community for their loyal patronage and friendship,  Joe for giving me the chance to screw up and get better and for his kindness, my family for understanding my loyalty to this company, and my co-workers for their talent, hard work, and excitement to move into 2009!

Men’s Facewash?

Sandy Anderson, a good client and friend of mine, recently delivered some of her Arbonne International Men’s Facewash – I hate to admit it, but among other things, I’m a “facewash snob”.  Yes, I hate to admit it, but I rotate soap use, love the tingle of peppermint oils, and relish the scrubbies of walnut shells and oatmeal!  

Sandy is a regular customer of ours for our live bunny portraits every Easter, and also has worked with us in the past to provide holiday portraits to her preschool at Free Methodist Church on Grove and 67th.

Chamber of Commerce

After being a member of our local Marysville-Tulalip Chamber of Commerce for years, I decided to check out the Everett Chamber of Commerce that meets at the Everett Golf and Country Club.  I knew how to get there because Mindy and I recently did some photography for a medical group’s party in the main room.  After the uncomfortable thoughts such as “walk around and hope I see someone I know”, and “why did I come so early?” and “there aren’t enough people here yet…which person do I approach/avoid first?” , I then decide to gather up my courage,    and     ….grab some coffee!  Yeah…coffee is good…wait…ack! No coffee out yet?  More uncomforable shifting…Finally I introduce myself and get into a lenthy conversation with a sign company president.  Our sign is so old outside, it has started to yellow a bit – not a huge deal until the landlord put in a new sign right above it! Sigh.  Makes us look “experienced” right?  Breakfast is served – coffee is on – sausages and bacon are piled high – all is right in the world again.  I was forwarned by Robin Hanson, the person who was gracious enough to invite me here, that we were going to have to give a 1 minute “commercial” about our business to 3 different tables.   No sweat – I’ve done this before at the Lynnwood Chamber years ago.  Ha…easier said than done.  Kay Ashenfelter of Red Cross talked about a new promotion of theirs called “flat daddies and mommies”.  Kids with parents in the military can now have free life sized cutouts of their parents who are away – great for toddlers to crawl and drool on, kids to go to bed looking at, and teenagers to dress up with Tina Turner wigs, take as a date to dinner and draw mustaches on.  What a fantastic idea!  Walmart gave away $5,000 for kids in need, as well as school supplies and some employee help for wrapping presents.  On the business side, I was able to meet a nice couple who needed some Christmas portrait greeting cards ASAP because they just lost a bunch of weight, and needed to send their pics to all the relatives!  What a way to celebrate!  They just started an at home business of making photo buttons, t-shirts, and things like that – all the best to you two, and thanks for coming in!  I also connected with very pleasant Sadora with Classic Contruction, Inc., whos remodeling company does beautiful and high end work – I hope to be working with her for all her “after” photos in January.

And to top it all off – I won a spicy apple butter mustard from Frawg n’ Turtle, a Washington apple butter company and purchased some truffles from an elegant candy maker (and perhaps look into food photography for her company). 

I’ll be back!

Merry Christmas!

Our Greeting Card 2008

Its been a great year for us, and we have enjoyed the privilege of being a part of what is important to you.  Thanks for everything, and here’s to a wonderful 2009…Cheers!