Sometimes life just calls for a little sparkle. And in light of our upcoming trip to Vegas, life was calling for it… LOUD. Last year in preparation for WPPI in Vegas some of the best advice I got was to always have a pair of flats in my bag along with Advil and a protein bar. So, clearly this golden Steven Madden purchase was totally necessary. ; )
Can’t wait for Vegas! Happy Friday!
Facebook and online photographer forums are all buzzing about the upcoming WPPI conference (Wedding & Portrait Photographers International) starting this weekend. I remember this time last year I was FREAKING OUT with excitement, nervousness, and anticipation for what the conference would be like. With 16,000 attendees last year, it was slightly overwhelming as many veteran photographers had warned me. But the relationships with the people that we met and the existing relationships that were strengthened made it all worth while… and made it feel a little smaller.
I remember boarding the plane to go home after the conference last year a mixed bag of emotions. Seeing so many people with the same passion for photography and desire to learn and grow was simply amazing. It was energizing, motivating, and made me proud to be part of such an awesome industry. On the other hand, it was sort of deflating. There were thousands of photographers that were SO talented with more this and more that then me. There were so many talented folks and it made me feel like I was just one of thousands. On the flight home I tried to sort out these emotions and come to a resolution. I came to the conclusion then and there that the only thing I could ever possibly bring to any client no matter where or when was… me. That’s it, Not the best equipment, not the most experience, not the most talented, most awards, or coolest camera bag. Not even close. But I could bring the way I see the world, my life experiences, my heart, and my talent… and my horrible jokes. This realization was a huge step for me as a photographer. It has helped me feel more secure in the growth and potential of my business. It has helped me view other photographers as what they really are – peers/mentors/instructors – instead of competition. I can then stay focused on what I, and only I, can bring to the table. Me.
This year I am so excited to attend WPPI again, be part of the Showit United speakers and finally meet in person all of the photographers I have built relationships with online over the last 12 months. Going to the conference this year, I have a greater appreciation for the unity that our passion provides and the separation our individuality demands.
Photos from one the classes at last year’s WPPI (from regisphotography). Chris and I are in here somewhere… : )
When it comes to figuring out what to get Chris for a holiday I usually rack my brain for a few weeks, come up empty and decide on a good old DIY project. I just heart Do It Yourself projects because they allow my creativity to flow and I sort of feel like a kid working on a craft project. I just love it. The messiness, the materials, the meaning. For the last few weeks Chris has been saying that we should have some photos of Remington around the house. At the same time, since we moved in, we have also been looking for a large piece of art – in the grey color family – for one of our large blank walls. After seeing these old shutters, convincing Chris that they were art and not garbage (you should of heard that convo, especially if you saw what they looked like initially!) my idea was born. A little rustic chic by yours truly. It reminds me of when I used to do darkroom photography – developing my own prints and hanging them on the line to dry.
I unveiled the wall to Chris yesterday for Valentine’s Day and he LOVED it… : ) DIY success!
- LOVE!!!! SO SO Cute. I have a similar blank wall that is annoying me! Looks awesome!
- I am so in love with this! I've wanted a similiar setup with Polaroids ever since seeing it on Pinterest. Fabulous job!
The one who pushes me to dream bigger and run further. The one who knows my faults and quirks and loves me all the same. The one who never complains about my baking stills and has every right to. The one who said I could when I thought I couldn’t. The one who laughs and cries by my side through life’s peaks and valleys. The one who listens with an open mind and kind heart. The one who tries along with me to see that old door as an opportunity for a great DIY project. The one who is understanding of my mistakes and helps me grow from them. The one who embraces my insecurities. The one who pretends he likes going antique shopping. The one who makes me feel beautiful and special everyday.
Chris, you are my one and only. The one who holds my heart. I love you.
- That was really sweet !!
- I LOVE YOU!!! Happy Valentines day to the love of my life!!!!
Anyone who knew me when I was younger knew what I wanted to be when I grew up… a dolphin trainer. And this wasn’t just something I thought would be fun along with picking flowers and counting snowflakes, no I wanted to be a dolphin trainer. Bad. As a kid I loved it when my parents took me to aquariums and put up with my non-stop flow of questions. We would wait until the crowds had left and they would take me to talk with the staff and trainers behind the scenes. I remember feeling so lucky to have parents that believed I could achieve whatever I set my heart to. They took my dreams, even at a young age, seriously. It was freeing and a blessing.
This Christmas as I opened the small wrapped box from my mom and Anthony it took me a minute to figure out what the gift was exactly… At the bottom of the box was a fake swimming of dolphins certificate of completion with a cut out picture of my face taped to it. LOL My mom was giggling as I read the paper. With her accompanying card nodding to fulfilling childhood dreams I squealed with delight and it clicked in. They had gifted me the opportunity to swim with dolphins. Although clearly my life has not included the dolphin trainer path – and rocking a form fitting wetsuit every day thank goodness – swimming with dolphins has something I have wanted to do since a kid and has been on my bucket list. And as of last week, consider it checked off! : )
While away with my family on vacation we visited a dolphin research center and I was able to swim, play, and just watch these beautiful creatures. It was a memory I will never forget.
