Nick Pompei Photography: Blog https://www.nickpompei.com/blog en-us (C) Nick Pompei Photography (Nick Pompei Photography) Mon, 16 Mar 2020 06:41:00 GMT Mon, 16 Mar 2020 06:41:00 GMT https://www.nickpompei.com/img/s/v-12/u900485454-o635352285-50.jpg Nick Pompei Photography: Blog https://www.nickpompei.com/blog 120 80 52/52 - 52 Most Influential People https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2014/8/52/52---52-most-influential-people  
Nick Pompei 52/52
 

 

Meet The Person:

Nick Pompei. Technology Education Teacher at Hatboro-Horsham High School.

I have been teaching at H-H for eight years and this is my ninth year of teaching since graduating Millersville University back in 2006. Professionally, I really enjoy my job. I was fortunate enough to have two incredible teachers who got me interested in teaching, specifically Tech. Ed. It really has become exactly how I thought it would be. It’s a ton of fun, the kids are great and the school and community are awesome at H-H. It really is my second home.

I have also really enjoyed getting into photography. The black and white photography class I took at Millersville jump started my passion for taking pictures. And I was fortunate enough to have a bunch of college friends get married not long after I wanted to start taking pictures. So I got my feet wet early and it has really steamrolled from there. It has been an awesome venture for me and has led me into some awesome situations in my life. I have had some awesome clients and worked with some great people.

Personally, it’s all about family and friends for me. If I could hang out on my my patio with a good cold beer and my family, I would be perfectly content! I also really enjoy working out, competing in triathlons and anything to help stay in shape. I started doing triathlons back in 2007 and it has really been a love affair ever since. It’s taken the ‘normalcy’ out of working out and adding in a way to keep the workouts fresh. I have done dozens of tri’s with my big accomplishments being two half ironmans. I also ran my first marathon this past spring. That was without a doubt my greatest physical accomplishment yet. I really enjoyed training and running that race. I think I have the bug!

And I don’t have a beach house yet, but hopefully by the time I retire, I will have a sweet house along a coastline somewhere. That way Ashley, Cooper, the new kid and plenty of others can come down and enjoy themselves. You have to set goals right?! Even though it’s more of a dream at this point! 

 

Influence 52/52Nick Pompei

 

Influence: 

So I realize that putting myself as one of the most influential people in my life sounds extremely cocky. That’s not the point. The reason I am one of the most important people in my life is because, well, I am. You have just seen and read about 51 of the most influential people in my life. You have read their awesome stories and the way that they have impacted my life. Without them I would not be where I am today and that is a fact. But what is more concrete is the fact that if I wouldn’t have listened to them, met them, found them, had them, worked with them, loved them, etc. etc. etc. I wouldn’t be the person I am today. It’s almost philosophical in some ways. The way that everyone has impacted me has shaped me and made me into the person I am today and will be tomorrow. So while it’s my ugly mug you are looking at above, it’s really all of you and your impact that you should be looking at.

This project has been a lot more involved than I thought it was going to be. But it has been so incredibly rewarding. I wanted to give tributes to all of those people in my life but I also wanted to use this project as a reason to see people again. Some people I haven’t seen in years and this project was the perfect jumping block to see them, hang out and catch up. Life is busy. Crazy busy for everyone. And how many times do you say to yourself “man I really need to call so and so, I haven’t seen them in years.” But you just never do it because life gets in the way. Well this project helped me catch up with people even if it was just for a few minutes. It was great seeing everyone, seeing how life is going for them, what they are doing, etc. It really was a blast.

So I just want to thank everyone for their help in making this project happen. It took a lot of planning on your part to fit me into your schedule and make time for me. Not to mention you had to answer some questions and send them back to me - Nobody likes being given a writing assignment! And a big thank you to everyone who followed along every week. I hope you enjoyed yourself as much as I did. Obviously a lot of these people you don’t know but I hope their stories helped inspire you just a little bit as well.

There are so many other people who I could have included in this project. Really, I could have given you 100 or more people! But the 51 people you have seen over the last year just mean that much more to me. I hope you had fun reading and I hope that instead of making an excuse of being too busy to hang out or talk with someone special in your life, reach out. It doesn’t take long and life is just too damn short.

Thanks everyone! 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) 52 canon influence marathon photographer photography project running teacher teaching triathlons week https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2014/8/52/52---52-most-influential-people Sun, 31 Aug 2014 17:13:13 GMT
51/52 - 52 Most Influential People https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2014/8/51/52---52-most-influential-people  
Ashley Pompei 51/52
 

 

Meet The Person:

Ashley Pompei. Director of Marketing and Business Development, Montgomery Mall.

Professionally, Ashley enjoys working behind-the-scenes in the shopping center environment. She has been working in the shopping center industry for almost six years with a degree in Marketing from Millersville. As the Marketing Director, she gets to bring ideas to life and gets to work with all kinds of people with always evolving projects. She enjoys working in an industry where people can come to have fun and de-stress with the company of their friends or family for a leisurely activity of shopping.

As a kid and teenager, Ashley enjoyed spending many weekends at this same mall. Now that she is working here as the Marketing Director, it really has come full circle for her. She gets to work on new things, like the big redevelopment project that is currently under way. It’s cool for her to see things evolve from start to finish, with a lot of moving parts and countless details in between. Not many people get to work in an industry that they consider a “hobby,” so she feels fortunate to do something that she also thinks is “fun” at the same time.

Personally, Ashley’s family and friends are the most important things in the entire world. Without those certain special people in her life, she wouldn’t be the same person and she loves each and every one of them in so many different ways. She tries to take a few moments to stop and look back on her life and the specific memories and reflect on those because she realizes just how lucky she is to have some many wonderful people in her life. She likes to look at old photos, reminisce about past vacations or just laugh from retelling stories to help keep her down to earth and makes her appreciate life for what it is. Thinking about all of those things keeps Ashley excited for what the future has to hold an what kind of new memories will be created.

Ashley also enjoys wine (when she is not pregnant) trying new beers (thanks to her brother, Jeremy) good food, mint chocolate chip ice cream, Dairy Queen blizzards, pedicures and foot massages, the beach (she would take any beach but has a particular love for the Outer Banks of North Carolina since she grew up going there, was engaged there and got married there,) her sweetheart dog Cali and as noted above, shopping and fashion. She also likes interior design stuff and sometimes working out and running when she can get into a groove. Maybe someday she will join her husband and run a marathon...maybe. Summer is her favorite season followed by a close second to fall, mainly because it leads into Christmas (her favorite time of year!) She also likes to entertain and throw a good party, an attribute she got from her Mom and she also appreciates the beauty of nature and music, which she inherited from her Dad.

Being a mom and a wife is something that Ashley always wanted to do and she hit the jackpot being able to share her life with Nick and Cooper. With a new baby on the way, she cannot wait for Cooper to have a brother or sister and she hopes they can form a bond that only siblings can create and endure. She loves watching Cooper every day as he comes up with something new and watching the little wheels turn in his head. It is challenging and scary at times to raise a child, but she trusts she is doing the best she can. She loves her family and her ultimate goal in life is to have the same kind of relationship with our children the way Nick and I are both lucky enough to have with each of our parents.


From Ashley “I always go by the old adages, ‘life’s too short’ and ‘everything happen for a reason’. I know they are both so cliché but that is what I believe. Life is too short to worry and stress about little, meaningless details. Have fun and create your own happiness with what you’ve been given and try not to take things too seriously. If something bad happens, yes, it sucks and can be devastating, even life altering at the time, but there is a plan for everyone and everything will work out the way it’s supposed to in the end.”

 

 

Influence 51/52Ashley Pompei 7 months pregnant and looking more beautiful than ever

 

Influence: 

Ashley. Ash. Babe. Honey. Hun. Sweetie. Wife. Mom.

I know that I had said that with this project, the numbers or weeks didn’t matter. Just because you were week XX, did not mean you were the XX most important person to me. Every person has a special place in my life. However, this week is different. This is it, numero uno. My wife, the most important person in my life. There are just so many angles in which I could go in this write up. I could talk for days about our first summer together. It was easily the best time of my life. I could talk about our time in college together and all of those great memories. I could talk about life after college, getting our first apartment together, buying our house, having our son, etc. etc. etc. But I honestly feel as though all of that may fall on some deaf ears. Many times, people don’t want to hear the mushy stories and could really care less. And I get that. So, while trying to figure out exactly what I wanted to say to best represent my wife, I was digging through my old shoe box that contains dozens and dozens of letters, notes, cards, and other little things from our time together since we started dating way back in 2001. And before I even got to start digging, I found it - the letter she wrote to me right before our son Cooper was born in April of 2012. The letter was awesome and she said so many wonderful things about me. I had it written down before but realized maybe it was best kept between us.

Here's a fun story on when we were out on our first or second real date. We were out having dinner and I mentioned to Ashley how I really didn't want a girlfriend and that I was hoping to just be good friends. I didn't want to get stuck in another long term relationship and really didn't want it to end bad. So I threw that out there. It was funny because she replied with nearly the same thing. Saying that she didn't mind that either. Well I think I blinked and it's over 13 years later! Not sure how that happened but I know one thing for sure - I am so damn glad it all worked out like it did! These last 13 years have easily been the best years of my life. I cannot imagine how my life could really be any different and just how different it would be without her. My life rocks and so does my wife! 

 My life is complete with you and it only gets better every day. I luve you so much Ashley! 

 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) 52 best business friend lover mall mom mommy project week wife https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2014/8/51/52---52-most-influential-people Sun, 24 Aug 2014 13:14:25 GMT
50/52 - 52 Most Influential People https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2014/8/50/52---52-most-influential-people  
Nicole Link 50/52
 

 

Meet The Person:

Nicole Link. Coolest sister ever and stay at home mom.

Professionally, Nicole has a bachelors in Elementary Education and a Masters in Special Education. But she has landed her dream job, being a stay at home mom. She loves making sure her daugther Hadley’s needs are met and that she is as happy and healthy as possible. She loves seeing her wake up and discover or learn something new.

Personally, Coley enjoys Pintrest. Yes, Pintrest. She also enjoys cheerleading, random tv shows, country music (please don’t hold that against her) and taking way too many pictures of her daughter Hadley and their little dog, Howard. She also loves her family to death. Her husband works a lot of hours so they can have a great family and so she can have the best job ever.

It would be remiss not to let Coley share a cliff notes version of her story:

“Well, 11 years ago we were told I had an "inoperable" brain tumor.  A very long story short. After WE, not I, endured endless appointments, we were led to our hero, Dr. Patrick Kelly at NYU who performed the life saving tumor removal 10 days after I graduated from high school.  I guess you can say, that was the day our whole world changed.  Although I survived the surgery and Tommy the twin tumors were removed, I was left with left sided paralysis. Well, I guess you can say I was naive because I didn't realize going in to the surgery that I could come out this way.  Would I have done anything different prior to the surgery, HECK NO!  Do I wish   I would have put my hair in one more ponytail, done one more toe touch, held a baby with 2 hands?  Na, because this is who I was suppose to be in life.  This is me.  I have figured out how to do pretty much everything you 2 handed people do but guess what... I do it with one hand tied behind my back!! If I told you there weren't speed bumps  on this road, that would be a lie.  The MOST DIFFICULT had to have been experiencing Bells Palsy one week prior to delivering Hadley and still be dealing with it 6 months later.  I dreamed of looking in to our precious little girl's eyes when she came into this world, and her looking in to mine.   After so many years of progress, this was a slap in the face.  It was devastating  to be kicked down.  But our precious little girl was healthy and that was all that mattered.  Personally, I hope Thomas and I can raise Hadley with the same values our parents have instilled in us.  If we can do that I would say that is probably the greatest accolade, both personal and career.
6.Anything else you’d like to tell people about yourself?

Casper is only 2 years old and is the coolest cat on the block and we almost snuck him in to the hospital after my surgery! Instead, my dad took a picture of him laying on the counter and brought it up when he came that night!!   I have the best parents and appreciate everything they have given me, especially my brother Nicholas Jamesway Pompei, he isn't my brother, he is my BFF." 
 

 

Influence 50/52Nicole Link Coley, looking beautiful as always

 

Influence: 

Nicole. Coley. Cole. Cole-ass. Coley Bungholy. Toley. Toley Bungholy. Bitch. Sista.

She is my sister, my only sibling and is younger than me. But I am older, wiser, better looking, smarter, funnier, cooler, etc. etc. but I don’t hold that against her. I’m just that awesome!

Nicole and I grew up fairly close. We fought as most siblings do but we had a great relationship. We both grew up involved in sports. I played football and she was a cheerleader. And we followed that path for many many years. I was a pretty good athlete as a young kid and somewhat fell off as I got into high school. Nicole went the other way. She got better and better the older she got. She was an incredible athlete by the time she was in high school and was peaking in her junior and senior years of high school. She was an awesome gymnast, a very solid track and field athlete and an incredible cheerleader. So good that at the end of her junior year she was voted as the National Cheerleader of the Year in 2002. Yes, you read that correctly. The number one cheerleader in the entire US! And by doing so was also the very first cheerleader from the Northeast since the award began in 1988. She was featured on the local news, on the cover of national cheerleading magazines, was part of the NFL Pro Bowl prestigious show, etc.

She was legit and she worked damn hard at it. She was jacked too. You certainly didn’t want to piss off Coley because she had bigger muscles than you. But one of the coolest things I have ever seen her do athletically was her pike jump. For those of you who were fortunate enough to not spend weekend after weekend stuck inside a hot gymnasium with thousands of screaming and crying cheerleaders, a pike is a jumping split. You jump as high as possible, then bring your legs out to the side and raise them as high as you can, then land back on your feet. Coley could hit a pike that would make you think about gravity being real. She would jump so high that her legs would get above your head standing on the ground. Think about that. I am 5’8” on a good day with some well cushioned shoes but my sister could jump that high then split her legs out to the side. It was incredible.

But as with all great athletes, sooner or later your time comes when you can’t perform at that high of a level anymore or something happens to you physically where your career is cut short. In my sister’s case, a brain tumor put an end to a prestigious athletic career. Towards the end of her senior year in 2003 she was diagnosed with a brain tumor. The brain tumor was in a really bad spot, growing near the base of her brain stem. Many doctors in the Philadelphia area would not do the surgery for multiple reasons. So my family had to seek out national medical specialists. Lucky for everyone, we found Dr. Patrick Kelly at NYU. So just a week after graduating high school, Nicole was undergoing brain surgery in New York City. The surgery was about as successful as it could have been. But one of the big problems to come from the surgery was partial paralysis due to the tumors physical location in her brain. So ever since the end of June 2003, my sister has been partially paralyzed on her left side. She had to relearn how to do nearly everything. Talking, eating, walking, etc. It was a long and grueling summer for her. But as you can tell from above, Nicole is not just any normal girl. She’s one tough cookie. She has relearned how to walk and use her left hand in everyday life. So good that she can handle her little ball of awesomeness, her daughter Hadley!

So while things did not go exactly to plan for Coley, she has done an amazing job. What in life goes as planned? Very little. Life is about zigging and zagging through challenges. It’s about taking what is in front of you head on and dictating the outcome yourself. Bad things happen to good people all the time, it’s a sad but inevitable part of life. But I can guarantee you that if you were to ask my sister she wouldn’t change a thing. And if I were to have asked her just before her surgery, that in 11 years, if she could be married to a great guy and have a cute little baby girl, would she trade that for a brain tumor? She would have asked me where to sign up! Things could have been so different had she not gone through her ordeal. She was planning to go away to college and she had many offers from big schools. Imagine had she gone away to some southern SEC school, met some jerk who treated her like crap? I would have gone down there to kick his ass, ended up in jail and not have been able to teach. Coley and this jerk would have reconciled while I was in jail, he would have knocked her up at age 19 and she would have dropped out of school. He would be trying to pursue his “career” in the karaoke business as a singer while she would be scrubbing the floors of their ‘Christmas Vacation’ style RV (it’s a genuinly on wheels.) So you can see how bad things could have been. So yeah, things have turned out pretty damn good for my sister!

Coley ate wild berries as a kid, enjoyed The Brady Bunch, dated like every boy at our high school and enjoyed the life of a younger sibling. That meant that she could do no harm. I got grounded if the wind picked up outside, meanwhile Coley could come home way after curfew and my Mom would bake her a cake just because. She never really seemed to have to do chores and could basically do whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted. Damn that must have been nice!

So as you can see, my sister is one of a kind. She’s the toughest person I know and I know a lot of people who can do some incredible things. She should be really proud of what she has accomplished in her life thus far (she will be 30 this September!) But she should really be proud of what she has meant to so many people. I don’t know if I have gone a few weeks in over 11 years where I have not had someone ask me how she is doing. And after I tell them how good she is doing they always seem to get this internal happiness or glow about them. You can really see that they are genuinely happy and they usually always follow it up with something along the lines of “Wow, that’s great! She’s such a special person.” Or something like “your sister is amazing, Nick.” People really care about her and always remember her story. And to me, there is nothing more emotional, thoughtful and downright special than when people ask me about her. The fact that people take a minute out of their day to ask about her means how much she has meant to them. Some people have never met her and only know her from my stories but they still care. I have an Uncle who I don’t get to see often who lives in Virginia and every single time I see him he asks how my sister is doing. Every single time, he’s never missed. Not once. He remembers every detail I told him the last time and he tells so many people in his life about her. He’s only met my sister maybe two or three times but he cares about her so much. And damn if that is not just the coolest thing. It’s just how much of an impact my sister has on this planet. It’s pretty remarkable.

I need a lot of motivation in my life to stay competitive in racing. I need to continually challenge myself to race harder, go longer and push myself harder year in and year out. And ever since I watched my sister lose her ability to do that incredible pike jump, I have taken it upon myself to continue those athletic endeavors. I have people tell me I am crazy for running a marathon, doing triathlons, swimming across lakes, etc. And so many times people ask me why I want to do things like that. The answer is so very simple. Because I can.

I love you Coley,

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) 52 and athlete cheerleader coach field gymnast mom of project sister the track week year https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2014/8/50/52---52-most-influential-people Sun, 17 Aug 2014 12:45:00 GMT
49/52 - 52 Most Influential People https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2014/8/49/52---52-most-influential-people  
Adam Killion 49/52
 

 

Meet The Person:

Adam Killion. Technology Education Teacher at Hatboro-Horsham High School. This September will start his seventh year at H-H.

Professionally, Adam is most passionate about trying to help each student progress their life in and out of school. Seeing the kids day in and day out excite him the most. Watching the kids just be kids is something he gets a kick out of.

Personally, Adam is most passionate about spending time with family and friends. He also enjoys camping, motorcycles, volleyball and soccer (don’t hold that last one against him folks.)

 

Influence 49/52Adam Killion Adam riding his custom built 1968 Harley Davidson Shovelhead

 

Influence: 

Harley guy. Old School. Throwback.

Adam and I have been working together for six years now at Hatboro-Horsham High School. We work together as a unit at school. We are both the Technology Education teachers and work side by side. Adam is the mechanical drafting, architecture and engineering specialist. He has taken our department from a ho-hum dumping ground to a legitimate, well-rounded place for our kids to learn. Every year he is diving into new programs to stay on top of the changes in the real world. He works really hard at keeping his lessons fresh and engaging for the students.

He and I have become really good friends over the years. Working alongside someone like Adam is great. It really reminds me of the relationship that our high school Tech. Ed. teachers had at Pennridge. Mr. Miller and Mr. A were our mentors and inspiration for doing what we do now. They had an awesome relationship between themselves. Mr. A was the fun, goofy and slightly crazy teacher while Mr. Miller was the slightly more reserved, regimented and focused teacher. They complimented each other perfectly. They could finish each others sentences and thoughts. They ran an awesome program. I feel as though Adam and I are well on our way to the same thing at H-H. The kids enjoy having us both and feel like we have a good thing going between our classrooms. It’s certainly a lot of fun and makes going to work every day a blast.

Adam is also a big motorcycle guy. He’s been riding bikes since his late teenage years and has built and or modified nearly every Harley he has owned. He doesn’t buy new Harleys because he enjoys working on older ones. His latest creation is a beauty. Here are the pictures from a few years back after he finished working on it - http://www.nickpompei.com/akillion . This shoot also was featured in a really cool Harley/Custom motorcycle magazine called ‘Show Class.’ It was the first publication of my photographs so it was a real honor. Adam being the good dude he is, made me a really nice custom wood framed display of the published magazine pages. It was a great touch and is hanging proudly in my office!

He’s constantly looking to upgrade or change his bike at all times. Just about a year after he had the bike above done, he had it torn down and changed up all kinds of stuff - just because! You just have to love that!

We have already had a lot of fun in our first few years as growing teachers. We are now entering that long road to retirement together. We have changed our department around in many different ways to really make it our own. We go to conferences and student competitions together throughout the year. Those are the times I look forward to the most during the school year. We hang out outside of the classroom and have grown very close. It’s a great friendship with a little work thrown in there!

Thanks for being a great teacher and co-worker. But thanks for being a great friend as well, Adam! 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) 52 architect bike drafting ed engineer gear harley head millersville motorcycle pennridge portrait project shovel teacher tech week https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2014/8/49/52---52-most-influential-people Sun, 10 Aug 2014 18:05:02 GMT
48/52 - 52 Most Influential People https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2014/8/48/52---52-most-influential-people  
Frank Spadafora 48/52
 

 

Meet The Person:

Frank Spadafora. Pipefitter.

Frank has been pipefitting for 20 years now. Professionally, Frank is most passionate about retirement and gets very excited to come home.

Personally, Frank really enjoys the outdoors. Taxidermy, archery hunting, fishing, four wheeling, working in his garden, making wine, watching Looney Tunes with the family and “fixing everything my wife breaks.” Frank has enjoyed archery hunting for 32 years now and one of his most memorable accolades was scoring a trophy buck from Illinois.
Frank has been with his wife Judy for 16 years now, being married for 11 years. They have two great daughters, Madelyn who will be 13 in September and Alyssa who turned 10 in April.
From Franky: “My wife say I’m gorgeous, hysterical and can cook good eats! I also hate Obama.”

 

Influence 48/52Frank Spadafora Franky riding his four wheeler 

 

Influence: 

Franky. Character. Cousin. Funny ass dude.

If the responses above didn’t set up this blog, I am not sure what else would! Franky is the last of the four Spadafora cousins (Elio, Mike, Jeanine.) And he certainly is not the least entertaining. Which if you know any of the Spadafora’s, you know how funny they all can be.

Franky has one of the best laughs you will hear in a person. It’s a deep down belly laugh that is infectious. He will get you laughing and follow right along with you. The stories that he can tell will have you laughing so hard you will be crying. The old family stories of the Spadafora’s are like something out of an Italian hollywood movie (minus the mobster influence.) Cursing, hitting, laughing, fighting, you name it and it comes out of his stories. One of my favorites that I have heard countless times is the “pass it down” story. They were all sitting at the table eating dinner and Franky was doing something his father didn’t like. So his Dad smacks his brother Mikey (sitting right next to his dad) in the head. Mikey looks at his dad in complete shock and says “what was that for?!” “Pass it down to your brother” was the response Mikey got. When you hear that story coming from Franky and Mikey, in their boustrous story telling, you will be crying when it’s done!

Another great story about Franky was one day at his parents old house in Perkasie. I was there, and was maybe five years old. Franky comes pulling up in his older Chevy muscle car, pops the hood and flames come shooting out. Him and his buddies scrambled to put the fire out. For whatever reason I can still vividly see his black car, white stripes on fire in the driveway! It wasn’t funny but it’s just one of the things I remember about Franky!

Frank is a very talented guy. He is really good at his job (despite hating it!) has great skills mechanically and is a wizz in the garden. When I was at his house taking his picture he showed me his garden. It’s a serious garden, not just some little spice garden. This thing is serious business and he really takes a lot of pride in it. The food that comes out of that garden helps feed his family and that is something that I love. He also makes his own wine with all kinds of variations. The guy can do it all!
Franky has always been that cousin that I enjoyed seeing. Between all four of the Spadafora cousins I have seen Franky the least over my lifetime. So whenever I do get the chance to see him, his wife and their girls, it’s always fun. I can say over the 31 years of my life, I have never seen him in a bad mood. I am sure he may have been a few times but you could fool me. Anytime you see Franky it’s a guaranteed lock that you will hear a hilarious story. He keeps a smile on your face all the time.
Thanks for the laughter and for being a positive influence, Frank! 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) 52 bike cousin dad family fitter gear head hvac mechanic motorcycle pipe portrait project week https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2014/8/48/52---52-most-influential-people Mon, 04 Aug 2014 00:19:33 GMT
47/52 - 52 Most Influential People https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2014/7/47/52---52-most-influential-people  
Debby Kieffer 47/52
 

 

Meet The Person:

Debby Kieffer. Domestic Engineer. Child Whisperer.

Debby has been involved in child care one way or another for over 30 years. Her job as a mom is what she has always wanted to do. Ever since she was a little girl, it is what she had dreamt of doing and feels very fortunate to have been able to live her dream. Now with grandkids and grandpets, she adores spending time with them as they give her great joy.

What excites Deb most about her professional life is when she is working with children and teaching them something new. She loves seeing the excitement on their face when they “get it” and has made a difference in that kid’s life. Debby also enjoys seeing kids out in public that she has had over the past and they remember her and are excited to see her. They then tell her a story from when she was watching them when they were younger and their parents tell her that ‘they still talk about you!’ Makes her feel like she did something good. The innocence of kids - how they can teach you just as much as you have them.

Personally, Debby loves to take care of her family. She enjoys vacationing with the family to the beach or other places, hanging out with friends and people who enjoy life and know how to laugh. She likes dogs (she keeps treats in her purse in case she runs into one while she is out!) She also enjoys Italian hoagies with oil, no mayonaise (I like mayo on my Italian hoagie - got a problem with that?!) strawberry Twizzlers, red wine and fresh flowers in the house. She is a big birthday person and loves to celebrate her own as it’s her special day and reminds her that she is lucky to have lived another year! She really enjoys cooking, entertaining and throwing a great party. She also likes to spend a Saturday or Sunday canoeing with her Husband Larry.

Deb is proud to have completed a few 5k’s and has committed to living a healthy lifestyle by eating well and exercising. She has aspirations to complete something longer than a 5k. Over the years she was involved in many volunteer positions while the kids were in school. She was a homeroom mom, lunchroom monitor, brownie leader and cookie mom, PTO president and treasurer, treasurer for the Pennridge Boys Lacrosse team and head cook for the 5th grade camping trip amongst many, many other roles.

Deb was head of the infant room while working in a daycare/pre-school, wrote an infant manual, and headed up various trainings for new employees.

She has been happily married for 33 years to an amazing man and has raised two kids who have turned into extraordinary adults that have been fortunate enough to also find extraordinary partners; something any parent could only wish for!

Deb loves life and the people who have chosen to be in this journey of hers - thank you!
 

 

Influence 47/52Debby Kieffer Deb in the kitchen preparing one of her great meals

 

Influence: 

Deb. Debby. Mrs. Kieffer. Mrs. K. Mom.

Any way you sling it, she’s the best! She is technically considered my mother-in-law but that’s just a title. She’s my Mom and I love her. Over 13 years ago, we met when I picked up Ashley to go out on a little date. Since then she has been such a big part of my life.

Deb and I are very alike. We are both Capricorns (birthdays a day apart) who like things structured, neat, and done in a timely fashion. Type A personality all the way. But what I love most about her is her attitude. She’s always happy. She’s always willing to do anything for you at any time. She spoils the hell out of you and she enjoys doing it. There aren’t many people like her. She’s a fantastic cook and entertainer. She really goes all out at even the smallest occasions.

It’s funny how true the old adage is about marrying someone. You really are marrying their mother, too. And in my case, there’s nothing wrong with that! I have the best relationship with my in-laws. There are so many people who don’t have a great relationship with their in-laws, which really is a shame. I don’t know any better. To me, the Kieffers are my family but they are also great friends. I enjoy hanging out with them whenever I can. Deb will always feed you with great food and Larry will have a beer in your hand at a moments notice. Can’t beat that!

Deb is also great with kids. She really is a child whisperer. She has been involved in some sort of child-care for most of her life. Her patience with children is amazing. She can seemingly turn off their crying and tantrums. I don’t know how she does it! And it’s amazing to see how many relationships she has gained over the years with those kids and the parents of those kids. She helped teenage moms raise their children, family friends, and strangers alike. To her, they are all special. She still maintains friendships with the families and the kids. They just love seeing her and its as if she is still a part of their life. As a teacher who sees kids come and go, it really is amazing to see the impact she has had on those kids. Kudos to her.

But to me, one of Debby’s best attributes is her caring. She is always asking how you are, what you are doing, how your day was, did you have fun, tell me about this, tell me about that. She cares so much about you and what you are doing in life. She remembers if you are doing something in the coming weeks or if you did something a few weeks ago. And she cares about what you are doing regardless of what it is. She’s just a sweetheart, plain and simple. She makes you feel important, even if you are just the average person.

When Ashley and I started dating over 13 years ago, I had no idea we would end up married and with the great families that we now have. The Kieffers are some of the nicest people I have ever been around and it’s even better knowing they are my parents. Debby has had such a great impact in my life and I love her to death. Thanks for being you Deb, I love you. 

 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) 52 entertainer family in influence law mom mother portrait project week wine https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2014/7/47/52---52-most-influential-people Sun, 27 Jul 2014 12:28:32 GMT
46/52 - 52 Most Influential People https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2014/7/46/52---52-most-influential-people  
Jeremy 46/52
 

 

Meet The Person:

Jeremy Kieffer. Deschutes Brewery Pennsylvania Market Manager. Brother-In-Law.

Jeremy is extremely fortunate to be able to combine a personal passion with his educational background of Marketing & Sales Management in a profession that he can actually make a career out of. Nobody understands what he really does, so he just says he sells beer. Amazing beer. Damn tasty beer! Specifically, Jeremy is the Sales and Marketing representative in Pennsylvania for Deschutes Brewery. He has been in the beer industry for seven years.

Jeremy is personally passionate about many things. He enjoys music, leading a healthy lifestyle, the beach, sports, beer, friends and family and making fun of his brother-in-law - wait a minute…

 

Influence 46/52Jeremy Kieffer Jeremy with all of his closest friends

 

Influence: 

Jeremy Kieffer. Beer guy. Brother-In-Law. Pain in the ass.

I love my wife’s family. They are the best. The only reason I was hesitant to marry my wife was because of her brother. Jeremy is, well, he’s a bit of a pain. Let me explain:

Jeremy enjoys many of the same things I enjoy. That’s annoying. Jeremy introduced me to the wonderful world of craft beer, effectively adding countless empty calories to my diet and making me spend way too much money. He goes on vacation with us and cuts his head open within the first 15 minutes of being there just to take the attention away from me. He gives me tons of free beer to drink, making it seem like I am too poor to buy my own. He buys extravagent beer, and shares them with me instead of just rubbing it in my face of how nice of a guy he is. He shows up at my friends wedding and tears his ACL and MCL while showing me up on the dance floor.

So you can clearly see why I can’t stand having him as a brother. It’s very difficult to be around Jeremy. But I have put up with him ever since he was a 14 year old little dork. Just shows how much I love his sister and parents.

Joking aside, Jeremy has become one of my best friends and has truly become my brother. We share so many of the same interests. We both enjoy trying to get to the beach and surf, especially on vacation down in the Outer Banks. We also love to drink beer. Jeremy has really found a great niche in the beer industry and as he mentioned above, has turned a passion into a career.

Five years ago, my best friend Jay, Jeremy and I went on a road trip down to St. Augustine, Florida. We then stopped at a bunch of different beach towns on our way back, taking out time and to see the east coast. It was that week that Jeremy introduced me to craft beer. Being a crappy Miller Lite drinker, I let my guard down and boy am I glad I did. He eased me in nice and slow, starting with the lighter beers so I could develop a good taste. Slowly but surely, I came around and now I absolutely love craft beer. And now that Jeremy has worked for two different craft breweries, I get the chance to try new beers before they hit the market and hear the inside scoop on what’s coming next and how the brewers decide on their beers. The other fantastic perk of having a brother in the industry is his penchant for rare brews himself. He has shared some very rare and expensive beers with me that I would never have even known about had it not been for him. It’s a give and take relationship - he gives me good beer and I take them!

Jeremy and I have a great relationship besides the booze. We love trying to surf together when he doesn’t get his head split open by his surf fin right when we jump into the water. We have vacationed down in the Outer Banks for years now and love getting out whenever the surf is up. We will both stand on the deck watching the waves break looking for the best time to head out and the best spot to go. And now that I have Cooper in my life, I cannot wait until we can bring him out with us!

I love having Jeremy in my life. He has been my brother for nearly half of my life and I wouldn’t change a thing. I love spending time with him in whatever we get to do together. And now that he has moved back to the area, it makes spending time together that much easier. Thanks for making me a drunk and for letting me date your sexy sister. Dork. Love ya.
 

 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) 52 beer brewery brother business deschutes family in law project sister surfing week https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2014/7/46/52---52-most-influential-people Sun, 20 Jul 2014 21:33:15 GMT
45/52 - 52 Most Influential People https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2014/7/45/52---52-most-influential-people  
Mom 45/52
 

 

Meet The Person:

Lee Ann Pompei. Nurse. Mom. Grandmother.

Lee Ann has been nursing now for 37 years, most of those being at an OB-GYN doctors office. She loves seeing the babies and their parents who are so happy to be starting their lives together. Since she has been there, she has seen those “babies” who are now young adults that are patients at the office.

Personally Lee Ann is most passionate about her family and friends. She’s proud to be a wife and mother. She and my Dad have been married for 36 years, have two great children and their spouses and now two and a half grandchildren - which is the best thing ever! Other than being with her family, she loves the beach, the water, dancing, traveling, crafting, music and nature.

Lee enjoyed helping out at Deibler Elementary school (our school growing up) with the PTO and learning support programs with Mrs. Sturza and of course Green/White day. Lee Ann was also a very successful cheerleading coach for the Pennridge Greenjackets Pop Warner team as well as Pennridge High School. She would love to still be coaching but her work hours keep her from doing so. She was the Bux-Mont cheer coordinator for Pop-Warner and was a Greenjackets cheerleading officer on the board.

Lee Ann is most grateful for having family and friends who have supported our family to help her raise two awesome children. Her cup runneth over! 

 

Influence 45/52Lee Ann Pompei Mom doing what she does best - sitting at the beach enjoying the sun! 

 

Influence: 

Mom. Mommy. Momz. Momma. The one who brought me in and certainly would be the first to take me out if she needed to!

Growing up, my Mom was the disciplinarian. She wore the pants in the household and you didn’t dare cross her. She was pretty hard on me in nearly every facet. I had to get good grades and go to school every day. I would have had to have been on my death bed in order for her to let me stay home sick. I constantly had to do chores around the house both inside and out. I wasn’t allowed to hang out with certain kids and had a curfew that was set in stone. Mess up even the slightest bit and I was grounded. I think I was grounded once for increasing darkness towards nighttime. She held her ground with me and certainly made it hard on me to slip up in any way. And it worked because I didn’t want to piss her off and feel the wrath of my mom! Now if you were my sister on the other hand, you could have gotten away with murder and it would have been fine. But that’s for another day!

My Mom is a hard worker. She is a registered nurse and has been working at the Doylestown Womens Health center on and off my entire life. She spent many of our early years at home, being a stay at home Mom. Once we were old enough, she went back to working full time. She was also tireless working around the house. She was always cleaning inside and gardening like crazy outside. She has an uncanny green thumb that I have no idea where it came from. Ask her nearly any plant, flower, shrub, and she will tell you what it is, what type of sunlight it needs, etc. It’s amazing. I swear, every single weekend that we were not busy with sports or a family party, she was gardening or doing something outside.

She is also a beach nut. She is always the first one on the beach and the last one to leave just before dinner. When we would get a house at the beach, if you were looking for my mom, you just had to look out the window towards the ocean and there she was, in her beach chair reading a book. She’s a beach bum and loves being by the water. I get my love for the beach from her. We used to go the Outer Banks of North Carolina every single year and we still try to get down as often as we can now a days. I fell in love with the beach right away and was so privileged to have the chance to be at the beach at least once a summer growing up. I always wanted to have a beach house (I know, who doesn’t?!) but now I want one more than ever. And I don’t want one just for myself anymore, I want it for my family. I want Cooper to grow up at the beach and enjoy everything it has to offer. I want him to learn how to boogie board, surf and swim in the ocean. It’s something that I always wanted as a kid. I wanted to grow up a little surfer dude, hanging out in a beach town, living that beach life. I would love for my kids to have that opportunity. So if anyone knows a way to win the lottery, I am all ears!

There are a million stories I could tell you about my mom. But none of those really matter when you know how great she is. She’s the definition of the word mother. Loving, protective and caring. She would do anything for me and I know I can ask her for anything. A little over two years ago I was no longer her baby. My son Cooper became her new baby. I guess at 29 years old that has to happen sooner or later right? If you were around when she was raising me, things have changed. Like, a lot! She’s soft now. No more yelling, slapping and grounding. Cooper has her wrapped around his finger and nobody likes that more than Cooper and my mom. He wants something, he gets it and she loves to spoil him. But that’s what grandmothers are for. Spoil them rotten then send them home to let the parents deal with the fallout! Cooper just loves his ‘Nonnie’ (Italian for grandmother) and his face lights up when he sees her. Both my mom and my dad have been great with their first grandchild. We can call them up for anything and they are there for us no matter what. It’s a great thing to have as a parent and they have helped us out countless times.

So while Cooper is eating some cookies, I am grounded in my room writing this blog. Thanks for being a great mom and for teaching me the hard knocks while growing up. Many would say you’ve done a good job because I think I have turned out okay. But I will say it anyway, thanks mom. I love you.
 

 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) 52 beach cheerleading family grandmother greenjackets influence mom nurse pennridge pop portrait project warner week wife https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2014/7/45/52---52-most-influential-people Sun, 06 Jul 2014 14:21:20 GMT
43/52 - 52 Most Influential People https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2014/6/43/52---52-most-influential-people  
Elio Spadafora 43/52
 

 

Meet The Person:

Elio Spadafora. Cousin and Modern Day Medieval Archer…

Elio is passionate about his work and his play! He said there really is no way to separate the two. He is equally passionate personally and professionally about archery and hunting. As a child he was always outside running and getting into one thing or another. But once he was introduced to hunting and archery, he was hooked forever! Poppop (our grandfather - Mommom’s husband) got him his first two bows. One was a suction cup bow and arrow set that he used to shoot and stick arrows on the front door of the family room. The second was a fiberglass recurve. Elio is pretty sure Poppop gave him those bows to keep him out of his own archery stuff when he was at work. Elio’s most memorable time was the day he shot a pheasant out of the air with a bow he made with a stick, one of Poppop’s bowstrings and one of his tournament arrows!

Elio has spent his entire life working to earn money. Now his work is to teach and learn more about archery. He is able to take what he loves the most and help guide others who also enjoy the sport to achieve their goals. His job allows allows him to find out about the newest products, different techniques and exchange ideas and tips with others every day. Elio is currently working on his level 3 USA Instructor class that will allow him to coach archers at the Olympic level. He is really intrigued to get into the Olympic arena of archery because he is less knowledgable in that sector but wants to learn more about it. 

Coaching has become Elio’s latest passion. It makes him wonder how many people have entered the archery arena from Poppop getting him into it. Some people think he may get burned out by being around archery all week at work. But that’s not the case at all for Elio. The weekend allows him to hone his skills and continue to work toward his goal of a World Championship win in the Pro Division.

Elio continues his love for archery into the hunting season as well. He loves chasing big mature animals at the top of their game. At the end of the day, everything he does in archery all year is for that first day of hunting when he can climb up into a tree in the dark and watch the world wake up. He lives for that day every year. As the years go by they come more and more rapidly, but the stories of good times with friends and family in the hunting camp never seem to end.

Elio has many local, state and tri-state trophies. But his stand out is second place in the Mens Open at IBO World Championship with 900 plus shooters. In the hunting world, he has 4 150” Whitetails in the Pope and Young book and the biggest black bear ever killed in New Brunswick, Canada which was just entered into the New Brunswick Big Game Club record book, ranked number 1 (I saw a picture of this bear - this is one of the biggest bears you will ever see and I am guessing ranks as the biggest bear ever killed!)

 

Influence 43/52Elio Spadafora Elio shooting his Hoyt bow with the arrow flying nearly out of frame to the right

 

Influence: 

Elio is the third of four Spadafora cousins in this project (Mike, Jeanine) and the oldest of the bunch. Elio is one of those guys who knows pretty much everything. Need something on your car fixed? Elio could do it and give you a trick for the next time as well. Need help with putting up drywall or some other household construction? No problem, he knows exactly what he’s doing there too. Oh, you are drilling for natural gas? He did that for a few years too. And if you ever want to watch someone put an arrow through a ping pong ball at 30+ yards, he can point in the direction of someone who can. As in, he would be pointing his own finger at himself. Right before I took Elio’s picture last week, he put his arrow through a ping pong ball on a bet. I saw the arrow and ball for proof. Yeah, he’s that good!

Elio is one of those cousins who you just enjoy being around. As I said above, he really does know everything. So it’s fun being with him to learn all kinds of things. For a few years when I was working nearly full time with my Dad while I was going to Bucks Community College, Elio was working with my Dad as well. Even though we were in a hostile construction environment, Elio was one of those guys on a construction site who you actually enjoyed being around. He never really seemed to get mad and talked to you like a normal human being. Refreshing and juxtaposed to a screaming, angry guy who you would normally encounter out in the field.

This past May marked the 26th year since the massive Perkasie fire that nearly took out the entire town. It was massive and extremely destructive. What makes that day so memorable for me was that I was there. And I was only five years old at the time. It’s one of those memories that you have as a kid that you never forget; it is ingrained into my memory. I was at my Aunt Linda’s house (Elio’s Mom) where Mommom lived as well. I was outside playing with Mommom when out of the fields comes Elio and a few of his friends on their four and three-wheelers (the Spadafora’s love them some big kid toys!) He was yelling out “Perkasie’s on fire! Let’s go, jump on Nicky.” Off through the fields we went (they lived about two miles outside of town, in the woods.) What’s funny is I don’t remember getting into town on the quad, but I do remember getting there. I was chaos. Fire fighters were scrambling, sirens screaming and people standing in shock. We were able to get close enough to the fire that I felt the heat of the blaze. It was an experience you never forget because it hit you from three different senses: feel, sight and sound. The heat was nearly unbearable and we were standing about a block from the fire. Not long after that did a firefighter come pushing down the street yelling for us to get back. It was surreal and I was right there.

One last story about Elio was when I was around 8 years old or so. I was the ring bearer in his first marriage and he made a bet with me. He bet me that if I scored three touchdowns in my football game before his wedding, he would buy me a new Nintendo game. I’m not sure if he was being nice knowing I was more than likely going to score that many touchdowns or if he had no idea that I was a touchdown machine in my early days of Pop Warner football. But either way, I scored three touchdowns that game and Elio delivered on the bet. He got me John Elway’s Quarterback game for Nintendo. And I remember he gave it to me at their rehearsal dinner before the wedding.

Elio and his son Nico were also regulars at Mommom’s dinner on Wednesday nights. Having them living so close along with his brother Mike and his kids was great. Being able to see my ‘big’ cousins and ‘little’ cousins regularly was fantastic. Eating at Mommom’s with everyone was something I looked forward to every week. Nico is now overseas serving this great country in the Air Force. Thanks Nico!

It’s funny how you can vividly remember some things when you were so young. I think a lot of that has to do with the people you were around. And no doubt, being around Elio was something I enjoyed a lot. Hell, I still do! Thanks Elio,

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) 52 archery arrow bow construction cousin family gear head hoyt hunting influence mechanic portrait project week https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2014/6/43/52---52-most-influential-people Sun, 29 Jun 2014 16:11:48 GMT
42/52 - 52 Most Influential People https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2014/6/42/52---52-most-influential-people  

Frank McCartney 42/52
 

 

Meet The Person:

Frank McCartney. Lead Teacher (Vice Principal) at Garrettford Elementary school in the Upper Darby School District.

Frank has been in education for over 20 years now which is his professional passion. Frank enjoys working with students and their families to uncover their motivations and to help those students establish and achieve their goals.

Personally, Frank enjoys spending time with his wife Sara and figuring out what their next adventure will be. They both enjoy traveling and discovering new places and the culture that surrounds it. They also love spending time with family and friends and knowing that no matter what is going on, they can always rely on one another. Another added bonus of time with friends and family is that it often includes great food and wine! Frank also enjoys being active and loves to go hiking, climbing, biking running and competing in triathlons.

At Franklin & Marshall, Frank was a three time collegiate All-American in Cross Country and Track. For his efforts on the track, Frank was just recently inducted into the Franklin & Marshall Hall of fame for 2013. And in 2005, Frank was ranked in the top 30 at the Amateur World Championships for Triathlons in 2005!  

 

 

Influence 42/52Frank McCartney Frank down in the aero bars on his triathlon bike

 

Influence: 

Frank McCartney. Hell of an athlete and hell of a nice guy.

Frank was one of the first people that I met through our triathlon club, Philadelphia Triathlon Club. I worked with a girl named Julie who actually introduced me to the club. She was a member and said I would really like it. So I was really excited to see what the club was all about and get into a new adventure. I somehow convinced Ashley to come down with me and then to join as well! We went to the kickoff party at Manayunk Brew Pub and got to meet a great group of people. One of the couples we met there was Frank and his wife Sara. Both are super nice, super friendly and really helpful. The world of triathlon was completely new to me and I really had no idea what I was in for.

