Personal

Yesterday my mom sent our family group chat a photo of my dad. He was in the ocean with his hands raised in the air with the most triumphant smile on his face. I just stared at it in awe. My heart did a flip.

Wow.

Just wow.

Dozens of memories flooded my mind all at once. From boogie-boarding with my dad in Ocean City when we were younger to walking into the hospital at Shock Trauma dazed and confused and to all of the little moments from the past 8 years that proven time and time again how strong my dad truly is.

Still amazed at the photo my mom sent us, I shook my head and ran down to show Robert. I never thought this would happen. I never thought my dad would be able to go back into the ocean.

One word came to mind as I reached the bottom of our stairs; persistence.

My dad is one of the most persistent people I know. He never gives up, he never backs down. Maybe it’s his stubbornness that pushes him forward. Maybe it is his faith and the determination to be able to keep up with his grandkids. Maybe it’s a combination of all three? Whatever the reason is my Dad has taught me to keep going. To never give up and to fight for whatever it is I want.

My dad has this incredible inner strength and self awareness that won’t ever let him settle. He doesn’t settle. No matter what life throws his way, he never settles. He learns, he adapts and he moves forward.

Persistence. Determination. Perseverance.

As I sat down next to Robert, he looked at me with a smile and said “I know. I just saw the photo. How cool is that!?”

I hope with all my heart that I have at least one tenth of my dad’s inner strength and I hope that Robert and I can go through life together with the same persistence, same determination and same perseverance as my dad.

My dad made it into the ocean and I am completely and totally stunned.

“Hi, what can I get you?” The sweet woman behind the counter at Lazy Bean Cafe in Teaneck, New Jersey just asked me as I reviewed the menu hanging above.  

“Um.. How about a Decaf coffee please, thank you so much!” I say as I hand her my credit card. 

I don’t remember the last time I ordered a decaf coffee. As I sit down and start sipping my coffee, I can’t help but feel insanely giddy about tonight (hence the decaf)! Tonight, I have the immense honor of photographing Tehilah’s Bat Mitzvah and I am beyond excited! As I sip my decaf, I feel my heart pounding and my smile spreading. why am I THIS excited!?? I mean don’t get me wrong, I get excited before I pick up my camera no matter what, but this is different, this feels special. 

As I sit here contemplating, I hear the word “Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year)” and my thoughts are abruptly interrupted as I accidentally start listening to the two ladies next to me. My heart smiles. I love Judaism. There is something so calming about it. Something so beautiful, loving and simple that makes my entire mind relax. That’s when it hits me, this is exactly it. This is exactly why I am so excited about tonight. It is another beautiful way to celebrate our heritage, our traditions. It’s another way to honor the love we have for our values, our families and our beliefs. How could I not love capturing days like this?

My alarm goes off, I finish my coffee. It’s time to head to the synagogue, it’s time to be surrounded by dozens of screaming girls, beautiful decorations and excited family members hugging and dancing. As I double check to make sure I have everything, I can’t help but think how lucky I am to be a part of such a rich culture.

“Do you want to know where we are going?” I asked as Robert as I looked over at him. He was all dressed up in his gray suite and blue tie looking as sharp as ever. He hopped into the passenger side of my KIA SOUL.

“Nope, just drive and I’ll find out once we get closer.” His boyish grin and smiling eyes made me want to do a little dance. Seeing Robert happy is the best thing in the world and going on vacation with him has flourished into my favorite past time. As we pulled away from the courthouse, I could see the stress of work wash away and the excitement of our road trip settle in.

“Are you sure you want to wait to find out!” I asked Robert impatiently as we hit the Turnpike.

Roberts sense of adventure and calmness is something I deeply admire. Don’t get me wrong, I am always up for an adventure, but Robert has such an incredibly fun, ease about him every time we travel. He enjoys every moment, every view and every activity to the fullest. He loves to see the world, experience other cultures, learn knew things. Going away with him, even for a quick weekend getaway, is pure bliss.

I looked over at Robert, waiting for his response. He shook his head, gave me a sassy look and turned on some music. Five hours later, Robert and I were still jamming and he still had no idea where we were going. I was in shock, I’ve never been very good at keeping secrets from Robert, let alone surprising him! As we drove through the thick New England Fog, I mentally patted myself on the back. I was beyond proud!

