Another day... Another trip to nYc.

This past weekend was spent trying to forget.   With the help of some of my good friends in Charlotte, I was able to do just that... If only for a few hours.

Sunday was spent driving North to PA.   Unfortunately, my start was later than I wished, but I was able to spend some time with my friends Randy and Jen.  Typically, I look forward to my drives as a way to catch up with friends (via cell phone) and an undisturbed opportunity to clear my head.  This time, the drive was torture.  I mind was wondering to places it shouldn't have...  I found myself dwelling.  I found myself playing the what if game.  I found myself wishing I was on my trip to Spain/France and not driving North to PA/NY.  

Spending time with my friends last night in PA was nice, and did offer me some distraction.

Today (and tomorrow) are all about working...  Shooting at the Coach studios.  Again, distraction is good.

Wednesday I will make the drive back down South and hope that I can stay focused and not dwell.

Wednesday night, Thursday night, and Sunday night are booked up with live concerts in Charlotte.   Saturday, time for college football!  Maybe some pro football on Sunday afternoon.

Monday AM, I'll be hitting the road again...   This time to the MidWest.   Much more on that later.

At long last...

Scott S. Clinton, photographer, is attempting to remove his head from is posterior.

After almost 12 months of failing to blog, I am changing my ways. Today I launched a new blog specifically for my portrait business, Simulacra Photography. Become a follower today!

This blog will serve to be more of a personal account of my photography, life, and travels.

The cat is out of the bag... I moved my principal residence to Charlotte, NC back in January. For reasons I won't go into, I chose to keep that under my hat. I am still traveling to nYc every two/four weeks for shoots and plan to continue for some time.

The past 10 months here have been interesting to say the least. Many positives, too many negatives... Both personally and professionally. I have experienced major setbacks and soul crushing let downs these past few months at the expense of my career and the people I care about. Hopefully, the worst is over and the blood letting can cease.

On the positive, Simulacra is starting to gain some traction, inquiries and bookings are both headed in the correct direction for both portraits and weddings. On a personal front, I am starting to make some great friends here in Charlotte.

October through December promises to be very busy for me with traveling and bookings, which... Is a good thing. Destinations include: NYC, Indianapolis, St. Louis, Omaha, Chicago, Nashville, Knoxville, Houston, Dallas, and Austin.

With any luck, I can make a real push in 2011 for success in my personal life, my commercial photography, and my portrait photography.

NYC to Baltimore to St. Louis to Chicago to NYC to Charlotte to Sayulita to Charlotte to NYC

September wasn't the greatest month I have ever had. I rode the emotional roller coaster up and down (more down) for the entire month. Work was slow and I struggled with the reality that my house was not selling or leasing.

October was quite the month... Lots of traveling.

During the first week of the month, I decided a road trip was in order... In an attempt to clear my head. My first stop was Baltimore, MD. My old college friend Aaron Moore (of Orange Element Design) invited me to come down and stay with his family for a couple days, and more importantly, to play in a charity golf tournament.

While I was down there, I decided to photograph his three children for him.


As a sponsor, Orange Element had two foresomes for the event.



After Baltimore, I made my way to St. Louis. There, I met up with some old college friends... Pete Khazen, Brent King, and Mike Goellner.


The main reason for my trip to St. Louis was for my yearly tradition of going to the Missouri vs Nebraska football game. Every year for the last eleven years, Brent King and I have attended his rivalry game and enjoyed every minute of it.

This year we met up with another old college friend, Nilesh Patel.

Columbia, MO had three inches of rain before kickoff and another two inches during the game.

Nebraska was down 0-12 entering the 4th quarter and went on the win 27-12!

Our tradition states that the loser buys the post game meal... When the game is in MO, our spot is always the Waffle House!

My last night in St. Louis, Brent and I met up with my old high school friend, Larry Ellis Jr. We had not seen each other since 1995.

After meeting up with Larry, it was on to one of my favorite late night STL destinations.

From St. Louis, it was on to Chicago. I had been considering Chicago as a possible place to move and felt like I needed to take another look. While I was there, I met up with a bunch of old college friends like Phil Jennings and Mark "Goofy" Smith.

