It's become a New Year's tradition to get an HIV test and know my status. Now I do go at least once a month, but I like starting my new year fresh. It's a simple 30-minute task that you could do on your lunch break. I got tested and thankfully my test came back negative, although they did have to stick me four times – two in each middle finger – because the first 3 tests were not functioning properly.

So a little hassle, a lot of relief. Know your status. It doesn't matter if you're on the DL or the OL (out loud), there's no excuse for not knowing. It's FREE for crying out loud!

The best way to prevent the infection of HIV and other conditions transmitted through sexual contact to to practice safe sex by using condoms and dental dams, and using good judgment with your sexual partners. As we all know, the safest sex is no sex, but I am a realist. I know not everyone can withstand the desires as good as I can. But even still, I get tested because it's affirming for me to know my status.

Here are some resources to find a testing center near you:
National HIV Testing Resources
NYC Department of Health: Testing Sites
DC Department of Health: Testing Sites
Whitman-Walker Clinic
HIV Testing in Los Angeles
San Francisco AIDS Foundation (well-designed site!)
The Berkeley Free Clinic
California Department of Health Office of AIDS
Dallas County Health & Human Services
Testing Resources in Alabama
AIDS Action Coalition: Huntsville, AL

Here are some other resources:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention HIV/AIDS Fact Sheet
Advice for people testing positive for HIV
HIV Testing Frequently Asked Questions (And no, you can't get HIV from getting tested!)
Warts.org AIDS Resource (Thanks Ellie!)

HIV and HIV testing in the news:
Husband Urges Men Who Slept With Wife to Get HIV Test
Women can get HIV easier than believed
Deadly Passions: What's done in the dark could kill you
FDA approves new HIV blood test from Roche
Five Years On: My Diagnosis and Mission Living As HIV-Positive

Have a safe and healthy new year. Don't put yourself at risk and start your new year off right with a free HIV test from your nearest testing facility.

Labels: AIDS, Alabama, Clinic, Dallas, HIV, Holidays, HRC, Human Rights Campaign, Huntsville, Justin Schuck, LGBT, New York, Testing, Texas, washington dc

As a gay American, I find that some of my greatest struggles with the Catholic church revolve around the issue of gay marriage and civil equality.

The teachings and history of Jesus Christ tell us that he embraced the most oppressed, the most burdened and did whatever he could to reduce their oppression and remove their burdens. Why anyone would use ancient documents written at a time when so little was understood about our world, the weather, our universe, to fuel hateful rhetoric and actions, is beyond my understanding.

This same book tells us that eating shellfish is a sin, along with eating pork, wearing two different types of cloth, mixing milk and meat, and so on. Should we execute everyone who has a ham on Christmas, that certainly would have eliminated my entire family tree. Or should we deny people the right to eat a cheeseburger? Has the affordable fashion industry committed a gross massacre of sins with their cotton-poly blends? (Well, that may still be up for debate. Just don't take away my cotton-cashmere sweater.) When in the course of human history do we decide to add a healthy dose of rationality with our Sunday sermons?

A church's duty should be to fight injustice, stick up for those with the smallest voice, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, serve the poor in pocket and lift up the poor in spirit. Who are we serving when we as a nation vote to restrict the rights of fellow humans who are living the life that God created for them?

Cenk Uygur made an interesting point on HuffingtonPost.com: "So, from now, I would like to tell the Rick Warrens of the world, you are perfectly allowed to say how much you would like to take gay people's rights away from them based on the Bible so long as you agree to do one thing first -- execute an adulterer. If you can do that for me, then I'll believe that you actually believe in the Bible literally and will accept your literal argument against homosexuality. Fair is fair. Step on up."

I long to see the day when philandering Christians are cast out and stoned for their incredulous behavior.* I hope the "married but looking" set at AshleyMadison.com are using protection. And may God help those lost souls looking for casual encounters on Craigslist. Sex outside of the bonds of marriage is striclty forbidden. And what of the children causing a ruckus? You know, the ones who were running around the restaurant throwing temper tantrums because they don't like ketchup on their chicken nuggets? The punishment for a disobedient child is also execution. The bottom line is that history has provided us with countless laws that seem comical to us now. What we as a human race need to understand is the adverse affect that these campaigns of hate and ignorance have on individuals who are seeking truth in their own lives.

