NC State Fair

This entry was written by Nathan Clendenin, posted on October 21, 2011 at 10:19 am, filed under General, SJ. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

Cruisin’

This entry was written by Nathan Clendenin, posted on October 17, 2011 at 10:16 pm, filed under General, SJ. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

Crazy Cool Clouds

This entry was written by Nathan Clendenin, posted on October 2, 2011 at 10:16 pm, filed under General. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

How do you finish 6 videos in one month?

As I look forward to a busy month of May with lots of fun weddings, I was hoping April might be a little slow and allow me to catch up on lots of things. Somebody somewhere laughed when I thought that! Instead, it’s been my busiest month ever. Let me tell you how I’ve ended up agreeing to do so many videos in such a short timeframe.

First, as you know I’ve been doing a video series for UNC Health Care called Real Doctors, Real People. If you have a second (literally 10 seconds will do it), go over and vote for our February video on a Bhangra dancer which is nominated for a Telly Award. So at the beginning of this month we launched April’s RDRP video on a Judo Instructer slash pediatrician slash immunologist slash EPA researcher, Dr. David Peden. I say “we” because buddy Stephen Garrett helped me with the edit, and did a bang up job in half a day! Video one, done.

The second video is of course the video I’m working on this month for May’s RDRP. I had something lined up but recent tornado winds prevented us from going sailing. Hopefully that will pan out later this summer. But we scrambled and found another doctor ready to go. Stay tuned for that one, or check on the RDRP site the first Wednesday of May.

The third, fourth, fifth and sixth videos are where it gets more fun and exciting. A few months ago I took a step back from my work and re-examined my calling as a storyteller. When we first came home from Africa I really felt like I am supposed to be a storyteller for the Kingdom of God – letting the world know the great things God is up to whether across the globe or in my own backyard. Of course returning home from a year in South Africa has it’s own set of cultural and financial challenges, not to mention Bec being pregnant with our son Samuel, so task number one was focusing on smooth re-entry and getting a business up and going. Thankfully, our re-entry has gone really well and we owe that all to God’s provision, through friends, our church and a loving family (and some hard work). So when I took a step back a few months ago, I realized that financially things are stable, but I’m not really doing what I feel called to. I decided it was time to steer the ship in that direction.

No sooner did I pray about this, than I got a call from Converting Hearts Ministries in Creedmoor, NC. They do some really awesome work with addicts in a biblical and very grace-centered way and they asked me to help them produce a video for donors. Wow! That was fast. I jumped on the opportunity and have been working with Daniel, telling his story of recovery from purity related issues. We also developed a friendship which I am very excited about. They had a graduation ceremony this past weekend and it was such a huge blessing seeing him graduate with his family, including his wife, parents, sister and brother-in-law, friends and his counselor from home there supporting him. I won’t spoil his story, but I will definitely share it when that’s done – probably early May. That’s number three.

Four and Five came through DurhamCares, a non-profit focused on helping other non-profits get volunteers and support. Their motto is, “Love your Neighbor.” They’re hosting a big event on May 4 with PCA pastor Tim Keller. Anyone who’s big into the Presbyterian Church in America (and a lot of others too) know who he is. He was named one of America’s most influential pastors. His books are huge sellers and his church in Manhattan has told him to devote his time to preaching, writing books and traveling to for speaking engagements. It is a huge deal that he’s coming to Durham to talk about why Christians should love their neighbor, and to help our community think through what that looks like. DurhamCares asked me to produce two videos for the event at the 2,000+ capacity Durham Performing Arts Center that depict what it means to love your neighbor. One will tell the story of a family who adopted a sibling group of a different race through the foster system and the other is a more artistic, music-driven piece from the volunteers’ perspective on why loving your neighbor matters. Not only is this exciting to have more work lining up with my calling, but the event will also hopefully be packed with people who will be tangibly inspired to follow the second greatest commandment, “To love your neighbor as yourself.” To be a small part of that is huge to me!

The sixth video is one I shot last August for Coldwater Foundation, run by a friend I knew at Culver Academies, Kevin Sutton. I used to eat amazing food cooked by his wife and play music at their house while I was an intern at Culver back in 2001. Their organization uses experiential/outdoor education to help youth understand what the gospel means for how to live out their lives. Specifically, this video we did, which launched this month, focuses on their Portage Program, a pre-orientation for incoming freshman at Northwestern College in Iowa. Check it out below! I am particularly excited about this video because I made some real personal breakthroughs while working on it.