“Are we going to Newport, Rhode Island?” He asked as he read the large, green sign on the side of the road. I just grinned like a school girl. “I’ve never even heard of this place!” Robert proclaimed. And with that, all I could do was laugh.

“Aunt Yael, is your job hard?” Shira, my nine year old niece asked me as we sat behind my computer looking through some of the amazing weddings I photographed this year so far.

Shira, Eliora and Ayelet were all inspecting the galleries as if it was the most important thing they have ever done. My nieces absolutely love weddings. They love seeing the different dresses and discussing the different colors. They love pointing out the veils they like or what they don’t like. They love asking about the flower girls and ring bearers.

All my nieces want is to be flower girls. Wear the fancy dresses, sprinkle the flowers down the aisle and see their aunt tie the knot.

As I sat there watching their little faces light up, I turned to Shira, “You mean is photography hard?”

“Yes!” She confirmed as she looked up at me and away from the computer for a response.

“Well,” I began as I unconsciously started playing with Shira’s long, dirty blonde hair “I love what I do and I love my clients, but sometimes, the photo editing gets a little overwhelming.” She continued to stare at me.

“And always trying to find new clients can sometimes be challenging. I guess dealing with taxes isn’t always fun, but I do love what I do so it is all worth it!”

“OH! That doesn’t sound too hard” She said as she turned her attention back to Lauren and Mike’s wedding gallery.

I smiled. “Oh ya? Not too bad huh?”

“Maybe when I grow up, I’ll become a photographer. It looks so easy and so fun!” I let out a big laugh. Sometimes I wish I still had the decision making skills of a nine year old.

“Well it is fun!” I said matter of factly.

The youngest of the three, Ayelet, climbed on to my lap so she could reach the up and down buttons on the computer. My heart was full of so much love and pride. Here I was, surrounded by some of my favorite little people and they were actually interested in what I do every day! Not only were they interested but Shira, might even have the photography bug herself! I could not be more excited to share it with her. I mean let’s be real, she probably moved on to a different dream career already, but, just for a second, she wanted to follow her aunts foot steps and I have never felt so lucky.

 “Tail!”  Robert yelled as he started running through the tall, unkept grass. 

“What?” I said as I followed.

“TAIL! I saw something with a tail”

OH NO! Robert zipped by me making a path for me to follow, my adrenaline kicked in and I was on the move. As we rushed through the trees and snake holes, I couldn’t help but smile. There is no one else in the world I would rather run through a forest away from danger than with Robert Goldberg. There is no one else I feel safer with. Granted, maybe I should have been a little bit more terrified of the Bobcat, Mountain Lion or whatever other terrifying animal that roams the forests of New Jersey, but I couldn’t help myself, I knew I was with the one person who I could count on. I was with my person.

“So, what would you have done if the Mountain Lion saw us and went after us” I asked as my heart beat slowed down and we stepped onto the clear marked trail. 

“I would have beat him up” I shook my head and laughed. Ladies and gentleman that is Robert for you. Of course he had a plan. Of course he would know what to do in a crisis.

This man continues to amaze me. Robert’s love for adventure and thirst of knowledge is truly inspirational. I am lucky to have someone who gets me up and out from behind the camera and hiking on a Sunday morning. I am lucky to have someone who appreciates the view of the journey instead of only focusing on the destination. I am lucky to have someone who tries to live life to the fullest. I am lucky to have my Robert. 

“Aunt Yael. Do you want to go to the Five Dollar Store with us?!” My six year old niece, Ayelet asked as soon as Rob and I walked in the door. 

“We would love that” I responded. Her face lit up. “Can I get a hug now?!” I asked. She giggled and hopped into my arms. I was in my happy place.

The local Five Below is only a five minute drive from my parents house, but as we got closer and closer, Ayelet’s smile grew bigger and bigger. She tugged me out of the backseat of my sisters minivan and pulled me into the store. All nine of us paused for a second, reveled at what was before us. “Can you believe everything is only five dollars!” Shira, the oldest of the three girls said. They exchanged looks, and then went in. Aisle to aisle, toy to toy. They picked things up. Put them down. They asked questions. Consulted each other. And continued searching though all the treasure. In other words, they were in heaven.

I forgot what it was like to be six years old and have five dollars to spend. Five dollars could buy you everything you ever want. It could buy you a slinky, green slime and even a journal. It could buy you the chalk you love to draw with on a hot summer day, candy that would last you a month and a safe box that could keep all of your favorite possessions secure. Watching my nieces running around Five Below amazed and excited about everything they saw and all that they touched was so sweet and good to the cure. It was a beautiful reminder to be happy with the simple things in life.