This spring I was confronted with a crisis of a very serious nature: a friend attempted to take his own life and nearly succeeded. To protect this friend's anonymity, I will call him "Tim."

Tim was an acquaintance, a friend of my brother's. I remember at one point a few years back that my brother had asked me if I thought Tim was gay. I said I didn't know, but Tim was very cute (hot actually), so I began to pay a more attention to the way he carried himself. I was never really sure about his sexuality, except for the occasional glance here and there that gave me pause. One thing I did notice about Tim was his abuse of alcohol and his tendency of drink to the point of passing out. I don't, as a general rule, have friends who drink and behave that way. That kind of destructive behavior is distracting. (Not that I'm not guilty of an accidental binge once or twice a year...)

Anyhow, Tim sent me an email or two in February asking if I would want to "hang out" with him, perhaps as a "date." I could tell from the phraseology used in the message that he was hesitant, and unsure, but Tim knew that I was openly gay and wouldn't pass judgment. We messaged a little bit back and forth, yet made no firm plans to meet up, mostly because I was hesitant about his drinking. I was scared to reach out to him because I just felt that I couldn't handle the added "stress" of being a friend to someone who clearly had issues he needed to deal with. (And his attractiveness was an added distracting factor.)

Fast forward about a month. I get a call from my brother, who was coming over to my house to have dinner, telling me that Tim is in the hospital, he tried to kill himself, and he's lost a lot of blood. This isn't the first time that I've been close to someone who attempted suicide either. (SIDEBAR: I have way too much experience with the various causes of death for someone my age.) A feeling of sorrow, shame and guilt washed over me. "How could I let this happen? What if I were there, or had shown more interest or been a better friend?" I asked myself. Tim reached out to me and I showed him a closed door.

It was quickly determined that the primary motivating factor in Tim's attempt was his shame at being gay, and his fear of living an open life. His older sister had come out of the closet some years before and was roundly shunned by their parents. Tim's sister moved out of the country and hasn't returned since. The weight of his parent's reaction to his sister, and societal fear and misunderstanding of what it means to be gay, proved to feel too painful for him to continue living.

My brother and their friends spent the first day with Tim, through the surgeries to repair his lungs and chest. I was anxious. I couldn't sleep much that Sunday night, so I did some research to learn as much as I could about suicide. With the help of my longtime friend Alison Malmon and her organization Active Minds, I was able to find the books, pamphlets and other resources that would help me help Tim and his family. I also turned to Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, and PFLAG for their many valuable resources.

I worked through the night reading, reviewing, and printing out countless documents on suicide, addiction and coming out. I prepared an entire binder's worth of material for Tim and his family to read. I chose to visit the hospital on Monday at midday, when his friends and parents would be at work. At first I was worried that he would feel embarrassed or ashamed by my presence, or that I would say the wrong thing. Tim and I weren't very close and had never shared more than idle chit chat, but I felt this was a profound opportunity to help him positively change the direction of his life. I packed a bag with some goodies (clementines, peanut butter crackers, some candy, a portable DVD player and some movies to go along with all the information I put together), and headed off to George Washington University Hospital.

I felt anxious as I crossed the threshold of the hospital, but the gentle security guard at the front desk pointed me in the right direction, removing some of the fear. The corridor from the elevator to Tim's room seemed endless. Thoughts of rejection ran through my head like a bad 80's horror montage, but the surprise and delight on Tim's face when he saw me approach his room was spectacular. It wasn't some grand, effusive moment, but I could see Tim's face lighten. I sat in an uncomfortable chair next to his bed while the nurses took their measurements. We didn't talk much because it was March Madness, but he continued to smile. I offered the clementine and he told me those were his favorites. Score one for Justin. Tim was too weak to peel the tangerine, so I had a moment to feel like a dad and take care of him. We joked about hospital food and the poor selection of TV channels.We both agreed that it was a good thing there was college basketball to watch.

I visited Tim every day he was in the hospital. I came twice a day some times, saving him from horrible hospital food and the often creepy company of the various "Nurse Ratcheds" who haunted his wing at GW. One night I hopped into bed with him and held his hand. There was nothing sexual about the move. Sometimes human touch is a more powerful pain reliever than any drug because it helps heal a broken heart. Tim and I would watched movies or play cards until the night nurse told me I had to leave.

