Mount Pleasant Magazine Jan/Feb 2021

14 www.ReadMPM.com | www.MountPleasantMagazine.com | www.VOICEofMPpodcast.com O ur 2021 Best Of photo shoot is the most challenging thing Team Mount Pleasant Magazine has done since the world of COVID began. When the pandemic hit, I knew magazines would help us cope with our changing world. You see, each magazine – however big or small – is designed to build strong communities and bring people together. Examples like professional associations and nonprofit publications clearly demonstrate the power of the print magazine. A lifestyle magazine like Mount Pleasant Magazine is no exception, and with a high level of determination and a creative approach, we’ve been able continue publishing our magazine, helping bolster the community we serve. Every time our readers thumb through the print or digital pages, we bring them some semblance of normalcy and positive stories about their community during a time of such uncertainty. The question was how Team Mount Pleasant Magazine could possibly execute something as complicated as publishing our popular Best Of 2021 magazine. After tabulating 67,600 votes in the 2021 Best Of voting, it was obvious that readers loved the process leading up to our Best Of edition. There were so many questions and challenges brought on by COVID that the prospect of seeing the publication come to fruition was daunting. Questions abounded as Team Mount Pleasant Magazine discussed the Best Of issue in early October. At one of the many Best Of Zoom meetings, we all agreed the cover photo needed to be taken outside. We discussed finding a Mount Pleasant location that was recognizable, safe and picturesque. After much conversation everyone rallied around selecting Alhambra Hall as the shoot location. To secure the location, calls were made and people were contacted. The town, who owns and manages Alhambra Hall, was very accommodating. Fortunately, the date we wanted, Friday, Dec. 4, was available. But no one could guarantee the weather except the big guy upstairs, who received a lot of prayers from our publishing family as we approached Dec. 4. Many questions remained, and there was plenty of unfinished business, but at least we had a location secured. With the location and date fixed, it was time to plan our first outdoor Best Of cover photoshoot. I called photographer Jenn Cady, who’s been Mount Pleasant Magazine’s lead photographer for years. She and I derived the idea, as Cady puts it, to shoot our “Vanity Fair-esque cover,” years ago. When you visit www.BestOfMP.Video you can access all our past Best Of cover shoots. You can also listen to Jenn Cady as she takes a break from shooting the 2016 Best Of cover to explain our vision for the Best Of covers moving forward. Because we’ve brought the BY BILL MACCHIO Photo by Jenn Cady. An Amazing Day Mount Pleasant Magazine’s 2021 Best Of Photo Shoot