As an adult, your five dollars can barely cover your favorite latte or toll across the Benjamin Franklin Bridge. Five dollars can’t even pay for your Netflix subscription or an audiobook but for a six year old, having five dollars is more than enough. Having five dollars is like having a key to everything you could ever ask for.

It’s funny how things go from so simple to so complicated. Granted, I know we all need to pay our rent. Our car insurance doesn’t pay for itself and our student loans will always be on the back of our mind, but every now and then, put that all aside. Take time to look at a five dollar bill from the perspective of a six year old. Take a minute to enjoy the small things in life. Take a second to remember that the simple things are sometimes the best of things.

There we were, on a roof deck bar on the 24th floor of a Manhattan hotel. The view of the city was absolutely stunning. It was the first time in years that I felt this kind of awe for the City. We were surrounded by friends. The weather was perfect and Robert and I just spent the afternoon admiring an incredible art exhibit. For the first time in years, I thought Wow, I totally get you New York.

When I was a Sophomore in college I was convinced I was a New Yorker at heart. I thought it was the only city worth living in and I could not wait to graduate from Maryland, move to Brooklyn (or Queens) and take the world by storm. I mean, the bagels and lox alone is reason enough right?

“So apparently there is a huge power outage that hit over 45000 people just a little north of here.” Ryan said as he read his news alert off of his phone.

No one seemed too concerned. The music was going. The drinks were flowing. We were totally content watching the sun go down, chatting and witnessing half of the city completely dark. It felt like nothing could touch us.

But then, all at once, the music stopped, the lights turned off, and we were sitting in darkness ourselves. The power outage finally hit our little bar oasis.

“So time to go, right?” Robert turned to me and smiled.

“Definitely!”

Robert grabbed my hand and we ran down the 24 flights of stairs, down to the street and headed to the parking garage. As we walked through the darkness, I was shocked. I felt giddy instead of overwhelmed. Maybe it had to do with the fact that I knew Philadelphia had power and as soon as we got to our car, we would be headed home. Maybe it had to do with the fact that I was with Robert and there is no one else I would rather spend a power outage with. And maybe it had to do with the way the darkness seemed to bring New York together and everyone was lending a helping hand. Or maybe it was a combination of all three… whatever the reason is, I found myself thinking again, I totally get you New York.

In todays world of glorified entrepreneurs, small business owners and collaborative work spaces, secret sauce is no longer just the hushed, untold ingredients Aunt Marge puts in her spaghetti, but its the question that keeps us, entrepreneurs, up at night and gets us out of bed early. What makes me different? What makes my company, my business, my brand, unique… What makes my clients connect with me? And what exactly is my secret sauce?

This question, this quest to find my secret sauce has been weighing on my mind a lot lately. Here I am, a 20something year old woman who loves her work, her clients and the energy that photography brings to the world. All I want to do is reach more people, photograph more beautiful events and help others document the most cherished moments of their lives. All I want is to capture emotion and love; but what is my secret sauce? What makes me the person who should do it? What makes me stand out and how, exactly do I figure what my thing is?

For weeks, months, even years, I have been trying to find the secret ingredient to the YPP’s Secret Sauce. I have asked my friends, gone on retreats, listened to seminars, read book after book, and I still cannot pinpoint what exactly it is that makes my brand unique. I couldn’t even begin to count the amount of times I have asked Robert to describe the YPP brand in three words or the amount of times I have texted Danielle with my latest perfect tagline.

As small business owners, we expect ourselves to have all the answers. I mean, it’s our own business right? We should know what’s best. But let me fill you in on a little secret… it doesn’t come easy. We spend hours upon hours researching, we seek out advice, we enlist our friends for help and we even figure out what we need to outsource. In the end of the day, owning a small business is an endless cycle of trial and error.

Today, as I was sitting in a seminar, listening to fellow entrepreneurs talk about their inspiring ventures, the question was asked… “So, Amy, what exactly is your secret sauce?” That’s when it hit me… Like all good recipes, you can’t rush it. You can’t force it. You have to keep trying different things, mixing in different ingredients and eventually, you will figure it out. Eventually, it will feel like you just stumbled upon gold. Eventually you will find the secret ingredient to your very, very secret sauce.