Tim told me how he felt it was too hard to be gay. He tried to live a gay life when he was in college, but it didn't work. He often talked about how "society views [homosexuality]." I told him flat out that he needed to change his environment. Living at home with mom and dad, hanging out with unsupportive fair-weather friends, and excessive drinking had helped bring him to where he was at that moment. Tim and I talked about finding his "center" as I call it, and learning how to be happy on his own. I learned a long time ago that happiness isn't a gift from God for good behavior. I wanted Tim to know that he has a friend, and an ally in me, and I showed him that he wasn't going through this alone. As it turns out, an ally is what he was missing most.

We all need a friend who will fight for us when we are weak, lift us up when we are down, and guide us to the path of a better and more productive life. This is the real lesson of Christ's life and what we should remember this holiday season. This is how true Christians should approach gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transgendered, intersex, queer, and questioning individuals. An army of love is more powerful than an army of hate. As a people, we may lose a battle here and there, but the war is ours to win.

Gay marriage isn't about altering a religious definition of the union between two people. Gay marriage is about putting fairness, and respect back into the system. It's about allowing families to stay together, to weather the storms of illness and death as free and equal citizens in the eyes of the law regardless of the makeup of a family. Families come in all shapes and sizes, with mommies and daddies, or just one mommy, or just one daddy, or no parents and just older siblings, or grandparents, or two daddies or two mommies. Love is the only ingredient needed to grow a family, and it is this element that should be nurtured and promoted. We as Americans, as Christians need to focus more on respecting one another, supporting laws that treat everyone equally, and returning to the "big tent" country we set out to be 232 years ago. I'm proud to be a gay American and I look forward to a new year filled with hope.

UPDATE: I'm proud to report that Tim is living an open and honest life, he's found love and is living on his own. He's turned the corner is able to see a happy future for himself.

* I do not actually advocate than anyone be stoned for any reason, unless it involves an EZ-wider and some righteous ganja.

ALSO POSTED AT GLEE.COM/JUSTINSCHUCK + FAITHBASE.COM/JUSTINSCHUCK

Labels: America, Blog, ENDA, FMA, Gay, Gay Issues, Gay Marriage, Holidays, HRC, Human Rights Campaign, Justin Schuck, LGBT, News, PFLAG, Suicide

In the spirit of giving, I thought it would be appropriate to give the one recipe I've held closest to my heart for so long. Never once did I reveal all of the ingredients to anyone, and especially not the method of the making.

So here it is, after all these years, for you to enjoy. Merry Christmas.

Justin's Famous Mashed Potatoes

INGREDIENTS
7 pounds of Idaho Russet baking potatoes
1 pound of sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup of Half and Half (room temperature)
1 cup of Sour Cream
1 cup of Cream Cheese (room temperature)
1 cup (2 sticks) of Salted Butter (room temperature)
1 tbsp of garlic, minced
1 tbsp of Vidalia or white onion, pureed
1/4 cup of green onion, chopped
Sea Salt (Greek or Mediterranean are best)
Coarse Black Pepper (freshly ground is best)
Paprika

WHAT YOU NEED
Hand or Stand Mixer (prefer the former)
Mixing Bowls
Ceramic Casserole Dish or other oven-safe container
Food processor or blender for white onion
and all the standard things like spoons, knives, etc.

Estimated Prep time: 60 minutes
This recipe should be made at least one day in advance of serving. It is important that all the flavors come together in the refrigerator. It is possible to prepare and serve on the same day, and it will taste and feel just fine. The other nice thing is that you can make this dish up to 3 days before serving.

Peel and dice the potatoes into evenly-sized cubes and place into a large stock pot. Boil the potatoes until the are almost done. You still want a very small amount of firmness in the potatoes because they will continue to cook and soften.

While the potatoes are boiling, take your garlic and one stick (1/4 cup) of butter and heat in a small saucepan. This will help the garlic to release the flavor into the butter. Strain butter over a large mixing bowl, or in your stand mixer.