Typically, when I get down to editing a video I am overwhelmed, frustrated, highly prone to procrastination, etc. It’s been that way my whole life – since my first paper in high school. Especially the creative ones. For some reason I just have a hard time tapping into my creativity on demand. I get inspired at other times, like when I’m driving, about to go to sleep – very inopportune times for harnessing that creativity. For this video, I started with the same frustrations. But with a deadline approaching, and these other videos I’ve been talking about all coming into the mix, I knew I was going to have to trust God in a new way. So I gave it over. I handed over my fear that it would totally suck, that I wouldn’t be happy with it, that the client wouldn’t like it, etc… I asked God, rather begged Him, to help me through this, on my own. I’ve gotten lots of help from buddy Stephen and others on videos, and I am grateful and will continue to get outside help in the future. But for some reason this video was a chance to break barriers in me creatively. And wow, did God do it! Step by step, hour by hour, I plodded away. I got inspired. I stayed away from Facebook (for the most part) and at the finish can say I am truly proud of the work God did through me on this video. Coldwater is happy. I’m stoked and more importantly, I think this video will serve its purpose well which is to help recruit new students to come on the program.

I’ve got more shooting this week and a little bit next week, and lots of editing ahead. How do I hope to accomplish this? Well, I’d be lying if I don’t wake up every morn a bit stressed, unmotivated and sort of weighed down. Hanging out with SJ helps a lot. It turns my heart toward thankfulness. From there I have to consciously go through all the things I am blessed with and thankful for: my wife, a house, great family, and the fact that the things that are causing me stress are exactly what I want to be doing! Stress that’s worth it in the end. Then SJ and I turn on some praise music, or we go for a walk so I can pray. As I start to pray, I am focused on myself, these videos specifically, but for some reason I am led to pray for others. There’s plenty of friends I know who are going through hard, difficult times. And thinking of them, lifting them up, always centers my heart, puts things in perspective and keeps me from grabbing so hard at what I want, and allows me to let go and trust God.

I’ll make it through this month (and every one after) not only through help from friends, but through dependence. It’s not something that’s easy for me, but there’s no other way. And honestly, I wouldn’t want it any other way. Through dependence God gets the glory for what He is doing, through me. I close stealing from Bach, who signed every work with S.D.G, “Soli Deo Gloria” which means, “To the only God be glory.”

This entry was written by Nathan Clendenin, posted on April 19, 2011 at 4:12 pm, filed under General, Work. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

Introducing Wedding Videography!

Awhile back I got to thinking, “why am I not doing wedding video?” I have the cameras and gear I already need, and in terms of video editing, it’s pretty simple (compared to a typical video story where you have to figure out the real story and then how to tell it concisely). Weddings use the same story elements every time, but with different characters and personalities. It’s predictable, but not necessarily in a boring way. That predictability is a factor you can rely on, and then feel freedom to branch off of and be even more creative.

So without further ado, here’s the first wedding video I ever did. And I shouldn’t really say, “I” did it since my buddy Stephen Garrett did all the editing, some of the shooting, and even got us the gig. We would have had this out a good bit earlier, thanks to Stephen’s speedy editing skillz, but we got hung up on the song. Specifically we tried to license a song by Sondre Lerche, but that got hairy and we went for plan B, which worked out great. We found a great site called With Etiquette that licenses songs specifically for use with wedding videos like this one.

Coming soon will be Jess and Elizabeth’s wedding video!

This entry was written by Nathan Clendenin, posted on October 28, 2010 at 6:54 pm, filed under News, Video and tagged Charleston, Isle of Palms, South Carolina, wedding video. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

Celebrating Jess and Elizabeth’s Engagement

I first heard about Jess and Elizabeth from mutual friend Nate Massey, as Nate was telling me about this great group of friends he’d found. I was excited to meet them – and one of the first occasions we had to meet was for a U2 concert in Raleigh, which was amazing! So I was very excited to hear they had gotten engaged and even more stoked to have them ask me to shoot their wedding next month. Last month we did an engagement shoot, and a bridal shoot all in the same day at Elizabeth’s parent’s house in Fuquay Varina. Everywhere we turned there were beautiful backdrops for posing, coupled with great light and of course a super cute couple. We had a lot of fun! Be sure to check out their session over on my wedding site.