Happy searching my friends!

I had an ice bandage wrapped around my right hand. How did I let this happen? How did I burn myself the morning of my first day of photography school! I was sitting on the passenger side of my new roommates car. Amanda was so poised and so ready to take on the world and here I was, icing my right hand, praying that it wouldn’t blister over too much. It was just so typical Yael.

As Amanda started telling me about her kickball team, I looked out the window, taking in my surroundings. OMG. Where the heck am I? It finally hit me. I was living in New England. The part of the county where Dunkin Donuts was beloved and the Patriots were a way of life. I am actually here. I was in complete awe. It was the first time I had ever been to New England, well, besides the one time I went to Boston with my Jewish sleep away camp, but if you ask me, that doesn’t really count.

I couldn’t believe it. I mean, yes, I had been talking about moving to Western Mass for months. I knew I was doing it. I packed my bags, I said my goodbyes, I left the friends and the roommates that I adored and loved, but, I was ACTUALLY here. I was really doing it. Was I really doing this??

“And we are here!” Amanda said cheerfully. I guess I was doing this…

She made a right turn into the long parking lot of Hallmark Institute of Photography. I took a deep breath in. Am I going to make friends? We saw the welcome balloons as we drove closer to the front of the building. Am I crazy for doing this? We saw the staff smiling at us as they waved. Am I going to be any good? Amanda and I climbed out of the car, I looked down at my burnt hand. Took another deep breath in and headed towards the front door.

The second we passed through the doors, I felt an energy that I’ve never felt before. I felt an excitement that was so deep and so right that my throbbing hand was a thing of the past. I was a photography student now and nothing was going to hold me back.

“And what’s your name?” a bald fellow said as he looked right at me. He was clearly on staff and had a kindness to him that I admired instantly.

“I’m Yael.” and I reached out to shake his hand… with my non-blistering, non-burnt hand of course.

“I’m Tony. Welcome to Hallmark Institute of Photography!”

I felt my entire face smile. I was here. I was finally here and I was so unbelievably ready!

to be continued…

Missed Part I? Check it out here: “How it all Began Part I”

Need to catch up on Part II? “How it all Began Part II”

Want to read Part III?: Check it out here: “How it all Began Part III”

Robert looked confused… He was sitting across from me at Gryphon Coffee when I opened this fancy box and pulled out a pair of beautiful pink wide framed glasses.

“Why do you have glasses?!” he asked. I smiled and slid them on to my face.

“How do I look!?” I responded as I posed across from him.

At six years old, all I wanted to do was be just like my big sister in every way. So, when my mom brought her home a pair of glasses, wearing glasses became a dream of mine… at six year old. A decade later, it was my biggest fear, and now another 10 years later, I am waiting for the day my eyesight gets fuzzy and I’m going to take the plunge and buy myself a pair of real glasses.

As a photographer, I log more hours behind screens than I care to admit. I’m either sitting behind my computer, trying not to slouch, smiling as I stare at my phone responding to Instagram comments or even looking at the preview screen on the back of my camera… I am always behind screens and I am horrified to think of what the blue light is doing to my eyes and should I mention how it’s affecting my sleep!?

That’s why, when I stumbled upon Klassy Glasses, anti-blue light lenses, I was totally sold. I mean, I’m not one to impulsively buy, but when I clicked the Klassy link, I couldn’t get to the checkout page soon enough. I literally could not resist. Being a photographer, and a human, my eyes are pretty damn important and I want to do everything I can to keep from harming them.

Five days later they arrived and I was giddier than a school girl eating an ice cream cone. I love my Klassy glasses, they work like a charm. They work so well that you can 100% see the color temperature change when you look at your computer and phone. The screens are just warmer. Your eyes are less strained and you can stare at a screen way longer with Klassy Glasses on. For most humans, this is amazing, for a photographer who is constantly adjusting the color temperature of her photos, not so ideal.

On the YPP Scale of Awesomeness, I would give Klassy Glasses a 7 out of 10. They are effective, helpful, relatively well priced and adorably stylish. The only issue is that I can’t use them for the bulk of my screen work, processing photos. And let’s be real, I spend a ton of time processing photos!

For now, my Klassy glasses will always be with me, I will wear them proudly as I blog, respond to emails, post and work on my invoices. Yet, as soon as the photo processing begins, those bad boys are coming off. Because, as I say, “anything for the photo!”