Place the boiled potatoes the bowl with the butter and mix together on high. Add a third of the half-and-half, and the pureed onion. Mix. Add sour cream. Mix. Add cream cheese. Mix. Salt and pepper to taste while mixing on low, but go easy on the pepper. A dash will do ya.

The potato mixture should be fine and virtually lump-free. An errant small lump here or there won't affect the final product. Judge the consistency – they should be thick, not runny – to see if additional half-and-half should be added.

Mix in your cheese and green onions and transfer to your casserole dish. Leave about three eights of an inch of room between the top of your dish and the rim of the dish. You don't want it bubbling over. Cut the remaining stick of butter into 1/2 tbsp squares evenly spaced on top of the potatoes. Dust the top with the lightest dash of salt and a light amount of paprika (for color).

Let the potatoes cool and place in the fridge for up to 3 days. When you are ready to prepare, place the potatoes in a 350º oven and heat uncovered until the butter has melted and created a lightly brown crust.

Serve and enjoy!

(The real secret comes the following morning. If there are any potatoes left over, I take my cold potatoes and make 2-3 inch, 1/2 inch thick potato pancakes. Just pat them with a healthy coating of flour and fry in vegetable or sunflower oil. But don't kid yourself, there is nothing healthy about this positively gluttonous breakfast treat.)

Once you make these, you'll know why they're called "Justin's Famous Mashed Potatoes," and you'll never want to make mashed potatoes any other way.

* This recipe has evolved from the recipes of two amazing women: my mom, and Bonnie Dickman. Thanks for everything you've done, and everything you do.

Labels: Family, Food, Holidays, Justin Schuck, Justin's Famous, Recipe, Secret

It's the night before Christmas, the fourth night of Hanukkah and two nights before Kwanzaa. From the bottom of my heart, I wish everyone a happy holiday and a more prosperous new year. I'll see you in 2009!

Labels: Holidays, Justin Schuck

From a very early age we are told that heaven is a place of comely clouds, airy angels and peacefully pleasant people. We are taught that hell is a place of fire, of demons, of haunted suffering souls. Perhaps this is true, but I have yet to meet a soul who's holidayed in either and returned to tell the tale. In the mean time, you'll have to muddle through my conjecture.

In the hell I see, you are surrounded by an endless banquet of the finest foods ever prepared. I dare say even better than my mom's. There are biscuits and croissants and homemade marmalades. Fresh blackberry jams and jellies are no more than an arm's length away. There are hams and yams and pheasants galore. Roasted duck shares the table with lamb kabobs, naan and saffron rice. Oh the saffron rice. Fanciful fruits and vegetables of the ripest fields fill the empty spaces between people and plates. Little bowls are filled with sweet cream butter just waiting for a chance to meet your toast. Goblets and glasses filled with wine and spirits accompany teas and smoothies freshly made. There is no direction that you can see where there isn't something more delicious than the place you looked previously.

Millions and billions, and perhaps even thousands, share a place at this vast banquet, yet not a soul is eating. In hell, the food never gets cold, the enticing scent never dissipates. A sweetly savory steam rises from turkey stew simmering nearby. Yes, hell is a place of endless reward and limitless suffering. But how could anyone suffer in such a place? The condemned seated at this colossal fete are unable to eat, for they have forks and spoons strapped tight to length of their arms. Wrists and elbows are unable to bend the trapped souls closer to the food they cannot eat. Their necks are uncranable making the snacks unsnackable. The suffering is as infinite as the feast.

The souls, so consumed by their own torment hardly notice the suffering of their neighbor, much less the one missing ingredient that makes all the trappings tastier. Incidentally, it's the same ingredient that makes the sun shine shinier, the water waterier, the carrots crunchier, and the companionship closer. As you may have by now guessed, the lost enchantment is love. Love is missing. The love of family, the love of friends, the love of God. So they sit and sit and sit until it's time to sit some more. The food's still warm, but the tortured see the longer side of eternity before the food sees the inside of their stomachs.

In heaven there is the same bounty with buttery croissants, honey-roasted hams, blackberry jams and endless glasses of wine. Roasted chicken shares space with freshly caught salmon fillets, and a good pot of chili gurgles close.