A few months after the kickoff party, the club had one of its first organized training weekends of the year. It was up in Jim Thorpe, PA. So Ashley and I booked a hotel, packed up our gear and headed up. We really had no idea what we were in for (especially Ashley!) Frank and Sara were the group organizers for the trip and had set us up with an incredible training weekend. Friday night after getting there, we went up to the local high school so we could get a swim session in. This was my first time in a true Olympic sized pool (I only train at LA Fitness with a small shallow pool, same length however.) When we got there, we met up with Frank and Sara and got the weekend going. Friday and Saturday nights we went out to dinner with everyone and we met some great people. Saturday’s bike session was a crazy hilly course (Jim Thorpe, duh) but there is this one hill, Bugsy’s Hill, on the course that is a crazy steep hill. Going up that hill not long after I started riding a bike for the first time was a serious challenge. But after doing that hill, there are not many others that would compare.

At the time of meeting Frank, he was a well established triathlete. He was placing near the top of every race and was a real force out on the course. He was a very solid swimmer, a good biker and a very fast runner. When you are good at all three disciplines, you have a recipe for success. In 2008, I think Frank put together one of his best performances at the Timberman Half Ironman 70.3 triathlon. He finished 20th overall, with 12 of those top 20 being pros! And not just any pros, you are talking two of arguably the best of this generation in Andy Potts and Chrissie Wellington. So to finish not far behind those athletes is just amazing. Frank had a killer performance that day and I still remember seeing the results online in amazement! It was incredible. Not to mention as stated above, Frank was ranked in the top 30 in the world for Amateur Triathletes in 2005! 

So when I joined the club in 2007 I had no idea how to swim (and by that I mean real, freestyle/open water swimming) bike and run competitively. So I had to learn and train myself for months (I still am!) to get to be a decent enough swimmer to compete in the open water. Frank was always there to help out. That night up in Jim Thorpe he helped me through my workout and gave me plenty of pointers. It was only a week or two later that I had my big ‘breakthrough’ in the pool and was able to swim more than just a few hundred meters. I am someone who loves to watch and learn from people who are awesome at what they do. And knowing and watching Frank at that time of my triathlon career was perfect for me. It really couldn’t have happened at a better time.

A few years later, it may have been the summer of 2008 or 2009, a bunch of us including Frank and I went up to Lake Placid, NY to watch a few of our club members compete in the Lake Placid Ironman. For those of you who don’t know, an Ironman is the pinnacle as a triathlete. It is a brutal one day endurance race with a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike and a 26.2 mile marathon run at the end. So I tagged along for a training weekend and to watch our friends tackle this tough course. We had a great time camping and training. That weekend I had two incredible experiences. The first was my introduction to Nutella - yes I had never had Nutella before that weekend. But Sara and Frank were experienced campers and knew a good caloric recovery food when they saw one! Making s’mores with Nutella after a hot day of training = bliss! But even better was watching this race. It started raining literally the second the racers entered the water and stopped just about at the midnight cut off. It was just about 15 hours of heavy, chilly rain. We stood on the side of the road cheering on everyone from the pro’s to the old age groupers. It was without a doubt one of the greatest experiences of my life. It was so damn inspirational and really humbled me in many ways.

Frank has since sustained a rash of leg injuries that have kept him from competing at a high level. It’s a damn shame but I guess sooner or later the body just says ‘I have had enough’. He took a few years off to try and heal up and did his first triathlon this summer. Even after having time off and being slightly hobbled by his legs, Frank still placed 16th overall and 2nd in his age group. Even not at his top form, he still kicks ass!

Triathlons have really changed my life. After wrestling in high school, I didn’t have the competitive edge and adrenaline push anymore. And of course taking five years to get fat and sloppy in college didn’t help! But finding this great sport has really been a life changing event. I have met incredibly awesome people who all want to have fun and push themselves as well. Not to mention it has kept me in great shape and provided that competitive outlet I enjoy. I started out slow but have really come into my own the last few years. It’s very hard without a coach and many people around to train with. So I always think back to Frank’s advice when I am swimming, biking and running. Thanks for showing me the ropes and for being a great role model Frank! 

 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) & Franklin Marshall bike coach edge endurance influence ironman mental power run school strength swim teacher training triathlon workout https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2014/6/42/52---52-most-influential-people Sun, 22 Jun 2014 12:27:11 GMT
41/52 - 52 Most Influential People https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2014/6/41/52---52-most-influential-people  
Dana Madonna 41/52
 

 

Meet The Person:

Dana Madonna, Licensed Practical Nurse.

Dana has been around the elderly for as long as she can remember. Her mom was a CNA since Dana was four years old. Dana would often go with her to work and had the pleasure of spending time with the residents. She fell in love with the elderly and healthcare and at 16 years old, became a CNA. She feels as though the elderly bring so much to the younger generations with their wisdom and life experiences. Later, Dana went back to school to get her LPN and continued in long term health care as an LPN for the last four and a half years now. The satisfaction of knowing that she did something to make the day of a resident by getting them to laugh, giving them a hug or taking their pain away is indescribable to her. She loves the relationships that she has made with the residents and their families. People think of the elderly as ‘old’ and ‘boring’ but they are just young at heart with physical limitations. They help her get up and go to work each day!

Personally, Dana is most passionate about her family. Being a wife and a mom is so exciting and rewarding to her. Sitting out on the deck with friends and family or floating in the pool listening to Kenney Chesney is the perfect day for her (we won’t hold the country thing against her…) She also loves her dogs - watching them play and taking them in the pool is a blast. She also loves going to the mountains and hanging out in the boat, tubing or skiing. Sitting out in the sun, looking at the scenery is therapeutic for her too.

One of Dana’s biggest and proudest accomplishments is as a mother. She feels it’s such a great honor to have such amazing kids. She enjoys watching them grow and change in their personalities. She realizes that not everyone can have children so she feels blessed to have been given the ability to be a mom. She started much younger than most but it has been the most rewarding experience of her life. She is amazed at how much love you can have for one person, the unconditional and unchanging kind of love that you would die for.

And a great paragraph that Dana sent me that I didn’t want to put my own spin on. From Dana:
“I have seen and been through a lot in my life divorce, teenage parenting, financial struggles, losing loved ones, and everything I have been through has only made me a stronger more rounded person.  I am blessed with an amazing family and friends and have learned so much through all of my experiences.  I try to enjoy each day that is given to me and appreciate the little things in life.  I am proud of my accomplishments and hope that I can be an example to others.  I learned that hard work and perseverance pay off in the end. It is amazing what a smile or laugh can do to the soul!”

 

Influence 41/52Dana Madonna Dana with her back to Lake Wallenpaupack 

 

Influence: 

Dana Madonna. Nurse, Mom, Cousin and hair puller...

Dana is my cousin and we are only about a year or so apart. So we grew up together, having fun at our Grandmother Nanny’s house, playing kids games and running around up at the cabin in the Poconos at Lake Wallenpaupack.

Dana was that slightly older girl who I had in my life. And as with most older girls, she kept me in line. And by that I mean, when we would play at Nanny’s house, she would pull my hair. Then if she got tired of holding my hair, she would migrate to my ear. Either way, I got the point and cried like a girl. But I loved the hell out of her anyway and really enjoyed being around her growing up. Dana was also cool and into things I didn’t really know about yet. We would spend summer weekends together up at the cabin having a blast. She introduced me to an awesome rap song by Paperboy - Ditty. This was 1993 folks. So humor the ‘awesome rap song!’ I will have you know it was a top 200 song of the 1990’s! And as a young teenager girl she was into hair and makeup. Well one amazing night up here at the cabin, we had Paperboy on the old cassette player blasting away. She then said something to the effect of, “Hey Nicky, get over here and sit down. I am going to put gel in your hair and make it all messy.” I and all of the females in my life can thank her for introducing me to hair gel that night. Before that I had a crazy, wavy, curly and nappy italian mop on my head. So being able to control that beast was awesome. Not to mention I was just beginning to care about girls around that time. So if she made up my hair and liked it, that meant I had a shot at other girls!

When Dana was just 16 years old, she got pregnant. It was obviously a surprise and most of the family was a bit distraught. The coincidence was that her mom and my uncle got pregnant with Dana at just around the same age. I will never forget the first time I met her husband, Chuck.I had never met him yet but I felt a bit protective of Dana. I ran into her (pregnant) and Chuck at the Dublin Carnival. Chuck didn’t greet meet with the best first impression. I think he was smoking, had on a wife beater with big saggy Jnco jeans or something. I wasn’t thrilled. But boy was I wrong. Chuck is an awesome guy and an even better Dad. Sometimes it’s not about first impressions!

And the way that Dana and Chuck have handled themselves in raising their kids is awesome. When you are faced with raising a kid at 17 years old there are not many teenagers who can stand up to that challenge. But Dana is one strong chick and it shows as she has raised an awesome family. She has two fantastic kids who are all grown up and mature themselves. After raising her daughter at 17, Dana and Chuck decided to have another. Just a few weeks after Dana delivered, I went up to see her and the baby. And I brought along a special someone, who at the time, was ‘just a friend.’ Yes, that was my wife, Ashley. Ashley and I just started hanging out when we went up to see Dana and Gavin. He was just this little cute ball of baby. I told Dana that Ashley was ‘just a friend.’ Little did I know, 13 years later we would have a two year old of our own and expecting another in just a few months. What makes this story so crazy is every time I see Gavin now, it makes me realize how long Ashley and I have been together. He was just a 2 week old baby. And now, he is nearly six feet tall, about to turn 13 and in middle school. Yeah, I am getting old!

I always looked up to Dana and some things haven’t changed. I admire the hell out of her and how she has turned herself into an awesome Mom, raising two great kids and putting herself through nursing school. Thanks for being more than just a cousin Dana. Love ya,


 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) 52 big cousin family influence mom mountains portrait project sister week https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2014/6/41/52---52-most-influential-people Sun, 15 Jun 2014 23:51:11 GMT
40/52 - 52 Most Influential People https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2014/6/40/52---52-most-influential-people  
Jeanine Trauger 40/52
 

 

Meet The Person:

Jeanine Trauger. Stay-at-home Mom, CEO of the Trauger household, volunteer, chauffeur!

Jeanine is a stay-at-home Mom to her three children, Colby, Madison and Reese. She loves her job and wouldn’t trade it in for the world. She is paid back in so many ways by taking care of her family and volunteering. Her kids’ schedules have gotten a lot busier over the years and it can be difficult as the only parent home during the week, but she still loves it. She has a 16 year old with a learner’s permit, so running around takes a little more extra time!

Jeanine has been at home raising their family since her son was born almost 19 years ago. She and her husband Chris, both felt it was important for her to stay at home with the kids. She put her math degree on the side a long time ago. After her son was born, she went on to have two daughters and slowly began to get more involved in school and volunteering as they all got older. And volunteer she has, holding nearly every position there is at Seylar Elementary school for the 12 years her kids were there. That included: classroom parent, lunchroom volunteer, read-at-home parent, Race for Education coordinator, Home and School Association vice-president and president, Iron Pigs outing coordinator, dance chaperone, Mystery Reader, Cookbook Committee and various other event coordinator positions. She also served as the vice-president of CCN, Penn Central Middle School’s parent/teacher group and also as the spirit wear coordinator for a few years. Jeanine attended as many Parent/Superintendent meetings and high school principal meetings as possible to stay informed. She tried to be present in the elementary, middle and high school as well as in the various sports and clubs her kids have been involved in. She also volunteered in the church nursery for 10 years as well.

Personally, Jeanine really enjoys watching and supporting her kids at all of their activities. Whether it’s a concert, swim meet, water polo match, track meet or even just a practice, she is there. Since Jeanine’s husband, Chris, travels for work during the week, the chauffeuring falls on her. When he is home, they are there together watching, timing, scoring or volunteering in some way. That is their social life. With their oldest now in college, attending every one of his track meets has become impossible and that was a very hard adjustment for Jeanine. But in her spare time, she enjoys gardening, scrapbooking, yoga and traveling. She loves seeing her kids turn into ‘big people.’ They are all teenagers now and she loves them!

Jeanine is very impressed by the women who came before her. She has had such great role models in her mother, aunt, grandmother and mother-in-law. They all raised great families and worked outside of the house. Jeanine has a great quote: “To all of those full-time working mothers out there, you amaze me!”

 

Influence 40/52Jeanine Trauger Jeanine standing on her porch, overlooking her pool during a family party

 

Influence: 

Jeanine. Cousin. Mom. Big Sister. 

Jeanine is the only girl of the Spadafora cousins and the second of that bunch to enter the project. Jeanine has basically been my older sister my entire life. As long as I can remember I was with her. Sadly, I was with her so long ago that she used to put makeup on me. And put my long, curly, Italian hair in a small rat-tail ponytail. Don’t laugh, this stuff isn’t funny! But joking aside, she really did all of that. When hanging out over at her parents’ house (my grandparents used to live there as well) I specifically remember when Jeanine would put makeup on me. She had this big makeup mirror thing. It folded out, with a big mirror on the inside and tons of blue and green makeup on the inside of the doors. I thought it was cool to have her paint me in the latest 80’s green and blue makeup. She also used to take my way-too-long, Italian mop and put a rubber band on the curls in the back. Leaving me with a rat-tail for everyone to see. I didn’t think anything of it, because you know, I was like six or something. I don’t know if there are any pictures of me from those days with her, but lets just hope they don’t make the internet rounds…

Jeanine also used to hang out at our house a lot. She would babysit my sister and I often and would be over the house hanging out and swimming in the summer. Another great memory was the summer our pool was getting put in. I think I was maybe seven or eight years old and Jeanine was over watching us. The pool was all finished and the water tanker was putting the water into the pool. I don’t know how many tankers it took but it was a bunch. Well in between trips, Jeanine went sliding down the pool. It was awesome because only the deep end was filling up and it was like half full. But the liner was all wet, so she went sliding down the ramp into the deep end. I don’t know if she knew beforehand but the water was freezing! I remember her running back into the garage (where I was throwing back about three A-Treat orange sodas - in the glass bottles mind you) with a towel wrapped around her, her lips all blue and shivering like crazy! Haha.

Another great story was from Christmas, I was just about 12 years old and we were over at my Aunt and Uncle’s house. I remember being in the living room when Jean and Chris showed up and everyone was saying hi. She started talking to my mom, saying something along the lines of, “hey guess what,” or “you’ll never guess.” And I burst out saying, “what, you’re pregnant?!” She looked right at me and went “yeah how did you know?!” Needless to say, my mom lost it, started freaking out and chaos ensued. I honestly had no idea and I have no clue where that came from but I did say it. Call it intuition or something! That was when she was pregnant with her first, Colby, who just finished his first year at Penn State. Feels like yesterday!

Jeanine has always been around, and my Mom and sister just adore her to death. She has also been like an older sister to my sister and they are very close. Same with my mom, but I think my mom thinks of Jeanine as an older daughter (or maybe younger sister?!). Jeanine was a huge help and supporter when my sister got sick. I know my sister appreciated it and I know my mom did for sure. Jeanine has really turned her family into the perfect family. I know that doesn’t really exist, but she has done a fantastic job of getting as close to perfect as you can get! As you can see from her rap sheet above, she is very involved in her kids’ lives. She is very supportive of what they do and has built a great structure for them. As a new(er) parent, it’s awesome to watch her in action and hear about what she does day in and day out.

Thanks for being more than a cousin and a great role model. Love ya! 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) 52 big cousin family influence mom portrait project sister week https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2014/6/40/52---52-most-influential-people Sun, 08 Jun 2014 12:54:00 GMT
39/52 - 52 Most Influential People https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2014/6/39/52---52-most-influential-people  
Mike Spadafora 39/52
 

 

Meet The Person:

Michael Spadafora - Senior Project Manager at D’Huy Engineering Inc. in Bethlehem, PA.

Professionally, Mike enjoys the satisfaction of taking a concept/design from an idea to a reality. He likes the challenge of figuring out all of the intricacies and organizing the chaos to make it all happen. Mike has now been in the Architecture/Engineering field for over 20 years, working his way up the ladder. Now with D’Huy Engineering, he gets to work for one of the best local firms in the industry. He managed the first LEED (Leadership in Engineering & Environmental Design) Gold Level certified schools in Pennsylvania. He was a guest speaker for Iacocca Hall at Lehigh University after they completed the building.

Personally, Mike loves motorcycles. As a kid he would remember cutting out dirt bike advertisements every Christmas and putting them in whatever book his mom was reading to remind her that he needed one! He never let’s the resounding “Oh you’re going to kill yourself,” deter him. He likes the saying, “Four wheels moves the body, but two wheels moves the soul.” He rides his bikes, races them and fixes them whenever he can. He recently started to restore and ride vintage motorcycles. He gets a great amount of personal pride from fixing up a kickstart twin that he rebuilt himself that coughs, spits, sputters and runs like the devil! 

 

Influence 39/52Mike Spadafora Mikey in his garage of toys - decisions, decisions, decisions...

 

Influence: 

Mikey. Cousin. Gear head. Cycle lover.


Mikey is one of my four cousins on my Mom’s side. The Spadafora clan, well they are one of a kind! Mikey is one of three boys in a family that grew up with an Italian immigrant mechanic as a father. And that wrench didn’t fall far from the tree!


Growing up, Mikey used to babysit me when I was just a little tyke. And later in life, he had many influences on me growing up. There were a few summers when we went down to the Outer Banks, NC with the Spadafora families. The one summer, I went with Mikey on the drive down. I was so excited because I got to hang out with my cool cousin and drive down with him instead of in my parents’ wood station wagon! He was big into music, usually metal, and turned me onto it as well. “Ever hear this band?” He would say and play a track. That was Megadeath. Metallica and Rob Zombie followed. I was into early 90’s rap so hearing some metal was a bit different. But I loved it and soon had Rob Zombie’s More Human Than Human playing over and over on my yellow Sony Walkman cassette player! Summers at my parents house was also a blast. We had a real nice in-ground pool out back and Mikey would usually bring the kids over a few times a month to hang out on a Saturday or Sunday. We would be in and around the pool for hours, just hanging out. It's amazing to look back now and think about how much time you had as a kid. I don't know if I have more than two free weekends in an entire summer now a days! 


Mikey has been one of my go-to’s for anything mechanical related. He would often show me a thing or two when I had my car at my parent’s house. He even gave me a bunch of his older tools to have and use for myself. He is also a huge jokester. If you ever need a laugh, Mikey is almost always going to be the one to deliver. He is quick and witty and can recount stories from his childhood with vivid detail. I love sitting around and listening to him tell stories about when he was a kid growing up. I don’t think there are many stories that he has told that don’t have you crying from laughter afterwards. Wednesday night dinners at Mommoms when I was in college was one of the best nights of the week. And a big reason why is because Mikey and his kids would come almost every single week. It was great to see him and his kids and get to hang out with other family members. Mikey always made it interesting and eventful!


Mikey has been a great cousin and to be honest, even more than that. I really consider all of the Spadafora cousins to be more like my Aunt’s and Uncle’s. They are all older than me but have been around and are so close to me in my life that they feel like more than just a cousin. But whatever you want to call him, Mikey has always been around to help and give a great laugh whenever you need it. Thanks Cuz! 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) 52 architect bike cousin engineer family gear head influence mechanic motorcycle portrait project week https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2014/6/39/52---52-most-influential-people Sun, 01 Jun 2014 19:30:13 GMT
38/52 - 52 Most Influential People https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2014/5/38/52---52-most-influential-people  
Andrew Rizzi 38/52
 

 

Meet The Person:

Andrew Rizzi. Sales Representative & Central US Field Triner

Andrew enjoys being a respected consultant and advocate for his customers. My greatest thrill is the knowledge that he sells and provides for medical products and devices to hospitals to help them provide care for patients in critical need. He enjoys the challenge and competition and the hard work to prove that the company, products and services best represent the customers’ needs. He also enjoys helping and motivating his colleagues to drive sales and provide the best service possible. Andrew has now been with Baxter Healthcare for seven years, with a sales territory in central and southwest Ohio. He has been a five-time consecutive Sales Award Winner, and the inaugural Division Sales Representative of the Year, 2011.

Outside of work, Andrew enjoys spending time with his loving wife, Julie, and of course, their three Chihuahuas - Mia, Kingston & Gizmo. They also enjoy stand-up comedians and city festivals. Whenever they are fortunate enough to have the opportunity, they enjoy traveling and experiencing new places, both domestically and abroad. Andrew also savors the opportunities that they have to visit with their friends and families back in PA/NY. Although his competition days are over, he still enjoys maintaining a high level of physical fitness and anything active.

Andrew earned his B.S. in Marketing from Lehigh University in 2005 and his M.B.A with a Finance Concentration from the University of Cincinnati in 2013.

As a wrestler, Andrew started wrestling as a freshman in high school with a record of 2-14. He ended his career with a winning record. At Lehigh, he was a varsity starter for the the 2nd ranked NCAA Division I Lehigh University Wrestling Team. He finished 6th individually at the E.I.W.A Conference Championships (top 5 places qualified for NCAA’s.) To Andrew, it was an incredible privilege to compete at that high of an athletic level and contribute to a prestigious program.

Andrew is grateful for and to his Mom, “Mom Riz.”

 

Influence 38/52Andrew Rizzi Rizzi up on the terrace of the newly renovated Caruso Wrestling Complex (Grace Hall) overlooking Bethlehem Steel

 

Influence: 

Rizzi. Rizz dog. The Rizza.

Rizzi was a good friend and teammate in high school. We wrestled together at Pennridge and enjoyed some fun times outside of the room as well. Andrew was one of the hardest working kids I had ever met. Everything he did was 110% and he never held back.

Rizzi started wrestling very late, as a 9th grader (atypical for most good wrestlers these days) and didn’t have a lot of experience. But he had a ton of drive and determination. He wasn’t the best wrestler by any means, but he was the hardest worker. His work ethic was by far the best in our wrestling room. And that work ethic helped him become very successful not only on the mat but outside as well. Rizzi went on to Lehigh University and also made the wrestling team. And if you know anything about the wrestling program at Lehigh you know it’s a top 20 team perennially. So cracking that lineup is an amazing accomplishment. So not only do you need to juggle an ivy league education but you also have to juggle weight loss and a grueling schedule to boot. Nobody could handle that better than he could!

I always looked up to Rizzi. I was a year under him in school so he was that older kid who you wanted to model your work ethic after. He had a motor that just wouldn’t stop. It would actually be annoying sometimes because he would always make you look bad! When you were tired and had nothing left in the tank, he was the one going harder and faster. We would lift and workout together which obviously helped as well because, again, he would try and lift more than you every time! He was also a fantastic student in school. His mom was an English teacher at Pennridge as well. And, coincidentally, I had her as my English teacher (god bless her! haha)

Andrew’s mom was basically our team mom. We would go and spend a ‘study hall’ with her after school for 30 minutes or so before practice got started. So we would spend time in her room just hanging out, getting work done and relaxing. She would bring in snacks and granola bars and stuff for us to eat. She was our wrestling mom and we loved her. But very sadly during my senior year, Mrs. Rizzi passed away unexpectedly from a blood clot. It was devastating. I still remember where I was when I got the phone call and heard the news. It was one of the closest people I had in my life at the time that died. And it was not fun. I felt so bad for Andrew, his mom was such a big influence in his life. It was also a huge blow for our entire wrestling team. She was such an incredible lady and meant a great deal to everyone on that team. Her viewing was so emotional. Like I said, she was one of the closest people I had in my life to pass away. Add to that how incredibly sad I felt for Andrew and that just made it miserable. But as with anything in life, you have to pick yourself back up and move forward. It came at a tough time with Andrew going off to college as well. So he struggled for a while. But as he had throughout his entire life, he worked hard and he came away with some great things. Like wrestling D1 for Lehigh, getting his degree, landing a great job he enjoys and just this past weekend, marrying his fiancee that he met at Lehigh.

Rizzi and I had some good times in high school, hanging out, wrestling and lifting. But one thing I will never forget was when he was up at Lehigh and invited me to hang out. It was my first year at Bucks County Community College and I was living at home and working construction with my dad. He was up at college, living in a wrestling house and having a good time. It was not long before this that my sister got diagnosed with a brain tumor. Times were extremely rough for me then. My grandfather was diagnosed with Pancreatic cancer and died within three months. At the same time we found out about my sister. So when he asked me to come up and hang out with him and some teammates, I was really excited. I would go up on Tuesday nights during the week to go bowling with them. It was something like $1 games and $1 beers so naturally, we took advantage! I went up a handful of times and really enjoyed hanging out with him and the wrestlers. I really felt like I was part of their group and they were a bunch of nice guys. It was something that I really needed and was a great release for me. I know the type of guy Rizzi is and I know he wanted to help me out. And I just want him to know how much that meant to me during that time. I am sure the experience of losing his mom helped him in his understanding of what I was going through. And to be able to learn from a tragic experience of losing your mother to helping out a friend who was worried about losing his sister is pretty incredible. And I can’t thank him enough for that.

Thanks Rizz for always being the gold standard of the student athlete, for having a work ethic that would make even the hardest workers jealous and for being a great friend. 
 
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(Nick Pompei Photography) friend hard high lehigh lifting pennridge school teenagers worker workout wrestling https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2014/5/38/52---52-most-influential-people Mon, 26 May 2014 00:21:26 GMT
37/52 - 52 Most Influential People https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2014/5/37/52---52-most-influential-people  

Chuck & Dawn Baum 37/52
 

 

Meet The Person:

Charlie Baum, Magisterial District Judge Charles Baum. Pop, Dad, Chas, Charlie, Baumie, CB.

Judge Baum is in his eighth year as an elected judge serving Perkasie, Sellersville, East and West Rockhill Townships, part of Telford, Trumbauersville and Millford Townships. Prior to being the current judge, Chuck operated his family's business, the Perkasie News-Herald, the hometown weekly newspaper that was in his family for 85 years! He was the reporter, editor and publisher for 35 years. He ran the business with 16 other employees until he saw the writing on the wall (no pun intended) and decided to sell in 1998. He started working for the News-Herald in high school and earned a BS in journalism-printing from the Rochester Institute of Technology.

Professionally, Chuck enjoys being a judge because every day is so different. One day it is a tough criminal who is involved with drugs or alcohol, or it’s a teen involved in under-age drinking or serial offenders who need intense help and  counseling. He enjoys working with people within the community. He can also officiate weddings, which he performs over 50 a year (In fact, Chuck married Ashley and I back in 2007!)

Personally, Chuck loves working with people of all aages and walks of life. He tries to treat people how he would want to be treated in their shoes. He respects everyone and tries to be compassionate whenever he can. He also enjoys being out on the golf course and being able to follow the stock market.

Charlie has been the President of the Perkasie Historical Society for over 20 years now. The Historical Society helps to maintaint and operate the popular Perkasie Carousel. He is also serves as a officer of the Pierce Library Association, Perkasie Industrial Development Authority and local charity foundation. He is the former Vice President and director of the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association. He is the secretary for both the Bucks County and District 12 Judges Associations. He is also honored to be on the Pennridge High School Wall of Fame, which honors graduates who have made significant contributions to society through either career achievements or community service efforts.

Charlie is also one of the longest clients at the Grand View Hospital Cardiac Rehab Center, where he ‘works out’ at least four times a week. Charlie had 5-artery bypass surgery in 2002.


Dawn baum. Mrs. B, Mom, Future Mother in Law, Millie.

Dawn is a recently retired Librarian and Manager. She worked at the Samuel Pierce Branch Library for 22 years when she retired in 2011. She’s not able to keep her hands off of books, so she now volunteers at the Perkasie library and helps to oversee the library at the Community Center.

Personally, Dawn loves spending time with their children and grandchildren (idential twins Emily and Leah, 4.) She also enjoys traveling with friends, especially cruising and viisiting friends in Cape May and Ft. Myers. When she is not immersed in a book, she enjoys a good glass of wine, entertaining all of their friends, gambling away at the Casinos or volunteering.

Chuck and Dawn are both looking forward to their son Tim’s wedding next June to Nicole Petsis.

 

Influence 37/52Chuck & Dawn Baum Chuck & Dawn enjoying a glass of wine at 5:00 on a Friday! 

 

Influence: 

Mr. and Mrs. B. Entertainers, young at heart and down right good people.

The Baums are some of the nicest and most fun people I know. They have been a second set of parents now for over 15 years. During those 15 years, we have had some great times.

The Baums and their group of friends are like nobody else. When they get together, they do it right. They have a blast and party hard. What’s nice about them and their friends is the group they have. They have a huge group of friends that are all very close. As someone who is younger, I am extremely envious of their group of friends! To remain close with that many people and have as much fun as they do is so awesome.

One of my fondest memories of the Baums was a New Years Eve Party, somewhere in the early 2000’s. My girlfriend at the time, Ashley, myself, Tim and his girlfriend were at a friends house. Things didn’t go exactly as planned so we had to come up with another plan. Last minute we asked his parents if we could join in on their party. The obliged, so we went over there not long before the ball dropped. That was without a doubt the most fun I have had on New Year’s Eve. We had congo lines going, party hats and favors, music, etc. We still have some great pictures that we look at from time to time from that night. It was such a great time.

Their son Tim, who is my best friend, and I really started hanging out mid way through high school. So I would spend a lot of time at the Baums house. They had a great finished basement with a ping pong table, later an air hockey table, couches, tv, etc. And because they were in town it was a great spot to hang out. I would spend many of my high school weekends sleeping over there. And it was a big bonus when the Baums would have a party with all of their friends over because it was a party for us too!

Dawn is a great entertainer and enjoys having company over. She spent a great deal of her life working at the Library in Perkasie and really helped keep that place a float. She is always smiling and has a great laugh. And she certainly loves her family to death.

And Chuck is one of those guys who you could turn to for anything. Easily one of the nicest people I have ever met. And even more than that is his dedication to the town of Perkasie. His rap sheet above goes to show you how much public service and volunteering he does. It’s unbelievable the amount of pride he has in his community. And he is the best listener you will also ever run into. To me, that is Chuck’s best attribute. He makes you feel important and really cares about you, genuinely.

I have so many great memories with the Baums but one that will forever stick out to me was just about two and a half years ago. Ashley and I found out we were pregnant with our son Cooper and were starting to let everyone know. Well the Baum’s had my family and Ashley’s family over to hang out on their new patio (that my Dad built for them!) So it was a great opportunity to tell Chuck and Dawn that we were pregnant. We both told them at the same time and their reaction was priceless. They started screaming and cheering. They gave us big hugs and even had some tears coming down their faces. They were so genuinely happy for us. And that sums up the people that Chuck and Dawn are.

Thanks for all of the great times and for being an extended family. Love you guys,

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) family friends influence judge library newspaper pennridge perkasie https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2014/5/37/52---52-most-influential-people Sun, 18 May 2014 13:00:28 GMT
36/52 - 52 Most Influential People https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2014/5/36/52---52-most-influential-people  

Nick Franklin 36/52
 

 

Meet The Person:

Nick Franklin - Juvenile Probation Officer for Bucks County

Nick has his Masters degree in Social Work from Temple University. He also worked at St. Gabriel’s Hall as a residential counselor and caseworker before moving onto Bucks County where he has been a juvenile probation officer since 2004.

Nick really enjoys working with kids/teenagers. To him, the best enjoyment is knowing that he has the potential and ability to change their ways before it is too late. Most of his kids just need to be guided in the right direction, unlike adults who tend to stay stuck in their ways.

His biggest gripe about his job is that in most cases he receives, he feels that if many of his kids would be raised by a different set of parents or in a different home/environment, they would not be where they are now, being caught up in the juvenile system. To Nick, it all starts at home. WIthout that support system, things begin to breakdown and the kids act out in certain ways for attention.

The biggest reward in his job is when he receives a call a year or two after a juvenile is released from supervision to check in and let him know they they are in college, at a trade school, working full time at a job they really enjoy and most importantly, haven’t gotten into any more trouble.

Personally, Nick loves music, good beer, playing soccer and watching the Flyers (even though they let him and everyone else down this year…) but by far the most important thing to him is his family. He loves spending time with his wife Melissa and his son Brennan and daughter Emily. When it comes to his kids, it’s great to relive his youth through them. Coaching is also very rewarding as he gets to watch Brennan develop into a much better player than he was at his age. Also, family movie nights on the couch are about as good as it gets!

Nick feels as though his job has helped him to see the importance of family, being there to support his children and encouraging them to be the best they can be at whatever they want in life. He wouldn’t have it any other way. 

 

Influence 36/52Nick Franklin Nick and family out back on the playground

 

Influence: 

Nick Franklin. Great guy, great neighbor and awesome Dad.

Nick and I met just about five years ago now when he moved into the house directly across the street. I was worried as to who was going to move into that house. It’s always nerve racking to figure out who your neighbors are going to be! But boy did we hit the lottery when the Franklins moved in!

Nick is the perfect neighbor. I can ask him for help at any time, borrow something, lend a hand, etc. and he is always there. Plus, the best part is our beer relationship - we both love good craft beer. I started brewing my own beer about three or four years ago and not long after, Nick got started as well. It’s great bouncing ideas and recipes off of each other. I will have one style of beer on and he has something different on and its great because we can sample our own stuff at any time. We also like handing beers off to try out as well. “Hey, have you had this, or had that” gets asked almost weekly. We both have friends and family in the beer industry as well so that helps fuel the fire as well!

But what’s best about Nick is how great of a Dad he is. His two kids are always outside enjoying themselves and hanging out. And now that Cooper is getting older he is begging to play with them as well. I just admire the way Nick handles being a father. Growing up in my family, tempers were short and the emotional bond was not quite so strong. So I always thought that’s just how things were. But watching him be a parent made me realize that being calm and supportive go a long way. Nick is easily the most level headed guy I have ever met. I don’t think I have ever seen him angry or mad at anything. And when he is with his kids it’s the same way. He never raises his voice and is always being supportive. I admire the hell out of him for that and it has really helped me with my son as well.

Thanks for being a great neighbor and leading by example. Oh, and don’t move! 

 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) Friend beer craft dad family father influence kids neighbor https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2014/5/36/52---52-most-influential-people Sun, 11 May 2014 13:04:39 GMT
35/52 - 52 Most Influential People https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2014/5/35/52---52-most-influential-people  

Dave Salib 35/52
 

 

Meet The Person:

Dave Salib, Executive Vice President of Benjamin Foods.

Professionally, Dave likes to build things from scratch. He likes knowing that everyday you have the ability to improve and build upon the previous day. Slowing down and maintaining status quo is not a good thing according to Dave. He believes that the day you aren’t moving forward is the same day you start moving backwards. Dave started with Benjamin Foods right out of college in 2006.

Personally, Dave loves toys, grown up toys! His new project is almost done - a 1964 Cadillac Fleetwood. This is the same car his late father had when growing up. So when he found the opportunity to buy a car that was nearly identical he had to jump on it. Dave is also a big sports fan and enjoys going to the Eagles game whenever he can.

Dave is also very excited to be getting married. His fiance Karen has been by his side through thick and thin and he wouldn’t be where is without her.

Dave feels that you should absorb as much as possible from any job. The experience and knowledge you gain from that alone is priceless.

 

Influence 35/52Dave Salib Dave standing in the warehouse of Benjamin Foods

 

Influence: 

Dave Salib. Hard worker, smart dude and a real go-getter.

I met Dave during my Junior year at Pennridge. We had Architecture class together and we sat right by each other at the drafting tables. What I distinctly remember about Dave was his awesome afro. Yep, he had a full on, legit afro. I was infatuated by it! So not only was Dave cool, because you know, if you have an afro at Pennridge High school you are immediately cool, but he was a great guy. Dave was smart and had an awesome work ethic. I used Dave as my crutch in that class. He knew his stuff and I was a bit of a goofball so naturally, I asked him for a lot of help!

Dave and I ended up going to Millersville together. I was a grade ahead of Dave but I went to Bucks Co. Community College for two years and he went to Penn State for two years. He decided to transfer into Millersville which was great because Dave and I had become good friends. It was nice having a local friend in the same department with me that I could be with. After meeting our other friends Jay and Vanessa, the four of us quickly became inseparable. We tried to stick together as much as we could. We tried scheduling the same classes just to help keep our sanity in the craziness of the Tech. Ed. department at MU. We had awesome trips down to Virginia Beach for our club conference and plenty of happy hour trips to burn off stress!

At MU, Dave continued what he started at Pennridge in the classroom. He was smart and had some amazing woodworking skills to back all of that up. He did some fantastic projects and I really looked up to the way he worked. Dave is one of those guys who you want around you because he makes you better. You want to work like Dave and have the same level of workmanship that he does.

After college, Dave decided it was best to venture into the business world and went to work for a wholesale food and liquidation company. On the surface you would think he was crazy. And to be honest, I did somewhat as well. You go to school for years to get a degree in Education and as soon as you graduate, you head into business! But most people are not Dave Salib. See Dave Salib is one savvy dude. He is calculated and knows exactly what he is doing. And now, Dave is the Executive Vice President of Benjamin Foods in Hatboro, PA. He has helped build the company from four people to now over 70! Hearing his story and where the business was and where it is now is not really that shocking to me. It’s as successful as it is because Dave is involved in it. Dave just has that touch.

But even more than successful, Dave’s a great guy. He’s super nice and would help you out whenever possible. In fact a few years ago when his company was still focused on liquidations, they bought out the old Sands Casino in Atlantic City. Dave was surprised to find that they had their own woodworking lab in the casino. He and I talked around that same time and I told him that my lab at school didn’t have a table saw. He immediately said I will donate you a table saw that I bought out of the Sands Casino. So he did. He even had it delivered to school! That saw has been used for five plus years now and has helped hundreds of my students create better projects because of it. That’s Dave being Dave.

So it’s no shock to me or anyone else that Dave has helped build a very successful company from nearly nothing. Dave isn’t one to settle for anything less. If you know Dave you know he’s a guy you want in your life for many reasons. I was lucky enough to meet Dave in high school and we have been great friends since. Our time at MU was fantastic and we have some great memories. Thanks for all the help over the years Dave, I am pretty sure I would have flunked out of a class or two without you! 

 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) College Ed. Friend Millersville Tech. administrator business collegue high man pennridge school https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2014/5/35/52---52-most-influential-people Sun, 04 May 2014 14:00:00 GMT
34/52 - 52 Most Influential People https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2014/4/34/52---52-most-influential-people  
Eric Baker 34/52
 

 

Meet The Person:

Eric Baker - Quality Assurance Manager.

Eric does Quality Assurance for ASF east and nearly everything else there as well. What excites him most about his work is the experience he is gaining to put on his resume. He has worked his way up the ladder and is now running his own department. He also has his 16k medical degree that he is not currently using. He was hoping to be dead before paying off all of his school loans (his words not mine!)

Personally, Eric says his life can not be any better. As a kid, Eric lived about 10 lives thus far, really getting his money's worth! He has now settled down with his beautiful wife Nikki (married last May - www.nickpompei.com/baker) He and Nikki have a dog who they love spending time with. In fact, Eric would rather spend time being with them more than anyone else!

Eric also enjoys spending time with a lot of his close friends. He has remained close with a lot of friends from his childhood and holds his friends near and dear. He is also involved in many sports and currently plays for the Telford Rangers. His team is in a league which is one of the biggest adult baseball leagues in the country and very competitive for a 30 plus league. He was also a boxer on and off for eight years. He also helped train an MMA fighter who went on to fight a very high profile MMA fighter in the UFC.

Eric thanks his parents for their support and tough love. Eric was always involved in something and his parents helped guide him along. One night after training with the heavyweight boxer at the gym, his mom came up to his room. She stopped dead in her tracks and was screaming and crying. Eric was bleeding all over his pillow - he suffered bleeding in his equilibrium and over night had bled onto his pillow. Needless to say, Mrs. Baker was not a happy camper!

Eric wouldn’t change anything about his past. He is very down to earth and sees the world for what it is. 

 

Influence 34/52Eric Baker Eric on the roof outside his childhood bedroom on 3rd St. in Perkasie

 

Influence: 

Eric Baker. Crazy dude.

Eric has been one of my best friends since 9th grade. He was that older kid who I wanted to be friends with. He was tough, cool and a bad ass. And as a little 9th grader, getting to hang out and be friends with a kid like him was awesome!

We hit it off right away and quickly became inseparable. Eric, Tim, and I all became the three amigos - hanging out together nearly every waking minute. We would all feed off of each other and the crazy stuff we did was, well, crazy. One night, during the week because you know, what do you do during the week as a high school kid, Eric and I were bored and driving around. He had this awesome, 1985 VW Rabbit GTI. The car was awesome and I wish he still had it because it’s a collectors car now! My parents had gotten my family a new Sony camcorder. At the time, it was a sweet camcorder. So I have this camcorder with me and Eric is driving down the road near our high school and we see this dead raccoon on the side of the road. And what else do high school kids do with a dead raccoon? Nothing right? Not us. We pulled over, hopped out and grabbed his jumper cables from his hatch. I put one end of the cables on the coon’s dead foot and then pull the other end up to the passenger door and get back in, hanging out the window. So now, I am carrying the video camera in my left hand, hanging out the window while holding the other end of the jumper cable (the other end attached to the coon) and begin filming. Eric peels off and now we are dragging this raccoon about 2’ behind his GTI with me hanging out the window filming the entire thing. I am laughing so hard its nearly impossible to make out what’s dragging behind the car because the camera is vibrating from my laughing. We take this thing up and down the road a few times and now have a lineup of cars behind us, witnessing the craziness. We thought this was the funniest thing ever. So Eric gets this idea to put the raccoon on the rock. Now the rock is this huge boulder that Pennridge had outfront of the high school so kids would spray paint and graffiti it instead of the building itself. So we park his car, carefully get out (coon still attached and dragging) while I am still filming. We walk up to the rock, tag up the rock with a line that lives in infamy to this very day - “1 luv coon” We then drape the raccoon overtop of the rock in a proper burial/symbolism of the fun we had. I of course am filming all of this right up to the end when we peel out of the parking lot, basking in the awesomeness that we just accomplished. If there was YouTube back then, we easily would have topped over 5 million views, I can guarantee it! This tape still exists by the way…

Eric was one of three boys. So his younger brother was easy prey for the three of us. We would have so much fun beating up and picking on his little brother and all of his friends. Since I would always be down in the wood lab at the high school, I would make us some awesome paddles to beat them with. If anyone has seen the movie ‘Dazed and Confused’ you all know exactly what I am talking about! I even drilled holes in them so when you swung them they moved through the air faster! We would be hanging out at Eric’s house just playing video games and just decide it was time to go beat up his brother. We would kick in the door, jump on him, rough him and anyone in there up, then go back to our business. Man that was good times. Of course, we got older and they somehow got physically bigger than us and that stopped quickly!

Eric is also a second rate stuntman/daredevil. He jumps from trees, hangs your cooler 20’ in the air out on a thin branch for you to clean up the next day and even paralyzes himself but doesn’t really paralyze himself. That’s a fun story. On our first trip down to Virginia beach for Senior Week, we had this awesome house with a pool out back. Because it was senior week, some people were drinking during the day and Eric being Eric, did a nice flying squirrel or flip or something into the pool. But the pool was only like four feet deep. No one thinks anything of it and we are going about our business. Well he slowly surfaces and somehow crawls out of the pool and lays on a chair. A few minutes later he starts murmuring something about not being able to feel his legs and had a splitting headache. So we start worrying because Eric doesn’t complain about pain. He told us how when he jumped into the pool he smashed the top of his head on the bottom. He said everything went limp and he doesn’t remember getting out of the pool or the last few minutes. We rushed to get him some water to drink to kind of calm down. It may have been the only time I have ever seen Eric drink water. So luckily he came around and started to feel his legs again. I am not positive but I think he has secret superhuman powers. Either that or he is really lucky, which may also be the case! Either way, that didn’t slow him down because I know he has done some crazy stuff since then!

Eric I have had some amazing times together. The time I spent with him has given me some of the funniest and craziest moments of my life. We have had some rocky moments in our friendship, and who hasn’t? But he is someone who I could count on in a heartbeat if I needed something. He was there for me when my high school girlfriend and I broke up, when my sister got sick, when I tried picking fights with kids I had no business fighting, when I would need a harrassing for not skipping school with him and Tim, when I wanted to have some fun on a random school night and everything else in between. If I needed something right now I could call Eric up and he would do it for me, no questions asked. That’s just the type of guy he is.

Love you bud,

 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) boxer boxing buddy college friend high ketchup millersville pennridge perkasie roomate school sports https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2014/4/34/52---52-most-influential-people Sun, 27 Apr 2014 11:40:07 GMT
33/52 - 52 Most Influential People https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2014/4/33/52---52-most-influential-people  

Cooper James Pompei 33/52
 

 

Meet The Person:

How do you want me to address you and what's your exact title?
Coopa.

2. What are you most passionate about professionally? What most excites you about your work?
Mommy work. Daddy work.

3.What are you passionate about personally? What do you really enjoy?
Elmo. Outside. Wagon. Mommy. Backho. Dumptruck. Barney. Sandbox. 

4.How long have you been doing what you do?
birfday. Twhoooo

5.Any personal or career accolades?
Vacooom. Elmo.

6.Anything else you’d like to tell people about yourself?
Outside. Sandbox. Cali gil 

 

Influence 33/52Cooper Pompei Cooper on his 2 year birthday riding his new Strider bike

 

Influence: 

Kid. Toddler. 2 year old maniac. Little Monster. Mr. Doesn’t eat.
I asked Coop these questions and I typed up his responses for you. Needless to say, he is about as typical a 2 year old as you will find! He loves to be outside. In fact, he would never come inside if he had the choice. The kid is non-stop. He is the energizer bunny in a skinny, 23lb, bottom fifth percentile growth chart frame. He is strong as hell. Like, mutant strength strong. For being as small as he is the kid has some serious power behind him. And he certainly has an attitude with a backbone of frustration - he must get all of that from his mother! Haha.