This weekend the couple hosted a co-ed wedding shower in form of a picnic at Lake Harris. I am a big fan of co-ed showers, be it wedding or baby or whatever. Guys need excuses to get gifts too! So after performing some deep cleaning on our house with our housemate Jenny in the morning, we loaded up SJ and headed south on Highway 751, traveling a beautiful 45 minutes of country road leading to the lake.

It was a great time getting to know their families and friends. Especially nice to meet was Caroline, who planned, decorated and cooked for the entire event (with the help of her husband and some others). As you can see from the photos above, the theme was along the lines of, “With you, every day is a picnic.” Down to every detail, she really did a great job, which is even more impressive since she’s got an almost-two-year-old and another one due any time. Bec had a nice time swapping baby stories and tips with Caroline too. We hope the new one holds off until after the wedding, since she’s a matron of honor!

Here’s to Jess and Elizabeth – may your lives together bring you each immense joy that spills over into the lives of everyone around you, just as it’s spilled into ours.

Thanks to Antje Radtke for taking some of the photos of gifts being unwrapped while I was helping feed SJ!

This entry was written by Nathan Clendenin, posted on September 18, 2010 at 7:00 pm, filed under General and tagged Engagement, Jess and Elizabeth, Lake Harris, Picnic. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

Work I’ve been up to lately

This summer was a great one, but super busy. As I was putting together this post, I kept thinking I was done and then would think of another thing to include! I am grateful how the Lord has blessed my business since our return from South Africa a little over a year ago. I look forward to seeing what another year will bring, and also the opportunity to explore telling stories for those doing great work in the Kingdom of God, whether they can afford it or not.

May through August was full of a great bunch of weddings. From Asheville to New Bern, I was all over North Carolina shooting with friends like Courtney Potter and Justin Cook.

The past few months I’ve been working with a locally-based video production company called DDC International shooting video. I found out about them through a friend from undergrad, Stephen Garrett who moved to Chapel Hill to work with them after his stint in Madagascar with the Peace Corps. We used to sit around the dorm room talking about being photographers one day, looking at National Geographic guides and critiquing each other’s ideas. We were even in a video production class together (where me and another friend made this mock kung-fu video). It’s pretty incredible to realize that we’re actually doing it now!

The first video Stephen and I worked on together was for Duke Divinity’s Summer Institute, and it was a lot of fun shooting. We got to interview Dr. John Perkins, who besides being an influential civil rights leader his entire life, is quite a lively character. Incidentally, last year I did the website for co-founder of the Duke Center for Reconciliation, Emmanuel Katongole. I love the folks over there, so it was great to work with them again. Check out the video on vimeo.

Through the DDC connection, I also shot some footage for DayTripp - a really cool startup site profiling local businesses with short “docu-mercials”. The videos I helped with were for the Franklin Hotel and The Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership – and I’ll post them here once they’re live.

Early spring I was asked by Action for Children North Carolina (Rebecca’s employer before we left for S. Africa) to produce a public service announcement to air on local television stations around North Carolina. It was a lot of fun gathering kids from around our neighborhood and at church to be in the video, which is now airing on TV around the state in 60 sec and 30 sec versions. Check out the 60 sec version below (and see if you notice SJ’s cameo):

Probably the biggest project I’ve landed so far is a series with the UNC Healthcare news division called Real Doctors, Real People. I get to profile a different doctor every month who does something interesting outside of the hospital. The first launched in August and was about Dr. James Yankaskas, who is a pilot. I got to fly with him around Chapel Hill which was a lot of fun! The second was on Dr. Robert Berger who is the grandfather of electronic medical records at UNC and is also a music composer and performer, among many other things such as sailing and scuba diving. I am learning a lot about the medical profession and getting to meet some really interesting folks.