Many trillions and quadrillions, and maybe millions, of rewarded souls in heaven have forks and spoons strapped tightly to their arms. They too cannot bend their wrists and elbows, but suffer they do not. At the banquet table in heaven, everyone enjoys every effervescent eat because in the presence of love, in the presence of God, they feed each other.

By feeding our neighbors, we feed ourselves.

Labels: Creative Writing, Faith, Family, Food, Heaven, Homeless, Justin Schuck, Podcast, Religion, Volunteer

In 2000 I was the volunteer coordinator with McCain Youth 2000. It was a great experience and he ran an honorable campaign. But something was different this time around. Here's a little ditty I put together that *should have* aired before the election. (But there was a death in the family and I got sidetracked.)

read more | digg story

I'm really proud to announce the release of a little video from the election. I've been wanting to get this out here. Working with that org this spring/summer—the one that screwed me—I didn't have time for much else.

In 2000 I was the volunteer coordinator with McCain Youth 2000. It was a great experience and he ran an honorable campaign. But something was different this time around. Here's a little ditty I put together that *should have* aired before the election. (But then there was a death in the family just before the election, and then I got sidetracked with a work backlog.)

So, to the tune of Kate Nash's "Foundations" here's "Political Foundations." I purchased the instrumental tracks without the voices, but I felt that unless you knew the song you wouldn't get the flow without context.

If there are any female vocalists with a similar range out there, please call or email me!



Please visit my page at: YouTube.com/JASchuck and leave a comment and a rating. Thank you so much.

(If I had more time I could have done a more well-produced sample but my Final Cut Pro HD crapped out on me!)

Labels: Advertising, America, Art, Barack Obama, Big News, Blog, business, Democrat, design, John McCain, JSDS, Justin Schuck, Obama-Biden, President-elect, Video

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

HUNTSVILLE, AL – Justin Schuck and Company, an innovative provider of photography, design, consulting and event planning services, announced the soft launch of L/A Events’ website, anLAevent.com, via webcast from his family’s home outside Huntsville, Alabama.

“This is only the beginning ... We are actively developing our proprietary system within the company and through partners. It’s very exciting.” company president Justin A. Schuck said as he started his webcast. Andrea Kuchinski, president of After 5 Design and co-founder of L/A Events, designed anLAevent.com and has worked with JSDS on the branding. “The idea for the site and logo is to create modern luxury. We want everyone who comes to anLAevent.com to feel like they are stepping into a boutique. And while we offer services for every income bracket, I wanted to make sure that those using the consultancy also felt like they were working with a luxury boutique.”

L/A Events announced in November that it will push back the release date for aLAevent.com to sometime in the second or third quarter 2009. Schuck sited the news in his webcast calling the move “necessary to ensure that a stable beta version reached the market. I want our site to have the benefit of several months of in-house testing, rather than rushing an unfinished product live. This means we’ll have to push back the launch party to the summer, but in the long run I know it will make the difference.” Schuck continued saying that “a lot is riding on the software package Andrea and Dustin are putting together. Our developers are some of the best minds in the field and this was partly their decision. I’m smart enough to know that when an engineer needs more time, you give it to them. I’m not Lee Iacocca pushing the [Ford] Pinto to market.”

L/A Events also announced the signing of a alliance with Traveller’s Beach Resort in Negril, Jamaica. Not only will L/A provide event planning and coordination services to guests at Traveller’s, but Justin Schuck Photography has been tasked to capture images that better reflect the resort’s style.

Schuck ended his webcast with wishes for a happy holiday season and a more prosperous new year.

PR-LA_Events_weblaunch.pdf

Labels: After 5 Design, Andrea Kuchinski, Big News, Dustin Keefer, Holidays, Jamaica, Justin Schuck, Justin Schuck + Company, L/A Events, News, Photo, photography, Press Release

Originally Scheduled: November 3, 2008
Updated: December 19, 2008

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

HUNTSVILLE, AL – Justin Schuck and Company, an innovative provider of photography, design, consulting and event planning services, announced in an online webcast today that it has completed the sale and merger of its various operations in an effort to raise capital and streamline operations.

Earlier this year company president Justin A. Schuck announced plans to sell domain assets, and merge the less successful divisions of the company in an effort to reduce overhead. Schuck also previously announced plans to move the company from Washington D.C. to Dallas, TX. While plans to formally move the company are in the works, the company is not likely to relocate until all restructuring efforts have been completed..