Cooper was born two years ago to the day this past Thursday, April 17, 2014. And every day of those two years has been a wild and fun ride. The amount your life changes is hard to describe. People who have kids tell you your life will never be the same. And you believe them. But you really can’t comprehend it until it happens. Nothing is easy. Nothing. Being a parent is a challenge unlike anything I have ever experienced. I challenge myself physically and have for nearly my entire life. I can handle that and control that challenge. I have had bad things happen in my life that I have been able to push through as well. But being a parent is on a different level. It’s constant and never ending. Your life is still moving forward, but now you have someone else pulling in another direction. Learning how to manage time is probably the most important part to maintaining your sanity as a parent. For most of my days when I am with Cooper and not at work, the day is split into three parts: Before nap, during nap and after nap. Before nap is in the morning and for the most part, nothing happens other than breakfast and some play time. During nap is when you realize the last five to six hours of day have gone by and you have gotten nothing done. So now you try and cram in as much as you possibly can into the hour to two hours they are sleeping. Usually, that doesn’t happen. He’s awake now. The last third of the day is upon you now with a fully recharged baby and a pile of chores mounting like the national debt. But you play and have as much fun as you can before bedtime. Bedtime is great, you get a few hours of rest before doing it all over again. Rinse and repeat. The one thing people don’t mention are your own emotions. I feel like many days my emotional string is as closed to frayed as possible. Something about having a kid can really turn you into a softy. I literally can’t watch the news anymore. The amount of stories about kids being killed, abducted, beaten, etc, is too much for me to handle. Sure, you never want to hear those things anyway, but after becoming a Dad, I can’t take it. I am so worried about him all the time. I’m not talking about him falling and getting road rash. I am worried how he is going to grow up, will he make good decisions, will I make the right decisions for him, will we be ‘those parents’ who can’t raise their kids right and turn them into a big pile of wuss, what group of friends will he hang out with, is he going to be polite and have good manners, etc. etc. etc. It’s an endless cycle. But you just take each day as it comes and enjoy life as much as possible. Like when you pull out a container of goldfish to surprise him when you are driving and his face lights up like a Christmas tree!


Each stage of your childs life is so dramatically different. Milestones are very significant and noticeable almost immediately. There are days when you go in to get them out of bed in the morning and you swear you are looking at a different kid. The overnight changes in their mentality is also startling. They develop so fast. Each stage has it’s fun moments. From holding their head up, to crawling, to walking, to talking, laughing and interacting; it’s all a blast.
The last few months have been a lot of fun. Cooper is turning into a boy more and more. I just bought him his first bike and helmet for his birthday and have never felt more like a Dad than I do now. He got his first power wheels four wheeler for Christmas and is riding that thing all around outside. He likes using a ‘rewdriva’ (screwdriver) to fix things with Daddy and loves to find out how things work. This summer is going to be a lot of fun. We will try and hit Sesame Place to see his buddy Elmo, go to the Zoo to see some lions “raaaaar”, and go to the beach to swim as much as we can. I am extremely fortunate to have the summers off so we can spend time together.


I know people say to cherish every moment when they are little because they grow up so fast. And I certainly am. But I also can’t wait for him to grow up so we can do more things together. I can’t wait until he starts playing his first sport, when we can have a catch out back, ride our bikes up to the reservoir, go surfing/boogie boarding at the beach on a random summer weekday, go to a daytime Phillies game and tailgate all morning, and have him sit down with me for more than 2 minutes to watch a movie together on a rainy day. Those things are coming, I know, but I still can’t wait! Life changed two years ago when Ashley went into labor and things have never been the same. Cooper came into our life and turned us from a happily married couple into a real life family. Something about having a family of your own that makes your life more special than it ever has been. That’s because life rocks - I am a Dad and husband and life at 31 has never been more fun!


I love you buddy. 

 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) baby bike buddy first influence kid my portrait son toddler https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2014/4/33/52---52-most-influential-people Sun, 20 Apr 2014 15:34:51 GMT
32/52 - 52 Most Influential People https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2014/4/32/52---52-most-influential-people  

Shawn 'Animal' Flaherty 32/52
 

 

Meet The Person:

Shawn the Animal Flaherty. The man, the myth, the legend.

Animal has been a cook most of his life and has been doing industrial insulating for the past 11 years. He likes working with his hands and the creativity he can get from certain jobs.

Personally Animal really enjoys watching and playing sports. He has been playing soccer (don't hold it against him folks) most of his life and still continues playing in intramural leagues. Animal also loves to be in the kitchen cooking and grilling. He got that passion from his Dad who was a cook. His Dad owned a great restaurant out in Haycock, PA that was a huge car meeting place in the late 1970's and 1980's. 

 

Influence 32/52Sean 'Animal' Flaherty Animal holding onto one of his prized possessions - his Ketchup (he's a food on ketchup kinda guy)

 

Influence: 

Animal. The Animal. His name is synonymous with greatness because, well, he is great. He’s the Animal.

First, we will start with the name. How does one get such a badass nickname? No one really knows except for a story from his good childhood friend and neighbor, Brian Scholl. I asked Brian this question back in high school. His response was simple and to the point. “Because he’s the Animal!” And it stuck ever since elementary school. So Animal went all through middle school and high school with friends and even teachers calling him Animal. Hell, in college I had our friends ask me who Shawn was after I called him that once. They literally didn’t know what his real name was after three plus years of knowing him! Haha.

So Animal and I got to know each other real well in our Sophomore year at Pennridge. It was Chemistry class and we sat right by each other and hit it off right away. Ever since then we have been best friends. Animal and I would hang out a lot in high school and we haven’t stopped since. We would plan our schedules around each other so we could have classes together. Some of my funnest moments with Animal came in high school. We would take Woodworking class together and had a blast there, too. One of the funniest things I have ever seen in my life occurred during our Senior year, right before Thanksgiving break. Animal and I were coming out of our Chemistry II class. Which, by the way, was like an AP or Honors class or some crap. Basically, we were in way over our head with a bunch of smart kids. Animal and my combined IQ didn’t equal what these kids had in like third grade but we didn’t care. We caused a ruckus in there, got bad grades but laughed our ass off. Anyway, it was at the end of the day, right before we left for Thanksgiving break. The cheerleaders had put up this scarecrow, dummy like mascot person thing in the middle of our audion (The audion was a general stepped down sitting area, right in middle of the school with lockers and classrooms surrounding. It’s where everyone would hang out in between classes.) So they had this thing decorated in the rival colors and jersey (Quakertown is Pennridge’s huge next door rival and the Thanksgiving day football game has been going on for decades.) So they had this dummy looking football player in the middle of the audion with like hay bails around it or some other crap. So Animal says to me “Yo, I think I am going to tackle the guy after class on our way out.” I of course see this as a golden moment in time and talk this up like its the greatest idea I have ever heard. Which it was! So I hype him up all week, with the ‘tackle’ coming on Wednesday, when we get out at noon for early dismissal. Word spreads quickly amongst the student body so when we come out from our classroom there is plenty of onlookers ready to see the action. We both come out of class with a mission ready to execute and nothing was stopping Animal. In one of the greatest acts of physical domination I have ever seen, Animal gets a running head start, leaps over the bottom step and dives head first at the dummy. He absolutely plows this thing, blows it completely up. He pulls himself out of the rubble and runs off like a kid stealing candy at a store. I am laughing hysterically, kneeling on the ground laughing so hard that I can barely move. It was so great. I ran out after him and we proceeded to bask in the awesomeness of the act. It has been 13 years since he made mincemeat of the cheerleaders football dummy and I can still see it vividly as if it happened 10 minutes ago.

Animal and I also went to college together. We went to Bucks County Community college for two years and then went off to Millersville together. We were also roommates at MU along with my future wife and another friend. We had some great times out at school, many, many unforgettable nights and funny stories to go along with them. Like the first party we had at our apartment when he got wasted off of some sort of fruit punch and vodka. He got so drunk early in the night that he went to puke, ran to the bathroom all to find a friend of ours in the bathroom taking a pee. He couldn’t hold his puke so as he opened the door he blew red chunks all over the bathroom and the kid taking a pee. Needless to say in the hot summer air, it smelled great in there. Oh and if you were to go back to 2 E-Courts, chances are you would still see red debris in the bathroom floor vent. I’d bet money on it!

We have been best friends ever since sophomore year, went to school together and he was in our wedding. And I wouldn’t have it any other way. Animal is a great guy. He is humble and can be slightly reserved but he is a great friend. We get to see each other often and talk on the phone a decent amount still. It’s usually always sports talk. He is my go to sports talk guy to vent about Philadelphia sports frustrations and how I could possibly lose a fantasy matchup when there was no way I should have. I can usually count on Animal for anything I ask him for as well. He’s been on vacation with my family many times and has really become part of my family. Everyone loves having him around as he is great company. But one of his best attributes has developed over the last two years. The last two years that my son Cooper has been around. “Uncle Aamal” as Cooper would say has become one of Cooper’s good friends. Animal is so good with him, get’s him great Christmas presents and really has a great relationship with him. Let’s be honest, most guys are not always the best around children. Something about kids gets them nervous or scared thinking they might have to take care of one. But not Animal. He really enjoys playing with Cooper and Cooper just loves him as well. Animal came to the hospital the day after Cooper was born and held him - it was one of the best moments I have had as a Dad. To see your closest friend holding your kid is something that is hard to describe. So glad Animal has been around in my life these last 15+ years and to help be a great Uncle as well.

Thanks for being a best friend and a great uncle, Animal!
 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) buddy cars college cooking friend high ketchup millersville pennridge roomate school sports https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2014/4/32/52---52-most-influential-people Sun, 13 Apr 2014 20:42:46 GMT
31/52 - 52 Most Influential People https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2014/4/31/52---52-most-influential-people  

Brad Anderson 31/52
 

 

Meet The Person:

Brad Anderson. Commercial Insurance Producer for the Weimer Group.

Professionally, Brad is all about providing the best service he can to his clients. He really enjoys helping his clients increase their bottom line. His goal is to get his clients the best possible value in terms of their coverage and premiums. He enjoys sending his clients referrals. The two most exciting things to Brad are networking and meeting very fun and interesting people. He loves getting referrals - to him it is an awesome compliment and it’s satisfying to think that he has done good by them that people want to let others know as well. Brad has been in the insurance field now for four years. Prior to that he was the General Manager of a Marina on the Delaware River. He was in the boating industry for about 10 years where he was salesman of the month a few times.

Personally, Brad loves being a father. His kids mean the world to him and he thoroughly enjoys making them laugh until they can’t breath and then get the hiccups! He is also passionate about boating and fishing even though he doesn’t currently own a boat. Once the kids came along he had to part ways with his boat to spend more time with them. He got his son into fishing and he is a good fisherman for being only five years old.

Brad really likes to hear other peoples’ stories. He says you can really learn a lot about people and who they are, what they need or want just by asking a question and listening to their responses. Brad is into community, networking and helping people any chance he can get. 

 

Influence 31/52Brad Anderson Brad standing near our old stomping grounds (see story below)

 

Influence: 

Teammate and Friend. Brad was one of my best friends from junior high into my early years in high school. We hung out what seemed like every weekend (and it usually was!) Brad was a very solid wrestler and a grade ahead of me, so I always looked up to him. We went to the same junior high and our parents were pretty good friends too so we got to see each other fairly often.

Not only was Brad older than me but he had an earlier birthday in his grade so he started driving early into his sophomore year. It was great having a friend who could drive! He would take me everywhere and hanging out was even easier. We would usually spend time at his Dad’s house which was more in town than my house was. In fact, my junior high girlfriend lived in the same development along with some other friends. So being over at his house had its perks. We would hang out there before junior high dances, friends parties, etc. It was great being over there because his Dad was a great guy and would let us boys be boys.

We also got into a bit of mischief every now and then. There was an unnamed store that sold unnamed things that was just up the road from his house. Back in the day, we used to rollerblade everywhere we could before Brad got his license. So we would stay up late, put on black sweats and roller blade up to said unnamed store and have some fun. Without going into any details lets just say that certain things would roll down the hill on their own. Nothing like the feeling of pulling off a dumb stunt at 3am in black sweats, all to bee-line it home as fast as you possibly could - all on rollerblades! Haha. Speaking of rollerblades, I had a not so fun crash the summer of my seventh grade year. Brad and I were hanging out and decided to go down to the local store to get some food or something. So we laced up our blades and started out to the store. It was about a 2 mile trip so it was pretty far. Well just after leaving his development entrance, a huge tractor trailer came blowing by us. It scared the crap out of me and the wind also threw me sideways. I was already going down a slight hill so I had some speed. Well I couldn’t control myself and decided to ditch it towards the sidewalk where there was some grass. I figured that would be a hell of a lot better than eating pavement. So I did a controlled dive towards the sidewalk. I did a nearly flawless job, landing my entire upper body in the small grassy patch between the curbing and the sidewalk. The only problem was the outside of my right leg was facing down, right at the curbing. After sliding and tumbling a bunch, I got up and brushed myself off. I was happy no bones were sticking out and I wasn’t dead. I thought I made it out unscathed. Not so much. The outside of my right leg was all sorts of chewed up from the curbing. It literally took all of my weight and left me with a huge section of concrete road rash from just above my ankle to just below my knee. It freaking hurt. It would take the entire summer to go away. In fact, I can remember it was oozing so bad about 2 weeks later that when I was mowing the yard, the grass clippings that went airborne got stuck in the wound! That was not fun. 

Another great story is the internet. Yes, the internet. Brad’s Mom and her husband Tom were some of the first people I knew who had a computer and the internet. Now, I am talking 1996 or 1997 here folks. You know, like 10 hour AOL discs you had to use just to access the internet! 56k modems, dial up, different phone line for access type internet. Yeah, that stuff. So they had the internet and I think even a laptop from what I remember. We would stay up literally until the sun came up on the original AOL chat/messaging sites. It was so old school, talking to what seemed like handfuls of people across the country. Not like it is now! We would go on and explore because it was all so new. We would laugh and laugh all night long until we would crash at like 6:30am. Good times.

Brad and I had tons of fun and I enjoyed being around his other friends and his family. His Dad was (still is) a great guy, his Mom and his step Dad were also great. Oh and his sister, Lindsey, yeah I had a crush on her. She was older, extremely cute and had friends you wanted to hang out with when you were that age. I will never forget when we were on his Dad’s front porch eating pizza one afternoon and Lindsey was there. She said to me, “Nick, I would date you if you were older.” I’m older now Lindsey! Haha.

We had a good group of friends that would hang out as we got older. We would go to the Pennridge Ice Hockey games and create havoc. That was our weekly outing during the season. We loved it. We would act totally immature, clown the other team, I would rip my shirt and pants off in front of the entire crowd. You know, those sorts of things! Haha, life was so fun back then. You never really think anything bad can happen and you are just taking each day as it comes. But as we got older, we didn’t quite hang out as much. Brad decided to stop wrestling during his junior year I believe. And we just started to grow apart as most friends do at times. We kind of went our separate ways but would hang out whenever we got the chance.

We sure had some fun times. I think back to those days and thank god we never really got in any trouble. We did some dumb things - as most kids do. I was young and dumb during junior high and my first few years in high school. I was immature and tried to act cool in front of kids to fit in. It’s amazing to think how differently my life could have turned out had I gotten caught doing some of the things I did. Which is why as a parent I am scared shitless. I turned out to be a pretty good guy. I am ultra responsible and make plenty of good decisions. But looking back, wow. Life could have really turned out differently. But it didn’t and I am making the best of what I have now. And that’s a damn good thing. Brad has also made the best of his life, he is married to his high school sweetheart both have great jobs and they have two kids of their own. Life is a little different than figuring out what time the hockey game is or when the next dance is and who you were going with. But it’s just as fun the way life is now! Thanks for being a good friend Brad, good times. Good times. 

 

 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) blades central friend high hockey junior pennridge roller school teenagers wrestling https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2014/4/31/52---52-most-influential-people Sun, 06 Apr 2014 11:43:48 GMT
30/52 - 52 Most Influential People https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2014/3/30/52---52-most-influential-people  

Steve Romesburg 30/52
 

 

Meet The Person:

Steve “Romz” Romesburg

Steve is teacher and coach in the Central Bucks School District. Steve has been teaching now for 22 years and coaching for over 30 years. He earned his Master’s degree from Rider University.

As a teacher and coach, Steve likes working with all the different personalities on a daily basis. His relationships with students and athletes are important to him. He hopes to give them something that is relevant in their life so they can become successful in their future endeavors.

Personally, Steve is passionate about his family and he enjoys spending every minute with them. Life is too short, so spending time with family always comes first for him. He also enjoys staying physically active by getting outdoors, golfing, running, hiking and biking. He’s also a sports fan of wrestling, football and baseball.

Steve has plenty of athletic accomplishments in his lifetime. His senior year at Central Bucks West High School, he won the prestigious Maxwell Award for his exemplary play on the football field. He was a two time PIAA State Wrestling Qualifier while at West. And for his athletic contributions in football and wrestling, he was inducted in the Hall of Fame at Central Bucks West. Steve chose Rider University to continue his education and wrestling careers where he became a two time NCAA Qualifier. 

 

Influence 30/52Steve Romesburg Coach Romz in the CB West Wrestling Room 

 

Influence: 

Coach Romz. The last of the great coaching staff that we had at Pennridge (Coach Rittenhouse, Coach Wills.) Coach Romesburg joined during my sophomore year. I only had one year under my belt and I really was liking the coaching staff. So when Romz joined I was a little protective. "Who is this guy," I used to think. But after just a few practices I knew he was a great guy.


As mentioned in my previous posts (see links above) we held some grueling and brutal practices. So on the first or second day, after our 3 mile 'warmup' run, we headed out to "Championship Hill." If you have ever been to Pennridge High School and  have sledded or run up that hill, you know the folk legend that it is. It's a very steep set of hills. Coach Romesburg brings us out back to the hills to run sprints. So I am thinking to myself, this guy doesn't know what he is doing. What's really going on here? Does he even know what this hill is?! He did. Oh he did. He ran the first one with us. I was shocked. I really couldn't believe it! I immediately had a ton of respect for him. Little did I know he was an extremely accomplished high school and college wrestler who was going to bring some great things to our program.


Coach Romz was the technique guy. He was very good from bottom position and had plenty to show our team. He was a great coach to have around and a great guy to be around. He can be hard-nosed and demanding but he also has a fun side to him that was welcomed during a wrestling season. We would call him "Romesburger," "Burger" and of course, "Romz."
The coaching staff we had was incredible. Strength and conditioning, technique, technique and grit, you name it, we had every avenue you could possibly ask for. I didn't know any better at the time, but when I look back now, I am amazed at that coaching staff. Great guys who came together for a few good years and I was extremely lucky to have had them as my coaches.


I was fortunate enough this year to have a first in my coaching career - to coach against an old coach. Talk about coming full circle for not only myself but for him as well. This past season our first match of the year was against CB West, where Coach Romesburg is now the new head coach. So it was a unique situation for me to be able to coach my kids against a coach of mine from high school. The kids and parents at West are extremely lucky to have a  guy like coach Romesburg not only on their staff but leading the team as the head coach. Coach Romz is a very caring and passionate  guy who will give you everything he has. He's also a good family guy and teacher. He's certainly someone I have looked up to ever since that first day we met back in my sophomore year in high school. Thanks for everything coach, glad you came to Pennridge - it was a decision that I am glad you made! Best of luck at West! 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) cb champion coach edge influence mental pennridge power state strength teacher west workout wrestling https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2014/3/30/52---52-most-influential-people Sun, 30 Mar 2014 21:02:15 GMT
29/52 - 52 Most Influential People https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2014/3/29/52---52-most-influential-people  

Cali 29/52
 

 

Meet The Person:

Cali Pompei - Calster. Calerina. Cali Girl. Calz. Cal. Crazy mutt from the south. Dog. Bitch. Part german shepherd, maybe some pit, maybe some plott hound.

I asked Cali to give me her write-up for this segment as I have for all of the people thus far. It’s a simple 5 questions and it serves as a biographical background on their life so I can then portray that to you, my readers. Here are the responses I got back from Cali:
 

1. How do you want me to address you and what's your exact title?
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2. What are you most passionate about professionally? What most excites you about your work?
ij-8u  y4y[o[of[ouj[ew[o
3.What are you passionate about personally? What do you really enjoy?
;hsafoiuueu;lkndndok
4.How long have you been doing what you do?
58kjsdjsdf          wwioiw   owoww
5.Any personal or career accolades?
e 9  8229  8378    42                   4
6.Anything else you’d like to tell people about yourself?
jdjd9 833o iu2o  jmc 123  @

Now, apparently she cannot type because she has damn big paws. So I asked her to just hand write it instead. I scanned it for you:

cali writeup.jpg

 

Influence 29/52Cali Cali girl, sitting stoically up at one of her favorite spots, the reservoir up by our house

 

Influence: 

This dog. Oh this dog. She is an absolute one-of-a-kind. And if you have ever met her, you know the awesomeness that she is.

I have had some amazing people that I have photographed and blogged about in these past 7 months, but a non human is a first. I know you all may be asking why I have a dog in my “52 most influential people?” Good question, but I didn’t want to title the project, ‘52 most influential creatures’ which would have just sounded weird. So, I kept it to people and am obviously included one very special ‘creature’ to this project.

Ashley and I bought our house just over five years ago now. It was a huge first step for us. We weren’t sure if we could afford it, the process of going about buying a house, etc. But once we had the house and were settled in, we both knew what the next step was: getting a dog. We both had dogs growing up and loved having them. So it was only natural to have one of our own. So we started looking soon after we moved into our house. We narrowed our search down to a few different breeds but after doing some research realized that some dogs may not be the best options. Choosing a dog is not about looks or what you think is cute. It really should be an informed decision based upon your lifestyle. A person working 12+ hour days and weekends more than likely shouldn’t be buying a purebred Alaskan Husky!

So we found a litter of puppies out in Royersford, PA. They were a rescued bunch from South Carolina, maybe like 7 of them all together, with a handful already being spoken for. I am pretty sure there were three left when we went over the ladies house to see them. The lady hosting the dogs was named Robbie, and she runs a Dalmatian Rescue. But her friend asked her to bring this litter and the mother up from S.C. so they could be rescued up here and not euthanized. It took all of maybe 10 minutes to realize the one we wanted. She wasn’t as rowdy as the boy was, but not as shy as the other girl was. She would come up to you, lick you and then lay near your leg. She wanted to play but wasn’t too pushy. We knew right away we found the perfect dog. We came back a few nights later and picked her up to make her our own. Ashley thought of the name ‘Cali’ and it was a great fit.

Bringing her home the first night was a little crazy. It was about a 45 minute drive back to our house. And for nearly two years, Cali would get really carsick. So of course, only 5 minutes from our house, she threw up. And for some unknown reason, we took my car, which at the time was my Subaru. Which had nice high-end aftermarket seats in it. She threw up and it went down in between the center console, down the side of the seats and collected in a great spot were it would take a magician to clean out. She was so scared, crying and whimpering. It was really sad. Those first few nights were a bit hectic. The crying and whimpering is really heartbreaking and can be very trying. But it gets better every day and every night.

I am a big Cesar Milan, Dog Whisperer, believer. So I read his books, watched the dvd’s and all of his shows religiously. I really feel as though it helped not only myself but Cali as well. Dogs really need structure in their life. As Cesar says, dogs naturally run in packs. And they have a dominant dog who leads the pack. As an owner, you need to assume that role. If not, the dog will become the leader of the house and that can lead to big trouble. Many of you know people whose dogs have assumed the leader role and have basically taken their owners hostage. We all love our dogs but you need to realize that they need a dominant figure, not someone who will say ‘yes’ to everything. It takes a lot of time and patience to train your dog the right way, but before you know it you have a very well behaved dog. The dog is happy and so are you!

Having Cali these past five years has been awesome. I cannot imagine my life without her. She has taught me so much and she means so much to me. She can really slow your life down in a good way. When it’s a long, stressful or a bad day she doesn’t know or care. She just wants a little attention, some petting and will love you just the same. That’s why dogs rule. They love you so damn much and don’t ask for much in return. She is extremely smart and she knows exactly what she’s doing. Dog’s are so smart and have an amazing sense of their surroundings. She’s hilarious and can be such a goofball. She sits on the steps with her legs spread and her vagina hanging out without a care in the world. She rolls over for you to pet her belly and puts her giant paw on your arm to push off. Breaths heavy when you push hard on her head when you pet her. She licks you. Constantly. Like, all the time. She loves getting her back, just above her tail, scratched. She’s basically a dog whore. She will kiss and lick you until your skin would wear off. Then go back for more. She doesn’t like the ocean but has warmed up to running in lakes and creeks. She will dig a random hole and hide a bone outside for months at a time then dig it up to find it again. She has become so protective of Cooper and will bark at almost everyone now just to keep him safe. She doesn’t like taking baths that much. She loves to lay in the sun. She will lay in the driveway for hours at a time in the spring and summer to soak up the rays. She occasionally goes over to the neighbors house to eat bird seed and meander in their yard when her electric fence collar battery dies. Again, she knows what shes doing. She loves to eat and will lick the plates clean in the dishwasher. She loves frisbees and after catching them for a few minutes will basically sit and chew the frisbee to pieces, destroying it. She loves to walk in between your legs so you can get to her butt easier to pet her. Her breath smells like leftover beach house seafood and she smells like Fritos in the morning after laying on her bed. She loves going for rides. But shows her diva side when she puts her front paws up in the door sill, looks back at you and expects you to lift up her back legs.

She’s a character and the best dog we could ask for. It’s amazing to think that she just turned 35 years old a few weeks ago. It seems like yesterday we were bringing her home and now she is older than we are! Cooper loves having her around. He abuses her and she just sits there and takes it. She will occasionally look up at us like “ok, what is this lunatic doing and when is he going to stop?!” But she is so good with him. I love taking her and Cooper for walks in the afternoon and it is a staple that all three of us enjoy during the spring, summer and fall. She fits us perfect.  She is a part of our family I cannot imagine my life without her. 

Cali, thank you for teaching me responsibility, showing me how to love and making me a better man. I Love you Cali girl.

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) 52 Cali best bull dog friend german influence mutt pit portrait rescue shepherd week https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2014/3/29/52---52-most-influential-people Sun, 23 Mar 2014 13:00:00 GMT
28/52 - 52 Most Influential People https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2014/3/28/52---52-most-influential-people  

Dad 28/52
 

 

Meet The Person:

Ronald Michael Pompei - Dad, mason, custom home builder and home improvement contractor.

Mike has been a mason for 41 years and a self employed builder/mason contractor for 34 years. Mike enjoys making peoples’ homes more inviting. He enjoys upgrading their houses and seeing the excitement on their faces when the job is completed.

Mike’s passions are his family, wife, children and now grandchildren. He really enjoys being a P.I.A.A. football official, hunting, fishing and playing with his grandchildren and watching them grow. He also loves spending time with his son, daughter and their spouses.

Mike is very proud to have built the Pennridge Greenjackets practice field and playing field in East Rockhill Township. He donated his time to help in the development of East Rockhill Township Park. He is the ex President of East Rockhill Lions and the ex President of the Pennridge Greenjackets. But he is most proud of his wife, children and grandchildren. 

 

Influence 28/52Dad My Dad standing inside new Hershey Giant Center (where the PIAA State Wrestling Championships are held) where we have spent many days and hours watching wrestling

 

Influence: 


After last week’s big influence, it may be hard to top. But I keep the pace by having my Dad up this week! As with all father’s, the influence is immense. And if anyone who knows my Dad, you certainly know he is a good guy and quite the character.

My Dad has been working hard with his hands for over 40 years. That’s a long goddamn time to be busting your butt. And if you have ever worked construction, an 8 hour day is long enough. Multiply that by 41 long years and that is certainly exhausting work. But he loves doing what he does. He is obviously very good at what he does and is quick to jump on nearly any kind of work imaginable. That can sometimes be a problem when he is constantly wanting to upgrade your house every few months!

His own masonry business really hit full stride in the late 80’s and 90’s when the construction field was beginning to boom and come to it’s peak. So luckily for him, he and his company (his foreman during those years, Ed) really enjoyed a solid two decades of great business. After being successful in the masonry field, he ventured into building custom homes. One of his earliest projects was our house up on West Rock Road in Perkasie, off of Rt. 313. He bought the land off of his grandfather who lived just off the back of the property. It was an awesome 10 acre piece of land that he built the house on, put in a pool, a pond and a huge pole barn for his business. We moved there when I was around three years old and they just sold the house about five years ago now. I grew up in a great house - the basement was finished a few years after moving in which made the best sleepover spot where we would have Nerf wars, video game binges and the occasional party! The pool was a frequent for all of my family which made the summers even more enjoyable when everyone would come over. Growing up catching frogs and fish out at the pond was also very cool. It’s something that as a kid you don’t know any different. But looking back now it was such a great place and I was very fortunate.

To run your own business you have to be extremely dedicated. And my Dad is very dedicated to working. He likes to work, like a lot. And when you are more or less forced to work for his business when you are growing up, it can be a little frustrating. My summers didn’t consist of sleeping in, playing video games all night, hanging out with friends at their house or any type of typical lazy early teenage kid activities. Instead I was getting up at 5am to go bust my ass all day. It was super hard work and very tiring. But it certainly showed me how to work hard, plenty of hands on skills that I still use today and a better perspective on life and what is really important. Seeing my Dad work so much and having to work any time I had off pushed me away from the construction field. I didn’t want to do that the rest of my life. I know he certainly would have wanted me to take over his business. I started working when I was just 14 years old and put in many years of time so I knew my way around. It would have been a good opportunity for me and for him. But it wasn’t my cup of tea. I wanted something different in my life and had dreams of my own.

My Dad was heavily involved in both of my sports of football and wrestling when I was growing up. He was a coach and even President for a while of the Pennridge Greenjackets youth Pop Warner football teams. Then when I stopped playing football in high school and focused on wrestling, he helped out whenever he could with that as well. He helped on the booster club and in setting up tournaments and things like that. My senior year we hosted Sectionals - it’s a very big undertaking to run a post-season tournament. He donated a lot of his time and effort to run that tournament. A few months later we had our banquet and as a senior I spoke to the team, family members and coaching staff. I went through a long list of people and coaches who made our year so successful. I praised them for their time and efforts in all of the various things they did for not only myself but for the team. I had the entire speech written down and it went off pretty well. But when I was nearing the end I looked up and saw my Dad sitting there at the tables and realized I hadn’t mentioned a word about him. I was devastated. I completely looked him over and had no clue until I was basically done with the speech. I was almost walking away from the podium when it hit me. I started back to the podium and started saying how I overlooked someone who was a huge help and someone very close to me. That’s about as far as I made it. I could barely get out a few words when I started crying. And I mean crying. I couldn’t talk, every time I tried it started again. I tried to talk a handful of times and I just couldn’t get it out. I started looking at my fellow teammates next to me and was trying to make jokes with them so they could make me laugh so I could refocus. It didn’t work, I just couldn’t do it! In between bawling like a little girl, I finally said “My Dad”, people started clapping and he got up and gave me a big hug. It was so emotional for me because I knew how much he did for me and the team. And I always try to give thanks and praise to people who work hard and have helped in any way. So the fact that I forgot him really got to me. But I think the dramatic soap opera cry scene I had in front of everyone made up for that!

Now that his business has slowed down and he just does smaller side jobs, my Dad has more time to relax a bit, referee some football and enjoy his time. We both enjoy watching and following wrestling. When I was in 6th grade he brought me out to Hershey for our first ever trip out to States. It was awesome. We stayed the entire time and loved it. We went up religiously every year and it was something we looked forward to. Once I started coaching it became harder because there were times I was actually on the floor coaching! So things certainly came full circle for me from being in the stands to having a wrestler on the mat and coaching him in the corner. But just last week we spent a day out there and now we will have even more time to go out and enjoy ourselves. It’s a lot of fun and it’s good to get away and watch some great wrestling.

He loves spending time with my son, his first grandkid. And now that my sister has a little girl, he and my Mom have their hands full. He’s been great with Cooper and I know Cooper loves being around him. Ashley and I are very fortunate to have great parents who also love spending time with Cooper. Lucky for Cooper though, he won’t have to throw around cinderblocks in the summer. Instead, he and Poppop can go out fishing and enjoying the finer things in life!

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) block brick builder construction dad father homes house influence mason stone https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2014/3/28/52---52-most-influential-people Sun, 16 Mar 2014 13:00:00 GMT
27/52 - 52 Most Influential People https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2014/3/27/52---52-most-influential-people  

John Rittenhouse 27/52
 

 

Meet The Person:

John Rittenhouse - Licensed Realtor and retired wrestling coach.

John is passionate about selling properties. He enjoys helping people sell or purchase their largest asset. The art of the negotiation and the challenges that people face when buying/selling/flipping properties is always exciting to him. He has been licensed since 1994.
John has also won several awards, some of which include the ‘Top of the Rock Award - Prudential Real Estate Network.’ and the ‘Triple Gold Award - Keller Williams Real Estate.’

Personally, John is extremely passionate about his family. He loves his wife to the bone along with his son Maddox, 7, and his daughter Saige, 6.

As a coach, John enjoyed getting the absolute best out of every kid. He hoped to make an impact on their life that they were better people when they left as seniors than they were when they came to him as freshmen. He tried to inspire and motivate his athletes.

His personal accolades are quite lengthy in the wrestling department. As a wrestler himself, John became the first ever State Champion in any sport at Quakertown HS. He was also the only wrestler to ever record an undefeated season, 35-0. He also still holds the highest winning percentage in Quakertown Wrestling history with a 94.6% record (88-5.)

As a coach, John was an assistant for five years at Quakertown HS (his alma mater.) He then moved on as the head coach for the Pennridge Rams for 11 years. He coached the first ever State Wrestling Champion in Pennridge wrestling history (Dan Goetter.) He also coached the first ever State Medalist in Pennridge Wrestling history (Eric Woehr - 2nd place.) He was the coach for eight total State Medalists, four of them as State Finalists in his 11 years as Coach. In his best season as a Coach, his team finished 25-2, sending six kids to the State tournament, and as a team finishing eighth place. 

 

Influence 27/52John Rittenhouse Coach Rittenhouse standing in front of the new Hershey Giant Center (where the PIAA State Wrestling Championships are held)

 

Influence: 

Coach House - one of the most influential people in my life, bar none, hands down. The guy that taught me guts, hard work, dedication and no nonsense. If there is one person who I could pick out of the 52 people that you will see over the course of this project who has changed my life for the better, this is it. This man fundamentally changed my life in more ways than I could ever describe in a few words being put down in this blog. But I am going to do my best!

As a 14-18 year old in high school you never really understand what you have in front of you. And by the time you do, it’s too late. And this was clearly my problem as a high school wrestler. I worked my ass off but in between my ears, I just wasn’t ready to be ultra competitive. I was an average wrestler who worked hard and put in the time. I just never ‘turned the corner’ as they say. But what I gained from those four years as a wrestler with Coach Rittenhouse at the helm was life changing. It wasn’t until I was done wrestling that I realized what I had within me. See at the time when I was working hard it was just for wrestling. I never realized that the hard work and time I was putting in was benefitting my life in the long run. So once wrestling was over and I met challenges in my life, they seemed insignificant to the grinding workouts we had at practice. Every problem, hard job, bad situation, etc. was able to be overcome. I had it within me. I knew how to push myself and how to put things into perspective. Those things do not come easy for people, except many of those who wrestled.

Wrestling gets a fairly bad wrap in society. We wear a tight singlet and physically grab other men, all while sweating. Sure, it doesn’t look normal! But there are very few things in your life that prepare you for nearly anything life has to offer other than wrestling. Coach Rittenhouse ran a practice room that was without a doubt one of, if not the hardest practices of any high school program. And I can say that with confidence and would challenge anyone to show me otherwise. A 3 mile run as a warmup before every practice, followed by sprints up a half-mile road, a gruelling 2+ hour wrestling practice and then a solid 30 minutes of conditioning at the end. It was day in and day out hard as hell and physically draining. It tests every part of your fabric. You get super frustrated and angry at nearly everything. Add to that the fact that my first two years I was cutting a lot of weight. Which meant my frustration level was peaking and my energy level was as low as you could possibly get. It was gruelling. But you learn how to push your body and better yet, you learn how to train your mind.

“Your mind will quit before your body!” Coach Rittenhouse used to yell when he was pushing us in conditioning. And it is a quote that I live by in my life to this day. In fact, on my Road ID band (identification band in case of emergencies) I wear when riding my bike and during my triathlons has this very quote on it. Read that quote again, “Your mind will quit before you body.” Have you ever heard anything more profound than that? Seriously, keep saying it over and over. When you are physically pushing your body to the limit it’s usually your mind that will give in. Your mind is what lets you down. The human body is one of the most amazing wonders in all of existence. Think about how it all works, how it was put together and how it functions. Human beings can do unfathomable things with their bodies. And they can do those things because they have trained their minds to believe they can. And that statement that Coach Rittenhouse would yell at us every day is spot on. And it is the basic principle behind my life and the way I treat the remaining years of my life. My success in triathlons, races and anything athletic/competitive that I enter all comes from this principle. I know what I am capable of doing and I have trained my brain to understand that as well. And once you get your mind behind what you want to do physically, you begin to do amazing things. Everyone has this ability, whether you are extremely overweight, someone who doesn’t work out, or even as an elite athlete, we all have the ability to train our minds to believe that we can. Some things may seem insignificant, like walking a quarter of a mile or running 50+ miles. It can be done, you just need to tell your mind it can be done.

A great story about Coach was, I believe, the summer going into my senior year. He used to run a wrestling club, Scorpion, at our school. We would have a few of the local area schools come to train. Well one night, this guy comes in. Apparently Coach Rittenhouse knew him or something. This guy was a behemoth - easily 6”4” and every bit of 250+ lbs of pure muscle. I mean dude looked like he was out of ‘Muscle’ magazine. So somehow he challenged Coach Rittenhouse to wrestle. I’m not sure how it came up but either way, Rittenhouse obliged as if it were no big deal. Now my cousin and I start to see and hear what is going on. We both stopped practicing and were watching in awe of what was about to happen. Now to set the other half of the stage, Coach Rittenhouse is not a big guy. At the time, he was going around 170-180lbs I would say, and maybe around 5’10” tall. In other words, David versus freaking Goliath… So they start wrestling and I am thinking my god, Coach is going to get picked up and slammed on his head. I was wrong. Rittenhouse reaches back on this guys head and throws a headlock like I have never seen before. This headlock is coming from left field, I mean the power he had behind this thing would have killed someone smaller than this giant. He catches this guys head in the perfect position as he hits the headlock and just launches this dude head over heals. The guy slams the mat and the headlock was so tight the guy tapped out. I mean, what, like, wait, huh?! After I realized that I was not dreaming, I started screaming like a little girl. I was so hyped up and going bonkers of what he just did. The guy slowly peels himself out of the mat, looks around, shakes his head out and starts to stand up. I don’t know what happened to that guy afterwards because I was still going so nuts I never saw him leave. It was unreal. David took down Goliath with 180lbs of out-of-shapeness and sheer will, grit and a headlock that would have killed most other people!

The last cool story about Coach (there are plenty more by the way) was the one time when I was just a freshman when he gave a great speech while demo-ing a move. He showed the move and then stood up and started to talk. He was talking about how whatever you do, you have to do it hard and you have to know that you can hit the move on anybody. At the time he was working down in the city. So he says, “I don’t care who comes up to me on the streets or in a back alley. Shit, they can have a gun. I am not afraid of anybody. I will take down anybody, I don’t care” Now some may look at that quote and think he’s an idiot, or he’s got a big head on his shoulders. But that’s not the point. The point is he believed that he could take anybody down at any time. And that is an attitude he tried to instill in us. It doesn’t matter who you are wrestling, you can take them down whenever you want. It’s all about the confidence and mental edge you have over your opponent.

So many stories and awesome moments that I had during my high school wrestling career. It was hard work and it was a grind. But Coach Rittenhouse helped transform my life into what it is now. I owe all of my hard work and mental edge in my athletic/competitive lifestyle I live now to him. Every time I enter a race, regardless of what it is, I expect to win. I expect to be up in the front. And I expect it because I was taught to expect it. I wish I would have had the mental edge I do now, back in high school. I would have been a much better wrestler. maybe I would have taken that next step. But I never did and that is certainly a regret that I live with. But I have taken that lesson and applied it into everything I do now to push myself harder than before. Life is so short. I choose to physically push my body because I embrace it and I have been given a physical gift of health and am capable of doing whatever I put my mind to. Whatever you do in life, work hard at it and give it your all. Coach, I cannot say thank you enough. I’m glad we have remained close over the years and I hold our relationship very close. What you have done for me can never be repaid. Just know that I can hear your voice any time things get tough - it’s a priceless gift. Thanks House! 

 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) champion coach edge history influence mental pennridge power quakertown state strength teacher workout wrestling https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2014/3/27/52---52-most-influential-people Sun, 09 Mar 2014 15:02:20 GMT
26/52 - 52 Most Influential People https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2014/3/26/52---52-most-influential-people  

Hadley Marie Link 26/52
 

 

Meet The Person:

Hadley Marie Link - Newborn. Kid. Cutie. Baby. Niece.

Born on Thursday, February 20, 2014 at 6:12pm to Thomas and Nicole Link. Hadley weighed in at a lean 6lbs 9oz and measured 19 ½” with dark brown hair and blue eyes

Professionally, Hadley has the world in front of her. She may consider working at a boarding school for all girls, working in an all girl workplace and could even coach at an all girls school. I think you can see the theme here.

Personally, Hadley may become a cheerleader like her mother or even swing the sticks like her father and become the next golf phenom! What Hadley will not do is date boys. That is off limits. As is doing drugs and hanging out with the wrong crew. I won’t tolerate it and I know her parents won’t either. But she can play softball, decide to be a chef, design the next space shuttle or guide it into space. The possibilities are endless, all it takes for her is a little drive, determination and hard work. 

 

Influence 26/52Hadley Marie Link Hadley smiling, because she just realized I am her Uncle! 

 

Influence: 

Hadley Marie just made me an Uncle! Not only that, but she gave my son Cooper his first cousin on my side of the family. I am beyond thrilled for my sister and her husband. Being an Uncle is so damn exciting! I don’t know if I was ready for this level of excitement but it’s a great feeling.

My sister, Nicole, has had her share of struggles since she graduated high school. Her physical disabilities have kept her from doing a lot of things that many of us take for granted. But she has carved out a great life for herself, and Thomas has been a great asset as well. But it was always a big question whether or not she would be able to become pregnant, and if so, carry a baby during pregnancy. Well if you know anything about my sister, you don’t tell her what to do. So her getting pregnant was an awesome first step. She and the baby stayed wonderfully healthy throughout the pregnancy. And just a few days ago, Coley in her typical form, spent only a few minutes pushing to deliver. And out came my beautiful little Niece.

Her cry is unmistakably female - high pitched and cute. She’s got a nice head of dark hair and super long fingers and toes. She is nursing well and pooping good, too. See, when you become a parent, these two things are what you learn to live by. That and their nap schedule. Getting on a good nap schedule is paramount. And as a parent, you learn to live around said nap schedule. I learn to live my life one nap at a time. My day is built into three parts: 1) before nap 2) during nap 3) after nap. I will let you guess which part is the most productive but shortest lived!

Nicole and Thomas, as new parents, have their hands full. Learning the nuances of how Hadley is going to behave, when to sleep, what foods she likes, what pajamas are the easiest to put on, if she likes the swing or the rocker better, etc. etc. etc. It’s all a big learning process. The gray hairs mount and your emotions become thinner than that gray hair. But there ain’t much better than when that baby looks at you and smiles. So best of luck Coley and Thomas!
Since I don’t have a girl (at least yet) I figured I would give Thomas some advice and/or help in case he needs it: Don’t let her date boys. Boys suck. Maturity for men usually doesn’t occur until late in their 20’s. So IF, and that’s a big if, she dates, she can do it once she (and her date) is near 30 years old. I will leave all of you fathers of daughters this little video. Now, it’s not safe for work and you will no doubt spit up your coffee, wine or beer. So be careful who is around you. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMnP_zQmMLw

Thomas, you and I can actually live this scene in 25-30 year from now. And if you don’t want to get in trouble, no problem. I have a best friend, Tim Baum, who will certainly help me enact this scene to the first “Reggie” that decides to come take out my Niece on a first date. To all of you “Reggies” out there, think twice dudes.

Love you Hadley!
 

 

 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) baby brother-in-law cute kid newborn niece sister uncle https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2014/3/26/52---52-most-influential-people Sun, 02 Mar 2014 12:36:20 GMT
25/52 - 52 Most Influential People https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2014/2/8/52---52-most-influential-people  

Kevin Wills 25/52
 

 

Meet The Person:

Kevin Wills - American History Teacher at Pennridge High School

Kevin is passionate about teaching. He wants his students to become interested in American History. He enjoys teaching life-long skills within the classroom environment. He gets excitement from his job when his students get into History and become more involved in his classroom. After 19 years of teaching at Pennridge, Kevin is honored to be a part of the Pennridge Community.

Kevin is married to his beautiful wife Aubrey whom they have two sons with; Jayden (six) and Deklan (three.) Personally, Kevin is passionate about his family. He is fortunate to spend time together with them and enjoy many of the same sports and activities together. 

 

Influence 25/52Kevin Wills Coach Wills standing in the new weight lifting gym at Pennridge HS

 

Influence: 

Coach Wills was one of the assistant coaches during my four years wrestling for Pennridge. He was a hard nosed guy with a fun attitude who could really get the most out of us. It was his lifting and workout efforts that helped transform not only me but many of us on the team into stronger wrestlers.

