Hop on over to The Bridal Closet today to see our guest blogging spot about “Gorgeous Getting Ready Photos.” The Bridal Closet is the official blog of Solutions Bridal Designer House, so make sure you add them to your blog reader to read the latest about modern bridal fashion, inspiration for your wedding, and a glimpse into the happenings of Solutions Bridal Designer House.
Ah… has it really been 7 days already that I’ve been in Vegas?!?! I’m sitting at the airport right now waiting to head back to the East Coast, thinking about the blur that has been the past week. Between all the workshops, shoots, trade show, chatting with people and dealing with a 3 hour time difference, I feel like I was hit by a truck that went in reverse and ran over me again! Whew!
I’m taking away a lot from WPPI, and one of those things is some fun Trash The Dress photos on the Las Vegas strip! This was part of a group shoot set up by Chicago photographer Melissa Diep. As you can imagine, trying to do a group photo shoot with over 40 photographers and 5 models on the busy sidewalks of the strip was a bit chaotic. But when we were able to take the models to the side streets and shoot we were able to get some fun images. Here are a few:
I knew I was waiting to post this blog for a reason!
Today is Dane’s birthday!! Instead of singing the traditional “Happy Birthday,” let’s all sing (in our loudest voices): YOU MAKE ME SO VERY HAPPYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!
For those of you who don’t know who Dane Sanders is, he is an amazing leader and mentor in the photography community. He literally wrote the book on how to start your photography business the right way with “Fast Track Photographer.” The title is a little misleading. All the knowledge he shares will not necessarily get you on the fast track to a successful photography business, but it will MOST DEFINITELY get you on the RIGHT track! I really wish I had read his book earlier in developing my business because I learned quite a few lessons the hard way, but that’s why I’m so happy to share this book with anyone who is thinking about starting a business (or in need of some serious change in their business). He also has a new book coming out later this spring, so I’m anxiously waiting for that to be released!
The reason why I’m ranting and raving about Dane Sanders (beside it being his birthday) is that he was in town last week to speak to our PUG (local photography group). Matt and I went to the PUG meeting and we were so inspired! He was also teaching a private workshop and I had a lot of reasons why I couldn’t go, but I finally just listened to the voice inside and committed to going. Honestly, I didn’t really know why I was going but I just knew I HAD to go.
And I am so glad I went!
I could tell you how I learned ways to run my business more efficiently, but that’s not really what the workshop was about. A lot of what I learned was deeply personal and it will be a different experience for everyone. Dane really encouraged me to listen to the conversation I was having internally, which is usually discouraged when someone is speaking. But there were some definite “A ha!” moments that I had during the workshop and I would have tuned them out had he not encouraged me to listen. I also developed friendships with some extremely talented and genuine photographers and that is PRICELESS!
I think a certain type of person is drawn to this workshop. I’m not sure how, but I’m pretty fascinated by it. In fact, I spoke on the phone today with a friend (whom I have never met) in Atlanta who saw that I went to his workshop. We’ve emailed each other and had some great conversations over email, but never talked on the phone or in person. She signed up for the workshop in March and so she gave me a call today to chat about it.
We talked for 4 and a half HOURS! Seriously, I don’t think I’ve talked to anyone that long on the phone in the past decade!
As we talked, a lot of the questions that she had I knew she would find the answers to in the workshop. The concept is that members are “For Each Other,” meaning that regardless we are all supportive of one another. At the beginning of the workshop those were just words to me, but by the end I can honestly say that I would do just about anything for the other members of our group. And I can’t wait to meet members from other parts of the country!
Part of the workshop included a photography shootout, which was really fun. At the time I was extremely nervous, though! Each of us had 4 minutes to direct the couple, Amanda & Colton, while the rest of the group got to 2nd shoot. No one could shoot in the same location twice, so it was a challenge! I got to play with my new 85mm, which is now my new favorite lens! I used it the entire time and it still hasn’t left my camera!
I couldn’t decide which photos to post because Amanda & Colton were such great models for us! They’ve known each other since middle school and are so natural together! All the ones of Amanda in the red jacket (except for the last two) were part of the time where I was the lead shooter. Since I knew Amanda was a model I wanted to just let her do her thing, which she did! She rocked the camera while rocked out on his guitar! Be sure to check out his Facebook Fan Page because he’s extremely talented!
Here are my favorites from the shootout:
I really miss everyone from the workshop and I look forward to seeing you again at our monthy meetings!! Fortunately, we are all keeping touch through Facebook, Twitter, and email until we can meet up again! : )
When someone recently asked about Trash The Dress sessions on a forum discussion, I was happy to share my opinion! We are big fans of the trend! It’s such a fun idea to get into the dress again after the wedding and do something creative with it!