The merger of Innovative Brand Concepts and That’s Sick Viral Marketing into JSDS has been finalized forming the newly rebranded JSDS design + consulting. JSDS is now better capitalized to continue a projected path of growth through 2009, and Schuck also hinted at a new pricing structure for JSDS to better serve companies in the changing market. Acknowledging the company had seen an unexpectedly large number of account defaults in Q2 and Q3 2008 (totaling more than $50,000 in lost revenue), Schuck expects the division to regain full profitability within the next four quarters.

As part of the company’s drive to generate revenue, the Schuck Interactive Group (SiG) was sold to its strategic partner Enterprise Applications PH of the Philippines. JS+Co. will maintain ownership of the SiG domain (www.ischuck.com) and the rights to the SiG name.

“While our domain fire sale wasn’t as productive as I would have preferred, we are in negotiations to sell a bundles of domains, including those not previously listed. These negotiations are ongoing, but we hope to have the completed in the next few months.” Schuck said in his webcast. He continued saying that any unsold domains posted for sale would be sold through an online service.

Schuck said that while this has been a “tumultuous” year for the company, he expects the company to be in a stronger position going forward.

In August, Schuck announced the formation of a new partnership with L/A Events, the world’s new premiere event planning firm. “We’ve started the soft launch of L/A Event’s new website:
anlaevent.com. It’s very exciting.” Schuck continued that “although we are entering a deep recession, Andrea and I feel that L/A Events is in a better position than other event planning firms. Because of our unique partnership with preferred vendors, and the cost savings from our innovative website, we can offer our services at a fraction of the cost.”

PR-Nov3_Update.pdf

Labels: Blog, business, Dallas, design, DFW, Domains, Events, JSDS, Justin Schuck, Justin Schuck + Company, L/A Events, News, Press Release, Sale, Schuck Interactive Group, Texas, washington dc

My friend "Blake the Scientist" sent me a lovely holiday greeting and I just had to share it with you all:

Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low stress, non-addictive, gender neutral, celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasions and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all and a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2008, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make America great (not to imply that America is necessarily greater than any other country or is the only "AMERICA" in the western hemisphere), and without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical disability, religious faith, choice of computer platform, or sexual preference of the wishee.

Legal Disclaimer: By accepting this agreement, you are accepting these terms.

This greeting is subject to clarification or withdrawal. It is freely transferable with no alteration to the original greeting. It implies no promise by the wisher to actually implement any of the wishes for her/himself or others, and is void where prohibited by law, and is revocable at the sole discretion of the wisher.

This wish is warranted to perform as expected within the usual application of good tidings for a period of one year, or until the issuance of a subsequent holiday greeting, whichever comes first, and warranty is limited to replacement of this wish or issuance of a new wish at the sole discretion of the wisher.

I hope that we can all lighten up a bit this holiday season and remember that it's okay to celebrate your own faith while respecting the faith of others without a legal disclaimer. With this spirit in mind, I wish all of you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Labels: Family, Holidays, Justin Schuck, Justin Schuck + Company

I wanted to post reviews of Justin Schuck Photography by actual clients taken from various sources. I have not edited or altered these reviews in any way. The first three reviews were rejected and removed from our page on Yelp.com, but I thought you should know what these people have said in order to set the record straight. (Star rating is out of a possible five stars.)

4-Stars / ANDREW L. writes:
This guy is brilliant, if not a moron. His work is outstanding, but being a solo operation has its drawbacks and it occasionally shows. My company has a contract with him where he basically has to jump and run any time we assign him a project. I was a photo minor so I just have to give him some props because he makes boring stuff look good. Sometimes he even makes "stuff" look hot. We had him photograph about 200 random products for sale on our website and he suggested doing something different with the background. We used this alley behind his apartment building at night to photograph all these bottles of shampoo and whatnot. I mean, who thinks of that? That's the brilliant part.

I will say that he's usually pretty good about following-up, if not incessant. Usually. There's been times where he's been MIA, but whatever. No 5 stars because no one's perfect. Except for maybe Richard Avedon.