- That used to be on my bucket list as well, until I watched the documentary, "The Cove" it was life changing.
- How funny that is one of the top things on my bucket list! Maybe Oli will take me for our honeymoon haha!
It is such an honor to be a guest writer on ShootLove today and contribute to their inspiration section alongside such amazing artists. To check out the full post please click here. Have a fabulous weekend and remember to appreciate the details in the inhale…
She will always be my best friends, the one who has been there with and for me through it all. She is pretty, smart, outspoken, funny, and brave. She is one of the most beautiful people I know inside and out and I feel blessed to have her as a sister. She has challenged my as a person and has pushed me to go beyond what I thought I was capable of. I love my little sister more then words and can’t wait for all of the memories the future holds.
Happy birthday Nicole! So excited to celebrate your birthday with you today! Love you! xoxox
- thank you! love you xoxox
When pursuing your dream, there will always be the people that confirm your fear. That will agree with your self doubt. I find these people are usually are not hard to find and can end up being toxic to your dreams. They give strength to your what ifs: what if I fail… what if I just straight up stink… what if they don’t like me…? However, people that encourage you to not remain paralyzed by your questioning what ifs and cheer you on to push through, are like sparkly gems. Those are the people you want to hold close and listen to. There were two couples specifically that did this forrr me when I first started out in photography…
Robert & Kathleen Trenske. I remember telling Chris that I thought they probably had a million things going on and we shouldn’t even ask them to go to dinner. I mean, they were running a successful photography business, traveling all over the world, shooting stylized photo shoots, leading a local photography group and just being awesome. But we asked. And they agreed. They were so welcoming to Chris and I at that dinner at Joe’s American Grill and didn’t laugh at this girl who was so new. New to photography, running a business, working with clients, etc. I told them of wanting to focus on photography full time, being afraid, and gave them all of my excuses of why I couldn’t or shouldn’t. But they listened, encouraged, and at one point at the end of the dinner I remember Robert said something to the effect of’ prepare yourself as best you can, then take the leap and just do it. I was scared but knew that is what I wanted to do. He was encouraging me to take the step beyond my fear and wasn’t afraid to do so. That dinner was the “GO GET EM” talk I needed. I didn’t want to let my fear of failing stop me from trying. I will never forget that dinner. The advice, the encouraging, and the kick in the butt I needed.
Zack & Jody Gray. I desperately wanted to attend some sort of workshop and told Chris I was going to start researching ones in the area for me to go… aka stall because I nervous about going to one. I didn’t want to be the only one there who didn’t know their camera like the back of their hand or dream in Nikon owners manual language. But I saw that there was a workshop coming up about an hour away from where we lived. It was the amazing Zach and Jody Gray. I already knew how talented they were and after reading about them, I decided this was the workshop I wanted to go to first. I remember sitting in the studio as people gathered and reminding myself to put myself out there and not be the shy quiet girl in the corner. I know, sometimes hard to believe, but I can get shy in situations like these. But that day I not only gained so much knowledge, but met some amazing people that have become great friends.
While we were doing some hands on practice and shooting they divided the group into photographers that were advanced and others who wanted to learn more of the basics. I think I walked to the basic group as soon as they pointed out the advanced group meet up spot. When it was my turn to shoot the model, Jody was helping me and asked if I was shooting in Manual. I wasn’t, I was still shooting primarily in Aperture priority and was SO freaked out and felt like an idiot. But right then, she gave me the permission to be new, to not know everything about photography in the beginning. She accepted where I was in my learning process and gave me some guidance. She believed in me and when I chatted with her at the end of the conference she told me I could do it and to hang in there. Since then, the Grays have helped shape my business and will always be amazing mentors to me.
I am so excited to announce that the Grays will be having one of their IN-CAMERA Workshops in New York this June during their 2012 spring tour! This two day workshop covers the topics of shooting, posing, post workflow, lighting and everything in between! No matter where you are in your photography, this is such an incredible workshop that will teach you things to take your skills to the next level with discussion and hands on shoots. Registration opens to the public today Wednesday 2/8 at 12CST. Class size is limited to 15 spots which will go fast, so please make sure you get your ticket asap. You DO NOT want to miss this workshop! Click here for details.
- We are pumped! So excited to have been a part of your journey and now it's coming full-circle and look where you are today! xoxo J
- I can't believe it's been two years. Thank God I decided to go to this workshop and had the opportunity to meet you!!!!