Finally, in August we took a jaunt to the midwest for a funeral/family reunion of sorts with all of my side of the family. We were in Illinois and Michigan, and I spent a few days in northern Minnesota, very close to Canada, shooting for Coldwater Foundation. It’s run by an old friend from Culver, Kevin Sutton. They do experiential education for youth – in particular this trip was an orientation for college freshman entering their first year at Northwestern College in Iowa. Think Outward Bound with a gospel-centered approach. For 7 days they trekked around the boundary waters in small groups, portaging their canoes across rough terrain, paddling in fierce wind, cooking their own food on an open fire and getting to know each other really really well. The whole focus of the program is to address the crisis in Christian youth education — statistics are showing that kids growing up in youth group are “almost Christian” and end up falling away from the church in their 20′s. Coldwater’s mission is to teach youth how their beliefs in God inform the decisions they make in their lives. It was a blast spending a few days with them, and the old youth leader in me was definitely coming out. I even got to lead worship with Kevin – something we hadn’t done in 10 years! If you are interested, check them out on Facebook (and become a fan if you like). I will be posting their video here once it’s complete.

This fall I am doing more work with DDC and Daytripp, and shooting a few weddings. It will feel a little slower work wise, but being a dad and husband, an elder-in-training and spending time with friends will definitely keep me busy. I am also going to be thinking strategically how to grow my business beyond where I am right now, which is exciting. I hope in the future to post what I’m up to more frequently, but with such a busy season this summer it was hard to find time to blog about it. If you’re interested in seeing work as I go, I usually put links out on my twitter and facebook accounts at much more regular intervals.

This entry was written by Nathan Clendenin, posted on September 10, 2010 at 3:59 am, filed under General, Video, Work and tagged Coldwater Foundation, Culver, Daytripp, DDC, Duke, Franklin Hotel, UNC Healthcare, weddings, work. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

The Power of Unplugging

For the past three days I’ve been pretty much unplugged. About 10 days ago I decided it was well overdue. With Rebecca and Samuel out of town visiting the in-laws in Birmingham I knew this was the weekend for me to go sit in the woods and be still, to get away from the noise in my life and be quiet. To listen. Slow down. Get out of task mode and just be.

I must say, it’s not easy. All last week I started observing my habits. With any free time I had, I was checking my email, checking my twitter feeds, checking facebook, even checking the weather for cryin’ out loud. I could care less about the weather! I desperately searched for something to keep me occupied. After dropping Rebecca and SJ at the airport Saturday morning, I got really restless. There was nothing in particular I felt like doing. I didn’t even feel like watching T.V. (which I’m thankful for, actually). I was simultaneously excited about and also dreading the overnight camping that night. I knew that being still was like telling a toddler it’s nap time. No matter how obvious it is they need it – they kick and scream and fight it.

Camping turned out great – sleeping out under the stars was so peaceful, not to mention sitting by the fire and sharing fellowship with my friend Bret. I could feel myself slowing down. But as we spent time alone reading and praying on Sunday morning, I knew I needed more of it. I was still coasting forward on the momentum of the past few months of busyness.

So Monday I hiked with another buddy, Nevin, on a trail near Jordan Lake. We caught up for awhile and enjoyed lunch and some quiet. Then in the afternoon I decided to pump up the tires on my mountain bike – which has been sorely neglected for over two years – and hit some trails. I rode for about an hour at Lake Crabtree then sat out by the lake and read for about an hour. I think it was somewhere on that bike ride that I realized God was speaking. My mind had finally stopped running and there was room to hear, though quietly.

At the suggestion of Nevin, I capped off the unplugged weekend by watching Into the Wild, by myself. If you’ve not seen the movie, it’s about a guy who graduates from college then promptly burns his money, abandons his car and sets out for Alaska – with a lot of detours along the way. In the end he discovers that happiness is not real, unless its shared. I cried, I laughed, I got excited, and sad, and inspired. I contemplated what being permanently unplugged might look like for a guy with a wife and baby. And most of all I prayed I won’t let so much time go again before taking another unplugged weekend.

While I’m definitely not going to abandon what I have here and head out on some wild adventure (as amazing as that does sound), I am going to think more seriously about life, and how I spend my time. I’ll probably fast from facebook and twitter for awhile and then figure out how to use those things for what they’re good for, without letting them create more noise in my life. I might use email less. I might go hiking in the woods more regularly. I might play my guitar more. I’m not trying to make drastic changes. Just little things that will hopefully create space and quiet and time in my life to do things I always wish I were doing like reading books, praying, creating things, creating meals, teaching my son new things, or appreciating my wife.