5-Stars / ANDREW T. writes:
I'm surprised to see these negative reviews. Justin has always provided my company (and my family) with great customer service. He's punctual, polite, displays manners, he turns things around on the spot. We once needed something delivered to our office in NY for our catalog and because it was past the time for FedEx, he actually drove a hard drive with video and images to our editor so they could get cracking on it before the next day. Now that's what I call client devotion and service. I hope he remembers why clients like us always hire him.

Great results, best price, unbeatable service.

5-Stars / MADELEINE J. writes:
Well, Justin has to be not only one of the best photographers I've ever seen, but he has this tortured, gentle spirit. He's kind, mannerly and works really well with children. I have a daughter with cerebral palsy and a son with autism and a husband who hates to have his photo taken. And I'm no better. I didn't realize it but Justin had experience with special needs kids. He came over two weekends in a row before our family shoot just so that my family could be comfortable in front of him. He didn't ask for any additional money, nor did he accept a tip. He knew that these pictures were so important to me. As you can imagine, we've never had a good portrait taken before him.

Justin was kind, soft and gentle. And he made us all laugh. It was actually fun. I didn't even know that was possible. There is a kindness in his heart that comes out when he's working with kids. My daughter really responded to him. There's a picture of me crying and her laughing and happy. I would trust him with anything.

Other reviews appearing on our Yelp.com listing:

5-Stars / ALLISON C. writes:
It was only after a few hours of contacting Justin to photograph an up scale outdoors event at Bryant Park in New York City had he personally taken care of all his travel arrangements and sent me the logistics. I communicated the time and place and he showed up early and ready to work. The photographs were so amazing that I called Justin to help me with a personal project of my own.

I wanted to restore and enlarge a very old photograph of my parents from about 40 years ago for their Anniversary. I was slammed at work all week and could not get out to Bethesda so Justin drove to Alexandria (in a snow storm!) picked up the photo and then dropped it off at my house in Maryland a day later at 1am before I was leaving to go out of town!!! The picture of my parents was beautiful and they couldn't believe how well it had been restored.

Many many thanks Justin!

5-Stars / ANDREA K. writes:
Where do I begin? I hired Justin on more than one occasion. First to shoot mine and my husbands special day back in 2007. Everything went very smoothly, from the initial meeting and engagement session to our special day. Justin showed up to my wedding with 2 assistants and took over 2,000 photos. Not only did he do an amazing job at the wedding, but right after the wedding ( about 2 weeks ) we got our proofs online.. once we picked out our proofs we received our prints in an extremely short time. He was able to turn around the photos from our wonderful day so quickly that I was in shock and able to give some out as Christmas presents.

After enjoying that experience with him, I contracted him to do a photo shoot for a advertising campaign I was working on. Again, another amazing experience. As a graphic designer we are usually expected to be the ones to art direct the shots but he was so creative and had so many great ideas that he was able to get better shots that I was directing him too. After I put the photos into the ad campaign I went on to win numerous awards because of the great overall concept and photography. Thanks Justin!

I highly recommend Justin for any photography needs... again, if i haven't said it enough, hes an amazing photographer and an amazing person!

Reviews I've received on LinkedIn:

Scott L. Rolle
Fmr. State's Attorney, Frederick County Maryland
2006 MD Attorney General Candidate
This guy is, quite simply, the best photographer/website designer in the DC area. He is reliable, creative, reasonable and a pleasure to work with. You simply can't do any better. In addition to taking phenomenal pictures for my campaign, he put together the best political website I have ever seen. We received thousands of compliments on it. I look forward to working with him on the next go 'round!

Jacquelyn Muller
Vice President, Corporate Communications/Public Relations
Education Management, LLC
Justin has done a great deal of work for The Art Institutes --- most notably the Passion for Fashion Competition in NYC, the Americans for the Arts Poster Competition and many others. He is a consummate professional who aspires to the highest levels of excellence. I know I can count on Justin to produce a top notch product for our promotional purposes.

Carmen Moreira Prassas
Wedding Client
Justin was very professional and and attentive to our needs. He asked us in advance what pictures we wanted to make sure he took and he was able to execute them in a creative way. The pictures came out beautifully and I would not have changed a thing about them.