Coach Wills was our strength and conditioning coach. In the offseason, we would gather up a bunch of the team members and lift at the high school or go to the local gym. That local gym is now owned by another 52 week influence, CP! As a team we would drive over to the gym to workout so we could get a better workout. Our old gym at the time was literally a closet that was transformed into a ‘gym.’ It was bare bones and small. I can remember doing power cleans in the hallway! But, we made do. And Coach Wills was right there with us the entire time.

Coach Wills would usually lift with us as well. He would throw on his belt and go to town with us. At the time, I never really thought anything of it. He was a big built guy who clearly knew his stuff. So I just figured that most coaches did the same. That’s not true. And as I grew older and became a coach myself, I quickly realized that leading by example is not always the case. But Coach Wills was right there, pushing and screaming at us to work harder. He was vocal and got our guys to buy into the same. We would push each other by trying to lift more than the next guy. We would scream at each other to motivate ourselves. We also held competitions every few months to see who could lift the most combined weight. The ‘700’ club as a high school kid is a nice accomplishment. And we all tried to reach it, some of the bigger guys even going past it. (700 is a combined weight number from lifting bench press, deadlift and squat. Example, 200lb bench, 250lb squat, 250lb deadlift = 700lbs) Many of us went past that to the 800lb and 900lb clubs. It was a blast and it really helped us come together as a team.

Coach Wills was a fantastic coach because he was a leader. He led by example. If he would not have lifted with us, I do not think my drive and passion for lifting would be anywhere near what it is now. I wanted to work harder because he was right there with us. You couldn’t slack, you couldn’t drop down in weight. You had to go hard and do it right. And when I started coaching I brought that same mentality to my athletes. I try and work out with my kids at all times. I feel as though the kids push themselves harder, just as I used to. There have been a few occasions when I don’t run or lift with the kids. And they don’t like it. “Why aren’t you running with us today coach?” I think they feel slightly cheated and it really throws off their whole routine. But it doesn’t happen often because I don’t want them to have those feelings. I have had many of my athletes say to me, “You know Coach, all Coaches should workout with their wrestlers like you do.” That to me was an awesome validation of the hard work and time I put in with the kids. And, it’s also a validation of the hard work and time that Coach Wills put in with us, all those years ago.

I owe a great deal to Coach Wills for my drive to push myself harder and harder every time I workout and compete. His influence and passion in my life has helped further me in many many ways. All athletes should have a coach like him sometime in their life - we would all be better for it! Thanks Willzy! 

 

 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) coach gym history influence lifting pennridge power strength teacher weight weights workout wrestling https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2014/2/8/52---52-most-influential-people Sun, 23 Feb 2014 14:35:43 GMT
24/52 - 52 Most Influential People https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2014/2/24/52---52-most-influential-people  

Herman Chen 24/52
 

 

Meet The Person:

Herman Chen - Current Student, former Network/Change Manager for telecommunication companies.

Herman is a savvy business professional. In 1995 he became an entrepreneur, owning a Manhattan Bagel. He also worked in the telecommunications field for many years. He was first with AT&T as the Network Operations Manager, along with being the Change Management Manager. The Network Operations Manager performed surveillance on AT&T’s switches and their entire network. The Change Management Team was responsible for performing all of the software upgrades for the switches across AT&T’s network. From there, Herman moved to Cavalier Telephone and Netcarrier as the Field Technician Manager.

Personally, Herman is a wrestler at heart. He loves coaching wrestling, mentoring student athletes and coaches alike. He trains wrestlers year round whether it’s in the gym or in the wrestling room.

His most recent endeavor is with PAW’s Elite (Princeton Amateur Wrestling Society) which he is currently on staff there. The staff has an incredible assortment of high profile wrestler’s including Chris Ayres (All American from Lehigh - current Head Coach at Princeton University), Sean Gray (2x All American at Virginia Tech - current Assistant coach at Princeton University), Joe Dubuque (2x National Champion at Indiana University - current Assistant Coach at Princeton University) and Joe Jamison (current Assistant Coach at Princeton University.)

Being a part of and watching kids grow into fine young men is something he enjoys along with knowing that he had a helping hand in getting them to where they want to be. The sport of wrestling has helped him develop many great relationships with wrestlers, coaches, parents and fans. The sport has truly been good to him and he enjoys trying to return the favor.

He started coaching wrestling in 1995 (same year he opened the Manhattan Bagel.) Even though he is not coaching full time or affiliated with CB East anymore, he still works with many of the wrestlers outside of their normal practice schedule.

Currently, Herman is taking time off from coaching so he can go back to school to earn his degree. He has a nine year old son, Brandon, who is the pride and joy of his life. Brandon is extremely intelligent and extremely caring and thoughtful. It has been important to Herman to see Brandon succeed in life. Herman never got his degree from college and didn’t want Brandon to follow in his footsteps. So he decided it was best to take time off so he can focus on getting his degree. He is currently enrolled full time at Penn State Abington and plans to take class year round for two years. He started last summer session (session II 2013) and his targeted graduation date is summer of 2015. At that point he will have completed 120 credits, earning his BS in Business (Individualized business plan at PSU.) Basically, he is taking 21-24 credits a semester and 18 over the summer sessions so he can complete a four year degree in only two years. Brandon likes following in his Dad’s footsteps, so he is now planning on going to college when he is done High School!

The following is a direct quote from Herman:

“I met Nick, fresh out of college, teaching in his first year at Holicong Jr High.  I will never forget the first day we met.  He came into the wrestling room as my assistant and walked out of the first practice as the Head Coach.  I promised him that I would not leave him and that I would mentor him through his first season as a coach and head coach.  There was great chemistry there and we made a fantastic staff.  Holicongs wrestling team went from 12 kids to averaging over 50 during our tenure.  Many top notch wrestlers came through our room during that time (Nick Casbar, Jon Brodzik, Devon Passman, Joe Burke, Jarrett Sanders, Nick Dau, Zak Mysza, Steve Tilsner...).  I was sad to Nick leave to take a job at Hatboro Horsham but I was happy for him for pursuing his career further.  We've remained friends and competitors throughout the years. 

You won't meet a better friend, coach, or companion than Nick!!!!  Someone who cared about the kids, his family and what he does.  He and I shared a lot of the theories in life and wrestling.  It wasn't a job but something you did because you found the enjoyment in watching the kids grow into fine young men.”

 

Influence 24/52Herman Chen Herman giving his typical smile

 

Influence: 

Herman Chen is an awesome guy. Somebody who will take the coat off his back and give it to you whenever you need it. Which is saying a lot because the guy doesn’t wear pants - he’s a shorts guy. And not just in the summer, I am talking year round!

I met Herman in the fall of 2006 during my first year of teaching and while at Central Bucks School District, Holicong Middle School. Since I minored in Athletic Coaching while at Millersville, I was intent on coaching. It was one of the things I was most looking forward to once I got settled into teaching and had my own classroom. So just a few weeks in at Holicong, I inquired about who the coach was and if we even had one. I was told that Herman Chen was the head coach and I could contact him to see about coaching with him. So I was given his cell phone number and called him one day after school. I will never forget it, I was in my office at school and I gave him a ring. We talked for a few minutes and I asked if he wanted to meet up. He asked me if I was at Holicong. I said yes. He said “Ok, walk out back to the football field, I am watching the game. I will be the only Asian guy out there, you’ll find me,” then hung up. I am there holding the phone like, what the heck just happened?! Haha. So out I walked and yes, he was the only Asian guy out there! So we met and talked for a while. I am not sure if it was that day or a few days later but he basically told me I was going to be the head coach. Now my plan was to just be an assistant for the first year or two so I could settle into teaching and get my life going. But no, Herman threw me right into the fire! But it was not that bad because he was right there with me the entire way. And it helped give me a lot of confidence as I quickly handled the responsibilities of being the head coach.

Herman and I connected right away. It’s hard not to with him. He is really down to earth and super generous. He had been coaching at Holicong/East for many years so he had a great rapport with the students/athletes. The kids loved him and I really felt like we had a great thing going that year. It was a lot of work for me that though.. I was working my butt off as a new teacher and trying to juggle the busy coaching lifestyle as well. But I was young and had plenty of drive. I had a blast with Herman. We had a really good team that year. Many of those kids went on to be very successful at CB East during their high school careers.

I also met many great parents. One of the nice things about working in a very wealthy district like Central Bucks is the support of the parents. Herman and I established a parent organization so to speak. It was a way for the parents to donate money to the wrestling team so we could get new workout clothes, uniforms, etc. So I also had a great support system of parents as well. And many years later I still see some of them at various wrestling events and out in the community.

My decision to leave Central Bucks was not an easy one. And a big reason was having to leave Herman and the wrestlers. Once I made my decision to go to Hatboro-Horsham it was very hard to break it to Herman. He had done so much for me and I really felt like I was abandoning him. But he understood - I wasn’t leaving because I didn’t like my coaching situation. It was strictly a professional decision, albeit a hard one. Herman and I have stayed in contact ever since I left. I see him every season and we try to catch up whenever possible.

I don’t know if I could have had a better mentor to work under during my first year coaching. Herman is a great guy and has become a great friend as well. Once he finishes up college I hope he makes his way back onto a staff coaching. Not only for his sake, but for the sake of everyone around him. His quotes above give you a great insight into the kind of guy he is. Thanks a million Herman for everything you did for me. It didn’t go unnoticed and certainly never will!
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) bucks central coach holicong influence influential mentor portrait teacher wrestling https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2014/2/24/52---52-most-influential-people Sun, 16 Feb 2014 14:00:00 GMT
23/52 - 52 Most Influential People https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2014/2/23/52---52-most-influential-people  

Ted Case 23/52
 

 

Meet The Person:

Ted Case - Buyer/Assistant Manager at Advantage Auto Sales and Credit in Telford, PA

Ted enjoys his job working at Advantage Auto. He has been there now for 11 years and loves being there and a big part of that is his boss and how much he enjoys working for him. He likes the fact that he is not always in the office. He can get out to see people and it’s nice to do the same thing day in and day out. He also enjoys the people he works with. He is fortunate to have his son join him at Advantage this past year as well.

Personally, Ted loves to cut firewood. It is a favorite pasttime of him. He also enjoys being around family and friends. He likes to be with his son Jack, 21, hanging out doing whatever they can together. Ted enjoys the company of his neighbors company as well. A typical day for Ted is going to work and coming home to hang out, watch tv and spend time with his son.

Ted was married to his with Barbara for 25 years, knowing her since he was 23 years old.

Ted coached the Pennridge Greenjacket flag football team for just one year in 1988. He also umpired a slow pitch softball league for a few years.

Ted has a great history of personal accolades and accomplishments.

In 1974 he was ordained a Royal Elder at his Presbyterian Church (being ordained is for life.)

In 1980, his wife Barbara entered him into the Good Housekeeping ‘Man of the Year’ contest. Not only did Ted get votes from many people, he won the ‘Man of the Year - Working Class’ award! For his honor, he and his wife went on an all expenses paid trip to NYC. Dan Deirdorff (hall of fame NFL player and CBS announcer) was the MC of the event. While he didn’t win the ‘Overall - Man of the Year’ award, he did win the ‘Man of the Year - Working Class’ award.

In 1981, he was awarded the ‘Chief’s Award’ from his fire company.

In High School and College, Ted was a letter winner in both bowling and soccer, which he then continued at Bucks County Community College.

And recently, Ted is now the President of the ruling body of his Church (United Church of Christ.)

 

Influence 23/52TedCase Coach Case, kneeling down like he always did in the huddle

 

Influence: 

Coach Ted Case is a unique addition to my Influential People project. Coach Case, next to my immediate family members, is the influence who I have known the longest. I met Coach case when I was just five years old. Ted was my very first coach, in my very first sport as a little squirt at just five years old.

I still have a vivid memory of my very first football practice. It was at Drunkenmiller Park in Sellersville, PA. That is where, at the time, the Pennridge Greenjackets Pop Warner football team would have their practice. I can literally see the pavement after hopping out of my parents station wagon, the green grass and my teammates like I was still there. It is etched into my brain. That day in August of 1988 started something in me that is one of my greatest attributes. It started my love for competition. And that was all from Coach Case.

One of the very first things we did as a team was to run. No not run, sprint. Coach Case lined us up behind a cone and told us to all run as fast as we could to the other cone about 20 yards or so away. He wanted to see who was the fastest on the team so we can figure out who should play where. I cannot remember any other moment in my short life, at the time, where I had this immediate sense of competition. When we lined up, I wanted nothing more than to beat every kid around me. I was focused and determined to win. When I think back to that day it’s like a light switch went off. Coach blew the whistle and I was off. I left everyone in my dust. And from that moment on, I was instilled with a sense of pride when it comes to winning and a sense of competition that still is with me today.

Another great memory from coach was the huddle. Again, the image is still vivid in my head. In flag football, coaches can be on the field. So when we as a team would huddle up, Coach would be at the center of the huddle. And I can vividly remember him kneeling down on the field, thinking about the next play he was going to call. Now, as a flag football coach of five year olds, there are only so many plays you can call. We had a good quarterback and I was the tailback or running back. Coach called me his “little scat-back.” Basically, this meant one thing - give me the ball and I was gone. I was fast. Real fast. Coach would kneel down in the huddle, pull up some grass and say “Ok Nicky, handoff to the left.” And as any five year old would say, I asked “which way is left?” Hahaha. Coach pointed and that’s all he needed to do. The QB handed me the ball and I put my short italian legs to the ground and there weren’t many who could catch me.

Sadly, after that first season, Coach Case stopped coaching and I never saw him again. It was literally 25 years until I saw him again. And that was just this past December when I tracked him down and was able to get in contact with him. I cannot believe he remembered me but he did. And not only did Coach remember me but he invited me over his house. When I saw him a few weeks ago it was like nothing had changed. I don’t remember everything about coach, hell, I was five! But I do remember how great of a guy he was. And that did not waver over the 25 years. He was as kind and generous as I remember. When I went over his house, he and I spent about an hour shooting the shit and catching up. Can you imagine trying to tell someone your life story from the past 25 years? It was really cool and something I will not forget.

However, that day also took on a different meaning for me as well. When I met up with Coach, that was the Sunday of the crazy snow storm during the Eagles vs. Lions game down at the Link. When I got to his house the game had just started and we were in awe of how crazy it was to see that much snow on the ground. I also got a chance to meet his lovely wife Barb. Barb and Ted had been married right around when he was my coach. They had known each other for years before that but were married around that time. Barb was just as nice as Ted was. Super generous and treated me like I was part of the family. Before I left, Barb gave me her email address so I could email Coach the questions I need answered for the blog (basically it is the bio for the writeup at the top.) So she wrote me up her email and phone numbers so I had them to stay in contact. I emailed her that night, saying thank you very much for the hospitality and how great it was to meet her and to see Coach again. I was going to post Ted’s picture the following week, so he had time to complete the questions for me. I emailed again but never heard back. So I waited a few more days but never heard a response back. So I waited until Thursday (post was going up Sunday) and called Coach on his cell phone. Ted, in an extremely calm voice, told me that his wife Barbara had passed away on Monday. I was devastated and shocked. I felt so incredibly bad for Coach. I had only just met Barb the week before and it was really for only a few short minutes. But I really felt like I had known her and Ted for so much longer. It really shook me up and I was just so heartbroken for Coach. He and Barb seemed like a great couple. They live modestly and I really got the sense that they loved each other deeply.

I went to the viewing a few days later and got to meet Coach’s son Jack, see Coach and give my respects. When I walked up to talk to coach, I gave him a big hug and broke down. I cried. I could barely get out what I wanted to say to him. I told him that I was so sorry, how badly I felt and asked how he was doing. It was rough. But what did Coach do? He reached onto Barb’s casket, grabbed a tissue and gave it to me. He wasn’t concerned about himself, he was concerned about me. And that just about sums up how great of a guy he is. His wife is laying there, his son behind him and his life has been turned upside down. But he immediately thinks of someone else to help them out.

It was a tremendously sad thing that happened to Ted but we were able to catch up this week. He is doing well, all things considered. He says the support of his church, family and friends have really helped him. I wonder if I had called coach a week or two later if I would have even met Barb? It’s one of those things in life that just shows you just how short it can be. I am thankful to have met Barb. And I am even more thankful to have gotten the chance to catch up with Ted and to have him in my life. I don’t remember everything as a five year old, but what I do remember is something that will stay with me forever. The way that coach lined us up and made us compete with each other forever changed me. It started a drive in me that some people don’t have. I love to compete and strive to push myself just so I can be better than that person next to me. I don’t like losing and I work hard at everything I do so I don’t. Call it weird and it may be. But I call it an attitude. And as a new father, I can only hope that my son has a Coach Case in his life. He’s just three years away from that moment. I will do my best to pass on my sense of competition, but if that doesn’t work, I hope he gets to his first practice and puts his foot on the line. And I hope he feels the same way I did.

Thank you Coach Case - you were in my life for a few short months but have forever impacted my life!  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) coach eagles flag football greenjackets influence mentor pennridge pop portrait teacher warner https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2014/2/23/52---52-most-influential-people Sun, 09 Feb 2014 22:27:56 GMT
22/52 - 52 Most Influential People https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2014/2/22/52---52-most-influential-people  

Kirk Holt 22/52
 

 

Meet The Person:

Kirk Holt, Health and Physical Education Teacher at Hatboro-Horsham Senior High.

Kirk was a wrestling coach for 12 years, 11 of which were at the High School and one being at the Middle School. Kirk was also an accomplished wrestler for his alumni, William Tennent High School. At Tennet, Kirk amassed the school record for wins, with over 100. In his Senior year, Kirk reached the pinnacle of Pennsylvania wrestling by medaling at the PIAA AAA State Tournament. For his accomplishments in wrestling, Kirk was inducted into the 2003 William Tennent Athletic Hall of Fame. Kirk then pursued his career and wrestling talents at Ursinus College where he also garnered over 100 wins while competing at the collegiate level.

Kirk graduated Ursinus with a degree in Exercise Sports Science. After graduating Ursinus, Kirk began working for Hatboro-Horsham School District in the Health and Physical Education department while also starting his coaching career. Kirk coached his first year at Keith Valley Middle School then moved up to coach with Glenn Kaiser. Glenn and Kirk enjoyed many great seasons together. In Kirk’s 11 years as coach, he coached multiple Sectional, District and Regional Individual Champions, along with Sectional and District Team champions including a third place Regional Team place winner. At the State level, Kirk helped lead multiple student wrestling athletes to prestigious PIAA State medals. Kirk has been teaching at Hatboro-Horsham for 14 years. This is Kirk’s first year away from wrestling, as he had to step down to be a more dedicated father to his wife, his son and his two daughters.

Kirk is professionally passionate when he sees his students reach their full potential. He is excited to have the opportunity to positively influence their lives. He enjoys seeing his students grow throughout the semester and be able to leave his class better off than when they started.

Personally, Kirk is most passionate about his family. He works hard to be the best husband and father to three young children that he can be. Kirk really enjoys being outside, having fun and being active with his family. 

 

Influence 22/52Kirk Holt Kirk in his element, the gym at Hatboro-Horsham

 

Influence: 

Kirk was the assistant coach at H-H when I arrived here six years ago. He and Glenn Kaiser had been coaching together for years and built an excellent program before I walked in the door. If you know Coach Kaiser, he and Kirk are at the opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of their personalities. Glenn is very outward, loud and boisterous, while Kirk is very reserved and quiet. But they both are alike in their passion for wrestling. Even though Kirk is typically a more calm guy, when he gets into the corner to coach he can get very intense. The one thing that we had as a staff while coaching was our intensity for the sport and our hatred for losing. When you have those two things as a staff, it breeds winning. And for my first five years helping coach with Glenn and Kirk, we had a five year streak of state medalists. It was an accomplishment that I still consider as my highest honor as a coach.

As a young coach and assistant, there was no better role model for me than Kirk. Since he was already established as a teacher and coach here in the district, I could lean on him for advice. He would drop subtle hints to me on what was smart and what may not be the best idea. As a teacher who is also a coach, there is a dynamic that makes you different than other teachers. You are constantly around your student athletes and many times their parents. So you have to always hold yourself to very high standards and never let down. And having Kirk around was a huge help for me.

There are many memories I have from our time coaching together. From our always fun and exciting trips out to Hershey for the state tournament, to the long hours of setting up for the annual Wetzel wrestling classic, to Kirk almost taking out another coach. Yep, that was great. Two years ago, our heavyweight was wrestling and after the match, a coach from an unnamed school district decided he was going to say something to our wrestler. And lets put it this way, it wasn’t “nice job, kid”. Kirk and I were walking towards the table to talk to our kid when we heard this coach say something. Kirk turns and starts jabbing back at this guy. He nearly went to blows with him. And it had nothing to do with him wanting to pick a fight with someone - that is not his personality. He was angry because someone was verbally attacking one of his kids. And as a coach, that’s not cool. Kirk yelled at this guy to never talk to his kid again and if he had a problem, to take it up with him. I had to pull him away from the guy. And believe me, Kirk put him in his place. I loved it! To me, watching the normally modest Kirk Holt stand up for his athlete was great to see.

Last year, Kirk’s family began to have some health issues. These issues have unfortunately caused Kirk to step down from wrestling. He is needed at home more than he is in the corner. He broke the news to me last year after we were heading home from the Regional Tournament. I was devastated. I loved our time together and was really going to miss having him around. But I knew why he had to step down. He is a father and a husband first. Wrestling was certainly a major aspect of his life but he was needed at home more than he was in the practice room. Hopefully over the next few years, things will ease for him and his family and he can get back onto the mat. But until then, he is coaching his favorite team - his family. Thanks for the guidance and the fun Kirk, it was a pleasure.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) awards coach ed. family gym hatboro-horsham hh influence influential lifting mentor phys. states teacher tournament wrestling https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2014/2/22/52---52-most-influential-people Sun, 02 Feb 2014 15:04:28 GMT
21/52 - 52 Most Influential People https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2014/1/21/52---52-most-influential-people  

Mary Ellen 'Nanny' Pompei 21/52
 

 

Meet The Person:

Mary Ellen “Nanny” Pompei - Grandmother.

Mary Ellen is a retired mother of three, grandmother of five and great grandmother of three. Mary is a retired industry worker. She has worked off and on in various factory jobs for most of her adult life. She has worked part time the last few years when her company has needed extra work but has since retired.

Now that she is retired, Mary enjoys her time off. She likes being able to sleep in and wake up on her own terms. Not having anything to do most days is certainly a perk of being retired! Mary is also a huge football fan, especially watching the Eagles. If you have ever watched football with Mary Ellen, it is a spirited adventure in and of itself! She will often go to watch the local team, Pennridge High School, play football games.

Mary Ellen also has a great group of friends that she is still very close with. In fact, many of these girls are long time friends from high school. They have remained a close knit group after all these years and still get together whenever they can.

Mary also likes spending time up in the Poconos whenever she gets the chance. The Poconos was always the vacation destination, staying in her cabin off of Lake Nockamixon. 

 

Influence 21/52Mary Ellen 'Nanny' Pompei Nanny with her great smile

 

Influence: 

Nanny. Nan. Mar. Mary Ellen. Mary Ellen Hellen Watermellon. Yep, that’s Nanny! Mary Ellen is my other surviving grandparent, along with last weeks model, Jeanette. And just as with Jeanette, Nanny helped to raise me. I would usually go over their house right after school for many years. The best part about growing up was how close Nanny lived to us. She literally lived a half mile from my house, right on the other side of route 313. Not that we were allowed to walk there, but it sure made it nice to quickly get to and from their house.

I loved going over to their house. They had a nice rancher sitting on a cool piece of land off the side of a hill and overlooking Lake Nockamixon. They had a cool basement as well, with a tv and some chairs and couches. My grandfather had a really nice coal burning stove down there to keep the house warm. And the best part about that basement? The rocking chair. Not just any rocking chair, an heirloom rocking chair that was my grandfathers growing up. It was a little kids chair and had this nice black muted finish on it. I would sit and rock on that chair watching tv for hours! When I got older, I would set up couch cushions behind the chair and see how far back I could rock it before tipping over. That would keep me entertained for hours! If it were only that simple anymore. And the best part about that chair, was this past Christmas Eve, my son Cooper got to sit on that chair and “rocky rocky” back and forth. It’s crazy how life comes full circle.

Christmas Eve was without a doubt the best time to be at Nanny’s house. It has been a long standing tradition that the Pompei side of the family goes over to her house on Christmas Eve. I am pretty confident that I have not missed a Christmas Eve at Nanny’s for 31 years running! They used to put old school silver tinsel on the tree and put it right in the big bay window out front. Going over there and being with that side of the family was a blast. And when it was over it wasn’t that depressing because the big man was coming that night and you had plenty more to open the next day!

I had a few friends from school that lived on her street. So we would hang out after school down at the creek right next to Nanny’s house that fed into the lake. We would catch crayfish and frogs, skip stones and spend hours on end down there until it was dark. I loved being down at that creek. It’s one of those things that as a kid you think it’s just ‘normal’ to have something like that right next to your grandmothers house. But looking back now, it was a great way to connect with nature and be outside instead of playing video games inside. We need more creeks for kids these days!

And lastly, this write-up wouldn’t be complete without a funny story. My sister and I stayed over Nanny’s house for a night or two when my parents went away. I was around 10 years old or so. And I get out of the shower and put my sweatpants on to head to school and all of a sudden I start getting this crazy pinching pain on the inside of my thigh. Then again and again. I am now jumping around trying to rip my pants off, Nanny is standing in the hallway asking me what the heck is going on and of course laughing at me. I finally get my pants off to find a yellowjacket buzzing around in there. To this day she still brings up that story and laughs her butt off!

I am so fortunate to have two unbelievable ladies in my life that I get to call my Grandmothers. Nanny is full of piss and vinegar and is an absolute riot to be around. Her laugh is infectious and instantly makes everyone else around her laugh right along. She is extremely kind and will help you out with whatever you need. She is the glue that binds the Pompei family and I am so glad that Cooper gets to have Nanny in his life too. I love you Nanny, thanks for everything. 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) 52 family grandchildren grandmother great influence marriage mother portrait week https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2014/1/21/52---52-most-influential-people Sun, 26 Jan 2014 16:16:48 GMT
20/52 - 52 Most Influential People https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2014/1/20/52---52-most-influential-people  

Jeanette 'Mommom' Hillyer 20/52
 

 

Meet The Person:

Jeanette “Mommom” Hillyer - Grandmother

Jeanette is a mother of five, grandmother of 14 and great grandmother of 15! If you add in extended family, she has a whopping 27 great grandkids! Jeanette was married to her Charlie Hillyer for close to 60 years before he passed back in 2005.

Jeanette is a ‘homemaker’ who was married at the age of 15. Her and my grandfather eloped down to Maryland to be married. And at the age of 17, she became pregnant with her first of five kids. She was used to staying in and raising her children for most of her younger years and learned to become a good cook while feeding the family.

After the kids were all grown up, she took on various jobs in the cooking field. She worked at a deli and also as a cafeteria worker at Pennridge High School. After retiring, Jeanette helped to raise and babysit many of the grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Jeanette enjoys her ‘scuzz’ magazines where she can read up on all the fake drama all across Hollywood. She also loves watching reality tv - ‘Big Brother’ was one of her favorites among many others. And if you can’t find a good Sudoku, crossword or jigsaw puzzle anywhere at your local store, that’s because she has them all! Sudoku has really become a favorite way to pass time lately and she can always knock out a crossword puzzle in the local paper or magazine.

 

Influence 20/52Jeannette 'Mommom' Hillyer Mommom working on her puzzles

 

Influence: 

This is my oldest grandmother (not counting Ashley’s grandmother) and my first family member to make the influential people project. And that is fitting because just this past Friday, she turned 84 years young!

Mommom helped raise me when I was growing up. In fact, both sets of grandparents helped to raise me when growing up. I have vivid memories of every house that she lived in while I was growing up. The first house I remember was in Perkasie where her and my grandfather lived with their oldest daughter, Linda and her family. It was a crazy Italian household with lots of moving parts. We used to play outside where they had this big black cauldron looking thing. We would make ‘mud soup.’ Who hasn’t made some good mud soup in their childhoods?! Then they moved to a 55 and older community in Souderton. I can remember watching my favorite college football team, the Florida State Seminoles play their hated rivals the Miami Hurricanes on tv. When my sister and I would sleep over there we would ‘camp’ in their living room with sleeping bags. One night, we rented “Arachnophobia” from the local ‘West Coast Video’ (remember those?!) and my sister had no idea what she was in for. Needless to say, she didn’t sleep well that night!

I also remember eating marshmallow and chocolate ice cream at their dining room table. My grandfather loved marshmallow ice cream! That and Neapolitan. They also had a nice spare room where I would play video games and hang out as I got older. And you can never forget the sea-shell bathroom that had a huge conch shell on the top of the toilet that you always had to put your ear up to and listen to the ocean.

After living there for a few years, my parents decided to have my grandparents move in with us in our house in Perkasie. My Dad built an in-law suite off the front of the house. It was a nice one bedroom, eat-in kitchen and living room apartment for them. I loved it. All Mommom, all the time! Whenever I wanted to see my grandmother, I could walk next door. Plus, I had my grandfather to always be looking out for me. I couldn’t do anything right without help letting me know it was wrong first!

For a handful of years, we had “Wednesday Family Dinner Night” at Mommoms house. She would invite the family who was close by to come on over every Wednesday night for dinner. I looked forward to that day and dinner more than any other day of the week. I loved it. I got to see a bunch of family and eat Mommom’s great cooking every week. During one of those dinners is when I brought my wife (girlfriend at the time) Ashley over to introduce her to some of the family. She and I loved going over there on Wednesday’s and it was something we couldn’t wait for every week. Mommom would make all kinds of great food too - homemade stromboli, chicken bake, homemade lasagna, potatoes, stuffing, etc. After working long days of construction with my Dad, there was nothing more exciting that going home to shower and head over to Mommom’s for Wednesday dinners!

After my grandfather passed, Mommom decided to move to North Carolina to live with her daughter, my Aunt Lori. She lived in Manteo for a few years and it was nice having her down there when we would go on vacation to the Outer Banks. Since Manteo is just a few minutes from where we vacationed nearly every year, Mommom was already there so seeing her was convenient. She was even a stop on an east coast road trip I took with my good friend Jason and my brother in law Jeremy. We stopped in to see Mommom for a few days and stayed at her place. It was great being able to go the beach, then head back to Mommom’s house to see her and of course, get her good cooking! She even took us boys out on a date at an all you could eat buffet. Needless to say, the three of us got back to her house and fell onto the floor and didn’t move the rest of the night! That was a great end to our week long road trip.

To me, my grandmothers all hold a special place in my life. They both helped raise me and were always there for my sister and I. Mommom is a sweetheart and always took care of me. She would take us to Jamesway or Ames to shop for cheap little toys to play with. I loved going to there pick out something “under $10.” Losing my grandfather was tough and it obviously affected her tremendously. You don’t spend 50+ years with someone and not have a void in your life. But it has been a blessing having her around in my life for 31 years. I am extremely fortunate to have her in my life and for the fact my son Cooper gets to spend his youth with her too. And it’s also great seeing my Mom and my mother-in-law have the same type of relationship with Cooper. Having grandparents is one of the greatest gifts in life. And Mommom is the gift that keeps on giving - love you Mommom! 

 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) 52 family grandchildren grandmother great influence marriage mother portrait week https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2014/1/20/52---52-most-influential-people Sun, 19 Jan 2014 16:56:46 GMT
19/52 - 52 Most Influential People https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2014/1/19/52---52-most-influential-people  

CW3 Mr. Mike Mignogna 19/52
 

 

Meet The Person:

Mr. Mike Mignogna - Army Reserve Pilot - Chief Warrant Officer 3 (CW3) MOS 155E (Military Occupational Skill) Pilot -in-Command UC-35 Citation Jet 5 and C-12 Super King Air Turbo Prop plane pilot.

Mike Mignogna first graduated flight school as a helicopter pilot. He was a Captain and Company Commander for eight years. However, in the reserves unlike active duty, higher positions would require moving and traveling to Ft. Bragg, NC (instead of his home in Warrington, PA - formerly stationed at Willow Grove Joint Air Base.) So he chose the Warrant Officer ranks and is now one of the pilots that he used to command. He has been serving this country for 27 years.

Mike is also a Wellness teacher at Pennridge High School and a former Junior High Wrestling Coach of six years and an 11 year Freshman Football Coach. This is his 23rd year of teaching.

Professionally, Mr. Mignogna enjoys working with the students each year as a Wellness Teacher. He likes the fact that he can instill a lifelong active lifestyle in his students. Seeing his previous students stop by his classroom to say hi and update him on their life makes his day! He has also developed lifelong relationships with a number of the staff members at Pennridge.

On the military side of things, Mike works, flies and deploys with a bunch of great guys. He can’t think of a more enjoyable way to serve this great country than to be doing what he does, piloting aircraft for the Army. His mission has a clear purpose and executing it successfully is what gives him satisfaction!

Mike has a Master’s degree from Beaver College (now Arcadia University.) He was an HHC Commander (2-228th) for five years from 1994 -1999, a Company A Commander for three years from 2000  -2003 and has been deployed to Bosnia, Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan. He has also earned four air medals.

Personally, Mr. Mignogna likes to give full effort into whatever he is doing. Whether that is teaching or his duty in the military, he believes in doing your job to the fullest capability and doing your best for you and all involved. Get the most out of yourself and those around you or by teaching. Don’t waste your day; be productive. He enjoys spending time on vacation down at the shore with his two children and his wife. He also enjoys getting together with friends. He couldn’t ask for two better jobs to have than as a teacher and a pilot flying for his country!

Mike is extremely fortunate to have such great family and friends! 

 

Influence 19/52CW3 Mr. Mike Mignogna CW3 Mignogna standing in front of his UC-35 Citation Jet 5

 

Influence: 

Duty. Honor. Sacrifice. Courage. You can pick every superlative in the dictionary and they would all fit for Mr. Mignogna. But don’t forget “damn good guy.”

Mr. Mignogna was my junior high wrestling coach. He was one of the first people I knew who was active in the military. And he wasn’t just in the Army, he was an active helicopter pilot. As you can see from the picture above, he is not your typical American. He’s a tough looking guy. And when you are a 12 year old middle school punk, it’s a bit of a slap in the face when this guy comes rolling into practice. And when he rolls into practice in his fatigues and aviator glasses, you want to shrivel into a ball in the corner and suck your thumb! Yeah, he has that kind of presence.

I will never forget my 7th grade season when we were at North Penn for our end of the year tournament. Mr. Mignogna came late because, of course, he was in flying that morning. So we are there hanging out and waiting for our time to wrestle. Well mid way through the day, I look up and there he is. He comes strolling in through the door, high black army boots, green flight suit and aviators on. I swear the room went silent - it was like the Terminator walked into the building. He was so damn official and had such a badass presence about him. As a middle school kid it was awesome knowing he was your coach!

Mr. Mignogna taught me respect and discipline. I didn’t want to cross his bad side and certainly didn’t want to let him down. So I matured quickly from wrestling and learned to work hard while at practice. He would make us run wind sprints down the back hallway and pushed us mentally. I have some great memories from those two short years. We won the league championship my 8th grade year. And the league match came down to our in-district rival, South Junior High. I went to Central Junior High and our rival was the other junior high in the district, South. And that match was the biggest of the year and it was a battle. We all knew their wrestlers and they knew us. Most of us grew up wrestling together so we had wrestled each other before. But now it was for a different team and it was for all the marbles. My matchup was with a friend of mine, Matt Strobel. He was super strong and every time we wrestled the match was decided by one or two points. I beat Matt that night and we ended up beating South and won the title. The best part about winning the championship? The Pizza party that the coaches promised us! Haha. We were happy about winning the title but we cared more about free pizza.

Mr. Mignogna is a selfless guy. He has been active in the Army for 27 years and has given up a lot of freedoms that many of us take for granted. He is deployed for months at a time and is constantly away from his home and family for training and flying. I respect the hell out of the guy for doing what he does. How he could coach and teach with the schedule he had plus take care of his family is beyond me. It’s the definition of dedication. I could go on and on about how much respect I have for any and all military people. What they give up on a daily basis to let you and I enjoy our lives goes largely unnoticed. Mr. Mignogna not only serves this country and has done so for over 25 years, but he is also a teacher and a coach. It is hard to think of three things more worthy in life than what he does. And he goes about those things with such class. He is one of the nicest people I have ever met. He taught me hard work and respect. Two things lost among many youth today. If there were a million Mike Mignogna’s in this world it would without a doubt be a better place. I cannot thank you for all that you have done and all that you do, Coach. It was an honor and a privilege to be your student athlete and to now call you a friend. Thank you! 

 

 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) 52week Army Reserve brave coach discipline good guy honor influential leader pilot portrait strength teacher https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2014/1/19/52---52-most-influential-people Sun, 12 Jan 2014 15:00:00 GMT
18/52 - 52 Most Influential People https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2014/1/18/52---52-most-influential-people  

Vanessa Robtison 18/52
 

 

Meet The Person:

Vanessa A. Robtison - M. Ed., Registered Athletic Administrator, current Athletic and Activities Director at Staunton River High School in Moneta, Virginia.

Vanessa has compiled a very impressive resume since her 2006 graduation from Millersville University with a BS in Technology Education. In 2008 she earned her Masters in Education from Cabrini College. Then in 2013, Vanessa completed and earned her Principal Certification through Cabrini College and became a Registered Athletic Administrator through the NIAAA (National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association.)

Vanessa was hired by Neshaminy School District in the summer of 2006 and taught Technology Education at Maple Point Middle School for four years. During the 2009-10 school year, she became the Neshaminy District Technology Education Lead Teacher/Department Chairperson. Also during that year she served as the High School Equipment Manager. During the 2010-11 school year, Vanessa made a move to the Pennsbury School District to work at the High School as the Graphic Design, Robotics and Woodworking Teacher. During those five years as a teacher, Vanessa helped coached the Neshaminy girls soccer team. Vanessa decided to further her career by moving to Staunton River School High School to work as the Athletic and Activities Director. Staunton River is one of three schools in Bedford County. This is her third year as the Athletic Director.

Professionally, Vanessa is passionate about instilling her love for lifelong learning in student-athletes. She believes that academics should always come before athletics. She also enjoys working with her coaches while trying to create positive experiences for the students athletes at her school.

From the time Vanessa was a little kid and up until now, participating in sports was her favorite thing to do. Now that she is older, she has a career and cannot compete in competitive leagues like she used to. So for her, the next best thing is to be a part of student athletics. All day, every day, athletics is her world. She cannot think of a better profession that provides her with the opportunity to surround herself with athletics.

Personally, Vanessa is still a soccer player at heart. She plays in a fall and spring adult women’s league in Roanoke, Virginia. She also plays in an adult co-ed Kickball league in Roanoke. She is a diehard Eagles fan. She never misses a game on Sunday if she can help it (she’ll even miss her Sunday soccer games if the time conflicts!) She missed watching so many games growing up playing all of her sports and all day tournaments. She purchased the NFL ticket so she can stream games online and now never misses a beat! Being in Virginia, the Eagles games are not televised that often so having the NFL Ticket is a lifesaver.

Vanessa still loves graphics. Although she does not currently teach graphic design/tech. ed., she still loves using Illustrator or Photoshop in her spare time. She creates graphics for the school athletic website and twitter account. She has also started created logos for various initiatives for her school division. She also enjoys creating designs for t-shirts for any occasion.

And lastly, she has a hobby of collecting sneakers. She loves wearing sneakers and has a pair to match everything! 

 

Influence 18/52Vanessa Robtison Vanessa on her 'home' turf

 

Influence: 

Vanessa is one of my ‘four crew’ friends out at Millersville. As you saw in one of my earlier posts on Jay Jarrett, we had some great times. And Vanessa was certainly a good reason why.

Vanessa was one of a handful of females in the entire Technology Education department at Millersville. She was talented in many of the areas of Tech. Ed. and those talents and career path have helped her get to the position she is in now. See, back when we were going through college and once we graduated, public schools were still hiring and the economy had not ‘fallen off.’ So when we were going through the Tech. Ed. department at Millersville, our career opportunities had many great paths to take. Between the three of us, we were hired by 3 of the best school districts in the state. Vanessa wanted badly to go back to her alma mater in Neshaminy School District. Lucky for her once she graduated a position opened up.

Vanessa was a blast to be around while at Millersville. She has a fun personality and is never afraid to speak her mind. And I think that comes from her being a female in a male dominated field. It’s not easy to be one of the only girls in a metals lab, pouring aluminum and using an 8’ tall 5 ton metal machining mill. Those things don’t just come easy for a lot of people, forget being a female. But she is one tough cookie and that is something I always admired about her. Piss her off and you will hear about it. I’m not a smart guy but I know to always be nice to Vanessa! But when you need something, Vanessa is always there for you.

Some of my best memories with Vanessa were from our Virginia Beach TECA (Technology Education Collegiate Association) competitions. We had a TECA club while at Millersville and the four of us friends were actively involved. Every year we would travel to Virginia Beach for the National Competition and Conference. It was one of the things we looked forward to every year as students. The four of us competed in the video design competition and it was 2 days of absolute craziness. We had about a day to complete the video with just a few hours to edit and complete it. It was easily the most fun I had at college and it was because I was around some great friends while doing what I loved. There were some crazy stories that came from those weekends and I am really glad that I was able to spend those days with Vanessa. We had a blast!

As the story goes, when you get older life gets in the way. Jobs and families pull you in many different directions. While Vanessa and I don’t get to see each other like we used to in college, we can pick right up where we left off. Which usually means a lot of bitching and moaning and of course, laughing! Hope you get a chance to come home soon Vanessa, it’s good having you around! 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) College Ed. Friend Millersville Tech. administrator athletic athletics collegue director school teacher https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2014/1/18/52---52-most-influential-people Sun, 05 Jan 2014 15:59:04 GMT
17/52 - 52 Most Influential People https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2013/12/17/52---52-most-influential-people  

Glenn Kaiser 17/52
 

 

Meet The Person:

Glenn Kaiser - Hatboro-Horsham High School Head Wrestling Coach and Executive Director of K/S-MST, Inc./K/S Consultants, Inc.

Glenn has been involved in wrestling since he was a little kid and is now coaching high school in his 22nd year. As a graduate of Hatboro-Horsham, Glenn returned to coach his alma-mater after long time legend Ralph Wetzel retired. Since then, Glenn has garnered 100+ coaching wins, a 2008 SOL coach of the year award, two Sectional Team Championships, a District Team Title, multiple Sectional, District and Regional Champions along with a five year streak of continuous State Place winners. 

Glenn is passionate about developing boys into young men through the life long lessons that are learned in the sport of wrestling. For him, the most exciting part of coaching wrestling is when the whistle blows and the match begins. "I become the most intense individual on the planet - what a rush!"

He enjoys helping his athletes execute and win a match. But this sport is not just about winning. Glenn knows that surviving the sport of wrestling means that you will wake up everyday for the rest of your life with nothing in front of you that you cannot overcome.

Outside of wrestling, Glenn enjoys helping at risk youth and their families. He is part owner of an at-risk youth counseling service for children and their families. His service provides for Bucks and Montgomery Counties' families with in-home counseling.

Glenn is also an avid golfer and is an assistant for the H-H golf team. So when he is not mat-side, you can find him on the greens! But his true passion lies within watching, coaching and living wrestling! He is a District One Wrestling Steering Committee Member, and All-Academic Chairmen and an OPC Specialist (this is the organization that regulates wrestlers weight loss and hydration levels.) He is also a writer and contributor for several wrestling media outlets.

 

Influence 17/52Glenn Kaiser Glenn overseeing the 13th Annual Ralph Wetzel Wrestling Tournament

 

Influence: 

Coach Kaiser - energy, passion with a small side of crazy. That's coach Kaiser! 

I first met coach my first few weeks of teaching at H-H. The long-time Tech Ed. teacher I was working with told Glenn that I was a wrestler and I had just come from Holicong Middle school and was the Head Coach there. He came into the back office where I was and introduced himself. He asked me if I wanted to coach and then asked if I wanted to coach at the middle school. I kind of laughed and said I really appreciated the offer. But I was done with middle school! I really wanted to coach at the high school level and it's really where I thought I could help the kids the most. So he said okay, you can come on as a volunteer for this year and see how things go. Well, 7 years later it has been an amazing ride. 

I was extremely fortunate that my first three to four years we had outstanding teams. And during those years those kids really fit into the mold that suited my skills. They wanted to learn and wanted to work hard. I became the pseudo strength and conditioning coach and that is really where I thrive. We had kids who wanted to workout all the time and I was just proud to be a part of the long run we had. In fact, for the first five years I started coaching, we had a streak of State Place winners every single year. That is a major accomplishment in the state of PA. 

Glenn is extremely passionate about wrestling. It's his sport. He lives and breathes wrestling. It's in his blood. And as a young coach coming up, he is an awesome guy to be around. His passion is infectious - he turns you into a more focused and driven coach because you have to keep up. You really don't get to rest around Glenn - it's 100% all the time. He volunteers our gymnasium for multiple events. He loves setting up and hosting wrestling in our gym. In fact, just yesterday we wrapped up the 13th annual Ralph Wetzel Wrestling Classic. This is our big tournament of the year - 24 teams with hundreds of wrestlers for both Varsity and JV. Our main gym (see picture above) and our auxiliary gym have three mats going and hundreds of fans and kids jammed in. It is an extremely hectic three days of setting up and running the tournament. But it certainly is worth it. We are constantly being told what a good job we do and how well the tournament runs. It's what we strive to do.

Glenn is great with the kids. He has not only his intense passion for wrestling inside of him, but he also has the Psychologist in him from his counseling service. You can always see how he tries to take various angles with different kids. It's really great to watch from my point of view. Every kid is different - they have different needs, social developments, maturity levels, toughness, etc. It's a giant equation to figure out. But Glenn can nail down the right way to solve their equations and get the most out of them. Sometimes it's tough love. As in the toughest these kids have ever had. Sometimes it's a laid back approach. Sometimes he will talk with them one-on-one to get inside their heads and counsel them. It really is a form of art work.