The discussion led to a post on the My Photo Video blog and they included one of our images from the Key West Trash The Dress Session we shot with Maria & Peter. This session included some of the most stunning images we have ever captured and gave Maria & Peter some very unique, beautiful photos from their romantic getaway in Key West:
But not all Trash The Dress sessions require you to really “trash” your dress. We shot Beth & Mark’s Jacksonville Trash The Dress Session at one of North Florida’s historic locations. It was playful and romantic and some of the images are still among our favorites today:
And then, there are the unplanned Trash The Dress sessions! While shooting Deby & Michael’s Jacksonville Wedding last summer, they decided that the June heat was a little too much… so they jumped in the pool! Imagine Matt & I running over to the pool with my jaw dropped on the ground in shock! This is definitely a wedding memory they won’t forget:
If you are thinking about doing a Trash The Dress session, think about some things that you like to do and see if that can be incorporated into the session. Or, go with a theme (like from your favorite movie). Also, keep an open mind. Places that look run down can make a surprisingly cool background. The possibilities are endless when it comes to “trashing” your dress! Make it your own!
Today, we were so excited to find out from one of our favorite couples, Beth & Mark, that their wedding photo was included in the latest issue of Jacksonville Magazine! Check it out:
The photo credit had a typo in my name (trust me, I realized in kindergarten how tough my name was to spell!) but they spelled the bride & groom’s names right, and that’s the important thing!
Beth & Mark had a very unique, beautiful wedding at the Jacksonville Zoo and we like to call them our “most photographed couple.” Check out their four, yes FOUR, photo sessions with us:
Engagement Photos at the Jacksonville Zoo
Wedding at the Jacksonville Zoo
Jacksonville Trash The Dress Photos
And just because they live in Italy now doesn’t mean there won’t be a fifth one. We’ve already looked into airfare!
It’s been an exciting year for Beth & Mark and we are so happy for them that it ends on such a high note! We are anxious to see what 2010 brings for this amazing couple! Hugs from home! : )
Wedding at the Jacksonville Zoo
This evening, as Matt & I were cooking dinner, we were surprised with a sweet holiday gift from Heidi at MagnetStreet! She sent us an awesome coffee gift set from I Have A Bean (awesome company, check out their website and read their story!).
You know I had to get some pics so I can show you how cool Heidi is and how much we love the gift:
Heidi is the blogging genius behind the uber popular Truly Engaging wedding blog, an awesome resource for wedding inspiration! The blog is always filled with delicious details and creative ideas for personalizing your wedding day. She also features photos from awesome photographers (like us!) and our friend Corinna Hoffman. We were honored to have Maria & Peter’s Key West Trash The Dress session featured on her blog!
I’ve actually been meaning to blog about MagnetStreet because I got so excited when one of our 2010 couples, Melissa & Alex, gave us one of their Save The Dates and we saw that it was from MagnetStreet.com! They have such cute designs and you can create your own gorgeous Save The Date designs right on the website! Plus you can coordinate them with your invitations, thank you cards, and more! Here’s the one we received from Melissa & Alex (which is on our refrigerator):
I had to block out the wedding website because I’m sure that Melissa & Alex don’t want any wedding crashers (especially since their wedding is going to be off-the-chain insanely awesome!). I love magnet Save The Dates! We even have some on our fridge from friends whose weddings have already happened just because they are so fun to look at! You can’t get rid of something that cool (so send us your Save The Dates and you’ll be immortalized on our Fridge of Fame, too!). : )
Heidi, thank you so much for being the awesome, positive person you are and for keeping me caffeinated! ; ) We really appreciate your thoughtfulness and look forward to more great things from MagnetStreet and the Truly Engaging Blog in 2010! Happy holidays to you and the MagnetStreet family!
Matt says I work on Tokyo time. It’s true. I work some crazy hours. It’s kinda “a photographer thing.” I check Facebook and email at 3am because I actually have friends who are up working just like me. But I’m a night owl! I’m so creative at these crazy hours! I remember back when I was 11 years old, writing poetry late at night until the sun came up. I always used to say I get inspired at the most inconvenient times. Now I pretty much make my own schedule and it’s great… right?
Truthfully, like most photographers I’m a workaholic. Just ask Matt. At best, I take a break to eat dinner and maybe watch an episode of Family Guy or Dexter on DVD, and then I’m booking back upstairs. And I live on Starbucks. In fact, those are my two meals a day – Starbucks and dinner. : )
Well, today I got the most wonderful, unexpected surprise! I was checking my website stats to see where our referrals were coming from and the biggest referrer was shootdotedit. I was confused because I just checked them out at Partner Con and I haven’t used them yet, so why would I be linked on their site?