Even though I went to some pretty great places like Kumas Corner and the Violet Hour, I determined that Chicago isn't for me... At least not to live.


I made the drive back to NYC/NJ. Upon my return, I truly felt like I had reached some personal conclusions. I determined that my plan of relocating to Charlotte, NC was a good one and that I needed to see it through.

After a week of working in NYC, it was time to travel again... This time to Charlotte. During my trip to Charlotte, I helped out my friend Whitney (of Preslar Studios) by photographing some of the work she had recently completed. I was also able to find the time to meet up with a couple of other old friends.

From Charlotte, I flew to Sayulita, Mexico for Justin and Janelle's wedding. At the airport in Puerto Vallarta, our group was met by a driver who just happened to have a cooler filled with ice cold cervezas!
After checking into the hotel (Villa Amor), a few of us made our way into town and more importantly to Burrito Revolution. Amazing burrito!


After putting down my burrito, I made my way back to the hotel and sat down to enjoy the view.

The next morning, 25 or 30 of us went fishing for Dorado (aka Mahi Mahi).


Justin (the groom) reeling in the first fish of the day.

Our boat won the competition with 8 Dorado.


The happy couple... After eating a bunch of the Dorado we had just caught.

After the rehearsal dinner, a bunch of us walked back to the hotel along the beach... Someone (not me) had the idea of making a group picture. This photo pretty much sums up what the bride and groom were looking for from their destination wedding weekend.
Great times.

Mr. and Mrs. Demerath (post nuptials)

With the return to the US, and eventually NYC, came responsibility... A 4 day booking shooting for Coach.

The end of the week also brought Halloween... My birthday. I was a little under-the-weather from my travels, but still managed to go out for a little while. Brian Silak, Mats Nordman, and Paul Alves were nice enough to take me out for my day of birth. We started with some Texas BBQ (Hill Country) and moved on to adult beverages at Dusk. I can neither confirm nor deny any additional stops before making it back home to the GarbageState.


Quite the month... Quite the month indeed.

A funny hat, lots of stickers, and a few energetic children

So, Saturday's charity photo shoot for KinderMourn went off without a hitch. David Perlmutt's article proved to be a key piece of the puzzle... A fifth of the days patrons heard about the event through the newspaper article. Not only did the article in question make it into the print addition of the Charlotte Observer, but it was on page 2A above the fold!

So, once again, thank you David!

Now that I have had a few days to reflect on the event, I have a short list of things I would definitely do differently next time. I must admit to being a little disappointed in the turnout. But, everyone who did come out seemed pleased with the experience. Combine that with KinderMourn being pleased, and I guess all is right with the world.

In the coming weeks I will make the determination on whether or not to do this event again... And if so, when.

Here are some non retouched examples from the shoot:

They are what they are...

One last big thank you to everyone who helped make this event possible: KinderMourn, Little Ones Magazine, Orange Element, Preslar Studios, BlackBox Studios, and Polka Dot Bake Shop and of course the good people of Charlotte, NC.

Cheers!

Scott C.
Simulacra Photography

Making an entrance

This is a short and sweet update... David Perlmutt of the Charlotte Observer just posted a very nice write up on me, my move towards making a new life in Charlotte, and most importantly, the charity photo shoot event.

Special thanks to Shana from KinderMourn for making the introductions and of course to David for the exposure.

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Photo sessions to help KinderMourn

Scott Clinton sure knows how to make an entrance.


Clinton has run a photography studio and business in New York. Yet, after 11 years, being a Nebraska boy with small-town inclinations, he decided he wanted to pull up stakes and find a saner life in Charlotte.


This week, he was still in the process of moving (he probably won't be fully moved until year's end), but he wanted to start becoming a part of the city where he hopes to build a new life.


Using the concept of cause marketing, Clinton has linked up with KinderMourn, the uniquely Charlotte nonprofit that helps family navigate through the grief of losing a loved one, and he's holding portrait sessions this Saturday to raise money for the organization.


"Anyone can come down: families, or individuals -- if you want your dog photographed, I don't care," said Clinton, from his studio in New York, where he's still packing his life into boxes. "After 11 years in New York, I decided that enough was enough. I have friends in Charlotte and had spent time here.