And it works. It works really well. Because H-H has the best wrestling alumni I have ever seen. We regularly have our past wrestlers come back to help. Not only to coach but to help roll around in practice and volunteer at events. These kids don't just come back because it's cool to hang out at your high school! They come back because they want to give back. I think they feel as though they have been given something in their life they really can't explain. They have been given plenty of life lessons on how to be tough, how to overcome and how to become a man. And I think as they grow older they realize it's something that can never be repaid. And they want to be around it again because it's something that normal life just doesn't give you. That's wrestling and there is no one else who can help coach those skills better than Glenn Kaiser. Well done Coach.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) awards coach gym hatboro-horsham hh influence influential lifting mentor states teacher tournament wetzel wrestling https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2013/12/17/52---52-most-influential-people Sun, 29 Dec 2013 16:00:10 GMT
16/52 - 52 Most Influential People https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2013/12/16/52---52-most-influential-people  

JTWO 16/52
 

 

Meet The People:

Justin Jarrett- Principal Creative Director
Travis Capacete - Principal Business Director

Justin and Travis have both been involved in the video and movie making industry since they were teenagers. Justin was trying to tell stories and Travis was into skateboarding and shooting/editing skate videos. 

Professionally, these two have a passion for what they do. They both love to work and create their own projects within their company (JTWO FIlms.) They get to hand pick their projects and invest their time into what matters most to them. Every day and every project is unique. They enjoy being able to tell someone's story. Each person has an original story to tell and being able to share those stories with the rest of the world is what motivates these two young professionals. They have been fortunate enough to travel across the country and world, immersing themselves in new cultures. 

Personally, their lives are very tied up in their business. As young entrepreneurs, your personal life is your work. They are constantly "on the clock" working or traveling. When they do get an opportunity to "put their work down" both enjoy spending time away. Justin enjoys spending time with his friends. After losing his best friend Aaron right out of college, he realizes that friendship is the greatest gift in the world. Travis finds it important to create some personal time away from work as well. He loves going to baseball and sports games, home brewing his own beer and staying warm (preferably in a hot tub!)

These two have won multiple awards for their film making, including their most recent work with FullCircle, winning an Addy award. Both Justin and Travis believe that obtaining recognition for what they do is a wonderful thing. But it's not what drives them. Both want to continue to enjoy what they do and help to tell peoples stories. 

Travis: Life's a garden - dig it! 
Justin: Life’s a cracker….put it in some soup. 
 

Influence 16/52JTWO Travis (left) and Justin in their now 'old' office in front of their 'JTWO' wall

 

Influence: 

My first duo to enter the influential people project! Business partners, friends, dudes. JTWO filmmakers Justin and Travis have become good friends and business partners of mine.

Justin is a brother of one of my best friends, Jason Jarrett. It’s funny how life works sometimes. I became good friends with Jay and his family and then started working with Justin. Maybe it was all meant to be! I met Justin about four or so years ago, not too long after he graduated from Penn State. He was just getting his feet wet in the film industry and I had just begun learning how to shoot video with my Canon 7d. I mentioned to Justin that I had a Canon DSLR that could shoot video and if he ever needed help I would love to work together. About a year or so later we started working together and it’s been a great ride ever since.

Travis is the other half of JTWO. Travis grew up in the town right next to me and went to CB West high school. Travis got a great gig working for the NFL as an intern, helping with game footage on Sundays. Travis obviously got some great connections while working there and it helped to propel their careers. These guys are like brothers and work so well together. They are somewhat opposites but together make a great team. Justin is very specific and dialed in while Travis is laid back and handles clients in a relaxed manner. Justin has the vision and hands-on approach with Travis taking that vision and putting it all together.

These two had their careers jump off to a big start with an independent documentary they made. The only bad part of that documentary was the real life story line that came from it. Justin’s best friend, Aaron Klinger, was killed in a car crash before they graduated from college. Aaron and Justin grew up together and were inseparable best friends. In college, they made a pact that once they graduated they were going to bike across the country. The tragic accident left Aaron’s friends and family grieving. But Justin decided he was going on the bike trip and he was going to do it to honor Aaron and their friendship. Close friend of Aaron and Justin, Kyler Krebs, also came along to honor his lost friend. The trip was one of soul searching and discovery for the group. They filmed their entire trip and what came from it was an award winning, heart-string tugging masterpiece. The For Aaron documentary won five awards at film festivals across the country. James Brown (CBS’s NFL Today and Showtime’s Inside the NFL) was the Executive Producer on this film and has backed Justin and Travis since then, proving the direction these two are heading.

After the documentary, Justin and Travis moved down to Philadelphia to officially start their business, JTWO films. They got their first office/studio right near The Piazza down in North Philly. After a year at that location, they moved to Old City to upgrade their location and space. Their new two floor studio/office is incredible. A lot of work has gone into transforming their business from a small desk in their apartment into great studio space in the heart of the city.

Working with these two has also been great for my business as well. Studying and learning to shoot video on a DSLR was something I wanted to dive into. So I worked hard to learn how to shoot and add video into my skills along with photography. I was able to help infuse DLSR video into Justin and Travis’s business to help bring their work up to the current trends in the industry. Being able to shoot video with my camera has led me to some awesome work with these guys and expand my horizons. Somehow I have managed to miss every single high profile shoot they have because of scheduling (this whole ‘other’ career in teaching and family thing always seems to get in the way!) But they were able to get me onto the sidelines of two Eagles games. And that is an incredible opportunity in and of itself. One of our first big projects that we worked on together was their Full Circle Brandscaping video. We spent a whole weekend in Penn State and in Justin’s hometown of Milton. The video was a big undertaking and it paid off, we won the 2013 Philadelphia Addy Award for ‘Self Promotion, Digital Advertising!’ Certainly a big honor for me to help be a part of the award and the Full Circle Crew.

The last three years have been a great ride with JTWO. Big things are coming and I am glad to have been along for a part of that journey. Justin and Travis have taken their lifelong dreams of working in the film industry and put it to paper. From shooting home videos with their childhood friends to working with NFL superstars, these guys are making it happen. Justin challenges me to “think bigger.” Challenge accepted Justin, just be careful what you wish for! 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) Friends addy award branding business canon cinematography design dslr dudes entrepreneurs film fullcircle jtwo office video web https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2013/12/16/52---52-most-influential-people Sun, 22 Dec 2013 15:43:43 GMT
15/52 - 52 Most Influential People https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2013/12/15/52---52-most-influential-people  

Ed Ketterer 15/52
 

 

Meet The Person:

"Big Ed." Ed is a recently retired Mason after 40+ years in the field. From small side jobs at customers’ houses to big commercial jobs, Ed has seen it all during his career. Ed was a Foreman for the greater part of his career, working for Mike Pompei Masonry for close to 30 of those years.

Ed always enjoyed seeing his finished results at the end of a job. Hearing the satisfaction of customers, getting compliments from clients and fellow workers along with good referrals always made the work worth it.

One of Ed’s career highlights was receiving a Certification of Historical Building Renovation. This certificate allowed him to work on historical buildings using specific techniques and materials. Preservation is a very fine subject and knowing exactly how to restore a building to its proper form can be challenging.

Even though Ed is now retired, he still tries to do work on small side jobs when possible. But his body is not able to keep up anymore. The physical labor of Masonry has taken its toll on his body. Spending the greater part of your life in ditches and trenches wears on your body.

Now that work has slowed down, Ed enjoys spending time with his family and his wife Melody, who he has been married to for 35 years. Ed enjoys collecting old fishing reels and poles, meat smoking and making jerky (which I am eating as I am writing this - thanks Ed!) He also values mentoring his son Andy along with Andy’s friends. He likes passing along his knowledge.

Ed is also a very proud Grandfather. In fact, one of his Grandsons is an accomplished four wheeling District 6 champion in quad racing. He likes to brag about him and go see him race whenever he can. 

 

 

Influence 15/52Ed Ketterer Ed leaning up against a pile of cinderblocks

 

Influence: 

Ed is like my job site father. He has been around for my entire life. He started working at my Dad’s business before I was born. He was there when I was in diapers all the up to when I was getting married in the Outer Banks.

Ed is a bit rough around the edges. But inside he’s a big teddy bear. I know Ed very well - he can be a real hard ass. Always demanding you to be on top of things. Don’t forget anything or you will hear about it! He can go from yelling at you to laughing with you in five minutes though and that’s his demeanor.

I started working with my Dad in the summer of 8th grade, I was 13 years old. Back then, my Dad’s business was booming. We were not only doing all kinds of masonry work but also general construction on the houses he was building. And Ed was my Dad’s foreman and in charge of a motley crew of around three to five guys at all times. I had to learn things and learn them quickly. And Ed let me know if I wasn’t doing it right.

As a punk teenager spending an entire summer in 90+ degree heat, throwing around 40+lb cinderblock, climbing 30’+ of scaffold with a hook of 40+lbs of bricks, shoveling 2+ tons of sand, chucking 94lb and 50lb of cement and lime in and out of a mixer wears on you. Let’s just say it REALLY wears on you! Like, you hate life. Add a big burly guy giving you shit because you moved said 40+lb cinderblock into the wrong location and you have a recipe for some bad attitudes! That recipe is what’s called construction. And it is not for the weak of heart.

Working with Ed was a lesson in dealing with people. I had to learn how to work through the physical battles in construction and deal with Ed telling me where to put it, how to do it, what is wrong with it, etc. Construction is 75% physical labor and 25% psychology. Not only with yourself but with others. When the humidity is 1000% and your body is ready to quit, it takes a lot of mental toughness to deal with not only your brain wanting to quit but having to deal with the other guys around you and not wanting to kill each other. Fun times.

Ed taught me so many things growing up. I owe him a lot and my career would not be as successful without him. I can easily attest that my efficiency in work comes from his guidance. Learning how to labor for five masons and keep an entire job site running takes a lot of efficiency. If I was off on anything I was screwed. And not only that but I did not want to let them down. That is where I get my hard work ethic. It wasn’t as much wanting to do the job fast, it was that I didn’t want to disappoint Ed. And as the boss’s son, I am sure that I had a stigma that I had to break through. I didn’t want to be ‘that kid.’ I wanted to prove my worth and I did that by working as hard as I could. I had to be on my game a lot when I was working and Ed made sure I was always on top of things. And if I wasn’t it, I heard about it. And after 12+ years of working construction I learned to become a hard worker and a fast worker at that.  Ed showed me so many ways to do things faster and easier. Sure there would be times when he would make it hard on me. Learning how to do it quicker and easier was my main goal when showing up on a job site. Nobody wants to work harder if they don’t have to! So I learned many ways to make things more streamlined. And I carry that with me now in my photography business and as a teacher. I show kids the hard way and the easy way to do things. Sometimes it’s not always about doing it fast and easy. You can learn a lot by doing something that is very physical and time demanding.

While there was plenty of grueling times working with Ed over the years, I wouldn’t go back and change a thing. He taught me how to work hard and I never wanted to let him down. And that attitude is something I take with me any time I am working for someone. And that can be as simple as helping someone move a couch, needing help with yard work, moving boxes from here to there, working a wedding, doing a favor, etc. It doesn’t matter to me. It all needs to have 100% commitment and it needs to be done fast and done right. And I personally think that attitude is what is lacking in some people these days. A little bit of elbow grease and a tough attitude goes a long way. As my son grows up I hope to instill in him a good, hard work ethic. Who knows, I may just hire Ed to come down and show him a few things. Like moving an entire cube of 64lb, 12” cap block from one end of a muddy job site to another, just because Ed said so!

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) Mason Worker block bricks cinder construction influence influential job labor people portrait site https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2013/12/15/52---52-most-influential-people Sun, 15 Dec 2013 14:40:43 GMT
14/52 - 52 Most Influential People https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2013/12/14/52---52-most-influential-people  

Dr. Rodney Altemose 14/52
 

 

Meet The Person:

Dr. Rodney Altemose - Executive Director of the Upper Bucks Campus of Bucks County Community College. 

Since 2001, Rodney has provided leadership for an ever expanding Upper Bucks campus with a population of 1400 students and 125 faculty members and helped to manage the $21 million dollar Phase II expansion (recently, the Upper Bucks Campus was recognized as the fastest growing campus in the nation by Community College Weekly!) He leads all campus student affairs in the areas of student activities, new student orientation, disability services, counseling, career development and transfer services. Rodney oversees day-to-day services in enrollment management, including recruitment, public relations, financial aid, assessment testing academic advising and registration. 

Rodney has his Doctorate of Education, Leadership and Innovation from Wilmington College, a Master of Science Degree from Shippensburg University and his Bachelor of the Arts in Communications from York College of Pennsylvania.

Rodney continues to teach as a Professor at Bucks County Community College. Along with his duties as the Executive Director of campus, Rodney still enjoys being in the classroom teaching ‘Interpersonal Communications and Effective Speaking.’ Rodney is also active in the community as a Pennridge Chamber of Commerce Board member, working with Habitat for Humanity and is an acting Marching Band judge for the Cavalcade of Bands. He has taken B.C.C.C. students from New York to South Carolina to Georgia and to Indiana for Spring Break Challenges with Habitat for Humanity in helping build homes. 

Professionally, Rodney has earned several awards over his career including Administrative Employee Recognition Award from Bucks County Community College in 2005, the Excellence in Teaching Award from Bucks County Community College in 2004, the Ebony of Excellence Award from Edinboro University in 1999, Advisor of the Year from the University of Tennessee in 1996, an Outstanding New Professional from ACPA in 1995 and a Graduate Showcase winner from PCPA in 1994.

Personally, Rodney is extremely passionate about the Arts. He wanted to be a High School music teacher (he always wanted to be Mr. Holland from Mr. Holland’s Opus!) While music did not become his full time profession, it is still a part of his life. He has been judging high school marching band competitions for the last 15 years. He was also recently asked to become part of the Miss Pennsylvania community by being a judge for the Miss Midstate in Harrisburg, PA. He is extremely honored. 

Rodney seemingly had the world wrapped around his finger; however he encountered some life struggles. In 2006, he began to get a clearer understanding of who he was as a person. It was a difficult struggle for him to admit to not only himself but his family that he was gay. He struggled for many years with this fact and found himself in a dark place. He had a hard time smiling and being comfortable in his own skin. Realizing this is now a part of his life and who he is, he began to embrace his lifestyle. And now in 2013, he can say for sure that he is truly happy, “my cup is overflowing.”  He married his partner, Steve, just this past July in a Civil Union Ceremony in New Jersey with his two children and family by his side. 

 

 

Influence 14/52Rodney Altemose Rodney standing in front of the completely redesigned Upper Bucks Campus of Bucks County Community College

 

Influence: 

One of the most genuine people you will meet. That is Rodney Altemose.

Rodney was basically the very first person I met from Bucks County Community College (B.C.C.C) It was the summer of 2001 and I had just graduated high school. My mom and I went down to the Main Campus (Newtown,PA) of B.C.C.C for new student orientation. It was a nice day, parents went and did their thing while the students went and met with other students, toured the campus, etc. For lunch, we all met in the nice back courtyard area. During lunch, a guy from B.C.C.C. came and sat down with my mom and I and started a conversation. That was Rodney. He asked how things were going, what I was looking forward to, etc. And he genuinely cared about what I had to say and was super nice to my Mom and I. That's how we met and it's just one of those chance encounters with a nice person you don't forget.

Flash forward a few months and I was enrolled and taking classes. I only had a handful of classes down in Newtown (a solid 45min drive from my parents house.) I was working nearly full time with my Dad and taking night classes as well as a few classes during the day. I would drive down to main campus two times a day for twice a week. That was brutal! So luckily for me, the Upper Bucks campus was opening and expanding their campus, not even 5 minutes from my parents house. That was great. And low and behold, Rodney was the Executive Director of that campus. It was great seeing him again and we quickly developed a great friendship. Not only was Rodney a good person, he was a great mentor. Anytime I needed help I could turn to Rodney. His door was always open and he would help out whenever he could. I was even fortunate enough to have him for my Public Speaking class.

It was always my intention to head to Millersville after two years at Bucks. The big problem was making sure all of my credits transferred. Rodney and I would sit down every semester to make sure each class I was taking would go through to MU. We would sit down in his office and get out this monstrous 7" or so book/binder thing (you know, the internet was not what it is today!) and make sure each class coincided with each other. That was a big deal for me because I couldn't afford to lose any time while at Bucks. Rodney would even make calls out to Millersville to double check - that's something you don't forget.
My two years at B.C.C.C. were some of my favorite years of school. It was a complete 180 for me in terms of focus and dedication. As I have alluded to in earlier blog's, I was not exactly a focused student while in high school. But, that summer from June to August, something clicked. Maybe it was meeting the love of my life or maybe it was the rejection letter from Millersville. But either way, it clicked. I instantly made Dean's List in my first semester and every semester after that along with the distinguished 'President's list'. I was kicking ass and taking names! But I loved being on campus there. It was super small, very little if any distractions and I had plenty of friends to be around. I was also fortunate enough to have some awesome Professors. Some of my most favorite professors were at that campus. You know, Community College's get a bad wrap, or at least they have in the past. But without a doubt, minus a few select, and awesome, Professor's at Millersville, I had a more quality education right here at B.C.C.C. And a lot of that had to do with the way Rodney ran that campus. It really felt like a campus. Everyone knew each other, students and teachers alike. I loved going to class and learning for the first time in my life. Can't beat that!

When my two years were up, I was off to MU and never looked back. It was sad leaving Bucks but I was ready to get my degree and become a teacher. I fell out of touch with Rodney for a few years until I moved back home. We would run into each other every so often at the gym. We live close to each other so that was nice being able to see him and ask how Bucks was doing.

Catching up with Rodney for this project was awesome. We got to talk and hang out like things had never changed. I went up to campus to see the newly redesigned building. B.C.C.C did a fantastic job with the building. It's a LEED certified building with all kinds of cool 'green construction' elements. It has more than doubled the existing space and really added much needed room. When I was going to class there were around 400-500 students. Now, they have around 1400! That's an amazing statistic and just shows how good a Community College education can be when someone great is helping run that building. Rodney gave me a tour and highlighted all the new rooms, labs, etc. Nice to see things have improved since I was there.

Rodney was such a huge help and mentor during a very vulnerable time for me. It was good grades, then Millersville or bust for me. And Rodney was a pivotal force in helping me get to where I am today. Multiple degrees, an awesome job, beautiful family and awesome life are all the reasons why I can't thank Rodney enough. Funny, when I look at him now, I see the same things - he struggled personally for many years in the time after I left. But now he is happy, proud and has his family by his side. Thanks for all of your help Rodney, you are a role model to more people than you know.
 

 

 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) BCCC Bucks College Community County Director Perkasie campus college community https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2013/12/14/52---52-most-influential-people Sun, 08 Dec 2013 14:37:19 GMT
13/52 - 52 Most Influential People https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2013/12/13/52---52-most-influential-people  

Chris Dallas 13/52
 

 

Meet The Person:

Christopher R. Dallas - Technology Education Teacher at Holicong Middle School.

Chris has been teaching Technology Education at Holicong Middle school for Central Bucks School District since January of 2005. Teaching at Holicong was Chris’ first job right out of college. He graduated from California University of Pennsylvania (please, hold the boos) in December of 2004. Cal. U. of PA is one of two college’s in Pennsylvania that have Tech. Ed. as a degree - Millersville (obviously the best) is the other!

In 2008, Chris and his students were on Channel 10 news for building and donating dog houses to a Border Collie rescue. Chris and his students for years have been making and donating toys to Toys for Tot’s. Also in 2008, Chris earned his Master’s degree from Wilkes University in Classroom Technology.

Professionally, Chris is passionate about teaching his students how things work and why they work the way they do. He feels that problem solving and thinking outside the box are incredibly important skills that he likes to teach to his students. He teaches them to do as much as they can for themselves in order to instill a sense of pride in their work. If the students can problem solve and understand how thing work, then they will have all the tools they need to become successful. He feels as though we are in a generation that needs the engineer and the builder. And his Tech. Ed. classes will help these kids get off to a good start.

Personally, Chris is passionate about his family, cars, music, photography and biking. Just this past year, he and his wife Ashley welcomed their first son, Tanner. He loves coming home to Tanner with a big laugh and smile. In his free time, you will find Chris detailing his truck, hopping on the single track trails at Lake Nockamixon or just simply relaxing listening to his iPod. A few years back, Chris got into the world of triathlon’s, completing his first in 2010 at the Sea Isle City Triathlon.

Chris left me a good quote - “Life is what happens to you while you are busy making other plans.” Well said Chris! 

 

Influence 13/52Chris Dallas Chris standing in front of his classroom

 

Influence: 

Chris was my first professional teaching partner in my first job right out of college. I couldn’t have asked for a better guy. As a young punk right out of college I was ready for the challenge but middle school certainly is a tough battle! Only being there a little over a year before me, Chris was settled in and doing a great job. We hit it off right away and he was such a huge help in getting me started in my career. 

Chris had started two fantastic projects while at Holicong - the annual Toys for Tot’s project and the Skateboard Manufacturing project. I thought these were awesome ideas and the kids really enjoyed them. For middle school students, these are fairly complex projects that really test their skills. And Chris does a great job challenging his students.

I enjoyed my time at Holicong, but something just didn’t seem to be ‘clicking.’ It was a great district, pay was good, Chris was awesome to be around every day but I just wasn’t enjoying the time with the kids like I thought I would have. I really wanted to be around high school students and felt that I would be a better educator in that environment. So I found the Hatboro-Horsham position (see my other back stories here - 

Deciding to leave Holicong was one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make in my professional career. I had it good, fresh out of school making good money, a contracted position in Central Bucks school district, a great teaching partner, environment, etc. I could have stayed put and things may have been great for 30+ years there. It just didn’t feel right and so I made a huge decision to leave. And while I miss working with Chris, the decision has been a great one.

The two of us have so much in common I think we may have been switched at birth. Tech. Ed. teachers, check. Huge passion for cars (both owned Subaru’s and now we both own Nissan Trucks!) check. Enjoy photography as a hobby, check. Triathlons to stay in shape, check. And a wife named Ashley, check! Amazing! If he was only as cool as me and would have gone to Millersville instead of Cal. U. and not listen to country music (he wears cowboy boots people,) he would be my twin…

I thank Chris for our time together. Without his guidance and leadership I have no idea where I would be professionally today. I have taken his two big projects with me to employ at H-H. They have not only been a major hit with the students, but they have gotten me a lot of great press in the community. I was able to take a struggling Technology Education department here at Hatboro-Horsham and turn it into a thriving environment. I had 7 kids the first semester in my Manufacturing & Engineering class to averaging around 40 kids per semester. I was able to create my own curriculum using Chris’s skateboard project as my staple project. It’s now one of the most popular classes here at Hatboro. Not only do we do the skateboard project but I also run the Toys for Tots project every fall semester, donating 10-50+ games/toys per year to the local branch. We used to be able to get the Marines from the Willow Grove AFB to come over in their Humvee’s, but unfortunately, the base was shut down. Now we get retired Marines to come by and gather toys which is just as cool.

I miss my time with Chris. Life is obviously busy for both of us with families and hobbies. But whenever we get a chance to talk we don’t skip a beat. Cars, trucks, photography, etc. Just guys being guys. I can’t thank him enough for his guidance in helping me get my career on track. But even more than that, I thank him for being a great guy and friend - thanks Cowboy! 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) Bucks CO2 California Central Ed. Friend Holicong Middle PA School Teacher Tech. University cars of shop https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2013/12/13/52---52-most-influential-people Sun, 01 Dec 2013 13:45:22 GMT
12/52 - 52 Most Influential People https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2013/11/12/52---52-most-influential-people  

Timothy Baum 12/52
 

 

Meet The Person:

Mr. Timothy Warner Baum.

Finance Manager at Marty Sussman Acura. Tim has been working at Sussman Automotive group for 13 years, starting at the ripe young age of 19. Like a deer in headlights, he was clueless on how to be a professional or how to even be successful in the real world. He went from working at Perkasie Borough on the back of a trash truck to wearing a shirt and tie to work every day. Luckily, his love for cars made it easy for him to talk to people and associate with his new job. After sticking it out and climbing up the ladder he was fortunate enough to be offered the Finance Manager position at the Acura dealership. He has now been in that position for the last 7 years.

Tim is passionate about his work because he has found what he is exceptionally good at (some say he has been a salesman his whole life!) There is a lot of turnover in the car industry but Tim has been at it for 13 years now, with all of his success giving him a great deal of satisfaction. He is fortunate to have worked with some very talented people that have helped shape him along the way and taught him key things along the way. He has taken those experiences and integrated that into his own system to deliver fantastic rewards. Not everyone is lucky to have found a niche like he has.

Professionally, Tim has many accolades, although it didn’t come early on. Tim was never interested in school enough to be a good student. His teachers would comment on his report card that he was “not performing up to his ability.” However, now, he has worked hard to build the best Finance department in the entire company. Last year he finished number one in finance every single month and had 0 sick days. He told his parents that it only took him 32 years but he finally got straight A’s and perfect attendance!

Tim has many hobbies but he has been passionate about style and fashion for as long as he can remember. The earth is 4.54 Billion years old, so Tim thinks that you get 80 or so good years here on earth, so you might as well look and feel your best while you can! He hopes that his style tells more about him than the clothes themselves.

In his off time, nothing makes him happier than spending time with friends and family. Wearing a pair of sweatpants on the couch with his girlfriend Nicole and his dog Bitty or spending time with his parents or Sister’s family is when he is happiest. He’s been called many things, but nothing better than “Uncle Tim!”

Tim has had the most incredible life imaginable and for that he gives thanks every day. He could lose everything tomorrow and still be the richest man alive. He’s not that special himself - it’s the reflection and influence of his friends and family that makes him the man he is today. You won’t meet anyone as blessed as he is or anyone as grateful for those blessings. 

 

Influence 12/52Tim Baum Tim Baum doing his high fashion thing down at the creek by my house

 

Influence: 

I really have no idea where to start here! I could start literally in a million different places and could write a book on each one of those. So I will make this a mish-mash of stories.
Like when I met Tim when I was in 9th grade, him 10th (he’s nearly 2 years older than me,) and asked him to drive me home from school. He had an early 90’s chevy nova - thing was ugly,slow and an automatic. So he’s driving me home and we are flying down rt.313 and he is fake shifting this thing, like it’s a manual. We are pissing ourselves laughing as he’s shifting this thing like it’s a Ferrari - we look up and a bus was stopped unloading kids. He slams on the brakes and we come about 2’ from slamming into the back of it. Once our hearts started beating again, we went right back to laughing.

I don’t know of any times that we have hung out for the last 15 years that one of us hasn’t laughed our ass off. It’s all we do. We have careers now, bills, responsibilities, significant others, etc. and yet every time we are together we act like we are 16 again. It’s one of the main reasons we have remained friends for so long. We kind of put life aside and have a good time. Not much can beat that.

Tim and I have always been into many of the same things: cars, golf, sports, etc. Back in our youth, we would attend the Carlisle Import Auto Tuner car show out in Carlisle. We loved it - Tim and I attended this show 3-4 years in a row and even entered our own cars a few times. We were at the forefront of the import movement in it’s infancy. And ever since we have (and he still does) owned various cars that we have modified in one way or another. It’s an addiction that many can relate to! But when you are 16-20 years old, cars are the ‘it’ thing. We were in heaven out there. So many funny stories from those weekends I really can’t mention…

We would vacation and take many trips together, many times with our, at the time, girlfriends. Atlantic City was the spot of choice for us - cheap hotel rooms abound! And one in particular, the Super 8 hotel on Tennessee Avenue. That was our spot. We spent many a days there over many a years. We would request the suite, 2 beds, the pull out couch, mini fridge, little table, etc. Yeah, it was real classy! A short 150yd walk to the boardwalk and we were in the heart of it all. Vacations, both of our bachelor parties, you name it, the Super 8 was the spot! If you could only have been a fly on the wall in that room over the years, yikes…So many funny stories from those weekends I really can’t mention…

High school and a few years out were our real hay-day together. Every weekend and some weeknights we would hang out. Usually we were at his parents house in their basement hanging out with a great group of friends. We would sometimes just chill and watch tv, play air hockey, ping pong, etc. Then Tim graduated and moved out, renting a house in town with a group of friends who had already graduated. That was great - I was still in high school and my best friend had his own house. Yeah, freedom! So many funny stories from those weekends I really can’t mention…

Tim tried the college thing his first year out, but didn’t make it very long. He went to Bucks County Community College but realized it just wasn’t for him. He started working down at Sussman Honda at the age of 19. He has been with them ever since. Tim is an extremely smart guy. He is one of the savviest people I know and very personable. His personality is infectious and people seem to gravitate toward him. I have always looked up to Tim as not only a friend but someone who I respect as well. He is always trying to do the right thing and is extremely giving.

Tim also has an extreme fashion obsession. He looks good, all the time. A few years back, I took his picture inside of his “shoe” room at his old house. Check that out here: http://flic.kr/p/a2S3vw
He loves his shoes - specifically his Jordan’s. Guy is a fanatic. You can read more about that from the above link. He dresses well for almost any occasion and has shoes to match!

Time catches up with all of us and so does life. Tim puts in many hours a week at work while I have my career and two part time jobs that chew up much of my time, not to mention a family at home! So it can be a hassle anymore to plan out dates/times to hang out. But we do our best. Whenever we can over the summer we try to get out and play golf. Both of us started playing when I was out at Millersville. There was an awesome course on campus that we learned to play on and we have been hacking away ever since. I used to be the better golfer but he has turned the tide over the last few years. I barely get out anymore while he is able to play a handful of times every month. It’s ugly for me but we still love getting out and playing together regardless of who has the best day. So many funny stories over the years I really can’t mention… Ok I will - like when Tim hit a shot off my face (not joking) or when he shanked one into a parking lot and hit a car. Aaaahhhh the good ol’ days!

Tim is a lifelong best friend. He is always there for me whenever I need a favor or some advice. Whenever we can (rarely these days) we try and do breakfast. It was something we did every single Friday while in high school. We loved it. And we try to do it as much as possible these days. But later in life, once things settle down and we get older and don’t have to work as hard, we are going to go to breakfast together every Friday. You know those old guys you see at a diner every week when you go? That will be us. I always admire those old guys and think to myself, I cannot wait for that to be Tim and I. We’ll talk cars, sports, brag about our families and complain why the coffee isn’t the exact right temperature. Those are the things I look forward to - and in between now and then, we’ll have so many funny stories that we really won’t be able to mention… Love ya, Tim

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) Baum Friend Tim best buddy cars clothes fashion friend jordans sports https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2013/11/12/52---52-most-influential-people Sun, 24 Nov 2013 15:47:26 GMT
11/52 - 52 Most Influential People https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2013/11/11/52---52-most-influential-people  

Jason Jarrett 11/52
 

 

Meet The Person:

Jason is a Technology Education teacher at Boiling Springs High School in Boiling Springs, PA. He has been teaching there for 7 years now and is in his 8th year of teacher; his first year at Council Rock North High School in Newtown, PA.

Professionally, Jason is passionate about his teaching. He likes being a Graphic Communication teacher because it allows him to work with different types of digital media such as digital photography, digital video, image editing, web design and animations. He loves seeing students using technology to be creative and advance their technical skills. He is always striving to motivate students to take pride in their work, challenging themselves and pushing the limits of their abilities. The “Mr. Jarrett, is this good enough?” is not something he ever wants to hear in his classroom. "Challenging ourselves mentally and physically is a great way to improve not only yourself but the people around you."

Jason’s career accolades are very impressive for a 30 year young professional. He has a Bachelors of Science in Technology Education from Millersville and a Masters of Science in Classroom Technology from Wilkes University. He is the TSA (Technology Student Association) advisor at his school, he is the TSA Region 3 Coordinator/Board of Directors member, the Jumpers/Sprinters coach for the High School Track team and last but not least an Eagle Scout!

Personally, Jay is passionate about his family and friends. At times he can be a complete loner, searching out solitude (his words not mine!) But he is happiest when he is around the people that he cares about. He loves spending time with his lovely wife Jenn and their dog Conrad. He is the oldest of three boys, Justin and Jonathan, with two wonderful parents, Craig and Nanette. Growing up his family was always outside which gave Jay his love for the outdoors. When not spending time with family and friends, Jay likes hunting, camping, biking, scuba diving, shooting at the range and working on home improvements. When he wants to be lazy, he spends hours reading books, watching movies and of course, plenty of video game playing!

Before turning 30 this past October he was able to experience many great new things. He met his wife Jenn while on a cruise in the Caribbean, hiked 100 miles of the Appalachian Trail, went scuba diving in Honduras and Jamaica and rode 250 miles to the New Jersey coast with his brother and father. In the last year he went whitewater rafting with a group of best friends, got married (who would have thought!), went on a Mediterranean cruise to Spain, France and Italy for his honeymoon and last but not least, just went skydiving with Jenn for his 30th birthday. He finished his 20’s with no regrets! 

 

Influence 11/52Jason Jarrett Jay standing out on Pole Steeple near the Appalachian trail. A cool fact: Pole Steeple's summit and the rest of the South Mountain were created during the collision of the last Pangaea as North America slammed into the continent of Africa. If that doesn't blow your mind I don't know what would! 

 

Influence: 

Jay is one of my best friends and is easily my best friend from college. And lucky for us, we stay in touch and see each other every few months. It’s a great friendship and one that I am lucky to have.

I met Jay my very first semester at Millersville. We had our Energy, Power and Transportation class together at a satellite campus in Lancaster (Osburn Hall at Millersville was under complete renovation my first year.) It was one of my first Tech. Ed classes that I had at Millersville so I was a bit nervous and excited all at the same time. Jay sat across the room from me and seemed to have a group of friends he was hanging out with. Let’s just say that Jay was, well, a bit “cocky” shall we say! He seemed like he knew everything - little did I know, his dad was a Tech Ed teacher, Jay was super involved in Tech Ed classes and organizations (TSA) growing up. So, umm, yeah, he did kind of know everything! He had connections at Millersville and he was a smart kid with plenty to offer. So I was a little put-off by Jay at first. But we slowly started to talk, worked together on some things in class and before you knew it, we were inseparable. After that class, we had nearly every class together for next 3 years. We tried scheduling our classes together and planning out our semesters so we could either be lab partners or at the very least able to hang out as much as possible during class.

I loved being around Jay in most of my classes - he is smarter than me. Who doesn’t like being around people who are smarter than them?! I often leaned on him during our Graphics classes because he was a whiz. I had very little training from high school in that area, where Jay was an award winning high school talent in Graphics. Needless to say, I sat next to him whenever I could! I learned a ton from Jay. He has an eye for graphics that I don’t. So being as I like to learn new things and learn from people who are good at what they do, it was only natural for me to soak up Jay’s skills.

We also liked being around each other outside of class. We would often get together to bitch about professors, dumb kids in class, etc. We had a great clique of four friends that all got along together so well. Myself, Jay, Vanessa and Dave were usually always together. Between class, during and outside we really enjoyed being with each other. Each of us had our own strengths and weaknesses in Tech. Ed. that we all helped each other with. Our personalities also mixed well - we helped each other through the stressful and sometimes difficult times of college. Every Wednesday night we had our weekly happy hour meeting. The local dive bar served up free food every Wednesday along with cheap (at the time it felt expensive) beer. We went religiously and it was always something we looked forward to during class. We would be on hour four of a lab, headaches roaring and all look at each other and say what we thought was for dinner. Meatballs, hot ham, hot roast beef, sloppy joes and of course, french fries. God I loved Wednesday nights!

Jay and I are very alike. We enjoy teaching and being involved with our kids in clubs. We love being outdoors and hanging out together. We plan out dates/weekends every year to get together. We have our annual Tech. Ed. conference that is only 20 minutes from his house. So I spend a few nights there hanging out with him. We also have our TSA state conference in April that we get to see each other for a few days to hang out. We used to go to Dewey Beach every summer (7 years+ I believe) to hang out with another Millersville grad. That was easily the highlight of my summer. Right after college was done we would head down, or once we got done teaching in June, that first week off we would shoot right down. We would be on the beach drinking by 10am some years! Nothing like it! But life has caught up with me and family time has taken over in place of warm sand and late nights! We also try to hang out at a few other times throughout the year so we don’t go too long without seeing each other. It’s a great friendship that I cherish. He has meant a great deal to me and my career. He is someone who I always look up to. He is a perfectionist when it comes to teaching and I really admire that. Without Jay I can easily say that I would not be as creative and hard working in teaching. He always raises the bar and I strive to stay on his tail! Thanks for being a great colleague and an even better friend - love ya! 

 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) College Ed. Friend Millersville Tech. administrator collegue school teacher https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2013/11/11/52---52-most-influential-people Sun, 17 Nov 2013 12:57:20 GMT
10/52 - 52 Most Influential People https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2013/11/10/52---52-most-influential-people  

Ms. Lori Gallagher 10/52
 

 

Meet The Person:

Lori Gallagher - Art Teacher and former Tech Ed/Family Consumer Science/Art/Music Department chair. Now currently a teacher-on-assignment instructional coach for grades K-12.

Lori has been teaching Art for 25 years, all of them at Hatboro-Horsham H.S. Lori is 1/12 finalists for the 2014 Teacher of the Year for Pennsylvania. She is absolutely honored to be nominated and is anxiously awaiting the results next month.

Lori is extremely passionate about her students. She enjoys learning who they are, their interests, what their desires are for their futures and ultimately what she can do to help them achieve their goals. She takes great pride and deep satisfaction in watching her students achieve what they once thought to be impossible.

Lori's personal passion lies with her family, her art, traveling and spending as much time at the beach as possible. Her family time is spent enjoying sports with her nephews or hanging out in Sea Isle City reading on the beach or playing in the waves. When not playing on the beach, she loves to paint - watercolor and colored pencils are her choice of medium. Other than the beach, her art is inspired by her travel to Italy and Canada. To her, very few places are as beautiful as Tuscany and as unique as Venice. She would go back in a heartbeat!

 

Influence 10/52Ms. Lori Gallagher Lori in her classroom

 

Influence: 

Lori is one of the first few people I talked to at Hatboro-Horsham. If you recall my recent blog post with my Principal, Dennis Williams, I spoke with him first when I called to inquire about the open Technology Education position. He then directed me to Lori who was the head of the Art/Family Consumer Science/Tech Ed. department. I vividly remember that conversation with her. I was sitting outside on my patio of our old apartment after work one afternoon.  I was asking her all about the Tech. Ed. department - what they had to offer, equipment, supplies, classes, etc. She was so nice and answered everything as good as she could for me.

A few days later, I got to meet Lori and she showed me around. I then had my interview with her and Dennis. It was a fairly easy interview for me since I currently had a job at Central Bucks and didn't need to leave. But I wanted to be in a high school and I was getting a great vibe being in the building and around her as well.  You can see how that story has gone!

Lori is an awesome teacher. Her students create pieces of art that you just marvel at. I can really appreciate their artwork because I literally have zero artistic talent! And I know many people do not, which is why it's amazing to see her in action and getting her kids to create such amazing work.

Lori is very down to earth and her room is always open for students to hang out in and get work done. She really has created a great learning environment for her kids. Many of her students have gone on to be extremely successful both professionally and personally. And I know that is from her knowledge and guidance. As a department head, (currently not this year as she has taken on a year's position as an instructional coach) Lori always has our back. In the field of the 'Arts' as we are, you need someone who will fight for your staff. Budget cuts, various state level student tests, furloughs, demotions, etc are all part of the annual fight we face in our areas. But Lori helps keep us relevant within the building and district. Her success as a teacher is an obvious reason why. It's hard to cut a program or programs when she has brought such success to the district. Her passion for teaching, for the students and for Art is a major reason why we have such a great department here at H-H. So thank you Lori for being a great teacher, mentor and department head! Best of luck as the 2014 PA Teacher of the Year - You deserve every part of that award! 

 

 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) Boss Hatboro-Horsham administrator art department head school teacher https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2013/11/10/52---52-most-influential-people Sun, 10 Nov 2013 14:12:56 GMT
9/52 - 52 Most Influential People https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2013/11/9/52---52-most-influential-people  

Larry Kieffer 9/52
 

 

Meet The Person:

The Person: Larry Kieffer. Father-in-law


Larry is one of those people when you put into writing what he has done over his life you think, "wow!" Larry spent the past 32 years working for Synfin/TSG Finishing in various positions, with the last 12 years being the Director of Engineering. Over the 32 years, he retrofitted old equipment, photographed company and industrial needs, redesigned their lab into a state of the art textile R&D facility, created a company newsletter and helped the company transition to North Carolina as part of the companies consolidation. After the company decided to move south, Larry chose to stay here to spend time with his family and grandson.

Larry has many career accolades including having one of his pictures featured in a trade magazine, helping develop a lamination procedure for Kevlar bulletproof vests, various car seat fabric embossing designs and designing and constructing an in-house wash down water treatment system that was replicated at a local water department.

Personally, Larry has many many interests. He is an avid musician who loves playing guitar and composing his own music. He loves nature and being outdoors on his canoe, hiking, and being on the beach. He also has enjoys woodworking, carpentry and construction (didn't I mention how he does it all?!) He loves creating something from start to finish!

Larry also has enjoyed the last 18+ months of his new Grandson. He feels really lucky and blessed to have him in his life. Any time he is around, all of his cares seem to go away. He is happily married to his wife of 32+ years, has raised two wonderful children, has a son-in-law(awesome guy!) and a soon to be daughter in law who have also joined his family. 

 

Influence 9/52Larry Kieffer Larry in his canoe at Lake Galena (Peace Valley Park)

 

Influence: 

Father-in-law, do-it-all, and one hell of a fun guy! Larry is one of those people who you want to be around all the time. He is fun, down to earth and good natured.

I met Larry a little over 12 years ago now when I took Ashley out on our first "date." He and his wife Debby have been such a huge influence in my life. At a time when I was stuck at home, working for my dad and grinding out night classes in college, they were a welcome relief to be around.

Larry is very kind and extremely talented. Want a beer? No problem, he picked up some that you like. Need help doing something? No problem, he'll be right over. Want to know the most obscure, random and completely useless information in the world? No problem, Larry knows everything! No, seriously, he knows everything. You somehow made it onto "Who Wants to be a Millionare?" I will give you Larry's number right now for phone a friend. Haha, guy just knows stuff!

Larry is also a stark contrast to my father. Larry just wants to have a good time and to relax. So it is a great contrast that I have with my father-in-law. Hanging out with my in-laws is a blast. They just want to have fun. I know some people just laughed out loud because they don't have the best relationships with their in-laws. It's funny because I obviously don't know any better. I think it's weird that other people don't like spending time with their in-laws!

One of my most memorable moments with Larry was during our wedding. At the reception, by the pool, Larry broke out his guitar. The DJ moved a microphone over to a chair where he was setup and Larry started playing. He was singing a song to Ashley and I. And not just any song from the radio. Larry made up his own song. He made up all of the lyrics and guitar notes himself. He played that song right there in front of everyone. It was an awesome song and he still sings that song every few weeks while we are over at their house. 6+ years later he still knows that song inside and out. See, that's Larry - he took his passion for music and his kids and turned it into something that we were able to enjoy. Thanks for being a great Dad, Larry! 

 

 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) 52 canoe galena influence lake larry peace project valley week https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2013/11/9/52---52-most-influential-people Sun, 03 Nov 2013 21:22:58 GMT
8/52 - 52 Most Influential People https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2013/10/8/52---52-most-influential-people  

Steve 'CP' Pattison 8/52
 

 

Meet The Person:

Steve 'CP' Pattison. CP is a strength and conditioning coach who spent 17 years as the Football strength coach. He is now is the proud owner of a gym in Perkasie, PA - CP's Metal Health. CP has been involved in weight lifting for over 30 years.
CP is also the distinguished owner of 7 world championships of his own, while being coach of the year 3 times along with multiple world teams . In the little town of Perkasie, PA, CP has been involved with coaching 30 world champions!

CP is a humbled grandfather of 4 kids and has watched his own children have success inside and out of the classroom. In 2006, he was involved in a near death accident. He was hit by a drunk driver and left for dead on the side of the road. He was clinically dead and put into an induced coma. He suffered multiple injuries including both knees and shoulders being replaced, 4 fractures in his back and loss of touch from nerve damage. The doctors said if he made it out of the coma that he would most likely never walk again or be able to take care of himself.

I personally don't think the doctors knew who they were dealing with! While it has been a struggle every day recovering, he has come back and is walking and talking to prove them wrong. The guy is still competing in power lifting competitions even to this day! He loves lifting and that has motivated him to keep moving forward and getting better. He is thankful every day for being where he is in his life now. 

 

Influence 8/52Steve 'CP' Pattison CP standing proud in his gym - 'CP's Metal Health'

 

Influence: 

So CP was one of the very first people to ever show me how to lift. And by lift, I mean properly! In the off-season of wrestling CP would be the coach in our weight room instructing athletes in working out. I loved being around him and soaking in all of his knowledge. He was rough, tough and extremely motivating. But he was also extremely caring and invested in you. He would come down to our wrestling matches every night to watch his lifting wrestlers compete. While he was not an official coach of the team, he would be there cheering us on and motivating us before we went out onto the mat. And believe me, when CP got a hold of you to pump you up, it worked! He is intense!

At our High School, Pennridge, CP started a power lifting team. I was there in the first few years we got started. CP asked me to come along to a powerlifting competition at Glen Mills high school. While I was not nearly strong enough to compete for any sort of award, he wanted me to come along and get experience. I learned how to properly power lift with all of the rules associated. And it was great seeing fellow students lift incredible amounts of weight. Something you don't forget. Now a days, CP has turned the power lifting team into a national power house. He brings handfuls of kids out to Las Vegas every year to compete, never leaving without world records and titles! Amazing how far they have come and all under CP's guidance.