I clicked on the link and it brought me to this page: http://shootdotedit.squarespace.com/journal/2009/11/16/and-we-have-a-winner.html
Shootdotedit is a post production company (meaning they take care of those hours and hours of editing that I would normally do… like I am now)! Because honestly, how creative can I be at 3am when I’m sleep deprived? I’d much rather shoot more, give more attention to our couples, practice and learn new techniques, and even (shock) spend time with my friends and family again! So I’m super stoked about trying this out! Here’s the killer prize that shootdotedit has hooked me up with:
• Rough Edit/Cull up to 3,000 images
• RAW/JPG Core Color Processing up to 800 images
• Renumbering + Categorizing
• 25 Phase 1 Artistic Edits
• An FTP upload to the host of choice
It’s an insanely generous prize and I am so stoked!! Thanks a million times over, shootdotedit! I’m excited to get to try out your services!
Oh, and just for a laugh, visit their homepage at http://www.shootdotedit.com
It’s so funny because it’s true. That’s me every night (as I write this at 4:30am). Okay, break time is over. Back to my editing groove! : )
I just returned from an amazing time at the Pictage Partner Con and I’m so pumped with excitement, ideas, and inspiration! On top of that I have some UN-BE-LIEVABLE photos to share from two photo sessions while I was out there, but I’m about to head out of town again to shoot Jessica & Mark’s wedding in Naples! But since I can’t keep all this excitement to myself, I thought I would share just a hint of what’s to come on the blog:
(group photo shoot led by the amazing Sara France)
I’m taking a break from posting more slideshows and yummy wedding photos to recognize blogs of some of my favorite creative peeps that I enjoy reading. First, thank you Heidi for nominating me for Kreativ Blogger on your website! You are such a doll! Heidi always posts such delicious details and tips on her Truly Engaging blog. Make sure to go take a look!
Here’s how the Kreativ Blogger works:
1. Thank the person who nominated you for this award.
2. Copy the logo and place it on your blog.
3. Link to the person who nominated you for this award.
4. Name 7 things about yourself that people may not know.
5.Nominate 7 Kreativ Bloggers.
6. Post links to the 7 blogs you nominate.
7. Leave a comment on each of the blogs letting them know they’ve been nominated and in turn I have to let out 7 interesting and or embarrassing things about myself you might not know.
So, here are my 7 things…
1. I love to step on acorns. The crunch under my shoe fills me with such delight that only a truly “nutty” person could ever understand! : )
2. My favorite actor ever is Leslie Howard. I love him. Period. He’s wonderful, talented, gorgeous… and died long before I was ever born. Sigh… I guess we weren’t meant to be!
3. Life would be empty without music, wine, and laughter!
4. I’m not a vegetarian, but I aspire to be one.
5. I’m the real Bay Harbor Butcher. Okay, not exactly, but if you’re a fan of the show Dexter then you’ll get it. We’ve been pretty obsessed with that show lately.
6. When I edit photos I usually take a break for a karaoke concert. Only when Matt isn’t home, though. I always thought that life should be a musical. For every feeling and situation there’s a song that will fit the occasion.
7. I love my hubby and our 5 “kids.” We have 2 dogs and 3 cats, and I play favorites. One cat and one dog are definitely favored above the others and I’m okay with admitting that. They all know it and my “two favorite ones” as I like to call them are usually the ones that follow me around. And on a side note, when I was little I had 13 cats. I’m a bit of an animal person! LOL!
And now my 7 picks for Kreativ Blogger Nominations go to…
Last night I had such a blast hanging out with other photographers during the Jax Shoot Club in downtown Jacksonville. We are so fortunate to have such a great network of photographers here who are supportive of one another and get along so well!
Thanks so much to Melanie at La Dolce Vita Studio and Kara at Kara Pennington Photography for organizing the shoot club! They not only brought all of us together but also coordinated all the models and everything for the shoot! Have to show love to some other people who supported the shoot:
Makeup and Hair was provided by Faythe Mesic: http://www.faythemesic.com
Bridal Bouquets were provided by Anything with Plants & Flowers: http://www.anythingwithplants.com
Lauren’s Dress and bridal attire was provided by Solutions Bridal of Gainesville: http://www.solutionsbridal.com/
Her dress was by designer Alvina Valenta (style #9700) and her veil was by Lori London (style #VM95)
And of course…. the models!
Julianne and Greg (engagement couple)
Kelly & Chris (bride and groom)
Lauren (solo bride)
I’ve been seeing some of the shots popping up on Facebook already and it’s amazing to see how everyone has such a different perspective of the same subject! And since there were 3 sets of models we broke up into group so each group’s session with the models was completely different. It’s always fun to get together with everyone (and I’ll get to see most of them again tomorrow at the PUG meeting! Yay!).
Here are my shots from the evening. I shot with available light only even though I had my flash and some other lighting equipment in my car. To be honest, I didn’t want to walk back to the car because I was having too much fun! At the end of the night some of us were still hanging around gabbing away and one of the couples decided to go into the fountain for a Trash The Dress session! It was just an amazing time!
Here are some of my faves:
Can’t wait to see everyone again next month!!