I don’t really consider myself to be too much of a “reader,” but much more of a magazine flipper, educational book skimmer, short story browser. However, when it comes to reading books to help me grow as a business owner, artist, photographer, or thinker, I am all over that like white on rice. Sticky rice, cause that’s my favorite. Anyway, there are a handful of books that I keep right next to my desk, accessible at any time because they changed me. They motivated me and after reading a few chapters would make me want to give an AMEN I CAN DO THIS cheer and chest pump the closest person. They helped shape my business and make me smile just recommending them by title and author because they are the ones I read in the very beginning…. the beginning of may dream becoming my reality. And the ones I will continue to reread and reread again.
Here are the books and their back cover descriptions:
The Likeability Factor: How to Boost Your L-Factor and Achieve Your Life’s Dreams (Tim Sanders)
Are you wondering how you can improve your relationships with your friends and family? Are you curious how to get or keep the job of your dreams? Do you want to become a more popular person? This book will show you how to do all that by raising your likeability factor—or how much other people like you. After all, life is a series of popularity contests. The choices other people make about you determine your health, wealth, and happiness. And decades of research prove that people choose who they like. They vote for them, they buy from them, they marry them, and they spend precious time with them. The good news is that you can arm yourself for the contest and win life’s battles for preference. How? By being likeable. The more you are liked—or the higher your likeability factor—the happier your life will be. This book will show you how to raise that likeability factor by teaching you how to boost four critical elements of your personality.
Quitter (Jon Acuff) - seriously one of my favorite books of all time.
Have you ever felt caught between the tension of a day job and a dream job? That gap between what you have to do and what you’d love to do? I have. At first I thought I was the only one who felt that way, but then I started to talk to people and realized we’re becoming the I’m, but generation. When we talk about what we do for a living we inevitably say, I’m a teacher, but I want to be an artist. I’m a CPA, but I’d love to start my own business. I’m a _____, but I want to be a ______. All too often, we hear that dreaming big means you quit your day job, sell everything you own, and move to Guam. But what if there were a different way? What if you could blow up your dream without blowing up your life? What if you could go for broke without going broke? What if you could start today? What if you already have everything you need to begin? From figuring out what your dream is to quitting in a way that exponentially increases your chance of success, Quitter is full of inspiring stories and actionable advice. This book is based on 12 years of cubicle living and my true story of cultivating a dream job that changed my life and the world in the process. It’s time to close the gap between your day job and your dream job. It’s time to be a Quitter.
48 Days to the Work You Love (Dan Miller)
48 Days to the Work You Love is not about finding a new job. It is about finding out what you are going to “be.” According to Dan Miller, failing to make that fundamental discovery is why so many people find themselves in jobs they hate. But the great news is this book will lead you to the vocation you will love. Dan Miller will help you see clear patterns form from which you can make successful career and job decisions by understanding your God-given skills and abilities, personality traits, values, dreams, and passions. These patterns create a compass for you. Finding the work you love is finding the fulfillment of your calling.
Love is the Killer App: How to Win Business and Influence Friends (Tim Sanders)
Are you wondering what the next killer app will be? Do you want to know how you can maintain and add to your value during these rapidly changing times? Are you wondering how the word love can even be used in the context of business? Instead of wondering, read this book and find out how to become a lovecat—a nice, smart person who succeeds in business and in life. How do you become a lovecat? By sharing your intangibles. By that I mean:
Your knowledge: everything that comes from all the books that I’ll encourage you to devour.
Your network: the collection of friends and contacts you now have, which I’ll teach you how to grow and nurture.
Your compassion: that human warmth you already possess—in these pages I’ll convince you that you can show it freely at the office. What happens when you do all this? * You become a rich source of information to all around you. * You are seen as a person with valuable insight. * You are perceived as generous to a fault, producing surprise and delight. * You double your business intelligence in one year. * You triple your network of personal relationships in two years. * You quadruple the number of colleagues in your life who love you like family. In short, you become one of those amazing, outstanding people to whom everyone turns, who leads rather than follows, who never runs out of ideas, contacts, or friendship. Here’s the real scoop: Nice guys don’t finish last. They rule!
This weekend was the second birthday of my sweet puppy Remington. My four legged, captain of the welcoming team, expert snuggler specializing in listening without judging and unconditional love. I am so beyond grateful that he can’t read or speak because being with me day in and day out must be a trip!
And thank goodness he is the best secret keeper. He never tells Chris the things he knows he shouldn’t. Like last week when I burned eggs when I tried to BOIL them… Yup, you read that right. We were in the next room and both went running in when we heard a pop and splat. There maaayyyy have been cooked egg everywhere and Remington promised not to tell. And he didn’t.
He reminds me when it’s time to step away for the computer for a break after being there for 3 hours straight and calls my attention to the birds outside. He appreciates the small things and reminds me to do the same.
He is my little lovey and I feel blessed to have his companionship and endless supply of puppy kisses.
by Ashley
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