Even though CP is more or less a 'power' lifting coach, he stresses technique. In power lifting, you actually need proper technique. If you don't hold a lift long enough, it is not considered legal. So he always stressed to me how important technique was. And this has stuck with me for the last 16+ years since being with him. My philosophy is not necessarily the weight, but the proper form. I am a firm believer in form over weight. Ever see a big guy in the gym doing bicep curls with tons of weight on? And ever see that exact same guy rocking back and forth while trying to lift that weight?! Yep, totally wrong. Using your back and momentum to lift that weight is doing nothing for your biceps. Lower your weight and do it properly.

As I have become the strength and conditioning coach for our wrestling team for the past 5 -6 years, I have stressed this same moto. I always make my kids start with low weight and learn how to properly lift. Too many people have no clue how to lift and especially how to do it properly. And you cannot really blame them, they never had anyone train them or teach them properly. This is why CP was such an awesome guy to learn from. And I am extremely grateful to have had him in my life, especially when I did. As a young 14-15 year old kid, learning from CP set me up for the rest of my life. I now get to pay that forward every year with my student athletes. I am not only teaching/coaching my athletes but I am lifting right there with them. I try to be that role model and give them something to model after. "Mr. Pompei, you have the craziest form I have ever seen when you lift. It's, like, perfect." I hear it every single year from my athletes. And every time I hear that I smile and think to myself, "Thanks CP!" 

 

 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) CP gym influence lifting power strength weight weights workout https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2013/10/8/52---52-most-influential-people Sun, 27 Oct 2013 14:00:00 GMT
7/52 - 52 Most Influential People https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2013/10/7/52---52-most-influential-people  

Mr. Dennis M. Williams Jr. 7/52
 

 

Meet The Person:

Mr. Dennis M. Williams Jr. - Principal, Hatboro-Horsham High School

Mr. Williams has been in the education field for 17 years now with 7 of those years as a Social Studies teacher . He is currently in his 10th year as an administrator, 9 of them as the building principal.

Dennis has been selected to speak at various county, regional and national conferences in his tenure as Principal. He has also participated on the Pennsylvania Department of Education panels and has received awards and recognition for his commitment in the education field.

Dennis is passionate about creating an environment where students and faculty are comfortable, feel safe and believe that there is the continuous potential for growth academically, professionally, socially and emotionally. The excitement and unexpected nature of ever day is exciting to him. Mr. Williams enjoys the positive impact his leadership can have on an organization. He likes watching the passion and innovation exhibited by some of the teachers and the desire they have to make the learning process relevant and engaging for students. He takes pleasure in his profession and the impact that he is able to have on an entire organization with a clear and focused vision, a talented staff and a community that supports what we do.

 

Influence 7/52Mr. Dennis M. Williams Jr. Dennis standing in front of the High School

 

Influence: 

Dennis is my boss. And he fits the description - the students and staff respect him. He is the kind of guy you like working for. He is understanding but can put the hammer down when he needs to! He is a big guy, dresses well and doesn't mess around! But, he is also understanding. He was a teacher and understands how things work. He lets the staff do their thing and handle our business in the classroom. And he feels that is where we as a staff can be successful. And to me, that is paramount.

I first contacted Dennis back in the Spring of 2007. I was teaching at Holicong Middle School for Central Bucks School District. I got that job right out of college and life was good. But I just wasn't feeling the middle school vibe even though I enjoyed the staff at Holicong. So I found out that Hatboro-Horsham (HH) was hiring a Technology Education teacher at the High School. I really knew nothing about HH but figured I should inquire. So I called the contact person, who was Mr. Williams. Little did I know, he was the Principal! So I called him and we spoke for a few minutes and he sounded like a great guy and seemed excited that I was interested in the job. He then gave me Lori Gallagher's name (you will see her soon!) Lori was the department head of the Family Consumer Science, Art and Technology Education department. So I gave her a call and she was great in describing the school, department, etc.  Long story short, after a great interview, I got the job. Leaving Holicong was not easy and honestly was one of the hardest career decisions I have ever made. But I have not regretted that decision and have loved every second of being here at HH. And Dennis is one of those reasons why.

Every school has its issues, hurdles and trying times. In today's education field, times have never been harder. Terrible decisions from the State and National level force schools into a corner in nearly every scenario. We have become a society solely dependent upon test scores. How did your school/student score in this test, in that test, etc. It's been somehow used to determine how good a school is these days. Which is a shame because testing has no real world value in society.  Can you imagine coming out of college, going in for an interview and the interviewer going "so, back in the 11th grade, how did you test on your Keystone Science test?" Get out. It's meaningless. The employer will be asking you what type of real world experience you have in your field, what  can you contribute to your staff/colleagues , how involved are you in extra-curricular activities, do you belong to any professional organizations, etc. We are forced to teach to the test. Not to the student. And that is a sad part of today's education. The decisions being passed down are short sighted. Tax payers want teachers and schools held accountable. And honestly, there is nothing wrong with that. But when you have to find a way to analyze a teacher/administrator and do it by test scores alone, there is a major flaw there.

Dennis is a great leader and someone who understands the hurdles we face going forward. He is the perfect guy to delegate when he needs to and be hands off when he needs to. You can't ask for much more than that!  

 

 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) Boss Hatboro-Horsham Principal administrator school teacher https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2013/10/7/52---52-most-influential-people Sun, 20 Oct 2013 12:01:35 GMT
6/52 - 52 Most Influential People https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2013/10/6/52---52-most-influential-people  

Mr. Mark Buckley 6/52
 

 

Meet The Person:

Mr. Mark Buckley - Childhood Neighbor, Businessman and Father

Mark has been in the "sales" world for 13 years now, but currently at his management position for 3.5. He was a graduate of Lock Haven University with a BS in Mass Communications/Journalism in 1999. He loves good craft beer - "No Coors Light Please!"

Mark has been happily married to his lovely wife, Ashley for 11 years (what's crazy about this is that my wife Ashley and I attended this wedding. We still consider it one of the funnest weddings we have ever been too!) Mark and Ashley have 3 beautiful daughters, Layla(8), Abby (5), and Samantha(1). The teenage years are going to be awesome! He is also a big supporter of the Berks County United Way and the Southeastern PA Easter Seals Foundation. 

Mark considers himself very blessed to have a job and a position that he loves.  He works for AcuSport, Inc, which is the best in the shooting sports industry. He truly enjoys going to work. His team is considered the most knowledgeable and professional group within their organization. He enjoys learning from them as they learn from him as well. The most exciting thing about his job is the fact that their team has endless opportunities to grow their business…and the best part about that, is that they do this through their passion for the shooting sports industry. While a very controversial industry to work in, their love for hunting and target shooting is held very dear to all of our hearts, as they all grew up enjoying the great outdoors and the history of gunsmithing in our country and around the world. Companies turn to Mark not just for products, but for web site development, legal counsel, marketing and in depth business consultation.  One of the most important aspects of what he does, is the fact that they've achieved success by working with the Independent Business Owner only!  Mark and his company sell nothing to Big Box stores (i.e. Walmart, Cabela’s, etc.)…they believe the independent business owner is what makes this country so great.

Personally, Mark enjoys spending time with his family. They like being outside, attending various sporting events from the High School level up through the pro's. They do some hiking and enjoy all of the local places they can explore where they live in Berks County. There are no video games in this house (which, as you read below may come as a surprise!) They love taking their annual road trips to Virginia, North Carolina and Florida, where they go boating and fishing while visiting friends and family. 

 

 

Influence 6/52Mark Buckley Mark walking on our old street with an old school Nerf Turbo football

 

Influence: 

Mark was one of my first real friends. Sure I had other friends but Mark was the first one who I spent a lot of time with. And I mean a lot. I considered him my big brother and I loved hanging out with him. And best of all, he was my neighbor. 

Growing up on West Rock Road in Perkasie, there isn't much to do. And that is putting it nicely. There was woods, trees, woods, fields, some trees, rocks and a few wooded areas. But damnit, we were young and determined to have fun! He had a great yard with his house right on the street and I lived about 200 yards behind him. His front yard was perfect for Nerf turbo football. We played every weekend, snow, rain, you name it. Sometimes it was just the two of us but a lot of times we would try to get some of the neighbor kids to come over. Mark was "all-time" quarterback. You know, when he would play quarterback for both teams. He was older, bigger and played football. A natural fit. We played what seemed like hours at a time. He would be Joe Montana and I would be Jerry Rice. We were untouchable on his yard.

He had this huge pine tree right at the corner of his property. So we had, like 30-40 yards between his driveway and this pine tree. We would use this pine tree as our end zone area. Basically anything to the left of it was in bounds (his yard) and anything into the tree or to the right (road) was out of bounds. No need for instant replay here folks. Then he had another big pine tree right next to his driveway, same as the other with about 30 yards in between the two. It was a perfect field. Well, one day we are out there and it's just the two of us. We are backed up to his driveway and he says "Go deep, post pattern towards the pine tree." I take off, hit my break like Jerry Rice in his prime and bolt for the tree. Mark puts the ball up as soon as I come out of my break and it's going deep. I am in a full sprint now, eyes and head back looking up at the ball. I catch this thing and nearly instantaneously am destroyed by said pine. I ran full speed into this thing and had no clue I was that close to it. I was a solid 4'-5' deep in this tree (Mind you the base of this tree has to be 15' across) and am wondering what the hell just happened. I've got pine cones up my butt, pine needles in my mouth, branches stabbing me from every direction. But as was the case in my youth, I held onto the ball. Touchdown 49ers! After about 45 seconds of climbing back out of this tree, I find Mark on the ground hysterically laughing. He nearly peed his paints. Quarterbacks never appreciate their receivers... 

Mark is older than me, so needless to say, during our friendship he introduced me to a lot of things. Many I will not mention but one that I would be remiss without mentioning was Techmo Bowl. Nintendo, circa like 1992 (yes I know original Techmo Bowl came out in 1989.) We are talking original here people, not Super Techmo Bowl (although we played that too.) 12 teams and you pretty much only picked four of them - Chicago (Singletary, Dent, Payton, Gentry); NY Giants (Simms, Bavaro, Taylor); San Francisco (Montana, Rice, Taylor, Lott, Craig); Raiders (Jackson & Allen) That's it. The other teams were just not good enough. We would play this for hours on end. Seeing who could have the longest Walter Payton or Bo Jackson run of the day was always fun. Not to mention how many sacks you could get with Lawrence Taylor. Those were video games, simple and so much fun. 

We had some great times. But Mark was older, he was getting late into his High School days and soon was going off to College. So obviously we grew apart and didn't spend nearly every weekend together. But he would come home fairly often and we would get a chance to hang out. That will lead me into another great story - Mark had a big party at his parents house one summer. In fact, it was the night before my family was heading to the Outer Banks for vacation. I was 15 years old and pumped to see Mark and hang out with his college friends. My best friend at the time, Eric Baker was hanging out that day so we went down together. Plenty of 'fun' and hours later, we went back to my parents house. I was leaving at like 5am so I needed to get at least some sleep. Not sure what time we got back but it was safe to say it was after midnight. So I get up and wake Eric up so he can leave. We roll out to my driveway to start packing and his car is not there. Hmmm. Wait, his car is not parked in my driveway?! Ok, where the hell is it?! I asked Eric, "you did put the parking brake on right, I mean it couldn't have rolled back into the pond could it?!" (We had a pond about 150 yards from where he parked) "No way" we both said. So after aimlessly trying to find this car for about 30min I had to leave. So he was going to stay and call his mom to pick him if he somehow couldn't find it. Long story short, I come to find out later that Mark and his buddies (drunk mind you) snuck up to my house around 3am and hijacked Eric's 1985 volkswagen rabbit! They pushed this thing all the way down my parents driveway (a LONG driveway mind you,) crossed over West Rock Road and plowed it into the high grass field on the other side of the road. You could barely see this thing hiding in the weeds! To this day I have no idea why they did it (Mark still says he has no idea why or how!) but man do we laugh about it every time it comes up. Hilarious story. 

Mark comes from a huge family, 6 total - 4 brothers and 1 sister. Yeah, huge family! But he was the youngest and the rest of his family had moved out of his parents house when we starting hanging out. It was just him, his mom and dad. I would often wonder why he was so nice and would take care of me. I think Mark wanted a younger brother, someone to look over, like his older brother's had. He wanted to be the "big brother" so to speak. Not sure if that is the case or not, but I cherish all of the years we spent together. He was my big brother and I learned so much from Mark. I grew up fast because of him and certainly appreciated it. There are so many stories and unforgettable moments from our times together - it is so much fun thinking back to then. Young, not a care in the world and just boys being boys. I really hope my son Cooper can have those same moments. You hold them with you forever. 

Thanks Mark, you're the big brother I never had.

 

 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) Friend brother childhood football games influence neighbor video https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2013/10/6/52---52-most-influential-people Sun, 13 Oct 2013 21:35:31 GMT
5/52 - 52 Most Influential People https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2013/10/5/52---52-most-influential-people  

Mr. Allen Androkites 5/52
 

 

Meet The Person:

Mr. Allen Androkites - Teacher. Mr. Androkites is the Woodworking and Technology Education Coordinator at Pennridge High School. He has been teaching for 33 years, 31 of them woodworking. 

Mr. A was fortunate to have parents who supported him and thought that education was important. His father was a skilled 'fix-it-all' guy . Mr. Androkites went to Millersville University to study Technology Education and then became the wood lab assistant and graduate assistant for 2 years. He saw how the system ran and fell in love with the place. He had the honor of learning under Dr. George Hauber (who many contest as the best professor to ever teach in the Technology Education dept.) Dr. Hauber taught him design and craftsmanship and also gave Mr. Andorkites the idea to write a book about Paul Eshelman; who was a retired professor that inspired many students. 

Professionaly, he get's the most from teaching his students his passion - woodworking. He enjoys seeing his students grow from year to year and all of their work displayed at the annual Art's festival in May. And most of all, he enjoys motivating his students enough to go to Millersville to study Tech. Ed. 

Outside of school, he enjoys spending time with his family (wife and three children.) He is an avid woodworker who likes building Windsor chairs, turning wood on the lathe, going to Lancaster for the day, and eating and cooking. 

 

 

Influence 5/52Mr. Allen Androkites Mr. Androkites working on his wood lathe, turning a walnut leg for a chair

 

Influence: 

Old School. Classic. Throwback. The "old guard." "They don't make 'em like they used to."

That right there, that is Mr. A. This guy is one of the best woodworkers in this area, hands down. And the best part, he is a teacher! Mr. Androkites was my wood shop teacher at Pennridge and I was lucky enough to take all of his classes. Learning from Mr. A was an experience many people do not get the fortune to have. I don't know about you, but I love watching people who are extremely talented at what they do. Athletes, musicians, etc. Watching him during my short 3 years taking his classes was one of those times. I was always in awe of what he could do in the wood lab. 

He introduced me to tools and machines I had never used before. Coming from a construction background, I was almost always around machinery. Helping my dad every summer got me a ton of experience working with my hands. So having Mr. A teach me the finer ways of working was an incredible experience. 

What made Mr. A so unique was his way of going about it. He is dry, slightly rough around the edges and hilarious with a shallow filter. And that is what makes him the best! In the beginning of every semester we had to take our safety testing. Get an answer wrong, you had to hand write it 10x. Imagine that. And if you would rock back in your chair while he was teaching, forget it. Pushups. Immediately. You had to do a minimum of 10 pushups right there in front of everyone. Imagine that. And the best part was that no one said a word, no whining, no complaining. He caught you, not much had to be said. No one fought back. He had such a demeanor about him that made you think "hmm, I don't want to mess with this guy." And rightfully so. Because the things he taught you were awesome. You wanted to listen, pay attention and soak it all in. 

See wood shop is the most unique class in all of schooling. That's not just my opinion but I feel as though it's a fact. Wood working is a life skill. It's something that everyone should learn. You should know how to use a hammer, a screw driver, make something on your own. Learn how to manipulate nature. Get down to the nitty gritty. It is, in my opinion, the very basics of life. And if you have ever taken a wood working class you know exactly what I am talking about. Geometry, measuring. They are just taught and forgotten in a math class. Now, go square up a 2x6x10 rough stock of red oak and it will make you remember those long lost math skills that were merely written down on a piece of paper and throw away after class. Using a table saw, band saw, router, etc., it humbles you. As a punk 15-18 year old kid there is no greater way to settle you down. Having a solid piece of maple nearly fly back in your face because you didn't pay attention to directions - yeah that will wake your ass up! 

I made furniture in that class that is still being used in 4 homes today. My parents house, my friends house, my cousin's house and my grandmother's house. And all of them are on display, actually being used. Because they are beautiful hand made pieces of furniture that you cannot buy. They are all custom made, one-offs. 

Mr. Androkites is an avid historian about woodworking and his alma mater, Millersville University. He even went as far to write a book about one of his famous professor's, Dr. Paul Eshelman and his works as a woodworker. Mr. Androkites is an extremely talented wood worker. He has a niche for the 'shaker' style furniture and creates beautiful pieces that he sells and displays at shows.

His classes that I took in school were some of my most memorable. Making beautiful furniture all on my own was such a huge accomplishment. And he was very meticulous in his grading and opinion of your work. He made you better every time you walked into the lab. And if you messed up, he would play tic tac toe right onto your wood (sometimes in sharpie) so you would have to sand it down. Haha, that always sucked.

He sends a handful of his students to Millersville every year. His influence in my teenage years is one of the reasons I went to Millersville. I wanted to keep that craft in my life and learn even more. He helps keep the Technology Education teaching profession alive and more importantly, teaches the future of this country how to use their hands and how to do it the blue collar way, with a bit of sweat and elbow grease. I cannot stress how important that is in today's day and age. It is a dying art form - but Mr. Androkites is right there to keep this fundamental way of life around. Keep it up Mr. A, you have taught me things in life that I cherish every day. 

 

 

 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) Allen Androkites Teacher education millersville pennridge skills technology wood woodworking https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2013/10/5/52---52-most-influential-people Sun, 06 Oct 2013 14:00:00 GMT
4/52 - 52 Most Influential People https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2013/9/4/52---52-most-influential-people  

Mr. Robert Miller 4/52
 

 

Meet The Person:

Mr. Robert Miller - Teacher. Mr. Miller is a Technology Education Teacher at Pennridge High School. He has been teaching for 26 years and, as he puts it, "enjoying the ride for 48!" He specifically teaches Architecture, drafting and AutoCad. 

Mr. Miller is a father of two sons, Bobby and Danny. His sons are very involved in sports, especially ice hockey. He and his wife have enjoyed the opportunity to share in their experiences, with a lot of highs (a district championship for both of them) and a few lows (with a serious injury.) Mr. Miller has been to over 800 ice hockey games but he is not the biggest ice hockey fan. He says once the boys are done playing he may never go see a game again. But has enjoyed every second of watching them play. It's an opportunity many parents never get to have.

He has been fortunate enough to work with many great kids over the last 20+ years. The rewarding part of teaching is when his students learn and grow. He enjoys students walking into his room with no experience working in CAD but walking out of his classroom at the end of the year with a professional portfolio and a sense of accomplishment. Every year his students amaze him and themselves in what they can accomplish. 

His career accolades come from the "Thank You's" from many students and parents past and present. Many of his students have gone on to become successful and he is happy to be a part of that success story. If you cannot tell, Mr. Miller is a modest man. 

 

Influence 4/52Mr. Robert Miller Mr. Miller at one of his drafting tables in his classroom

 

Influence: 

Where to start with Mr. Miller. Let's start with this: GOOD GUY!

Mr. Miller was my Drafting/Architecture teacher in high school. He somehow put up with me and my antics in his class. And boy am I glad he did because he changed my life. While that sounds dramatic, it's the truth. See I had no vision or direction my freshman and sophomore years at school. I screwed around in class and didn't care. His classes were one of five that I cared about my entire four years at Pennridge (Lunch, Gym, Home Ec.[foods] & Wood shop.) Now while that may be true for some people out there, it didn't help that I tried to be a class clown many of the times as well. I could tell you many, many stories about how I was a real ass in his classroom. I honestly feel bad how I acted in his class, how I didn't seem to care. But I knew deep down he cared about me and could tell I wasn't a bad kid. But I kept pushing and I know I let him down sometimes. I think about that often and it's a shame I didn't realize what I had in front of me at that time. I mean, I loved his classes and him. It was one of the reasons I wanted to go to school.

I met a lot of great friends there, learned things I still use today. But something was missing. I was crying out for something. But when you are 16 or so, you don't care about many things. I cared about my car, my girlfriend, where I was hopefully partying the following weekend, etc. So you can kind of see where I was heading. 

It was October or November of my Junior year, taking his Architecture I or II class when the life altering event happened. I went to the college fair at school and was thinking of being a big wig business man in NYC or something. Because, as a kid, who didn't want to study business, make six figures and live in NYC? It was the easy way out. I really had no idea. I came back to class with a bunch of college pamphlets and brochures and sat down. He came over as I started to get my floor plans laid out on my desk. 

Mr. Miller: "So, what you find out?"
Me: "Oh, I have no idea. Some school stuff. I really have no clue what I want to do. Maybe business or something."
Mr. Miller (signalling with his hand): "Come over here, I want to show you something."

He walked me over to the wall above the hand washing station and showed me a gold/yellow flyer hanging up.

Mr. Miller: "See this. This is a flyer from Millersville University. Read that."

The flyer read: Critical Shortage of Technology Education Teachers in the state of Pennsylvania.

Mr. Miller: "Millersville is a college in Lancaster, PA where I went to school and so did Mr. Androkites (you will see him soon!) You seem to really enjoy yourself down here taking our classes. Why don't you look into this. You could teach classes just like I do. It's a lot of fun and Millersville has one of the only two programs in the state. And in my opinion, it's the best."
Me: "Wait. I can go to school to do what you and Mr. A do?!" And get paid for it?!" 

And the rest, as they say, is history. Bucks County Community College for two years (Deans & Presidents lists [3.8 gpa]) then to Millersville (Cum Laude [3.64gpa] graduating with honors and an Athletic Coaching minor Faculty award.) I will never forget that day and still tell that story every 6 months or so to my students.

You see, I  teach many Nick Pompei's. Kids who maybe don't exactly know what they want to do. They don't have the vision yet, the drive. Most of them have no idea of what Technology Education is and what they can do with it. They might not be good test takers, can goof around a little too much, etc. So I share this story with my kids to let them know that there is something out there for them. I am proof of that. They need to button down, work hard and realize that when an amazing opportunity falls in their lap they need to seize the moment. Work hard, put your nose to the grindstone as they say and go get it. That's why I am where I am today. 

Sometimes life can change on a dime and present you with a fork in the road. And having a guy like Mr. Miller standing at said fork with a giant sign that says "Yo Nick, this way dude!" is that opportunity. That's why Mr. Miller changed my life. Everything I have now may not have been without him. Wife, son, career, house, etc. It's a butterfly effect and philosophical to think about really. Kind of trips you out! 

So taking all of his architecture classes taught me many life skills. But it gave my life a new outlook. And I try to pay that forward as best I can. That's what good teachers do and better yet, that's what good people do. Mr. Miller, thank you sir. Job well done.
 

 

 

 

 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) 52 architecture college drafting education inlfuence millersville pennridge professor teacher technology https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2013/9/4/52---52-most-influential-people Sun, 29 Sep 2013 12:54:43 GMT
3/52 - 52 Most Influential People https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2013/9/3/52---52-most-influential-people  

Dr. Len Litowitz 3/52
 

 

Meet The Person:

Dr. Len Litowitz - Educator. Dr. Litowitz is a professor at Millersville University, in the newly renamed Applied Engineering, Safety and Technology department. Dr. Litowitz has been teaching at Millersville for 28 years now. Before Millersville, he taught at Bowling Green University and the University Minnesota while pursuing his degrees. 

Dr. Litowitz is passionate about teaching and working with young people. His quote, "In my mind I feel like I am still 16, although my body is a lot older." That is a classic line from Dr. Litowitz! 

His passions include international travel, going to the shore and all water sports. He enjoys a good boat ride on the bay, a day at the beach, reading, eating good food and cheering for his New York Rangers and New York Yankees (we will overlook this...) playing with his cats and a big glass of cheap wine. "Save the snobby stuff for someone else!." Another classic Dr. Litowitz comment! Haha.

His professional highlights include a study/tour of Britain's Design & Technology curriculum with other Pennsylvanian's, serving as President of both PA State and National Associations, authoring a number of grants, writing his own books (to which I still own!) and plenty of passionate teaching. Personal highlight are a 30 year marriage milestone that is approaching, raising two children, and surviving a heart attack.

 

Dr. Litowitz standing in Osburn Hall - our Applied Engineering, Safety & Technology building. Influence 3/52Dr. Len Litowitz Dr. Litowitz standing in Osburn Hall - our Applied Engineering, Safety & Technology building at Millersville University

 

Influence: 

If you could gather from the funny quote's above, Dr. Litowitz is a character. He was one of the first people I met while on a visit to Millersville. Actually, he wasn't the first. He came after meeting two "higher administrative" people when I went on my first official visit. I met with those people first because I was in need of some help in getting into MU. I needed to, well, do some ass kissing. See, my grades stunk. I screwed around my first 2.5 years of high school and had poor grades along with an SAT score that would rival a 4th grader. Needless to say, trying to get into MU's education program was not going to work out. These "higher administrative" people wouldn't give me the time of day. My parents and I drove out there to be told I would need better grades, scores, etc. It was a waste of time. At least, I thought. See, I got to meet Dr. Litowitz later that day when touring the campus. I went into his office and he introduced himself. He was the first person I met at MU who cared. He told me what I needed to do, how to get in, etc. He had a heart and I will never forget that. 

The irony of this story is that not long after that meeting, Dr. Litowitz had a very bad heart attack. Luckily, he survived and was able to come back teaching. So sadly, when I finally got to MU, Dr. Litowitz was recovering and I could not take his Energy, Power and Transportation class. This was an iconic class at MU and every who went through MU talked about. Unfortunately, I didn't get to have Dr. Litowitz as a professor that first semester, I was able to have him later on as a professor and he became my pseudo counselor. My assigned Tech. Ed. counselor also could care less about me, but not Dr. Litowitz. He had his own students to guide but he helped me out whenever I asked. 

Dr. Litowitz is a worker. He is constantly involved in his profession. And it's not only his involvement, but his promotion of our area of study. He is constantly attending conferences and has helped lead organizations to further Technology Education. He is extremely dedicated to the University and his students. I enjoy seeing Dr. Litowitz every year.
                                                                                        * warning, acronym overload...*

It's guaranteed that I run into him at our TEEAP (Technology Education & Engineering Association of Pennsylvania) conference and out at the TSA (Technology Student Association) conference in Seven Springs. While at MU, I was part of a club, TECA, (Technology Education Collegiate Association) which was the most enjoyable time I had educationally. We went down to Virginia Beach every year to compete and had a great group all 3 years we went down. It was a blast. Dr. Litowitz was the lead advisor and he was great to have around down there. Experiences like that you never forget. I loved hearing his stories that he told with a hilariously dry humor. 

Do you know those people who never say no to anyone? They could be busier than the President but it wouldn't matter. They are always willing to help. That is Dr. Litowitz. Without his help and guidance I never would have graduated on time. He put me into the classes I needed to be in and helped me figure out my schedule every semester. He is an awesome professor who loves what he does. He is the type of person you always want to be around to hope some of his energy wears off on you. Anytime I run into him he is always asking how I am and how teaching is going. And more than that, he is a mentor who I consider to be a friend. 

Thank you Dr. Litowitz - your guidance got me through MU and into an awesome career! 

 

 

 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) 52 college education inlfuence millersville professor teacher technology https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2013/9/3/52---52-most-influential-people Sun, 22 Sep 2013 15:22:25 GMT
2/52 - 52 Most Influential People https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2013/9/2/52---52-most-influential-people  

Sean McKnight 2/52
 

 

Meet The Person:

Mr. Sean McKnight - Educator. Sean has been teaching for 21 years now at all levels. Currently, he is teaching at Penn Manor school district and Millersville University. Sean teaches high school in the morning, elementary in the afternoon, then off to Millersville for evening classes with college students. He loves teaching and helping out all levels of students and feels that learning is a lifelong venture.

Sean is passionate about his family and spending time with them as they grow. In his spare time he likes to hike, fish and spend time outdoors. Sean is a football guy at heart too. He has coached every level from Pop Warner all the way to the professional level for nearly 20 years. He is also currently employed by the Philadelphia Soul Arena League team. As I said, the guy is one busy and hard worker!

He has many accolades in his career: He has won several photography awards, was named the Outstanding Educator from Penn Manor School District, has piloted and started the first elementary school applied engineering program in the state, recognized by TEAP (Technology Education Association of Pennsylvania) for the article of the year, won a national championship with the Reading Express indoor football league and was most recently recognized for the outstanding Elementary Applied Engineering program in the state! Like I said, this guy does it all!

 

Influence 2/52Sean McKnight

Influence: 

Sean was my mentor teacher during my student teaching while at Millersville. I could not have asked for a better person to help me along as I was learning how to be a teacher. Penn Manor (which is the High School in the town of Millersville) has an incredible Technology Education department. They have a huge wing all dedicated to Tech Ed with multiple teachers working in a multitude of concentrations. All the guys in the department were great to be around and very helpful. Not to mention, they made me feel like I was part of the department which really helped my confidence at the time.

I was lucky to get placed with Sean who mainly teaches digital photography, some graphic design and printing. It was a perfect situation for me. Sean has a commanding presence about him. He's a big guy and teaches with authority, yet has a fun personality with the kids. After just about 2 weeks of being with him, I felt at home in his classroom and he let me start teaching lessons by myself. I had command of the classroom and it was awesome! I really enjoyed the group of students I had while at Penn Manor and they will always be a special group for me. Sean was always there, giving me insight, pointers and tips to help me along. He never gave me a perfect score on my observations and explained he really wouldn't until the end of the semester. And I am glad he didn't because it kept me hungry to strive for perfection.

Sean got me involved in TSA (Technology Student Association.) This is a national club for Tech Ed students to create projects, compete in events, etc. I had been involved in TSA but Sean let me become an advisor for his club and take them to their competitions. One of those was the State conference out near Pittsburgh (Seven Springs Mt. Resort.) This trip taught me how to handle kids outside of the classroom, interact with them and got me experience that I use every day. I now run my own TSA club at H-H and take my kids out to the State Conference every year. It's something I look forward to every year and so do my kids. I may not have ever gotten involved in TSA if it weren't for Sean. And worse yet, my kids wouldn't get the experience they do now because of it.

Sean is a tireless worker and the guy never stops! It's his work ethic that inspired me back then and still does now. I can always call or email Sean for advice and he is always there to help. What's great now is Sean's son is a wrestler. This past year at a tournament out near Lancaster, I ran into Sean cheering on his son while I was coaching. Pretty cool how life works!

The 4 months or so I spent at Penn Manor with Sean is an experience I will never forget. I learned a ton and had even more fun doing it. That is all thanks to Sean and his great leadership. And to think this experience almost never happened - I was actually scheduled to be at another High School and with another teacher. For some reason or another, that fell through. And my advisor and professor Dr. Litowitz (hint, hint, see next week!) told me he had to put me with Sean McKnight over at Penn Manor in a graphics lab. I said "ok, that sounds good to me." Little did I know it was one of the best things that ever could have happened to me! I am a big believer in things happening for a reason. This is a prime example!

Thanks. Sean! 

 

 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) 52 McKnight Sean college football inlfuence manor millersville penn teacher https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2013/9/2/52---52-most-influential-people Sun, 15 Sep 2013 22:51:10 GMT
1/52 - 52 Most Influential People https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2013/9/1/-52-most-influential-people  

Dr. Julie Lombardi: Influence 1/52
 

 

Meet The Person:

Dr. Julie Lombardi. Dr. Lombardi, is a tenured professor at Millersville University for nearly 20 years now. She got her Doctor's in Physical Education at Indiana University and moved into the Lancaster, PA area to start teaching at Millersville in 1993.

Dr. Lombardi is a lifelong teacher. She loves going to school, being able to interact with her students and the staff. She has a passion for being active outdoors in her personal life and also used to coach boys/girls swimming at the collegiate level. 

Dr. Lombardi 1/52

Influence: 

I had the honor of taking Dr. Lombardi's Kinesiology class while obtaining my Athletic Coaching minor. I was thrilled when I found out that Millersville had an Athletic Coaching degree. It was a struggle taking a minor while majoring in Technology Education. Tech. Ed. is a strenuous program that requires more credits than any other degree while at MU. So adding a minor was risky. But I wanted to coach and felt it would really benefit me in the long run. I was right. These classes were extremely beneficial and I learned lifelong lessons. That is where Dr. Lombardi comes in.

Her Kines class was awesome. It was her class and her influence that kick started my passion and interest for wellness and nutrition. I was always into lifting weights to stay in shape. But learning the entire human body, muscle structure, etc. helped me understand what muscles do what. And exactly how to work out to utilize those muscles. I still have the book from her class. Who does that anymore?! 

Also, she emphasized nutrition. Our units on foods and the human body was the game changer for me. It was then that I completely changed my outlook on my body and what goes into it. Sure, I was still in college but I did a complete 180. Less and less onto my plate at the dining hall, eating multiple small meals a day, healthy foods, etc. It all sunk in and stuck with me. It was her class and those lessons that have reshaped my life. I got Ashley to start eating better. That steamrolled into family members doing the same. People would, and still do, make fun of me for being picky when eating. It's only funny to those people because they all eat horrible. Go to the grocery store and look at someone else's cart. It's embarrassing and shows you why this country has weight issues. Sure, I can eat unhealthy at many times. And lately with a 17 month old, it's much harder. But it has been my way of life now since her class and I plan to keep it that way forever! 

So Dr. Lombardi, I thank you for your influence. You helped change my life and for that I am forever grateful. Not to mention, my athletes now benefit from my knowledge. Being able to ingrain my knowledge on health and nutrition into their lives is what I like to call things coming back full circle! 

Thanks. Dr. Lombardi! 

 

 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) 52 Dr. Kinesiology Lombardi Millersville canon flash influence person week https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2013/9/1/-52-most-influential-people Sun, 08 Sep 2013 13:41:39 GMT
Video Intro the my new 52 Week Project: The Most Influential People in My Life https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2013/8/video-intro-the-my-new-52-week-project-the-most-influential-people-in-my-life  

52 Week Video Intro - The Most Influential People in My Life from Nick Pompei Photography on Vimeo.

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(Nick Pompei Photography) https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2013/8/video-intro-the-my-new-52-week-project-the-most-influential-people-in-my-life Tue, 20 Aug 2013 17:07:52 GMT
Cooper - 52 Week project slideshow https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2013/4/cooper---52-week-project-slideshow  

Cooper: 0-12 months
 

 

Here is the entire 52 week project series. I have been getting requests asking me which one I liked the best. I certainly have my favorite(s) but I am here for the people. So why don't you decide! I will be posting this Blog post to my Facebook page for voting. Pick your #1 favorite shot from Cooper's collection. Facebook has a poll option built in so I am going to give that a try ( I know I know I hate it too but give it a try!)

The slideshow is below - it will play each picture for 10seconds. If you want it to go quicker, just mover your mouse over the pic and hit the right arrow. If you want it to slow down, there is a Pause button in the bottom right. Each week's number is in the top left. So just remember which week you like best and head over HERE to vote! 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) Cooper baby compilation months https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2013/4/cooper---52-week-project-slideshow Mon, 29 Apr 2013 23:30:00 GMT
Cooper: 0-12 months https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2013/4/cooper-0-12-months  

Cooper: 0-12 months
 

 

Here is the entire monthly shot series. It is full res - like 7'+ in size! So if you have photo viewer or another picture viewing software, you can zoom in on each picture and see it in complete detail. So do yourself a favor and open this thing on it's own - its great!

       Full Resolution Link (download, open and see it in complete detail) - 

https://www.dropbox.com/sc/sdcepq8artvhjle/Esx_nkBUyB

 

 

Nick Pompei Photography: Blog Pictures &emdash; 12 months compliation

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) Cooper baby compilation months https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2013/4/cooper-0-12-months Tue, 23 Apr 2013 23:03:23 GMT
Cooper: Week 52/52 https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2013/4/cooper-week-52/52  

Cooper: Week 52/52
 

 

Well, 52 weeks! The big one year old final picture. Amazing it has been 52 weeks already. And what a difference the last month has been. Coop has really grown so much in his personality and now he's walking. It's crazy what a few weeks will do. From barely standing on his own to walking on his own in like 2 weeks.

Just wanted to say thank you to everyone who has followed us along this journey. I appreciate all of the kind comments and expressed pleasure in follow this project. It was extremely rewarding for me and while not easy, it was a lot of fun. So thank you for your continued support. I will be posting up some extras this week and next so stay tuned.

I will be taking a few weeks off before starting my next project. I have 2 weddings next month and a mini vacation - so I will be enjoying myself before getting started again. But stay tuned, this next one will not dissapoint!

Cooper - Week 52


Camera:
Canon 5d3
Canon 35mmL
1/100 @ f/3.2
ISO 400

Strobist:
1 - Canon 530EXii, 1/16 (+.7), fired inside Wescott Apollo softbox, ~ 3' from subject, 4' high.

 

11 month shot

Cooper - Week 47

 

10 month shot

Cooper - Week 43

9 month shot

Cooper - Week 39

8 month shot

Cooper - Week 34

7 month shot

Cooper - Week 30

6 month shot

Cooper - Week 26

5 month shotCooper- Week 22

4month shot

Cooper- Week 17

3 month shot

Cooper- Week 13

2 month shot

Week 8

1 month shot

Week 4


Objective: (Jeremy speak)

So the last Jeremy speak - hope it was insightful. If you have been following me over the last 2 years I hope you have learned a lot. If not, you were not paying attention - test next week!
Remember the best picture you took is the last picture you took. The worst picture you took is the one you never did. Thanks everyone!

 

 

 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) 10 Ashley Baby Cooper flash months https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2013/4/cooper-week-52/52 Sun, 21 Apr 2013 13:57:12 GMT
Cooper: Week 51/52 https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2013/4/cooper-week-51/52  

Cooper: Week 51/52
 

 

The big 1yr birthday party! We went, well overboard and had ourselves a blast. I setup a photo booth for everyone to have fun. Coop doesnt look like he is enjoying himself here but he had a lot of fun at his big party!
 

Cooper - Week 51


Camera:
Canon Rebel T3i
Canon 18-55mm (IS)
1/125@ f/7.1
ISO 300

Strobist:1 - Canon 530EXii, 1/64, firing bare at subjects and triggering 2 Canon 430exii's
2 - Canon 430EXii's, fired into shoot thru umbrella's, camera left and right, ~ 4' from subject, 4' high.

 

 

 

Objective: (Jeremy speak)

I have plenty more of these shots to put up. And I will explain the entire photo booth setup in a blog later this week!

 

 

 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) baby beach ocean sand summer https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2013/4/cooper-week-51/52 Mon, 15 Apr 2013 22:39:10 GMT
Cooper: Week 50/52 https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2013/4/cooper-week-50/52  

Cooper: Week 50/52
 

 

It was a really nice weekend and you can finally feel spring in the air. We took a short walk down to the local park for some fun. Coop and Mommy heading down the slide!
 

Cooper - Week 50


Camera:
Canon 5d3
Canon 35mm (1.4)
1/1000 @ f/2.2
ISO 100

Strobist:
Natty Light

 

Cooper - Week 50-2 Cooper - Week 50

Objective: (Jeremy speak)

When you have a slide or anything really, you need to make sure you can get the sun behind your subject. So you may have to move yourself around in order to make that happen. The one slide on the opposite end of the park was facing into the sun and it really was not ideal in terms of lighting. Luckily, this slide was. So you almost always want to keep the sun to your subjects back.

 

 

 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) Ashley Cooper Mom Slide park https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2013/4/cooper-week-50/52 Sun, 07 Apr 2013 23:59:33 GMT
Cooper: Week 49/52 https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2013/3/cooper-week-49/52  

Cooper: Week 49/52
 

 

Happy Easter! Looks like the Easter bunny came to our house...
 

Cooper - Week 49


Camera:
Canon 5d3
Canon 35mm (1.4)
1/3200 @ f/1.6
ISO 100

Strobist:
Natty Light

Objective: (Jeremy speak)

As soon as we got Cali into position we put Coop down on the ground. He literally lasted about 4 shots and then he started crying and Cali got up and had enough! haha. So this is the best we got. But it's so damn funny I don't care!

Last minute bunny ear purchase at Walgreens - why is it so hard to find bunny ears these days?! Jeez.

 

 

 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) Bunny Cali Cooper Dog Easter baby https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2013/3/cooper-week-49/52 Sun, 31 Mar 2013 14:52:55 GMT
Cooper: Week 48/52 https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2013/3/cooper-week-48/52  

Cooper: Week 48/52
 

 

Well, this spring blows. Winter has been about 5 months too long and its getting old. Snow tomorrow?! Get out. Coop did, he hopped on his private jet (G6) and went south. Lucky kid.
 

Cooper - Week 48


Camera:
Canon 5d3
Canon 35mm (1.4)
1/100 @ f/4.0
ISO 100

Strobist:
1 - Canon 530EXii, manual powered (1/8), zoomed at 24mm, inside 6' parabolic umbrella, about 3' high and about 4' from subject

 

Cooper - Week 48

 

 

Objective: (Jeremy speak)

We had no idea what to do this week. So Ash was going through some of Coop's clothes today and I saw some fun beach attire. I figured let's give it a shot. It's not nearly as good as the DJ picture, but it works!

This is one of the first times I have used the giant 6' parabolic umbrella. Its huge. I figured I would mimic the sun and throw some serious light onto him. I think it works well in the scene of the beach. Not bad?!

 

 

 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) baby beach ocean sand summer https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2013/3/cooper-week-48/52 Sun, 24 Mar 2013 16:56:44 GMT
Cooper: Week 47/52 https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2013/3/cooper-week-47/52  

Cooper: Week 47/52
 

 

Cooper is 11 months today. Wait, say what?! Yes, Cooper somehow went from a newborn to an 11 month old in like 3 weeks. Ok not really but man does the time fly! One more of these! 

Cooper - Week 47


Camera:
Canon 5d3
Canon 35mmL
1/80 @ f/2.5
ISO 640

Strobist:
1 - Canon 530EXii, 1/16 (+.7), fired inside Wescott Apollo softbox, ~ 3' from subject, 4' high.

 

10 month shot

Cooper - Week 43

9 month shot

Cooper - Week 39

8 month shot

Cooper - Week 34

7 month shot

Cooper - Week 30

6 month shot

Cooper - Week 26

5 month shotCooper- Week 22

4month shot

Cooper- Week 17

3 month shot

Cooper- Week 13

2 month shot

Week 8

1 month shot

Week 4


Objective: (Jeremy speak)

Whoops, used the 5d3 again! Haha. 

 

 

 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) 10 Ashley Baby Cooper flash months https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2013/3/cooper-week-47/52 Sun, 17 Mar 2013 22:00:11 GMT
Addy Award!!! https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2013/3/addy-award  

Now an award winning Photographer!
 

Check it out - I am now an award winning photographer/videographer! Just found out a few days ago that the video work I did with the http://jtwofilms.com guys for http://fcintermedia.com won an Addy award!!!

Their brandscape video that I helped shoot last year won the 'Self Promotion, Digital Advertising' award at this year's Philadelphia Addy awards. I will post the video below.

Cannot say thanks enough to Justin, Travis and the entire Full Circle team (read below, James Brown - THE James Brown doing the voice-over!!!) for allowing me to work with them. It was my first big venture into DSLR video and it proved to be a winner with this award! Looking forward to our work in the future!
 

Addy award (1)


 

 

Define Yourself from FullCircle Intermedia on Vimeo.

 

 

 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) addy award circle dslr films full jtwo video https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2013/3/addy-award Thu, 14 Mar 2013 01:12:38 GMT
Cooper: Week 46/52 https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2013/3/cooper-week-46/52  

Cooper: Week 46/52
 

 

This weekend was so nice out so I didn't get much of a chance to setup anything good for this week. So, Coop eating dinner will have to do!
 

Cooper - Week 46


Camera:
Canon 5d3
Canon 50mm (1.4)
1/50 @ f/2.0
ISO 400

Strobist:
1 - Canon 530EXii, on camera, ETTL, bounced off camera left

 

Objective: (Jeremy speak)

Sorry but nothing out of this world today. After last week's shot, it was going to be hard to top!

Simple bounce flash - I hardly ever shoot on camera flash anymore so this was good to mix it up a bit

 

 

 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) Cooper DJ club flash hat https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2013/3/cooper-week-46/52 Sun, 10 Mar 2013 23:56:04 GMT
Cooper: Week 45/52 https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2013/3/cooper-week-45/52  

Cooper: Week 45/52
 

 

In what can only be described as awesome, I bring you CJ the DJ. Adidas jacket, check. Headphones, check. Sideways hat, check. Mixing board, check. Club with lights, check. Gold Mr. T junior starter necklace, check. CJ the DJ spinning the 1's and 2's all night long baby!

 

Cooper - Week 45-5


Camera:
Canon 5d3
Canon 50mm (1.4)
1/200 @ f/7.1
ISO 640

Strobist:
1 - Canon 530EXii, 1/8 (-.3), zoomed to 35mm, fired in Wescott Apollo softbox, ~ 4' from subject, 3' high.
1 - Canon 430EXii, 1/8, zoomed to 105mm, fired in Cheetah Qbox 24" softbox, gridded, ~ 5' from subject, 3' high.
1 - Canon 430EXii, 1/8, zoomed to 105mm, gridded, ~ 6' from subject, 5' high.

