Get to Know Us. (It's a little late in coming.)

    Well, several months into blog posts and a couple years into the studio, and we're finally getting around to introducing ourselves. (And you're thinking "It's about time.") Many of our followers already know us quite well. But for those that don't, we would love for you to know a little about the people that make up Charity Jean Photography.

    We feel that there's a special connection between the photographer and the story the subject wants to tell. For that reason, we hope that we can help connect with you, our reader, by sharing a little more of ourselves.
    By the way, this is in no way an exhaustive list of the people that have helped make Charity Jean the success it has been so far. We definitely realize that. Thank you so much Tony Sherman, Rachel Frank, and everyone else that has had a hand in it! Thank you, thank you.

Cherith Lynn Plesscher
Age: 24
Occupation: Photography Business Owner/Photographer and Nurses' Aide

1. Can you give our readers a short background story of your life?

     I grew up in the U.P. of Michigan and still call it home. I was home schooled and went to two different Christian schools. I spent my freshmen year of college in Wisconsin followed by two years at LSSU. I started my photography business at the end of 2011.  Currently... I'm living on a prayer.

2. What are some of the things that inspire you?

    The first thing that comes to mind is people, but really I think it's individual moments. Moments- when it's golden hour over  a beautiful landscape. Moments- when the couple is posing for a picture, you're talking them, and you realize they are so infatuated with one another they don't even hear you. Moments- a family posing for a picture and the teenage boy lets one rip and they burst out howling in laughter. Moments- a little boy is riding on his father's shoulders and playfully covering his eyes.  The moments you can't photo shop or manufacture.

3. What did you want to be when you grew up?

    The answer would depend on what age I was when you asked me or what book I was reading. But for a large part of my life, I wanted to be a writer.

4. What DO you want to be when you grow up? (In other words, what would your fantasy future look like?)

    Honestly, worshiper. Photographer. Wife. Mother. Writer. Adventurer.

5. What is your favorite type of photography shoot (Wedding, senior pictures, etc.)?

Yikes, I guess weddings, although I have a lot of fun with seniors, families, and kids.
Nope, I think it is weddings.

6. What is one of your proudest accomplishments?
I have successfully used three full tubes of chap stick.

7. If you could travel to any country or place on earth, where would you go and why?

    Country? How about continent. Right now it's Europe. I want to see Big Ben and spot the second star to the right. Kiss the Blarney Stone in Ireland. Eat chocolate in Belgium. See the Plitvice Lakes in Croatia.  See Auschwitz, former Nazi concentration camp. Swim in the Blue Lagoon in Iceland.  See Athens, Greece, and pretend to be Russel Crow. Place a lock on Love Lock bridge and see the Mona Lisa in Paris. See the Sistine Chapel... I could go on and on.

8. Do you believe in the Lochness Monster?

    Absolutely. And you probably think I am joking.

9. Do you have any creative outlets besides photography?

     Yes. I like writing, restoring furniture, and I love music.

10. Do you think, as a photographer, it's important to maintain a creative element in aspects other than just behind a lens?
    Yes. The more you actively you do something, the easier it is to do it. And you get better at it. To be creative is a skill in itself, and it can be applied almost anywhere. From the way you handle problems, to how you decide to decorate a room.

Corinna Joy Haller
Age: 24
Occupation: Registered Nurse

1.  Tell us a little about yourself.

    I grew up on a dairy farm in Wisconsin. My family moved to Michigan in my early teens and I attended a Christian high school (where I graduated.) I've had at least one job almost constantly since I was 14 years old. Everything from working at a day care to a green house to a butcher shop. I attended two different colleges on my journey to earn a BSN degree in nursing. I'm married and work in an inpatient psychiatric unit. I'm the only daughter in my family and am the oldest of five kids. I have four younger brothers who are some of my best friends in the world.

2. Tell us one person you look up to artistically?

    Really anyone that can pursue their niche passionately without worrying about what others think inspire me. There aren't many frontiers left in our world today. I think art is one. And I appreciate people who aren't afraid to pioneer new frontiers in art. Specifically, I think my most respected artist is J.R.R. Tolkien. He was a pioneer of the fantasy genre and we owe so many brilliant ideas and inspiring concepts to him. I never get tired of anything he did and if I need inspiration, all I have to do is pick up one of his books.

3.  You had a quite a few big events happen this last year. Tell us about them?

    It's going to be hard to top all the changes that I went through this year. I was interning at the psych unit that I'm working at now at the beginning of the year.  I was also dating an amazing boyfriend at that time. I completed my BSN degree in April. The day I completed my final exam of my undergrad career, my boyfriend picked me up from school and proposed to me (apparently he had promised my parents quite a while before the proposal that he would wait until I was done with school to propose). A few days later I went through my graduation ceremony and became a grad nurse at my workplace instead of an intern. I passed my state boards for school about a month later. And about three months after that I married the man that is now my amazing husband. (I also finished my first novel and started working with Charity Jean Photography.) It was a bit of a whirlwind year. But I loved it!

4. Ninjas or Pirates?

    Pirates. Is that even a question?

5. Name one goal you have this year?
    I'm in the process of editing my first novel . I would love to finish that and ATTEMPT to publish, as well as write another.

6. What exactly do you do in Charity Jean Photography?

    Anything you [Cherith] tell me to. You da boss. ;) I usually act as second photographer for weddings and big events like that. Assist any way I can for photo shoots. And I write a lot of the blog posts.

7. What is your favorite quote of the moment?

    Hmmm....currently it's a quote by Ronda Rousy (she's arguably the best female UFC fighter in the world). "I'm scared all the time. You have to fear in order to have courage. I'm a courageous person because I'm a scared person."
    Another one I've loved for years and years is one by C.S. Lewis. “If I find in myself desires which nothing in this world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world.”

8. From where do you draw your inspiration?
    Other artists, my patients, every day life. I think every moment of every day can inspire us if we are looking for it. I've learned the more I try to create, the more I notice the world around me.

9.  What is your favorite place in the world?

    Probably the place on earth that means the most to me is the place where Chris (my husband) proposed to me. There's this little park area in our town that overlooks the river separating the U.S. from Canada. It's beautiful at night. The lights shine over the water. There's a lot of special memories for us there that started back when we first started dating. So that might be my favorite spot.

10. Have you ever seen insanity where you later saw creativity?

    All the time. I kind of see creativity where a lot of people see insanity to begin with.
    But I will see pictures or poems or...whatever, and just glance over it thinking there's just too much. Or that it doesn't have any meaning for me at that particular moment. And later I'll come back to it and it will mean something then. Maybe because I will have had a new life experience that changes my perception and I go, "Oh, I get it now." Or maybe it just had to sit in the back of my mind and brew until I come back to it and then all the pieces fell into place.
    And then there's my work environment. I work with one of the most beautiful, creative population groups in the world. I can't tell you how many patients I have that could be, or are, musicians, artists, writers, and so, so much more. I see so much creativity and inspiration in my patients.

    So there you have it. Hopefully you have a little snapshot of who we are and what makes us tick. Now you! We would love if you would "interview" us this week. Any questions you have for us you would like us to answer? No question is too ridiculous or difficult. Give us a challenge. Go!
   

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