"I liked the city, and the way people take the time to develop relationships."


Clinton has rented space at Blackbox Studios, 3120 Latrobe Dr., suite 250 (that's in the Arnold Palmer Center off North Wendover Road). For a minimum donation of $40 -- he's suggesting you donate $100 -- you'll get a 5 to 10-minute portrait session and after a couple weeks, an 8-by-10 glossy print.


All the money raised from the sessions will go to KinderMourn. More prints will be available to buy.

The shoot will run from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., first come, first serve -- no reservations. He's getting help from Little Ones Magazine and Preslar Studio.

He chose KinderMourn because of its mission: Helping people wade through a mire of grief and rebuild their lives after they've lost someone they love.

"They do good work," Clinton said. "I'm proud to be connected with them through this effort."

In New York, Clinton has run Scott Clinton Photography, photographing mainly corporations. He recently spun off a business, Simulacra Photography, which focuses on portraits of babies, children, teenagers, adults and families.

He's moving both businesses to Charlotte.

"Moving to a new community, I felt it was important to do some good for the community, but also reach as many people as possible and establish what I do -- so it's win-win," he said. "I'm a bit of a small-town guy. Charlotte's not a small town, but it has similar values. It feels like a good fit."

-David Perlmutt, Charlotte Observer

First Steps

So, as August comes to a close and with it the end of summer, I find myself wondering where it all went. On some levels this was a very productive summer... Filled with great experiences with interesting people.

But, I can't help but think I should have accomplished more, seen more, created more.

This week is about beginnings. This week is not only the beginning of September, but also the beginning of the 2009 college football season. This is something that is very dear to me. But, more importantly, this week also begins my first serious push towards making a new life for myself in Charlotte, NC.

The first step on this long, dark, and scary road is the charity photo shoot I have put together with the help of Little Ones Magazine, Orange Element, and Preslar Studios. This shoot's proceeds are going to benefit a wonderful Charlotte based charity named KinderMourn. This special charity councils families who have lost children... regardless of age... regardless of the manner in which they died, regardless of the age of the child. This is an amazing cause and I hope to continue to support them for some time to come.



All of the design work for this event was donated by my good friends at the Baltimore design firm , Orange Element. Aaron, EJ, and Andrea really came through for me! In addition to designing the event promotions, they also designed the logo for my company and consulted in the branding of same.


My new company, Simulacra (Sim-u-lay-kra), focuses on private individuals rather than corporations, magazines, record labels, and ad agencies. Specifically: Baby Photography, Child Photography, Teen Photography, Adult Portraits, and Family Portraits.

My hope is that by doing this charity photo shoot that I not only raise money and awareness for KinderMourn, but also create a demand for my brand of high end portrait photography.

So, if you find yourself in Charlotte, NC this weekend, please come down and help support this great cause and the first step towards my new life.

Time Flies

It is hard to believe that I haven't updated the blog since the end of March. So much has happened that I don't even know where to begin.

Here are the last few months in a nut shell.
-I have lost 25 pounds.
-I have decided to leave the NY metro area for the greener pastures of Charlotte, NC.
-I have placed my house on the market and hope to sell it soon.
-I have launched my new spin-off company "Simulacra Photography."

I have traveled back and fourth between the NY metro and Charlotte quite a few times over the past couple months... Only one trip to FL.

Unfortunately, my grandmother died 12 days ago... So I have made a couple trips to Omaha.







Work in the NY metro is still very slow... My buddy Brian has been keeping me fairly busy, but it is looking really grim around here.

My roomie, Jennifer, has taken a job in San Diego and moved out last Friday.

Other than that, I have been keeping busy planning a charity photo shoot (benefiting KinderMourn) in Charlotte, NC. The event takes place on Saturday, September 5th. If you are in the area, please stop on by.



The next couple months should be pretty busy... St. Louis is a must for the annual Nebraska vs Mizzou football game. Then, we have the holidays. If I am lucky, I will have the problem of trying to figure out when and how to pack the house... And the question of where I am going to live.

I hope to be better about updating the blog... especially with the upcoming travel.