 

Cooper - Week 45 Cooper - Week 45-3 Cooper - Week 45-4

Objective: (Jeremy speak)

About 2 weeks ago Ash bought the Adidas zip up you see him wearing. It looks so cute on him so I had the great idea to put him in that and shoot him standing at his little sound table thinger. Then I thought to add in a sideways Phillies hat and grab my big headphones I use for video. We wanted to grab a dollar store gold necklace but forgot so gave him one of Ashley's necklaces to put on.
 

I setup the studio with three lights. The main light is to his right, the big softbox. I put this on my boom light stand so I could tilt it down 90deg. to the floor and bring it in close just out of frame. The 2nd light is inside my Cheetah Qbox that is gridded. I gridded this softbox so it wouldn't throw extra light onto him. I wanted to keep it concentrated but still provide a large enough light source. And finally I put a bare flash with my DIY grid, behind him to his right. You can see that light hitting his right arm. I gridded this so it would really stay beamed just onto his right side. You can see from the behind the scenes shot above where each light was positioned. The only light you cant see is the the bare flash, that is behind the flat to the left. Not bad right?!
 

 

All together we only needed a handful of shots to nail it and his expression in this picture is priceless.
I did some quick editing in Lightroom and brought it into Photoshop. I found this club picture online, layer masked it and a little brushing and editing later - bam. CJ the DJ is spinning the 1's and 2's. Haha!

 

 

 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) Cooper DJ club flash hat https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2013/3/cooper-week-45/52 Sun, 03 Mar 2013 22:24:04 GMT
Cooper: Week 44/52 https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2013/2/cooper-week-44/52  

Cooper: Week 44/52
 

 

This was a shot Ashley and I had been talking about this week. We wanted to shoot him naked with a teddy bear, facing away from the camera. But things changed and trying to keep him still for one good shot was nearly impossible.

Coop and Mr. Elephant both in deep thought!

 

Cooper - Week 44


Camera:
Canon 5d3
Canon 35mmL
1/60 @ f/2.8
ISO 320

Strobist:
1 - Canon 530EXii, 1/32(-.3), fired inside shoot thru umbrella, ~ 3' from subject, 3' high.

1 - Canon 430EXii, 1/64 , fired inside shoot thru umbrella, ~ 4' from subject, 3' high.

 

 

Objective: (Jeremy speak)

So this shoot started as an idea between Ashley and I to have him naked, with a teddy bear facing away from the camera. I then thought of putting down the fake paper flooring that I have to add something to the shot. Ash then said, lets have him with socks on and no pants and with this elephant (because, you know, he matches!) SO, this is what we ended up with!

Now, shooting this scene was really tough. Just to the right of the frame is our dining room closet door and garage entrance. So the flash is literally jammed into the doorway and cannot move any further out. Meaning, a lot of the flash was not falling onto his face and it was falling more onto his back. That meant we had to scoot him back into the wall a little more so it was helping light more of his face.

Same problem with the left flash. Just left of frame is our dining room table. So again, the flash is jammed into the table without much room to go.
So for a few shots before this one, I had him split light (basically only lighting from the sides and not the front.) So we had to readjust a bit to light him up more. Oh, and Mr. Elephant too! 

 

 

 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) 35l baby canon elephant flash umbrella https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2013/2/cooper-week-44/52 Sun, 24 Feb 2013 19:26:43 GMT
Cooper: Week 43/52 https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2013/2/cooper-week-43/52  

Cooper: Week 43/52
 

 

Double digits - 10 months! Amazing we are just 8 short weeks away from this kid being a year old. Craziness! Birthday party planning has already commenced - yikes. 

Cooper - Week 43


Camera:
Canon 5d3
Canon 35mmL
1/80 @ f/2.5
ISO 640

Strobist:
1 - Canon 530EXii, 1/16 (+.7), fired inside Wescott Apollo softbox, ~ 3' from subject, 4' high.

 

9 month shot

Cooper - Week 39

8 month shot

Cooper - Week 34

7 month shot

Cooper - Week 30

6 month shot

Cooper - Week 26

5 month shotCooper- Week 22

4month shot

Cooper- Week 17

3 month shot

Cooper- Week 13

2 month shot

Week 8

1 month shot

Week 4


Objective: (Jeremy speak)

I left my 5d classic at school so I used the new 5d3. The focusing on this camera is amazing. But I will tell you, for the money I would take the 5d classic in terms of image quality. Sure, it cannot hold a candle to the 5d3 in terms of ISO and autofocusing. But man I love my classic! That camera will die with me! 

 

 

 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) 10 Ashley Baby Cooper flash months https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2013/2/cooper-week-43/52 Sun, 17 Feb 2013 21:47:57 GMT
Cooper: Week 42/52 https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2013/2/cooper-week-42/52  

Cooper: Week 42/52
 
Cooper - Week 42-4

 

Snow! Real snow! We didn't get a foot, but it's enough to get outside and play. Cooper and Ashley are all bundled up enjoying the snow. 

Camera:
Canon 5d3
70-200L (2.8) IS
1/1250@ f/2.8
ISO 100

Strobist:
Natty Light

 

Cooper - Week 42 Cooper - Week 42-2

Cooper - Week 42-3 Hey look, I even made it into the picture! Amazing! haha

 

Objective: (Jeremy speak)

Shooting outside, with bright white snow can be challenging. The camera wants to underexpose the picture by a few stops. So in order to combat that, you have to 'shoot to the right.' Meaning, you intentionally overexpose the picture. This means that if the camera wants to underexpose the picture by 1 stop, you overexpose by 1 stop and you end up with a picture that is pretty good. It's funny how even a great camera has the same tendencies as an old cheap one! 

 

 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) Ashley Mom Snow baby snowsuit winter https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2013/2/cooper-week-42/52 Sun, 10 Feb 2013 11:30:00 GMT
Cooper: Week 41/52 https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2013/2/cooper-week-41/52  

Cooper: Week 41/52
 
Cooper - Week 41

 

Coop, Cali and I were hanging out while Mom was at work. Between eating, crying, playing and sleeping, I managed to get a few off of the kids! Here's my favorite.

Camera:
Canon 5d classic
35L ( 1.4)
1/40@ f/2.8
ISO 1250

Strobist:
Natty Light

Objective: (Jeremy speak)

Nothing fancy here. Just trying to get him to stay (yes, him, not Cali!) was hard enough. He started crawling towards me, Cali realized and put her head down in disgust! It was hilarious. He crawled towards me and luckily I was able to nail focus.

 

 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) baby cali dog https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2013/2/cooper-week-41/52 Sun, 03 Feb 2013 11:30:00 GMT
Cooper: Week 40/52 https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2013/1/cooper-week-40/52  

Cooper: Week 40/52
 
Cooper - Week 40

 

Its. Cold. Outside. I have been wanting to get Coop a picture in this hat. So we bundled up and went outside into the fresh snow. He was laughing and smiling about 2 minutes earlier I swear!

Camera:
Canon 5d3
70-200L IS(2.8)
1/1600@ f/2.8
ISO 100

Strobist:
Natty Light

Objective: (Jeremy speak)

I wish I could get him to smile on command sometimes! He was having a ball getting into his snowsuit and then I brough him out and bam, he was stone faced!

The new camera with my 70-200mm lens is great. I just hope I can shoot more with it soon because I am itching! 

 

 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) 70-200 Cooper Snow snow suit https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2013/1/cooper-week-40/52 Sun, 27 Jan 2013 11:00:00 GMT
Cooper: Week 39/52 https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2013/1/cooper-week-39/52  

Cooper: Week 39/52
 

Cooper - Week 39

Coop's had a rough week. He had a stomach virus and really has not been himself. At least he gave us a split second without crying!


Camera:
Canon 5d
Canon 35mmL
1/80 @ f/2.2
ISO 100

Strobist:
1 - Canon 530EXii, 1/16 (+.7), fired inside Wescott Apollo softbox, ~ 3' from subject, 4' high.

 

8 month shot

Cooper - Week 34

7 month shot

Cooper - Week 30

6 month shot

Cooper - Week 26

5 month shotCooper- Week 22

4month shot

Cooper- Week 17

3 month shot

Cooper- Week 13

2 month shot

Week 8

1 month shot

Week 4


Objective: (Jeremy speak)

Like I said above, he has pretty much been crying non stop for a few days now and getting him to look at that camera was good enough for us!

 

 

 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) 6 Ashley Baby Cooper flash months https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2013/1/cooper-week-39/52 Sun, 20 Jan 2013 19:52:28 GMT
Cooper: Week 38/52 https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2013/1/cooper-week-38/52  

Cooper: Week 38/52
 
Cooper - Week 38

 

Well we are finally back! Back at home in the office that is. My computer is basically all back to 100% so this is my first edit since upgrading.

Ashley and I have been planning this shot for a while now and since the weather was terrible today we decided to give it a try.

Cooper is not feeling well (teething) but he had fun hanging out with his buddies!

 

Camera:
Canon 5d Mark 3
Canon 50mm (1.4)
1/125@ f/2.0
ISO100

Strobist:
1 - Canon 530EXii, 1/32, fired inside Cheetah Qbox 24" softbox, ~ 4' from subject, 4' high.

1 - Canon 430EXii, 1/64, fired bare, 4' behind subject

 

Objective: (Jeremy speak)

Trying to keep him stable in the basket, the stuffed animals looking good and getting him to smile was not easy! But, we got a few good ones.

I used the bare flash behind him to add some separation from the background.

Cooper - Week 38-2

 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) 38 Animals Canon Cooper Flash Stuffed baby https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2013/1/cooper-week-38/52 Sun, 13 Jan 2013 22:43:20 GMT
Cooper: Week 35/52 https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/12/cooper-week-35/52  

Cooper: Week 35/52
 
Cooper- Week 35

 

Merry Christmas everyone! I snapped off this quick shot over at my parents' new house. If you remember back to my 52 week project last year (http://flic.kr/p/aEoXwG) I took this picture of my Dad down in the basement. Well, they finally moved in. I was over there today and got Coop with his biggest fans!

Camera:
Canon 5d classic
Canon 50mm (1.4)
1/320@ f/2.0
ISO800

Strobist:
Natty Light

Objective: (Jeremy speak)

The main light source here is a nice big patio door. I put them in front of the window for some nice side lighting.

I then positioned myself so I could see their Christmas tree in the background. Now, my Mom has the world's ugliest and skinniest fake tree. So it was hard to get all of the lights in the shot, but I did ok!

 

 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) Cooper fall flash leaves umbrella https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/12/cooper-week-35/52 Sun, 23 Dec 2012 23:27:46 GMT
Cooper: Week 34/52 https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/12/cooper-week-34/52  

Cooper: Week 34/52
 

Cooper - Week 34

Well after about 2 of these shoots, it has gotten difficult again for my model. He just wants to crawl and fall off the chair! Coop has really gotten mobile, crawling and climbing. The Christmas tree never knew what it was in for!


Camera:
Canon 5d
Canon 35mmL
1/80 @ f/3.5
ISO 125

Strobist:
1 - Canon 530EXii, 1/16 (+.7), fired inside Wescott Apollo softbox, ~ 3' from subject, 4' high.

 

7 month shot

Cooper - Week 30

6 month shot

Cooper - Week 26

5 month shotCooper- Week 22

4month shot

Cooper- Week 17

3 month shot

Cooper- Week 13

2 month shot

Week 8

1 month shot

Week 4


Objective: (Jeremy speak)

This time was really hard to keep him by himself on the chair. He just wants to lean forward and start crawling. So its a bit scary to quick shoot, then Ash has to run back to make sure he doesn't do a head off the front!

 


Baby photography is not easy!

 

 

 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) 6 Ashley Baby Cooper flash months https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/12/cooper-week-34/52 Sun, 16 Dec 2012 20:30:59 GMT
Cooper: Week 33/52 https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/12/cooper-week-33/52  

Cooper: Week 33/52
 
Cooper - Week 33

 

Today is a lazy day so I apologize. I got sick last night after spending 2 days in a gym with wrestling. So today was a quick shoot.
But I broke out my old 'lens baby' lens. We have our tree up and Coop was crawling all over the floor this morning. Trying to focus with this lens on a crawling baby = nearly impossible!

Camera:
Canon 5d
Lens Baby 2.0
1/100@ f/2.0
ISO1250

Strobist:
Natty Light

Objective: (Jeremy speak)

A lens baby lens is basically a flexible focus lens that can really create some cool effects. It takes a while to practice and figure out but once you use it a few times it's very fun.

Think of this lens like a flexible dryer vent with glass attached!

 

 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) Cooper fall flash leaves umbrella https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/12/cooper-week-33/52 Sun, 09 Dec 2012 19:51:45 GMT
Cooper: Week 32/52 https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/12/cooper-week-32/52  

Cooper: Week 32/52
 
Cooper - Week 32

 

And we are mobile! Cooper just starting crawling a few days ago! He was sitting up but never got moving forward on all fours. Then it clicked and off he went! He can even pull himself up now, as you can see here. Things are about to get real... haha.

Camera:
Canon 5d
Canon 35L 
1/200@ f/1.8
ISO1000

Strobist:
Natty Light

Objective: (Jeremy speak)

The more I keep shooting the 5d classic and 35L the more in love I fall! It's just an awesome combo. ISO 1000 on this camera is still so clean. It's a camera from 2005 so it's no spring chicken but it handles noise really well for its age.

ISO is more or less the camera's sensor's sensitivity to light. The higher you go, the more sensitive it becomes. This is good in low light situations where you may not have flash or want to. The negative to raising your ISO is the fact that most cameras get very noisy - think specs or a pixelated looking photo. New cameras can handle noise better than ever. But this old 5d classic is great with noise up to 1600.

When shooting outdoors, with plenty of light, you should always keep your ISO as low as possible. In fact, you should try to keep your ISO as low as possible all the time!

Full frame is the real deal and let's hope Santa is good to me so I can upgrade my 7d!!!

 

 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) Cooper fall flash leaves umbrella https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/12/cooper-week-32/52 Sun, 02 Dec 2012 03:37:13 GMT
Cooper: Week 31/52 https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/11/cooper-week-31/52  

Cooper: Week 31/52
 
 

Cooper - Week 31

Happy Thanksgiving, Pilgrim! hahahahaahha

This is how you feel after eating all day Thursday!

Camera:
Canon 5d
Canon 35L 
1/40@ f/2.2
ISO125

Strobist:
1 - Canon 430EXii, 1/32 (-.7), fired into shoot-thru umbrella, ~ 2' from subject, 2' high.

 

Objective: (Jeremy speak)

Just when I cannot possibly take on any more ventures, I added another - crafting. Yes, I made this here Pilgrim hat. Some googling found me rough directions and I whipped it up. Not bad right?! Ashley put him into this cute outfit and we put some little pumpkins around him to give that Harvest feel. 

Cooper - Week 31-4 Cooper - Week 31-3

 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) Cooper fall flash leaves umbrella https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/11/cooper-week-31/52 Sun, 25 Nov 2012 11:00:00 GMT
Cooper: Week 30/52 https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/11/cooper-week-30/52  

Cooper: Week 30/52

Cooper - Week 30

Well Coop has really grown up this past month. He is gotten smart and has learned the power of 'persuasion.' Meaning, cry and receive attention! So we have not been sleeping very good this past month. But we are learning how to adapt and so is he. It has become a lot easier the last few nights after implementing new tactics!

Not long before he is crawling too! He is up on all fours and rocking - won't be far off!


Camera:
Canon 5d
Canon 35mmL
1/80 @ f/3.5
ISO 320

Strobist:
1 - Canon 530EXii, 1/16 (+.7), fired inside Wescott Apollo softbox, ~ 3' from subject, 4' high.

 

 

6 month shot

Cooper - Week 26

5 month shotCooper- Week 22

4month shot

Cooper- Week 17

3 month shot

Cooper- Week 13

2 month shot

Week 8

1 month shot

Week 4


Objective: (Jeremy speak)

Now that he is older, you can pretty much get him to smile on command - minus being in meltdown mode! But trying to get him to look at me while shooting AND smiling is another! It's always a battle with kids - but you have to be patient and nail it when it happens!

Oh and take a loot at the onesie he is wearing - same as the 6 month shot. He has the 80's look going on with the slightly off-shoulder collar. Then look at this month - yeah he shops at baby Gap! ahhaaahha

 

 

 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) 6 Ashley Baby Cooper flash months https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/11/cooper-week-30/52 Sun, 18 Nov 2012 11:00:00 GMT
Dan & Colleen Hughes Wedding https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/11/dan-colleen-hughes-wedding  

Hughes Wedding - Tidewater Inn, Easton, MD - October 13, 2011
 

Hughes Wedding - Favorites 70

Dan & Colleen called me last year to see if I would travel down to Easton, MD to photograph their special day. Hell yeah I said! This was my first real destination wedding, even though I had shot down at the shore before. I will consider this my first! These two are beautiful people who looked great in front of me all day. And we all know my motto when it comes to photographing good looking people! Can't say thanks enough for the hospitality - best of luck you guys! 

 

Please see their entire album here - http://www.nickpompei.com/hughes

 

 

Here are some of my favorites from the day. I will add a few notes below each picture to provide some insight or information from a photographer's point of view.

 

 

Hughes Wedding - Favorites 10

Dan had one request all day - he wanted an Abbey Road shot! The little town of Easton, MD is a really cool town. Great old buildings with relatively quiet streets. We had just a few seconds during this shoot and after snapping away like crazy on my 7d, I think we nailed a good one. Now, to all of you Beatle aficionados out there, certainly this is not a direct replica. But considering we didn't stop traffic and had us a wedding party here, I think we did damn good! Oh, did you catch the street sign here in the far right of the frame?! That is NOT Photoshoped - how freaking cool is that?!?!?!!??!

 

Hughes Wedding - Favorites 11 Hughes Wedding - Favorites 13

Hughes Wedding - Favorites 8 Hahaahhaah, Mr. Hughes hamming up the situation here. Dan is looking all classy and there is Ryker doing his thing! If anyone knows Ryker, he's a class act himself and a great guy. But this is hilarious.

 

Hughes Wedding - Favorites 15 Hughes Wedding - Favorites 19 Hughes Wedding - Favorites 21 Hughes Wedding - Favorites 24 Colleen looked incredible and her dress was killer. She was awesome in front of the camera and these shots are some of my favorites before the ceremony. The lighting in her room was awesome and I used it to highlight her great lines. The last shot is in the stairwell going into the lobby. She fit right into the scene.

 

 

Hughes Wedding - Favorites 2 Hughes Wedding - Favorites 4 Hughes Wedding - Favorites 6

 

 

Hughes Wedding - Favorites 29 Hughes Wedding - Favorites 27

Hughes Wedding - Favorites 38 Hughes Wedding - Favorites 40

 

 

 

Hughes Wedding - Favorites 97

Hughes Wedding - Favorites 100 Hughes Wedding - Favorites 101 Hughes Wedding - Favorites 102

 

 

Hughes Wedding - Favorites 43 Hughes Wedding - Favorites 45 Hughes Wedding - Favorites 46 Hughes Wedding - Favorites 53 Hughes Wedding - Favorites 60

 

 

 

Hughes Wedding - Favorites 62 Hughes Wedding - Favorites 66 Hughes Wedding - Favorites 65

 

 

 

 

 

Hughes Wedding - Favorites 136

And one of the last few from the night. The courtyard where the ceremony was turns into a very cool scene with the lights on at night. Dan & Colleen both wanted a shot out by the blue lights in the trees. This shot is a first for me - it was the first time I used a video light when shooting stills. That's right, this is a variable output LED video rig light. It's actually a cheap light, around $60 or so and really puts out some great light. My lovely wife held the light for me and these two did their thing and looked great. One of my favorites from the whole day.

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) Colleen Dan Hughes Inn Koski Maryland Tidewater Wedding https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/11/dan-colleen-hughes-wedding Tue, 13 Nov 2012 01:46:06 GMT
Cooper: Week 29/52 https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/11/cooper-week-29/52  

Cooper: Week 29/52
 
 

Cooper - Week 29

This picture is nothing fancy, no special setups. Just a first - Cooper's first Halloween parade at daycare. He has his superman costume on but his bib and sweats are covering it up. He had no clue but it was cute. All the teacher's bring the infant room kids out in the cribs and stroll them through the parking lot. Then the bigger kids come out and walk through the line of parents.

I felt really old there with my camera taking pictures of my kid in his first parade! Haha

Camera:
Canon 5d
Canon 35L
1/500 @ f/2.0
ISO 100

Strobist:
Natty Light

 

Objective: (Jeremy speak)

Again, nothing special here. I had to quickly lean into his crib to get a picture of him. I called out his name and he looked up. I was lucky to have the sun being blocked and giving me nice even light.

 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) Cooper fall flash leaves umbrella https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/11/cooper-week-29/52 Sun, 11 Nov 2012 11:00:00 GMT
Eagles vs. Falcons - My NFL Sidelines Experience https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/11/eagles-vs-falcons---my-nfl-sidelines-experience  

Eagles vs. Falcons - My NFL Sidelines Experience
 
 

Eagles vs. Falcons 2012 53

Well this is a really fun blog post. And one where I don't know where to begin! Let me break this down into three areas: 1) How I got onto the sidelines of an NFL game, 2) My gear, 3) My experience at the game

 

1. The Background:

JTWO Films - Can't say enough. Justin and Travis have become good friends and business partners of mine. They have a great thing going right now - http://jtwofilms.com/. These guys have done some serious work in the last few years. The main project they were working on was a sports documentary on Kurt Coleman, the Eagles Safety. JTWO teamed up with James Brown, yes the JB of sports lure on Showtime and various other media outlets. JB hooked them up with Kurt and the ball got rolling. Here is the full feature documentary:

Coming Home Complete Show from Kurt Coleman on Vimeo.

 

So after doing this with Kurt, Trav and Justin wanted to do some more work with the Eagles. They asked the NFL and the Eagles if they could do some filming from the sidelines of a game this season. The NFL said no video, but we can give you a pass to shoot still. Unfortunately for these guys, they are not photographers like they are filmmakers. So I got one of the greatest phone calls of my life. It went like this: 

Justin - "Yo dude, good news and bad news. The bad is we can't film from the sidelines."
Me - "Oh that sucks man."
Justin - "Yeah, but the good news is we got one media pass to shoot stills only. They will let us take pictures. And since we are not as skilled as you, we figured you should be the one to go."
Me (babbling at this point) - "I think I might have a family shoot that day. Ummm, well. So wait, I can take pictures from the sidelines of the Eagles vs. Falcons game?!"
Justin - "You got it boss. Full media credential."
Me - "Oh my god. Sersiously?! Oh crap, my sister's wedding is the night before!"

Haha. So that is basically how it went. And from there, well it was all history. Luckily, I stayed in good enough shape to get to bed at a decent hour the night before and wake up feeling good.

 

 

2. The Gear:

This is when it got real, as they say! After I hung up and the initial shock wore off, I went to work. Researching that is. I knew I needed the proper gear. You can't show up to a gun fight with a bee bee gun and expect things to work out well for you. Sure I had the camera that was plenty capable - my Canon 7d is a great camera that shoots 8fps and has one of the best autofocus systems in a camera to date. So that front was good. 

The lens situation was much different. I had just upgraded my Canon 70-200 2.8IS lens so I was very happy with that. This 70-200mm lens was going to be on my 2nd body (I borrowed from JTWO - told you they rock!) So this lens was perfect once the action got close to the sideline/end zone.

But I needed something big. Like real big. As in rocket launcher big. Enter the Canon 400mm 2.8 IS lens:

400 2.8L-4

I told you it was big ( I will refrain from saying "that's what she said...") This thing is Ginourmous. It was close to 20lbs and makes my 70-200 look like a small 50mm prime lens! This is one of the most coveted lenses of any sports shooter and one of the best lenses ever made. Now they make a MarkII version of this lens. I just had the 1st version, but trust me it's still amazing. Oh and the cost - take a guess? If you said a nice used car you would be right! Valued at $8,000! Nope, didn't make that up to make you think I was cool. The new one is around $12,000!!! So now you are thinking, wow, Nick is a serious baller buying an $8,000 lens. I am a teacher folks - I rented! That's the best thing about renting gear. You can shoot with an $8,000 super lens for just about $300 for a weekend. And for this occasion, it had to be done in order to get the best shots. 

 

Canon 400mm 01 400 2.8L-2 Canon 400mm 03 Canon 400mm 05

Now, let me tell you my horror story with getting this lens. I was going to rent from a local camera shop, but my business insurance doesn't cover as much as this lens costs in terms of my gear. So I couldn't get it from my local place. Instead, I rented from Lensrentals.com - they had an option for damage insurance for a great price and so I went with them. What was nice was that it was going to get delivered to my doorstep on Friday before the game. My wife was home that day and I gave her the fun task of hanging around from 1-3pm and making sure she was home when my lens got delivered. Usually Fedex delivers around 1-3pm to my house. Well this time it came from a different location and showed up at 12:15.And thus I got the email stating they attempted delivery, failed and would return again on Monday. Let me put that into words again for you. The game is on Sunday, Fedex would re-attempt delivery on Monday... I nearly threw up. You know that feeling when you know things are bad? Yeah, this was that feeling. So long story short here, I called about 3-4 different Fedex reps and finally found out the lens was on a truck heading back to the warehouse - in Bethlehem! I am in Warrington, which is over an hour from there. You want to know the funny but cruel thing?! The night before I was in Bethlehem for my sisters wedding rehearsal. And I was heading there on Saturday for the wedding. So I would be heading back into Bethlehem for the 2nd time out of 3 that weekend. UGH.  Well I was told the lens was already back there. So I went up and found out that the driver wasn't even back yet. Right. So now I had to wait 45min for the driver to come. But, thank god, I got the lens and back home I went, slightly smiling. All told, the $50 or so for delivery from lensrentals cost me almost 4 hours of travel time and about 2 years off my life due to anger. You can't win them all right?!

 

 

3. The Game:

So I woke up from a great day at my sister's wedding to see Hurricane Sandy starting her approach into the East Coast and it was already raining at 6:30am. Not good. So I slogged home, got showered up, put my gear into my truck and off I went. 

I got down to Lincoln Financial Field around 10:10am. I was allowed in at 10am and after some back and forth at the windows trying to find my credentials, I finally found it. I went in through the media entrance and down into the photographer's room. This place was kind of like the Mecca for me - lot's of the best sports photographer's in the world, I would say hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of gear (90% of it was Canon, because, well you know, Canon is the best!) and one of the nicer things - free food! The Eagles put out an awesome spread all day for the photographers. I thought that was really cool. Here is just a quick shot from my cell phone - this is only one half of the room and about 1/3 of the photogs that day - the room was packed!

So I put my gear down and found my way out to the field. Trust me, at least as a guy, there are very few people in this world who get to run out, or in this case walk out, onto a pro sports team field. This was an NFL field and I was on it! I walked out just to get my bearings, figure the field out and where I might want to stand, etc. I saw tons of tv hosts and ex football players plus a few of the players out warming up. It was awesome. I was right there and the game didn't even start yet!

I went back into the photo room, threw down a sandwich and got my gear ready. I was preparing for rain even though at that time it was not. I was not taking any chances. The insurance I had from lensrentals did not cover water damage - so I was taking no risks! I bought 2 rain lens/camera covers and had them with me and put a plastic bag over the 400mm. Yep, a plastic bag - I keep it real kids! Here is a shot of me out on the field during warm-ups. 

So you can see the lens hood sticking out on the right. I put the plastic bag over the glass on the lens, snapped on the lens hood and pulled the bag back over the body of the lens. It was an awesome free tip I learned and man did it work really well. Notice the monopod too? It's a must have. I visit the gym fairly often but no way in hell can you hold that lens up for more than just a few minutes. It's just so heavy. But, affix it to a nice monopod and you have yourself an extremely well balanced set of gear that is actually comfortable to hold. It's meant to go onto a monopod - you just don't hand hold this thing! 

Ok, so warm-ups was were I could nail down my settings and really get a hang of things out there. Not to mention it was windy. Normally that would not matter, but trust me, that lens blew me around like a big rig going down a mid-west highway! Here are some shots from warm-ups:

Eagles vs. Falcons 2012 7 Eagles vs. Falcons 2012 16 Eagles vs. Falcons 2012 21 Eagles vs. Falcons 2012 28 Eagles vs. Falcons 2012 48 Eagles vs. Falcons 2012 49 Eagles vs. Falcons 2012 54 Eagles vs. Falcons 2012 58

Right away you can see what this 400mm lens does. It is just remarkable. So sharp and it just obliterates the background. It's ability to isolate your subject is just crazy. But the hardest part when using this lens is finding your subject. It is such a long lens that when you look through the viewfinder it is actually difficult to find who you are looking for! You actually have to line up the lens and use your naked eye to navigate to your player, then go through the viewfinder and try to focus. It actually takes a little while to get the hang of it. But once you do, whew it's just amazing. 

So the game gets started. Now, I did a lot of research and I had a pretty good understanding of how to shoot football. The main goal is to always be ahead of the ball (typically.) That means, you have to stay ahead of the play, anticipate what is happening next and be aware of the game play, time and downs. You really do need to understand football to help yourself be in the right spot and the right time. And if you don't know, you cannot stand within the 30 yard line to 30 yard line. That is where the bench is and the players are there. So you can't cross into the bench area. But you can move outside of that and into the corners of the endzone and even into the endzone by a few yards towards the field goal posts. So the hardest thing honestly is jockeying for position amongst the other photographers. So you really need to be ahead of the the others so to speak but still make sure you are close enough to get your shot. 

The game happens so fast. You really do need to anticipate the gameplay. If you are going to be in any sort of good position during the game you must be on the move. You rarely are in one spot for more than 2 minutes. The only reason is because of a timeout or even injury. So it's quite the run around on the field all day long. But that makes it exciting. And I really felt as though I had a great feeling for the game. There were numerous times when I left where nearly all of the photogs were and moved way down field in anticipation of the action coming down that way. And there was numerous times when I got some great shots because of it. For example, this sequence with DeSean Jackson. I left the main area and ran down to the other endzone in hopes the Eagles would finally mount a drive (and trust me, they sucked that game and it was pathetic.) After I set my monopod down and looked through the lens, Mike Vick was throwing the ball outside to Jackson and I caught this sequence:

Eagles vs. Falcons 2012 121 Eagles vs. Falcons 2012 122 Eagles vs. Falcons 2012 123 Eagles vs. Falcons 2012 124 There were a few more shots in between these but I felt these were the best. I got an awesome, unblocked view of the play and it was perfect timing. One of the big rules of sports photography is to try and see the players face, the emotion. Here, I caught not only Jackson but Asante Samuel as he, of course, missed the tackle. It was a great sequence and one that I really nailed.

Earlier in the game I actually got my first prime time television spot! If you watched the first touchdown play you literally saw the Falcons WR go flying right past me. I was in the corner of the endzone and he was just about 2' from me. It was close and I had to stand up and get out of the way. Here are the two shots from that sequence:

Eagles vs. Falcons 2012 56 Eagles vs. Falcons 2012 57

The first shot there, you can see I missed focus. This is how fast it all happens. I was down on one knee shooting with the 400mm, Matt Ryan throws the pass and bam, Drew Davis the Falcons receiver is nearly on top of me! I had to jump up, and get out of the way. In the meantime, I reached down and grabbed my 2nd body with my 70-200 on it and started 'spraying and praying!' It nearly worked but you can see I missed focus and framing. The 2nd shot was after Davis bounces off the wall then starts pointing at the ref to call the TD. Its actually sharp but I just missed framing him. Its an ok shot and under the circumstances, pretty damn good! I am literally pressing the shutter button with the camera just above my hip. "Firing from the hip" as they say! Just shows you the speed of the game and how hard it is to get off that perfect shot.

During the rest of the game I moved around and just had a great time. Here are some of my favorite shots from the rest of the day:

Eagles vs. Falcons 2012 68 Eagles vs. Falcons 2012 82 Eagles vs. Falcons 2012 102 Eagles vs. Falcons 2012 129 Eagles vs. Falcons 2012 131 Eagles vs. Falcons 2012 137

Eagles vs. Falcons 2012 62 Eagles vs. Falcons 2012 143 Eagles vs. Falcons 2012 150 Once the rain started it was a bit of a pain to deal with. But it wasn't terrible and the camera's and lenses held up just fine. I got a little wet but it was well worth it! What an incredible experience and something I will never forget. I would love to be able to do this every year and who knows, maybe I can! Cannot say thanks enough to my guys Justin and Travis at JTWO films. Those guys are the single reason I was able to shoot this game and they were so nice to give the opportunity. I think I made a lot out of it and really think I came away with some great images. And thanks to everyone who followed along and gave me well wishes. 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) Atlanta Desean Eagles Falcons Jackson Jones Julio Matt Mike NFL Philadelphia Roddy Ryan Shady Vick White https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/11/eagles-vs-falcons---my-nfl-sidelines-experience Wed, 07 Nov 2012 04:27:52 GMT
Cooper: Week 28/52 https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/11/cooper-week-28/52  

Cooper: Week 28/52
 
 

Cooper - Week 28

Well fall wouldn't be complete without a good leaf pile shot! I left over one small pile to set Coop into. My parents are over right now so I put my Mom to work and she held the flash/umbrella.

Camera:
Canon 7d
Sigma 17-50 (2.8)
1/125 @ f/2.8
ISO 320

Strobist:
1 - Canon 430EXii, 1/16, fired into shoot-thru umbrella, hand held by Nonni, ~ 4' from subject, 4' high.

 

Objective: (Jeremy speak)

This was a quick impromptu shot as I have been swamped lately. But sometimes, quick shots are great shots. Just a simple shoot-thru umbrella can give you great results!

 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) Cooper fall flash leaves umbrella https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/11/cooper-week-28/52 Sun, 04 Nov 2012 21:57:34 GMT
Cooper: Week 27/52 https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/10/cooper-week-27/52  

Cooper: Week 27/52
 
 

Week 27 final

It's a bird, it's a plane - nah its Coopman! Well this was a complicated shoot and post-processing! The hardest thing is when your talent (model) doesn't want to just hover or fly on his own so you can get a shot. Fussy models are always a pain to deal with. Next time I will have to pay him, maybe then he will fly for me...

 

 

Ok so let's break this entire shot down as there is some serious work involved:

  1. Background - Typically when you do a composite shot you want to think of or get your background first. So I did some digging online and found this cool city shotCity Wallpaper 1080p
     
  2. Ok so now that I had that shot, I needed to give it a flying or blur effect so it would seem like Coop was flying out of the scene. Easy job in PS - Radial Blur. Then a little Levels, Saturation, etc to get it where I liked it.
  3. Then came the fun part - getting your model into 2-4 year olds tights and a sweet Superman costume that Aunt Coley and Uncle Thomas gave him!Cooper - 27 weeks-3
  4. Here is the behind the scenes shot of how I setup the garage. I had my main light coming from a nice Octa Bank that is just about 1' off the ground. Now, you say that is really low, well yeah when Mom is laying on the garage floor holding your talent up so he looks like he is flying (Remember what I mentioned above?!) My 2nd light is my main kicker light coming from camera left, in a gridded small softbox. I gridded the softbox so I could concentrate the light onto the back of his head and side to simulate the light coming from down the street. And same for a gridded bare flash, camera right to give just a little more separation from the background.Cooper - 27 weeks-2
  5. Next was firing off some shots with a model that didn't want to fly on his own - but luckily I had a very cooperative model in house already! The Calster stood in as a quick light test model for me - stoic dog...

    Cooper - 27 weeks-4
  6. Now that I had my setup pretty much ready and dialed in, I brought in Superman himself. Luckily he was pretty cooperative when being held up by Mom (instead of flying on his own of course.) So we took a few different shots. I was trying to get him in the flying position but needed to keep Mom's hands out of the shot because it was going to be very hard to get rid of them later. Well that is really next to impossible! So I made do with what I had and picked my best shot of the bunchCooper - 27 weeks
  7. After doing a quick slider or two in Lightroom, off to Photoshop we went. Now, my main inspiration for this entire shoot was a great photog and Photoshop guy - Matt Kloskowski. He is good friends and business partners with Scott Kelby. Ashley got me his book last year on Composite Secrets and I have yet to utilize it. So this was my first real attempt.
  8. Once in Photoshop there was a lot of selections, masking, etc. The hardest part was adding some of Coop's body back in after Mom's hands were blocking some of his body and legs. So I had to figure out how to combat that and hide some of it. I used the Warp tool and made him fade up and out a little giving a somewhat hidden perspective. A lot of work later go me to the photo above. Not easy but a good learning experience. 
 

Camera:
Canon 7d
Sigma 17-50 (2.8)
1/80 @ f/5.6
ISO 500

Strobist:
1 - Canon 430EXii, 1/8, fired inside Octa Bank, ~ 3' from subject, 1' high.

1 - Canon 430EXii, 1/8, fired inside gridded softbox, ~ 5' from subject, 4' high.
1 - Canon 430EXii, 1/16, fired bare with homemade grid, ~ 6' from subject, 4' high.

 

Objective: (Jeremy speak)

Ok so I gave you most of my objective's above but here are some tips:

  • Shoot onto a gray background - this is Matt K's recommendation and I can see why. As long as your subject isn't wearing gray you should be good to go. PS CS5 does a great job of selecting gray and makes it super easy.
  • Light your subject in relation to your background. If you are going to do a composite (different picture, adding subject into that background via post-processing) you need to see what way the light is coming in. For instance, in my shot, you can see the bright light coming from behind him. That's why I had 2 lights as kicker lights (lights to separate your subject from the background. So that made it seem like that was the light coming in from down the city street. 
  • If you can find talent that does not get fussy when asking them to fly on their own, that would work a lot better than having to clone out your wife's hands and add parts back onto the model. 

 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) 6 Ashley Baby Cooper flash months https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/10/cooper-week-27/52 Sun, 28 Oct 2012 10:00:00 GMT
Cooper: Week 26/52 https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/10/cooper-week-26/52  

Cooper: Week 26/52
 
 

Cooper - Week 26

Cooper's personality is really starting to come out. He's getting really smart, eating real food and can sit all on his own. 6 months is a really fun age. Can you believe this project is halfway over?!?! I swore we were just in the hospital!


Camera:
Canon 5d
Canon 35mmL
1/40 @ f/3.5
ISO 320

Strobist:
1 - Canon 530EXii, 1/16 (+.7), fired inside Wescott Apollo softbox, ~ 3' from subject, 4' high.

 

5 month shot

Cooper- Week 22

4month shot

Cooper- Week 17

3 month shot

Cooper- Week 13

2 month shot

Week 8

1 month shot

Week 4


Objective: (Jeremy speak)

This shot always challenges me! I can never seem to replicate the exact location I was in the week before! Either way, its close and we have something good going here! 

 

 

 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) 6 Ashley Baby Cooper flash months https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/10/cooper-week-26/52 Sun, 21 Oct 2012 10:00:00 GMT
Cooper: Week 25/52 https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/10/cooper-week-25/52  

Cooper: Week 25/52
 
 

Cooper - Week 25

I had a long weekend with a destination wedding so this was a quick impromptu shot as we were picking up Coop from the Grammy and Grampa's house.   


Camera:
Canon 5d Classic
Canon 35L
1/120 @ f/2.8
ISO 500

Strobist:
1- Canon 430exii, bounced off wall, bare, manual (1/16th power)

 

Objective: (Jeremy speak)

Again, this was just a quick impromptu shot. We had gotten back from Maryland and I was beat and had a lot to do today.

I actually put the flash on camera and bounced it off the wall to their left. I tried incorporating the railing to add a little perspective into the shot to 'spruce' it up a little! 

 

 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) 2 Ashley Baby Cooper flash months https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/10/cooper-week-25/52 Sun, 14 Oct 2012 21:50:51 GMT
Cooper: Week 24/52 https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/10/cooper-week-24/52  

Cooper: Week 24/52
 
 

Cooper - Week 24

Somebody is sitting on their own! My little man is showing off his core muscles and holding himself up! This was a quick impromptu shot when I brought Coop along to scope out a wedding location. 


Camera:
Canon 5d Classic
Canon 35L
1/1250 @ f/1.4
ISO 320

Strobist:
Natty Light

Cooper - Week 24-2 Cooper - Week 24-3

Objective: (Jeremy speak)

Again, this was just a quick impromptu shot. I was checking out a post ceremony location for a wedding I am shooting in 2 weeks. So I sat him down quickly and he sat all on his own for a few minutes while I snapped away!

This new 35L lens is just awesome. Its tack sharp even at an aperture of 1.4. Typically, most lenses will not be extremely sharp until about 2 stops or so above the lowest aperture. But this lens is ridiculously sharp - good thing because it cost a fortune! 

 

 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) 2 Ashley Baby Cooper flash months https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/10/cooper-week-24/52 Sun, 07 Oct 2012 13:21:50 GMT
Cooper: Week 23/52 https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/9/cooper-week-23/52  

Cooper: Week 23/52
 
 

Cooper- Week 23

Come on, you can't tell me you've never wanted to sleep in a crib?! It's kind of like a fort/bed. Nearly combining two things we all enjoy - a sweet fort and a comfy bed! Last night we put Cooper down and I setup my gear and snapped this shot off. I am so happy with the way it turned out and the perspective makes you feel right in the crib with him.


Camera:
Canon 7d
Canon 10-22
1/20 @ f/4.0
ISO 400

Strobist:
1 - Canon 530EXii, 1/16 (+.7), fired inside 
 Cheetah Qbox 24" softbox gridded, ~ 3' from subject, 6' high.

 

Objective: (Jeremy speak)

I had thought of this idea a few weeks ago and finally decided to do it. I couldn't have asked for it to turn out any better than what I had envisioned.

There are 2 major components to this shot:

1. Ultra Wide Angle Lens - my 10-22mm lens is the only lens that could have given this type of perspective. I put the camera at the far end of the crib shooting towards him. I had to turn him so you could see his face and prop the camera up from the lens so it wouldn't keep falling down. I think I was zoomed in to just about 11mm to avoid seeing the prop under the lens.

2. Softbox - I really like this softbox because its very portable and it came with a grid. If you look at my previous 52 week project it was used a few times. The grid helps control the light and force it forward without spilling all over. For this shot I almost wanted a spotlight look with the light falling just onto him to draw your attention and give it a surreal feeling.

Luckily, I took 2 shots! I was so happy with this, he didn't wake up so I didn't push the situation any further! 

 

 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) 2 Ashley Baby Cooper flash months https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/9/cooper-week-23/52 Sun, 30 Sep 2012 17:12:48 GMT
Cooper: Week 22/52 https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/9/cooper-week-22/52  

Cooper: Week 22/52
 
 

Cooper- Week 22

Coop's such a smiler - he laughs and smiles almost all the time now. It's great. He's rolling over and pushing himself up from his belly into a little pushup position. It's a lot of fun!


Camera:
Canon 5d
Canon 35mmL
1/80 @ f/3.5
ISO 400

Strobist:
1 - Canon 530EXii, 1/16 (+.7), fired inside Wescott Apollo softbox, ~ 3' from subject, 4' high.

 

4month shot

Cooper- Week 17

3 month shot

Cooper- Week 13

2 month shot

Week 8

1 month shot

Week 4


Objective: (Jeremy speak)

So this shot is a first for me - my first time shooting with my new (used) 35L lens! If anyone knows Canon, this lens is awesome. One of their best made and now I have one to add to the work force!

And I added all new wireless triggers. The new triggers are so nice and actually give me better flash output than the old crappy ones I had.  

 

 

 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) 2 Ashley Baby Cooper flash months https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/9/cooper-week-22/52 Sun, 23 Sep 2012 18:39:54 GMT
Cooper: Week 21/52 https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/9/cooper-week-21/52  

Cooper: Week 21/52
 
 

Cooper- Week 21

 

We have not had a good family picture taken yet so we wanted to get outside while the weather was awesome. Cali girl added some flare to the shoot!  

Camera:

Canon 7d
Sigma 17-50mm (2.8)1/320 @ f/1.8
ISO 320

Strobist:
Natty Light

 

Cooper- 21 Weeks 1

 

 

Cooper- 21 Weeks 2

 

Cooper- 21 Weeks 4

 

Cooper- 21 Weeks 3

 

Objective: (Jeremy speak)

Noon during this time of year is very tough with the sun being directly overhead. So we tried to find a decent shady spot so the sun wasn't so blinding and harsh. 

 

 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) Ash Cali Cooper Nick Park dog https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/9/cooper-week-21/52 Sun, 16 Sep 2012 19:04:38 GMT
Cooper: Week 20/52 https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/9/cooper-week-20/52  

Cooper: Week 20/52
 
 

Cooper- Week 20

 

This weekend we were very busy setting up my sister's wedding shower. And if anyone has ever been to a shower you completely understand what I am talking about - overkill doesn't even do it justice...

Anyway, I quick took this picture of Cooper with my sister, his Aunt Coley! 

Camera:

Canon 7d
Sigma 30mm (1.4)
1/320 @ f/1.8
ISO 640

Strobist:
Natty Light

 

Objective: (Jeremy speak)

Sorry, nothing fancy here! I was taking setup shots of the venue and was swamped with other work. Just low aperture, higher ISO to combat the indoors without using flash. 

 

 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) 19 Beach Cooper Galaxy S3 Samsung Stroller weeks https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/9/cooper-week-20/52 Mon, 10 Sep 2012 00:34:25 GMT
Cooper: Week 19/52 https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/9/cooper-week-19/52  

Cooper: Week 19/52
 
 

Cooper - Week 19

 

This weekend we got Cooper down to OC, NJ for the last weekend of summer. We had a great time with friends and enjoyed a few short days on the beach. While we were packing the stroller up to head down, I thought we should try putting Coop into the stroller without using the car seat. Well wasn't that the best idea! How cool does this kid look sitting in the big boy seat now?! Haha. It saves us close to 20lbs in weight and he loved sitting this way. 