Recommendations I received for a recent White House appointment:

Morad Ghorban
Political Director, Iranian-American PAC
I'm honored to recommend Mr. Justine Schuck for the post of White House Photo Director. The following information should help introduce him as well as convey my wholehearted recommendation for his appointment as President-elect Obama’s chief photographer.

I worked closely with Justine in July of 2003 when he was hired to photograph the kick-off event for the Iranian American Political Action Committee (IAPAC) in Washington, D.C. on July 22nd. The event marked IAPAC’s formal entry into the American political arena and was attended by three United States Senators-The Honorable Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts, The Honorable Charles E. Schumer of New York, and The Honorable Thomas R. Carper of Delaware, as well as by distinguished Iranian Americans from many sectors of American society.

Justine did a terrific job photographing the event! Despite the fact that the crowd at the event was so large that the room in which the reception was held was overflowing, he blended into the background and was unobtrusive. At same time, Justine was able to capture the true essence of the event with fascinating photographs of the senators and guests interacting and responding to each other.

Justine delivered a top quality product with quick turnaround time. He was trustworthy, meticulous, industrious, and above all a true pleasure to work with. His infectious personality along with authentic professional mannerism makes him an excellent candidate for the position of White House Photo Director.

Allison Campbell
Account Executive, Precision Meetings & Events
Justin Schuck has worked with Precision Meeting & Events for the past few years solely photographing one of our most prevalent events of the year. Every December, The Pond at Bryant Park in NYC is turned into a winter wonderland in which, one of our biggest clients, the Canadian Tourism Commission along with other Canadian partners, host a 250 – 300 person party at Celsius, a temporary event space built just for Canada. Justin photographed the event in December of 2006 as well as in December of 2007. Last year being my first year at Precision, calling Justin was one of the easiest details of planning the event. Since he had experience from the year before, all I had to do was tell him the date and time of the event and that was it. Justin made his own travel arrangements, promptly confirmed via phone calls and emails and arrived to the event early in order for him to introduce himself, walk the space and get comfortable in his surroundings. Justin was professional, respectful and incredibly easy to work with. For the most part, Justin blended into the background of the event, making it seem like he wasn’t even there, however there were other times where he made the people he was taking photos of open up and feel completely comfortable to have their photos taken, a task that is never easy for anyone.

I was lucky enough to have a few of my family members attend the event last year and introduced them to Justin. Justin was polite and even cracked a few jokes making us all laugh while he was taking our pictures which made for a great series of photos that Justin was generous enough to edit and give to me as a special unnecessary but much appreciated gift. Justin turned the photos around in a matter of hours after the event much to my amaze. The photos were fantastic and captured all elements of the event from the décor to the guests (including VIP) to the lighting to the entertainment.

Justin did some personal photo restoration for me as well last year. He took a 3 x 3 photo from 40 years ago and restored it into an 8 _ x 11 picture that looked only a few years old that I was able to give to my parents for their 25th Wedding Anniversary. Justin went out of his way to drive to my office to pick up the photo, take it back to his studio to edit overnight and then personally delivered it to my house the following evening before I left to drive to NY the next day. I have only seed Justin once or twice since last December, however we keep in touch and he is by far one of my favorite people to work with, not only in DC but anywhere. I would be more than happy to discuss any other recommendation or information you need regarding Justin Schuck and Justin Schuck Photography. Please do not hesitate to contact me.

Bottom line is that I'm imperfect, but I do work hard and I have the credentials and clients to prove it. As many of you know, this has been not only a difficult year for the company financially, but also for me personally. It wouldn't be fair to drag all that stuff up here, but suffice it to say I've become an expert on death and tragedy.

2009 is looking to be a good year, and with the new administration in the White House, I hope it's a sign that great things are coming.

Thank you to the clients who have stuck with me through these turbulent months. I will never forget it.

Labels: Blog, business, Family, Frederick County, JSDS, Justin Schuck, Justin Schuck + Company, recommendations, reviews, Scott Rolle, studio, washington dc

And it is. Most people know this isn't my favorite day of the year. Never has been, and probably won't be. I did want to share with you, both of my blog readers, my little birthday surprise:

Justin's Birthday Surprise

I want to thank everyone for their birthday wishes and what not. I'm going to take it easy today and only work for a couple of hours.

Labels: Justin Schuck