“Be still, and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10

Like the double rainbow guy, I’m asking myself, “What does it mean?” Right now, I’d say I’ve learned that with too much noise in my life and too much busy activity, I can’t hope to hear God. I must be still and create space to hear, to be filled and renewed, to find my center again. If more than a few months goes by and I haven’t done this again – I give everyone reading this permission to bug me, send me threatening emails or even better, invite me out to the woods or on a hike!

This entry was written by Nathan Clendenin, posted on September 7, 2010 at 4:48 am, filed under General. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

Five Months of Fatherhood

Samuel is now past the 5 month mark and our lives are settling into a routine, which has been really great. I am taking care of Samuel in the mornings, until around noon so that Bec can work and then we switch off. So far it’s been going well, and besides having to coordinate our schedules when something comes up that I have to do in the AM or vice versa for Bec, I see no reason we won’t be able to keep it up.

One of the great joys I’ve experienced spending mornings with my son is how much I’ve understood the Gospel in a new and deeper way. I look at him and admire his face, all his different little expressions. I think pretty much anything he does is amazing. I feel like I can relate much better to the love that our Father in heaven feels toward each of his children. Samuel has no clue about the love we feel toward him or the things that Bec and I do for him to take care of him, and yet that doesn’t make a difference for me. In fact, my love for him grows deeper every day, even when his poo leaks onto my pants or he pukes down my back (for the fifth time).

Another thing that’s been sinking in for me is the reality that Jesus was a little, tiny, helpless baby that cried and giggled and crapped his diaper and peed on Mary. He was a real, vulnerable creature that grew up to be the man I read about and worship. It’s pretty awesome to think about that while staring at Samuel’s little feet, while feeling his softer-than-anything-I’ve-ever-felt-before skin, or while hearing him rip a good one in his diaper.

It’s been hard finding regular time with God each day in prayer and meditation on His word (I’m definitely not a very disciplined person), but my mornings with SJ have made up for that, at least in the short term, by keeping my heart soft and the praises flowing. We usually have concert time, where I play my guitar and singing for Samuel, which he loves (which is obvious from the mesmerized stare on his face). Its been great practice for me and renewed my desire to finally learn some new songs. So far I’ve been learning some Radiohead songs which has been fun (Karma Police, and starting on Paranoid Android).

I am grateful for God’s hand in my life right now and the joy that comes with being a dad. I am grateful for the love He has for me, even when I don’t realize it or appreciate it, or even when I reject it. This is a sweet time for us as a family, both of us being able to work from home most days and getting to soak up and enjoy our ridiculously sweet and adorable child. I am grateful for it.

It’s been a while since I’ve posted pics or given any updates on him (hint: if you want to see more regular photos, find me on Facebook where that’s pretty much all you’ll get!), so here’s the rundown on Samuel’s changes in the last few months:

• Baptized on April 4, Easter Sunday
• Consistently slept through the night (7-8 hrs) at 8 weeks old
• Traveled to Merlefest, Charleston, New Bern, Blowing Rock and Boone!
• Rolled over from back to front at 4 months old (but has forgotten how to roll back over)
• At 4 months, weighed in at 16 lbs, 12 oz, exactly double his birthweight
• Found his voice with lots of yelling and screeching
• Started on solid food at 5 months old (rice cereal for now)
• Now eating only 4 times a day

This entry was written by Nathan Clendenin, posted on August 2, 2010 at 9:21 am, filed under General, SJ and tagged fatherhood, love, SJ. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

Samuel Weeks Four and Five

Life is getting a bit busier (that’s a sarcastic understatement if you didn’t guess!) as I’ve been getting back to work shooting a few events and a wedding along with family visiting this week for Samuel’s baptism on Easter Sunday. My dad and his wife, Pina, are visiting from Mexico this week along with my sister, some uncles and Rebecca’s parents. Here are the latest photos up to today.

P.S. I discovered recently a friend from college just had twins a few months before SJ was born and Rebecca and I have gotten a kick out of reading her blog, And Baby Makes Four (how does she find time to blog, I do not know).

This entry was written by Nathan Clendenin, posted on April 2, 2010 at 5:07 am, filed under SJ. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.