So long summer, it was fun while it lasted. Next year will be even better! 


Camera:
Samsung Galaxy S3

Strobist:
Natty Light

 

Objective: (Jeremy speak)

Ok, here's a little secret - I didn't take this picture with either one of my DSLR's. Nope I used a Samsung. Err, well my phone! That's right, I used my phone. When you have to pack a 4 month old to head down to the beach, the last thing I had time to grab was my big camera. So I snapped this picture as fast as possible. And it turned out so good I don't care!

My new Galaxy S3 has a great camera on it that is really fast and versatile. So its great for capturing moments like this. I then edited the picture in a really nice app called "After Focus." Its a great app for adding background blur and various focus points to your picture. I won't go into crazy detail but there is a free and paid version so give it a test drive! 

 

 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) 19 Beach Cooper Galaxy S3 Samsung Stroller weeks https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/9/cooper-week-19/52 Mon, 03 Sep 2012 19:14:45 GMT
Cooper: Week 18/52 https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/8/cooper-week-18/52  

Cooper: Week 18/52
 
 

Cooper- Week 18

 

This was a quick impromptu shoot I did with Cooper. We needed to have a picture of him to bring into daycare. Yes, Coop has started daycare! This past week he went in for his little "intro" days. So I had to scramble and get a fun new picture of him for his spot on the wall.

Needless to say, he smiled for me almost the entire time! He is getting so big! 


Camera:
Canon 5d
Canon 50mm (1.4)
1/500 @ f/2.0
ISO 640

Strobist:
Natty Light

 

Objective: (Jeremy speak)

Another of my favorites: low aperture and high shutter speed. I sat him in his little boppy thing on top of our outside table so I could shoot down towards the trees. 

 

 

 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) 2 Ashley Baby Cooper flash months https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/8/cooper-week-18/52 Sun, 26 Aug 2012 14:33:11 GMT
Cooper: Week 17/52 https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/8/cooper-week-17/52  

Cooper: Week 17/52
 
 

Cooper- Week 17

I felt like Cooper has not grown as much in the last 4 weeks as he did in the previous 4 leading up. But after I was editing this picture and going back to his 3 month shot it was really clear. He has gotten so much bigger in those 4 weeks. His hair is coming in better and he looks so much older.  


Camera:
Canon 5d
Canon 35mm (2.0)
1/80 @ f/3.5
ISO 640

Strobist:
1 - Canon 530EXii, 1/16 (+.7), fired inside Wescott Apollo softbox, ~ 3' from subject, 4' high.

 

 

3 month shot

Cooper- Week 13

2 month shot

Week 8

1 month shot

Week 4


Objective: (Jeremy speak)

Not much to report here other than what was said for the last 1 month and now 2 month shots.  

 

 

 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) 2 Ashley Baby Cooper flash months https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/8/cooper-week-17/52 Sun, 19 Aug 2012 19:48:20 GMT
Cooper: Week 16/52 https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/8/cooper-week-16/52  

Cooper: Week 16/52
 
 

Cooper- Week 16

This weekend was "Pompei" weekend up in the Poconos. So needless to say, Cooper was being passed around like a pinata bat between all of the family. Here, Nanny was holding Coop down by the lake. This is just off the lake on a bench with the sun being filtered through the trees.

Nanny is clearly in her glory and Cooper, well he just looks tough. He has his camo on and he's just trying not to act like he loves his Nanny so much - boys... 


Camera:
Canon 7d
Canon 50mm (1.4)
1/1250 @ f/2.2
ISO 160

Strobist:
Natty Light

 

Cooper- Week 16-4

 

Objective: (Jeremy speak)

As I mentioned above, the trees in this picture really help soften the hard sunlight that day. The sun is over my Nanny's back left shoulder and you can see that light coming in on both of their left sides.

When taking pictures in the middle of the day, always try and shield your subjects or put the sun behind them. It keeps them from squinting and also adds a nice rim or edge light to your subject. The problem comes when your camera wants to under expose your subjects because it still thinks the scene is very bright. So sometimes you have to bracket or over expose your picture to brighten up your subject. Or in some cases if you can expose the background decent enough, you can brighten up later in Photoshop or Lightroom!    

 

 

 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) 2 Ashley Baby Cooper flash months https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/8/cooper-week-16/52 Sun, 12 Aug 2012 23:31:19 GMT
Cooper: Week 15/52 https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/8/cooper-week-15/52  

Cooper: Week 15/52
 
 

Cooper- Week 15

Uncle Jeremy stopped into town this weekend and I couldn't pass up taking a picture of him and Cooper. Lately I can see a lot of Jeremy in Cooper, looks wise. I think he looks more like him than me! Not sure if that is a good thing or not?! 


Camera:
Canon 5d
Canon 35mm (2.0)
1/50 @ f/2.5
ISO 250

Strobist:
1 - Canon 530EXii, 1/16 (+.7), fired inside Wescott Apollo softbox, ~ 3' from subject, 4' high.

 

Objective: (Jeremy speak)

It was getting very late at night and we had been having a little bit of fun all day so I needed to get something quick. I had Grampa Larry hold my flash and umbrella. Luckily Cooper was alert and attentive so I could grab his attention before I took the picture. And Uncle Jer is just being Uncle Jer!

I had to work on the white balance quite a bit on this shot because it was in their basement and there was a lot of yellow coming out. And typical Canon flashes shoot a cooler, even purpleish tint. So mixing those two color temperatures was difficult because I did not bring a gel to put on the flash. But honestly its really easy to change in Lightroom anyway! Digital darkroom baby!   

 

 

 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) 2 Ashley Baby Cooper flash months https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/8/cooper-week-15/52 Sun, 05 Aug 2012 17:10:55 GMT
Cooper: Week 14/52 https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/7/cooper-week-14/52  

Cooper: Week 14/52
 
 

Cooper- Week 14

Ok, I have to preface this shot with the following:
I HATE BASKETBALL

Now that that is out of the way, I don't want to offend any current or future fans/customers. So while I may completely dislike basketball, Uncle Timmy loves basketball. Lebron James to be exact. And Uncle Timmy bought Cooper this awesome pair of Jordan's that came with the sweet skully he is wearing too. The box was provided by Uncle Timmy also. It's the matching Air Jordan Retro 3's. And that ugly little fella next to Cooper, well that is Lil Lebron. Don't ask, just enjoy the picture!

See Uncle Timmy's shot here to explain a lot: 

Week 12

 

Camera:
Canon 7d
Sigma 30mm (1.4)
1/3200 @ f/2.0
ISO 100

Strobist:
Natty Light

 

Objective: (Jeremy speak)

Today was a nice overcast day with plenty of subtle cloud cover. Clouds are natures softbox and usually can provide brilliant soft light. Well wouldn't that all just change when he got done eating and we could get outside to shoot!

So that led to the scrim I have. Its a nice handheld diffuser that can really soften the light. Its only a small one and is used more or less for head shots. Since Cooper is so small and because of the position of the shoe box, him, etc you can actually see the shadow its throwing. Typically you never want to see this shadow being thrown by the diffuser. Like I said, its typically for head shots where you wouldnt see the shadow. But in this case it blocked the sunlight from his face and gave me soft light to work with!
 

Cooper- Week 14

 

 

 

 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) 2 Ashley Baby Cooper flash months https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/7/cooper-week-14/52 Sun, 29 Jul 2012 20:42:18 GMT
Cooper: Week 13/52 https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/7/cooper-week-13/52  

Cooper: Week 13/52
 
 

Cooper- Week 13

3 months old! Last week or so I went into his room to see him sleeping and it was as if someone planted a bigger kid in there overnight! He literally grew a lot overnight I swear! He's getting to be so much fun already. 


Camera:
Canon 5d
Canon 35mm (2.0)
1/200 @ f/2.5
ISO 100

Strobist:
1 - Canon 530EXii, 1/16 (+.7), fired inside Wescott Apollo softbox, ~ 3' from subject, 4' high.

 

 

2 month shot

Week 8

1 month shot

Week 4


Objective: (Jeremy speak)

Not much to report here other than what was said for the last 1 month and now 2 month shots.  

 

 

 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) 2 Ashley Baby Cooper flash months https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/7/cooper-week-13/52 Sun, 22 Jul 2012 14:16:50 GMT
Cooper: Week 12/52 https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/7/cooper-week-12/52  

Cooper: Week 12/52
 
Cooper- Week 12

 

I haven't done any macro work lately and figured why not use my 3 month old son as a test subject! He was sound asleep and had these cute little bubbles coming out of his mouth. Plus, his eye lashes have grown to what seems like 3 inches in the last few weeks and they look so cool. 


Camera:
Canon 7d
Canon 70-200mm (2.8)
1/30 @ f/5.6
ISO 3200

Strobist:
Natty Light


Objective: (Jeremy speak)

When doing macro work you need to have a subject that is still or at least holding steady. He was moving a little bit here and there but when he would stop moving I could snap away.

Also when doing macro work, its usually a really good idea to use a remote trigger so your hand doesn't shake the camera. Its a given that you must be on a tripod (ok not a given but the odds of your shot coming out perfectly sharp is zilch.) So I setup the tripod and used my cheap flash triggers to also trigger my camera. No hand shake or movement in the tripod means you have a greater chance of having your shot come out perfectly sharp. And with the Canon 70-200 the odds are even greater because this lens just rocks!

I strapped on my 31mm Zeiko off brand extension tube onto my 70-200 and snapped away. 

 

 

 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) Cooper Ocean Rehoboth Vacation beach https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/7/cooper-week-12/52 Sun, 15 Jul 2012 14:31:46 GMT
Cooper: Week 11/52 https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/7/cooper-week-11/52  

Cooper: Week 11/52
 
Cooper- Week 11

 

Happy 4th of July everyone! This is Cooper's first 4th obviously and you can see from the excitement in his face how much he just loves it... HA. He was out cold and we really couldn't get him up (plus never wake a sleeping baby.) So I wanted to get this shot on the 4th anyway despite him sleeping through the loud night.

Now I had sparklers going in the background but they sucked and fizzled out quickly so they looked bad. Good thing for Photoshop!


Camera:
Canon 7d
Sigma 17-50mm (2.8)
1/50 @ f/5.6
ISO 320

Strobist:
1 - Canon 530EXii, 1/4, fired inside gridded qbox softbox, ~ 3' from subject, 5' high on stand, camera left


Objective: (Jeremy speak)

Well when your idea doesn't work out you turn to Photoshop! I downloaded these fireworks brushes and created a few layers for each one, changed the colors and opacity. They look decent enough right?!

Plus, it is not fun being outside after like 7:30pm anymore - mosquitoes are just terrible. What the hell? Its been so bad around here I feel like pouring gas around the perimeter of my house each night and then lighting it to keep them out! As a Photographer, you seriously have to consider all that can go wrong - because when it does you need to be prepared.

Bug spray next to your favorite L lens is a good idea!

And when your sparklers don't work - improvise!

 

 

 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) Cooper Ocean Rehoboth Vacation beach https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/7/cooper-week-11/52 Sun, 08 Jul 2012 15:22:10 GMT
Cooper: Week 10/52 https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/7/cooper-week-10/52  

Cooper: Week 10/52
 
Cooper- Week 10

 

Our first trip to the beach! And really, our first family vacation. We took a long weekend and rented a house down in Rehoboth, DE to get out of the house and get Cooper exposed to the beach. He loved it and slept like an old man while laying under his new tent.

Here we set him in a little kiddie pool with some ocean water and have him propped up with a inflatable boat. Happy camper!


Camera:
Canon 7d
Sigma 17-50mm (2.8)
1/800 @ f/2.8
ISO 100

Strobist:
Natty Light


Objective: (Jeremy speak)

Not exactly an easy shot when its nearly 95 degrees and the sand is basically on fire! Cooper was in a good mood as he was sitting up and laying in some warm water. So he happened to give me a big smile right as I was snapping away!

 

 

 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) Cooper Ocean Rehoboth Vacation beach https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/7/cooper-week-10/52 Sun, 01 Jul 2012 21:31:43 GMT
Cooper: Week 9/52 https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/6/cooper-week-9/52  

Cooper: Week 9/52
 
Week 9

 

Coop has really started to like taking bath's. Which is exciting for me because it would be great for him to love the water. Being a swimmer and surfer, I would like nothing more than for him to enjoy the ocean as much as I do!
Here he is drying off in his ducky robe outside in the nice weather. What a cutie...


Camera:
Canon 5d
Canon 50mm (1.4)
1/3200 @ f/1.8
ISO 3200

Strobist:
Natty Light


Objective: (Jeremy speak)

This was obviously a very simple shot - low aperture on the 5d classic with the old Canon 50mm gives great depth of field. I put up my ISO high enough so that my shutter speed would be really fast to keep him still. He was moving a lot, as he usually does all the time!

 

 

 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) 2 Ashley Baby Cooper flash months https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/6/cooper-week-9/52 Sun, 24 Jun 2012 10:00:00 GMT
Cooper: Week 8/52 https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/6/cooper-week-8/52  

Cooper: Week 8/52
 
Week 8

 

2 months old! It's amazing how much he has grown and changed in just 4 short weeks since his first month shot. He's turning into a little man! In fact last night, we had to ground him after he came in past curfew...,


Camera:
Canon 5d
Canon 35mm (2.0)
1/200 @ f/2.5
ISO 100

Strobist:
1 - Canon 530EXii, 1/16 (+.7), fired inside Wescott Apollo softbox, ~ 3' from subject, 4' high.

 

1 month shot

Week 4


Objective: (Jeremy speak)

I tried to mimic the first months shot but that was difficult! This perspective is a little off so my apologies. But for the most part you can tell. I will make sure I do a better job next month!

But that leads to a good tip for those of you trying to do a similar shot repeatedly. Make sure you take some behind the scenes shots and notes. If possible, maybe even mark out where you are shooting, the height, etc. Trust me, you won't remember and then you will get mad that you didn't take notes! Its a really smart thing to do and is a good habit of a good photographer! 

 

 

 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) 2 Ashley Baby Cooper flash months https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/6/cooper-week-8/52 Sun, 17 Jun 2012 18:58:02 GMT
Cooper: Week 7/52 https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/6/cooper-week-7/52  

Cooper: Week 7/52
 
Week 7

 


Now that Ashley can resume her "normal" activities, we have been getting out every weekend to run/walk. Today we went down to Tyler State Park in Newtown. It's an awesome park with trails all over the place. So on our way out I wanted to get my hot momma and our sweet stroller for some quick poses. Our B.O.B stroller is awesome - anyone considering a walking/jogging/all-terrain stroller this is the one!

 

Camera:
Canon 7d
Canon 70-200mm (2.8)
1/640 @ f/2.8
ISO 100

Strobist:
Natty Light


Objective: (Jeremy speak)

This was obviously a very simple shot - low aperture on my favorite lens. The hardest part of this shot was making sure no cars were coming from behind and in front - then making sure to not see them in the background!

A lot of people always forget about what is behind your subject. See, after your actual subject, the background is the most important aspect of your picture. It can make or break your shot. Here, I used the beautiful trees and long road to frame Ashley and give the picture a great perspective. But I had to wait a few minutes here and there to keep cars that were driving away out of the frame. Keep an eye out on the background and make it work for you!  


 

 

 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) Ashley BOB Baby Cooper Nick Park State Stroller Tyler https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/6/cooper-week-7/52 Sun, 10 Jun 2012 19:37:17 GMT
Cooper: Week 6/52 https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/6/cooper-week-6/52  

Cooper: Week 6/52
 
Week 6

 


I saw this shot a while ago on Flickr and I have been planning it for the perfect time. It took a few tries (Cooper was not liking being on his back!) But we eventually got it. He's going to be a runner, you can tell in the feet...

 

Camera:
Canon 7d
Sigma 17-50mm (2.8)
1/50 @ f/2.8
ISO 320

Strobist:
1 - Canon 530EXii, 1/32, fired inside Cheetah Qbox softbox (gridded), ~ 2' from subjects, 4' high, camera left
 


Objective: (Jeremy speak)

This shot was a bit tenious for a few reasons. The first was the lighting. I first tried a simple shoot thru umbrella shot, but it was spilling too much light back onto our faces. And I really wanted the emphasis to be on our feet.  So I switched to my small softbox that has a grid. The grid allows the light to be concentrated and keeps it from spilling onto unwanted areas. So that was a big help and really worked out well.

The other problem was, well my model - Cooper to be exact! He was not liking laying on his back here for whatever reason. So this shot took quite a few tries, but we got it!   


 

 

 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) Ashley Baby Cooper Nick Studio flash https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/6/cooper-week-6/52 Sun, 03 Jun 2012 21:02:55 GMT
Cooper: Week 5/52 https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/5/cooper-week-5/52  

Cooper: Week 5/52
 
Week 5

 


So I have been wanting to get a shot of me and Coop for a while now but it's hard when I am behind the camera all the time. So we went into the studio to have a little fun this weekend. I had Ashley and Coop do a little session first (you know, to warm him up!) and then I was able to jump in. Big props to Ash for grabbing the camera and nailing focus nearly every time! That is not easy to do but she did it and did a great job on the composition. I might have some competition now...

 

Here are the rest from the day:

 

Week 5 extra's-2

Week 5 extra's-3 Week 5 extra's-5 Week 5 extra's-6 Week 5 extra's-7 Week 5 extra's-9

Week 5 extra's-10 Week 5 extra's-12 Week 5 extra's-13


Camera:
Canon 5d
Canon 50mm (1.4)
1/100 @ f/7.1
ISO 320

Strobist:
1 - Canon 530EXii, 1/4, fired inside Wescott Apollo softbox, ~ 2' from subject, 6' high on boom, camera left

1- Canon 430EXii, 1/4, fired bare, ~7' from subject, 4' high, camera right


Objective: (Jeremy speak)

This shot is another example of why I really like this softbox! It just rocks. Pair that with the old 5d classic, the canon 50mm 1.4 and you have a really nice portrait. My thunder grey background is so versatile.

With a grey background, you can really do anything you want - white, black, grey, colors, etc. Its really the most versatile color you can use. I won't go into all of the specifics but just know if you are interested in a background, go grey! 


 

 

 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) Ashley Baby Cooper Nick Studio flash https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/5/cooper-week-5/52 Sun, 27 May 2012 18:04:12 GMT
Cooper: Week 4/52 https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/5/cooper-week-4/52  

Cooper: Week 4/52
 
Week 4

 


1 month old! Holy cow can you believe it?! Where did those 4 weeks go? It honestly has gone by super quick yet it does feel like it's been a while. Hopefully that doesn't sound too confusing?!

How cool does this kid look?! Haha. Can you just read his mind? "Yeah just chillin here with my bud, Teddy. What's up Dad you gonna take a pic or something?"  Haha.

Happy 1 month bud,


Camera:
Canon 5d
Canon 35mm (2.0)
1/80 @ f/2.5
ISO 100

Strobist:
1 - Canon 530EXii, 1/16 (+.7), fired inside Wescott Apollo softbox, ~ 3' from subject, 4' high.


Objective: (Jeremy speak)

So I will be doing this same shot for his 1 month birthdays throughout the year. I was trying to come up with something creative and original but was really having some serious inspirational blockage. So I just went the classic route of baby, teddy bear and the old announcement stickers. Can't beat that right?!

And it's been a while since I have used flashes more creatively so it feels good to get the flash out and the big softbox. Its a great combination that yields beautiful results. 

 

 

 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) 1 Ashley Baby Cooper flash month https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/5/cooper-week-4/52 Sun, 20 May 2012 17:43:04 GMT
Cooper: Week 3/52 https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/5/cooper-week-3/52  

Cooper: Week 3/52
 
Week 3

Week 3 is, well, just boys being boys! Haha. This shot came from a fun get together with the girls from college. Well I mean, oh nevermind!

My wife's best friends from college came into town this weekend and brought all the new boys on the block. From left to right is Cooper (3 weeks), Charlie (3.5 months), and Levi (4.5 months.) Since this was the first time all 3 were together I had to strike and strike quickly! So I thought of the naked butt idea. I have seen this before and its hilarious every time.

 

Week 3-2


Camera:
Canon 7d
Sigma 17-50mm (2.8)
1/40 @ f/2.8
ISO 1600

Strobist:
Natty Light

 

Objective: (Jeremy speak)

So a few things from this shot. The first is the low light. I had to crank up the ISO to 1600 and use a slow shutter of 1/40. Now that is slow but this is where this new Sigma lens shines. It has Optical Stabilization so a shutter speed like this can still come out sharp and still be hand held.

The other big hurdle was getting 3 babies naked at the same time. Sounds easy right - nah. One needs to be changed first, the other is sleeping and maybe the other one is watching t.v. (joke) but it was not an easy task. So being ready and having each kid fairly propped up at one time is stressful! But with the 7d and how fast I can burst off shots, coupled with this lens, a crisp shot is possible.

Oh and it was a fairly dreary day outside. This is one window light coming in from the right. You can obviously see this light on the right side of the boys. BUT, look closely. Do you see the really dim sheen of light coming from the left side? Ok look at Charlie, the baby in the middle's left leg. See the shimmer of light running up his leg? That light coming from the left of the boys is from a reflector. In this case I need a bunch of light so I switched it to the silver side and it helped throw a good amount of light back onto them that would have otherwise been deep dark shadows. A reflector is a super cheap and easy way of 'gaining' light from a light source that is already present.

 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) Ashley Baby Charlie Cooper Jana Levi Maternity Michelle Pregnancy Pregnant https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/5/cooper-week-3/52 Sun, 13 May 2012 10:00:00 GMT
Cooper: Week 2/52 https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/5/cooper-week-2/52  

Cooper: Week 2/52
 
Week 2

Cooper: Week 2/52 - 

Week 2 is a fun shoot we did with Cooper and something I had been planning in my head for months.

This is not the exact shot that I wanted. But since I have yet to figure out newborn language and to figure out his thoughts, it was up to him what position he went into!

So for this shot we propped him into this old crate my Mom gave me. I wanted something more straight on with him facing the camera. But I ended up with this angled shot with him laying down and I love it.


Camera:
Canon 5d classic
Canon 85mm (1.8)
1/100 @ f/1.8
ISO 1000

Strobist:
Natty Light

 

Objective: (Jeremy speak)

Once we put in these new hardwood floors in our dining room, I wanted to shoot on them right away - just kidding. This floor is paper! That's right. I have been wanting to buy a nice solid weathered floor backdrop/floor for a while now but can't justify paying over $100+ for them. So I went to Micheal's on a tip from my photography forums. A teacher's billboard roll of paper for less than $20 - perfect!

As for my lens and camera combo, yet again the 5d classic shines. I paired it with my 85mm 1.8 lens and man the files that comes from these two is just awesome. Sharp and creamy. I did very very little in post processing on this. This is how all camera's and lenses should be made!

Oh and in case you are wondering, yes that is Anheuser-Busch. The box is just so cool I couldn't pass it up! And let's all face it, we have had our share of Bud products over the years - don't kid yourself!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) Beach Curacao Exposure HDR Multiple Ocean Sunsets Tropical https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/5/cooper-week-2/52 Sun, 06 May 2012 10:00:00 GMT
The Miracle of Life https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/5/the-miracle-of-life  

The Miracle of Life
 
Final

 

Ashley and I wanted to start this project right after we found out that she was pregnant. We wanted to take a picture, or in this case many pictures, each week that she was moving along during pregnancy. Hoping at the end we could have something fun to look back on. Well this came out so much better than I even imagined!

In my previous 52 week project I used a new program I found that ran an action or actions that allowed you to customize a tych panel. It takes a little figuring out but once you get it, it really works. And this was so simple I couldn't believe it! If I tried doing this by hand I would still be aligning things when Cooper goes off to college!

I couldn't be happier on how well the pictures turned out from week to week. We had our spots in the kitchen and I had my settings for the camera and flash. I sold the lens I started with and bought another a little more than mid-way through but they played nice together editing wise. I would change a few things: 1) I would not shoot Auto White Balance - I would manually select WB to make it much easier later. That was my biggest hurdle in post-processing. 2) I would have noted what focal length I was at on my lens. In each week I might have been a little more zoomed in or out. But in all reality, I like how each picture is not 100% the same. That would look a little fake I think.

So if you can't figure it out, the collage goes in both directions: left to right and top to bottom. If you look at each row, they are all the same pose going left to right. And going from top to bottom you see different poses from the same week. Across the top, the weeks go:

Week 11, 14, 18, 21, 24, 28, 31, 34 & 38

So all in all, I must say this is the best photography/photoshop project I have done. Or certainly the longest project I have completed! It just worked out exactly how I had imagined it. And having something come out nearly identical to how you plan it when it comes to photography/photoshop is not easy!

 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) Ashley Baby Cooper Maternity Pregnancy Wife https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/5/the-miracle-of-life Wed, 02 May 2012 20:47:11 GMT
Cooper: Week 1/52 https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/4/cooper-week-1/52  

Cooper: Week 1/52
 
Week 1

Cooper: Week 1/52 - 

Well it didn't take long to start my next 52 week project! This is our new little man - Cooper James Pompei.

My new 52 week project will have a main focus for this 2012-2013 year - Cooper. So sit back and watch him grow to be a year old throught this project. Great times await!

Camera:
Canon 5d classic
Canon 50mm (1.4)
1/60 @ f/2.8
ISO 320

Strobist:
Natty Light

Objective: (Jeremy speak)
Well haven't we all learned a lot from the past year? I certainly hope so! This year will still try to incorporate new techniques and styles into my photography. But obviously I will be trying to maintain a healthy father-son relationship and not spending so much time writing these!

So this shoot was when Cooper was 7 days old. You really want to try and photograph newborns within the first few weeks of being born. They sleep a lot and are still very pliable and you can put them into fun positions without any muscle pulls!

I have been admiring many newborn photographers for the last few months gearing up for our baby. If you know anything about me, when I put my mind to something, and know how something should look (i.e. good) I strive to meet or exceed that level.

Well photographing a newborn is NOT easy! Especially when he is yours! So I thought I had everything ready and my theory down pat. But it certainly didn't come with some hurdles. And that is why photography is not easy!

Here I had Cooper on top of a cheap Walmart bean bag chair and a fleece blanket laid over that. And he is nestled up in a little newborn cocoon I bought from Etsy.com. Oh and the fist on cheek pose - all him! The light is natural light coming in from our big bay window in our dining room, now makeshift newborn studio!

A bit of processing and actions in Photoshop and you end up with one cute 7 day old baby!

The rest of the pictures of Cooper can be seen here: http://www.nickpompei.com/cooper

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) Beach Curacao Exposure HDR Multiple Ocean Sunsets Tropical https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/4/cooper-week-1/52 Sun, 29 Apr 2012 18:33:38 GMT
Week 52 - Heaven https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/4/week-52---heaven  

Week 52/52 - Heaven
 
Week 52

Week 52/52 -

As this awesome 52 week project comes to a close, I had this picture on the back burner for a few months now. This is my favorite picture to come out of my Curacao set that I did back in July, and one of my favorite shots of mine. I had this printed on a huge 20x30" metallic print. Beautiful place and without a doubt the most amazing sunsets I have ever seen.

And so this is it. 52 amazing weeks have gone by! I can't thank everyone enough for their support and following. I have been able to enjoy a few hours while shooting with family and friends that I may otherwise had not. And that is what photography is really all about. 

As  I said after taking a picture of my late great grandmother just a few short weeks before she past:
'The best picture is the last one you took and the worst is the one you never did.'

Week 31

 

Camera:
Canon 7d
Tamron 17-50mm Non-VC (2.8)
10secs@ F11 (HDR)
ISO 100

Strobist:
Natty Light


 

Week 17

 

Objective: (Jeremy speak)

This was a long exposure shot (10 seconds) that was obviously setup on a tripod. It was also an HDR shot, which I mentioned a while back with the other sunset picture I took (see above.) HDR is a multiple exposure picture that you combine later in post-processing. For this I used Photomatix Pro. Great program and I am still learning how to use it! But the beauty here comes from the colors in the sky.
Thanks again everyone I hope you have enjoyed and learned a lot as I certainly have!

 

 

P.S. - stay tuned in just a few short weeks for another 52 week project!!! 

 
 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) Beach Curacao Exposure HDR Multiple Ocean Sunsets Tropical https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/4/week-52---heaven Sun, 22 Apr 2012 10:00:00 GMT
Week 51 -Rollin... https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/4/week-51--rollin  

Week 51/52 - Rollin'...
 
Week 51

Today was sweet. I have been wanting to take a shot like this for years now and it finally presented itself at the perfect time. My best friend Tim (see below) and I have been in love with cars and the tuning scene since we were in high school. We have both gone through our share of cars and some decent horsepower to boot!

 

This is Tim's 1993 Honda Civic eg hatchback (stock 70hp, that's 70!) This has been his project for the last 4 years or so. It only has 506 horsepower on race gas and about 425 on pump gas. No, that is not a typo. That's a 4cyl. B18 gsr Honda motor, fully built, Borg Warner S series turbo, you name it 500hp car. The word SCARY comes to mind. The car weighs something like 2,500 lbs. Do the math, that is like Formula 1 power to weight ratio. Its insane. Congrats on the build Tim, she's beautiful!

 

As you can see in the bottom windshield, the boys over at R/T tuning - http://rttuning.com/
did all of the work on Tim's car. They did nearly all of the work on my old RS swap and are great guys. This car being as reliable as it is is a testament to their skill. Nice work guys,

 

Tim's Civic Rolling Shoot 15

Tim's Civic Rolling Shoot 3

Tim's Civic Rolling Shoot 4

Tim's Civic Rolling Shoot 16 Tim's Civic Rolling Shoot 6

 

 
Week 12
Tim from my Week 12 shot...(His other obsession would be shoes)

Camera:
Canon 7d
Sigma 17-50mm OS (2.8)
1/40@ F20
ISO 100

Strobist:
Natty Light

 

Objective: (Jeremy speak)
Ok so a rolling shot in technical camera settings is fairly simple. I followed a fairly steady rule of setting the shutter speed to match the speed of the car. So in this case we were doing 40mph down the highway. So I set my shutter speed to 1/40 and let the aperture fall where the camera says. In this case it was a super closed down f/20. So that means I was able to get the entire car in focus which helps for a picture like this.

The next major hurdle is getting a clean open 2 lane highway, nothing sticking out from behind in the background, smooth roads, etc. So this shot wasn't just about pointing and shooting. It was a logistical situation that ended up working great for this shot right here. No one in the background!

It also doesn't hurt to have a hand grip on the camera. I just bought a cheap Opteka grip strap the other day and boy did it pay off for this shoot. Here, I am hanging nearly halfway out the window with my Canon 7d just flopping out in the breeze! Everyone can take pictures right?! 

 
 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) Ashley Baby Maternity Pregnancy Pregnant https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/4/week-51--rollin Sun, 15 Apr 2012 21:42:36 GMT
Week 50 -Thank You https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/4/week-50--thank-you  

Week 50/52 - Thank You
 
Week 50
 
 
We got so many great things from everyone. We wanted to say thank you and I figured it would be a good idea to do a shoot because we don't have much longer anyway! Ash had a great time seeing all of her family and friends. A big thanks to our Moms who organized the whole shindig. 
 
Week 48
 
This baby is already spoiled - we could seriously open up a baby store in this house! So I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who came and were so generous. Ashley, myself and this baby are very lucky! 
 
Camera:
Canon 5d
Canon 50mm (1.4)
1/250 @ F1.8
ISO 640
 
Strobist:
Natty Light
 
 
 
Objective: (Jeremy speak):
 
This shot was something I had in my head for a little while now. I wanted to get in a few more shoots with Ashley before the baby came. So we figured we could tie this into a 'Thank You' picture as well. 
 
Yet again the 5d 'classic' shines. I just love this camera. Paired with the 50mm it just rocks! I used all natural light coming in from our bedroom window. I cranked up the ISO a little bit to get a rock solid shutter speed to avoid any shaking.
 
A quick process action in Photoshop and some minor tweaking in Lightroom and this shot came out great. Oh yeah, not to mention a beautiful wife who looks astonishing even at 36 weeks! 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) Ashley Baby Maternity Pregnancy Pregnant https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/4/week-50--thank-you Sun, 08 Apr 2012 10:00:00 GMT
Week 49 - Light Painting https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/4/week-49---light-painting  

Week 49/52 - Light Painting
 
Week 49

 

This week's shot was something relatively new for me - light painting. I did something along these lines back in July for my Week 10 shot:  

Week 10

This was used with sparklers and a fun family of 4. Week 49's shot was just me and my favorite thing on two wheels! For this shot I setup my bike in my studio (propping up a bike is not easy...) and rolled down my grey background paper. I used my new flashlight my wife got me for Christmas - it's basically a mini tactical LED flashlight. It has a bunch of modes, SOS, etc. Its pretty cool, small and has a lot of power. The red in the wheels came from my broken but still usable wireless mouse with a laser pointer. Who doesn't love a good laser pointer?!

Camera:
Canon 7d
Sigma 17-50
mm
(2.8)
30seconds @ F16
ISO 100

Strobist:
Mini LED flashlight
Wireless mouse with laser pointer

 

Objective: (Jeremy speak):

Light painting is more or less the fundamentals of photography - the ability to capture light or the absence of light. In this case, I used a long exposure of 30 seconds and a bunch of different shots to end up with the final product. Instead of doing a super long Bulb exposure (keeping the shutter open as long as you hold either the shutter or a remote down) I decided to make it a little easier and take a few different pictures and mask them in Photoshop.

I first started with the LED flashlight. I had to modify the light because the throw of light was a little too wide. It was hitting the background a little more than I wanted. So, being the handy guy I am, I found a washer with a small opening and gaffer taped it to the end of the flashlight. Voila, smaller light throw! So I painted the bike in about 3 different sections - Front fork and bars; main down and top tube; and then rear seat stays and seat post.

Then the fun part, the laser! I used the laser to paint the wheels. I wanted some color and contrast to the picture. Just light painting a bike would be nice and all but it certainly needed color! So I turned the mouse on and painted in a circular fashion. And I might add, I did a nice job! It certainly looks awesome with the red in the picture.

Editing: I cropped all of the shots in Lightroom as I had to prop the bike slightly facing uphill. I then sent them into Photoshop for layer masking. That took a little bit of time as figuring out about 6-7 layers is not easy! After masking I tweaked the shot a little more by desaturating the slight blue color balance from the flashlight and giving a little more punch to the red laser light. A little dodging and burning and all done! 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) Light bike laser painting triathlon https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/4/week-49---light-painting Sun, 01 Apr 2012 20:01:34 GMT
Week 48 - Baby Shower https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/3/week-48---baby-shower  

Week 48/52 - Baby Shower
 
Week 48

Today was my wife Ashley's baby shower. It was a fun day seeing some family and friends and getting to hang out with the guys back at the house! But before drinking beer and watching Tiger Woods, I took the 7d and Siggy 30mm out for a spin. Just some fun detail shots to capture the event.

Can't say thanks enough to everyone for all of their generosity - our kid is already seriously spoiled!

Camera:
Canon 7d
Sigma 30mm
1/500@ F1.8
ISO 640

Strobist:
Natty Light

 

Objective: (Jeremy speak)

No special setups again today, just some fun with the Sigma 30. Lens rocks on my 7d. Super high contrast and shallow depth of field.

What was fun (actually sucked for a while) was creating this 'tych' in Photoshop. I downloaded this really cool extension for creating Tych panels.

lumens.se/tychpanel/#bring-it

Its great for blogging and other things. So I figured I with a bunch of fun detail shots I did before the shower I could put them into a fun looking layout.

It was a major pain in the ass getting it installed (all has to due with Windows 7 and 'administration' issues - Ummm, I am the administrator Windows?! ) But after a solid hour of getting ready to pull my hair out, it worked! And its a fun extension to play around with and create some fun layouts.Week 47 was a fun project I have been wanting to try for a while now. In fact, I taught it to my kids this week and we had some really creative and great montages turn out. So I had to work this into my project.

 

Here are the rest:

Ashley Shower 1 Ashley Shower 2 Ashley Shower 8 Ashley Shower 10 Ashley Shower 11 Ashley Shower 15

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(Nick Pompei Photography) Ashley Baby Maternity shower https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/3/week-48---baby-shower Sun, 25 Mar 2012 03:29:42 GMT
Week 47 - Working Out https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/3/week-47---working-out  

Week 47/52 - Working Out
 
 
Week 47

 

Week 47 was a fun project I have been wanting to try for a while now. In fact, I taught it to my kids this week and we had some really creative and great montages turn out. So I had to work this into my project.

This is a multiple personality shot, or sometimes people like to call it a montage. It's really a lot of fun - this is not that creative but something I had envisioned when I started.

Camera:
Canon 7d
Canon 10-22mm
1/60@F/8.0
ISO 1250

Strobist:
1- Canon 430EXII, 1/2 power, zoomed @24mm in shoot thru umbrella, far right of frame
1- Canon 430EXII, 1/4 power, zoomed @24mm, bare, shooting up towards ceiling a few feet in front and right of camera
1- Canon 430EXII, 1/4 power, zoomed @24mm, bare, shooting up towards ceiling a few feet to left of camera

 

 
Objective: (Jeremy speak)
This shot was a bit complicated. You have to setup your camera on a tripod. It must be perfectly still or else you will have a lot of work to do later! I setup the camera on a 10sec delay so I could run into position.

Editing wise, it was actually the first time I have ever used layer masks in Photoshop. Crazy right?! But I learned a lot from the shoot and like I mentioned it was a great teaching project this week and the kids learned a lot and enjoyed it.

You have to combine all of your images into the background shot (you pick.) Then you have to select yourself or whatever you are doing and add a layer mask to it. Once masked you can begin to paint away or paint yourself back into the scene. Its a lot of fun to watch happen and really it is not that difficult. You just need to make sure that you don't miss any fine details throughout the shot as it is easy to do when masking.
 
 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) Working lifting out room weight weights https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/3/week-47---working-out Sun, 18 Mar 2012 15:17:43 GMT
Week 46 - Lil Sis https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/3/week-46---lil-sis  

Week 46/52 - Lil Sis
 
 
Week 46

Week 46 -

So a few months ago my little sister, Nicole, got engaged:
flic.kr/p/ajrk9V

And over the winter months she moves down to Florida with her Fiance. He is a golf pro and follows the nice weather! Well the good news is that she is moving back up to PA, and for good! Her fiance got a new job at a local golf course and they are moving up here permanently! So for that good news I resurrected this shot - And now what is so cool about this picture is the fact that I was taking it for the intention of using it for this project at some point.

So when we went up to visit them before they moved to Florida I snapped this picture. Well low and behold that is when her Fiance proposed! Thus the shot of the link I posted above. So this shot went into the depths of my hard drive for a good time. What a better time than now?!
 
Camera:
Canon 7d
Canon 85mm (1.8)
 
Full Size - http://www.nickpompei.com/p818064589#h1c566525
 
Objective: (Jeremy speak)
Objective: (Jeremy speak)
No special setups today. No flashes, backdrops, etc. Just some good low aperture portrait shooting - my favorite!

As far as editing goes, I did a little skin smoothing using Imagenomic's 'Portraiture' Its a nice little program and has come in handy on a few shoots! Then a little pass using Jordan Voth's action in Photoshop with a little tweaking here and there.

Love ya Cole!
 
 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) Family Nicole Sister https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/3/week-46---lil-sis Sun, 11 Mar 2012 22:23:29 GMT
Week 45 - Detweiler Dairy Farm https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/3/week-45---detweiler-dairy-farm  

Week 45/52 - Detweiler Dairy Farm
 
 
Week 45
Week 45 adds new faces to my 52 week project for 2011. This is Deb & Ray Detweiler. Deb is my Mom's best friend since they were little girls. They own a Dairy Farm in Bedminster, PA. If you want to look up the definition of hard work and dedication you would find their faces right next to the words.
 
Deb is an awesome lady who has helped out my family in our toughest times. She is a comforting face and someone who I love seeing around and I know my Mom does too. She is a true best friend.
 
Camera:
Canon 7d
Sigma 17-50mm (2.8)
F/4.0
ISO 640
 
Strobist:1- Canon 430 EXII, 1/4 power, zoomed @24mm inside Wescott Apollo Softbox, held by my wife, ~6' from subject, camera left
 
Full Size - http://www.nickpompei.com/p818064589/e37e24d17#h37e24d17
 
Objective: (Jeremy speak)
This was a really difficult shot. For one, there was just not a lot of room inside the barn. I had a much different setup in my head of what I wanted but that kind of went out the door (barn door - get it?!) Anyway, I just improvised with my Apollo Softbox held up by Ashley just out of frame camera left. This added a nice fill light into the room.
 
The main problem was the light coming in from the windows. Now, duh, light is a good thing in photography! But in this case it was hard to battle with the harsh sunlight coming in. So I had to position them properly then expose as well. 
All in all it was fun seeing Deb and Ray and all the girls. This shot worked the best - just look at the cow to Ray's right! Hhahaha, hilarious - a model in the making...
 
 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) Cows Dairy Detweilers farm https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/3/week-45---detweiler-dairy-farm Sat, 03 Mar 2012 05:00:00 GMT
Synergy Aquatics https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/3/synergy-aquatics Synergy Aquatics - Plumstead Shoot

 

Saltwater Tank - Clown Trigger, Line and Grouper Fish
 
Plumstead Township - Bedroom 1
 
 
I had my first 'aquatic' shoot this past week! Well, more like fish tanks. It was a fun shoot with my cousin Brent who owns Synergy Aquatics out of Sellersville. Over the next few weeks I am helping him put together a new portfolio for his clients. We will be shooting at multiple locations and various size tanks. Stay tuned for more and in the meantime, check out the first album:
 
http://www.nickpompei.com/synergyaquatics
 
 
 
 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/3/synergy-aquatics Fri, 02 Mar 2012 19:24:11 GMT
Polar Panorama https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/2/polarpanorama Polar Panorama

Camelback Mt. Polar Panorama

 
Today during class I was showing my kids how to do panoramic pictures and then polar panorama's. It's a really fun experiment to do and I was showing them my panoramas and decided to give it a try. I love the way this turned out and figured it would make a good blog post!
 
It takes a good amount of practice and good shooting composition to work. But if you can nail it, they look awesome. They look like mini planets! This is a panorama I did almost a year ago up on Camelback Mt. in Scottsdale, AZ. Here is the original panorama:
 
Camelback Pano
 
 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/2/polarpanorama Wed, 29 Feb 2012 02:10:45 GMT
Week 44 - Patiently Waiting... https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/2/week-44---patiently-waiting---  

Week 44/52 - 
 
Week 44
 
Week 44 was a first for me in the world of photography and Photoshop. I have seen some really interesting shots floating around and decided to explore the methodology behind it. It's referred to as the 'Brenizer' method. And if you have seen any pictures in this style they just stop your heart from beating for a brief second. They can be awesome. 
 
So I have been dreaming up this shot of the car by itself for a while and decided to put this method to use to help spruce it up a bit. This is an old school push car that Ashley's parents got her a few months ago for us to hold onto for when the baby comes. Ashley loved this car when she was a kid and they found us a used one to keep. So I thought it would make for a cool shot as it sits and waits for our little dude/dudette.
 
Camera:
Canon 5d classic
Canon 70-200mm (2.8)
F/2.8
ISO 100
 
Strobist: Natty Light
 
Objective: (Jeremy speak)
Ok so let's explain this 'Brenizer' Method. Ryan Brenizer is an amazing photojournalist and wedding photographer. If you've got serious cash and want the photographer to back it up for your wedding, he is the man! Unreal work. So he perfected this technique and it's now named after him. Pretty cool right?! 
So without going insanely technical on you, let me break this down. I used my 70-200mm lens. Here is what the shot would have looked like had I just used the picture without this method:
Week 44 Brenizer sample
Not a bad shot, but it does nothing to show you the real surroundings of the scene, the life around it, etc. Its just a good tight shot. The Brenizer method takes that tight shot and adds more frames to it to create a very unique panoramic picture.
 
This shot was literally over 60 pictures used just to create this one shot. I started with the shot above and then progressed frame by frame around the scene overlapping to make sure Photoshop would stitch it all together. You certainly don't need 60 pictures! I just wanted to make sure I got it right and with it being the first time I tried this method I wanted to make sure I understood it and got a good clean scene to work with. 
 
Once you have all of your pictures of the scene, you bring them into Photoshop and 'Photomerge' them. It does all the dirty work for you and gives you a decent output. A little cropping, some more processing later and here is the final picture. It's almost like I used a 200mm lens with an aperture of like 0.75 or something ridiculous that they don't even make! The depth of field is just dreamy and I LOVE a shallow depth of field. This is just my style! Cool right?!
 
Final shot in a bigger size...http://www.nickpompei.com/p818064589#h2473bc8f
 
I added the old film style frames at the top and bottom to add a little more feel to the shot. I am so excited for this kid to come. In a year or so I can replicate this same shot but with a very happy child on board! 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) Brenizer Panorama https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/2/week-44---patiently-waiting--- Sun, 26 Feb 2012 18:42:49 GMT
New Blog! https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/2/new-blog-  

 

The New BLOG!

Week 27-setup shot

 
Well after many months of people clamoring for a 'real' blog, I have decided to start one. Well, truth be told, my website company just updated their site and now they have integrated blogging - perfect! So all of my weekly projects will go into here as well as Flickr and Facebook. So I am really tearing up the social media interwebs!!! I really like the layout of the blog so far. I am sure as time goes on I will edit it, so consider this the "beta" version! 
 
Stop back often as I will try to keep posting and keep everyone informed on what's happening in my crazy world. Thanks and please, comment away!
 
 

 

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(Nick Pompei Photography) Nick Pompei Photography https://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2012/2/new-blog- Tue, 21 Feb 2012 01:09:06 GMT