Into the Wild

Earlier this year, a couple we are friends with posed a great idea: why not get a group of friends from childhood along with their significant others and children together for a camping trip? We're all so busy and spread out now, it would be a chance to catch up and spend time together. A wonderful idea, except if you know me. You see, I do not camp. As in, I do not go places that do not have electrical plugs, working toliets and showers, and non-dirt floors. I consider a quaint cabin at say, the Awahnee in Yosemite camping.

This is not to say that I have not camped before. Oh, I've car-camped. I've backpacked. I've stayed in a tent just outside Tijuana, Mexico and bathed out of a bucket. So when people say, "You don't camp AT ALL?" in disbelief this is not because I have not tried it before. I just don't see the point. A good friend told me that she thinks camping is like pretending to be homeless, and I kind of agree.

To make things even more complicated, Scott and I had no idea when we started planning this we would be negotiating a cross-country move. He had to already be out in Chicago to start work and I, fresh off the plane from Australia, was wrapping up things in California. We ended up flying in from different states and meeting in Denver, both thrown off from jetlag and the haze of being in an airport constantly for the last month.

However, for this dear group of friends and the promise of an actual bathroom with working toliets (so it wasn't totally rustic camping, I guess), I decided to make an exception. Armed with toliet seat covers from the LAX bathrooms and my trusty Eddie Bauer lantern, I set out into the wilderness of Rocky Mountain National Park to reconnect with a fantastic group of people. And I can honestly say I did not regret agreeing to go camping for one minute.

But next year, I vote for a hotel with showers. :)

Enjoy!

The lighting was low, so it came out a little blurry. But this is the very elusive "whistle pig."








You may recognize this lovely couple on the right from an earlier post where I shot their wedding rehearsal and rehearsal dinner.

Jasmine Star Workshop (Part Deux)

As promised, I'm including some of my favorites from the photo session at the Jasmine Star Workshop.  This was a fun chance for me to see how Jasmine approaches shooting and interacts with her clients.  Of course, with twenty photographers crowding around, many of my photos have elbows and tops of heads in them, but the experience was far greater than the photos it yielded.

It was really special to me that the models were Gabriel and Carlie of Gabriel Ryan Photographers.  Not only are they amazing wedding photographers (and good lookin' models!), but Gabriel and I went to middle school and high school together, so it was a great opportunity to catch up and meet his wife.  They joined us afterward for dinner and shared some of the wisdom they'd gained in the business as well as encouraged me to boldly pursue my dream. 

Speaking of dinner, the entire workshop offered an opportunity to network and learn from the other photographers, but most especially at the dinner I enjoyed chatting with several of the attendees and J.D., Jasmine's wonderful husband and second shooter.  I was thrilled that I was surrounded by such a diverse, friendly group of people and although I am much newer to the business than many of them, they were very kind and encouraging. 

For Jasmine's far lovelier take on our day, please view her post on her blog.  The beautiful flowers were by Jaclyne at Heavenly Blooms.  Carlie's gorgeous dress was her own - she told me afterward that she had added the lace (an amazing idea to add a second life to your dress)!

Enjoy!

Jasmine Star Workshop

A little over three years ago I stumbled across some engagement photos online and gasped - they were breathtaking. In the midst of planning my own wedding, I immediately found myself poring over every single image on the photographer's website. Who was this Jasmine Star person and how could she, a photographer only about a year into running her own business, come seemingly out of nowhere and take such fantastic photos? Unfortunately, she was already booked for our wedding date.

As I started my own photography business, I found myself going back and reading Jasmine's blog (other photographers I've met have also copped to this and affectionately refer to "blog stalking" her). She wrote so honestly and sincerely about the trials of starting out and not knowing if what you're doing is right, and her photos were so crisp and beautiful. I was thrilled when she began offering workshops last year and immediately decided I had to attend one. It wasn't as easy as I'd hoped - Jasmine by now had an enormous following online and her workshops booked up in a matter of hours. At last, I found out I'd made it onto the roster for a workshop, but it was just days after I returned from a trip to Australia. Would I be able to concentrate, or worse, even stay awake for the workshop? No matter; I decided then and there that I might not have this opportunity again.

The Workshop was not your typical photography workshop. Instead of focusing on technique, Jasmine talked about building a unique brand through your photos, your logo, and how you run your business. Although she had a loosely structured presentation, most of the day was a long Q & A session - and Jasmine was totally open and game to answer any questions, personal or professional!

You know how sometimes you read about someone or see them on tv and then are disappointed when you finally meet them? Well that was certainly not the case here! In an industry where there is so much ego and a "fake it 'til you make it" attitude Jasmine is totally real. Before we even attended the workshop, she had individually looked through our blogs and websites and commented on them. She knew each of us already when we arrived and placed out handwritten notes thanking us for participating in the workshop.

Her message was simple: be yourself. It sounds cliche, but very few of the more established pros will tell you this because they have so much ego they think their way is the only way.  As a photographer, it's very easy to get distracted by what other people are doing. More times than once, I've found myself eyeing enviously another photographer's camera and equipment or amazing photos, and felt like I just couldn't compete. Although we did have a photo session and got to watch her in action, Jasmine stressed how you treat people and run your business is probably more important than the quality of your photos, because that is what people will remember most about you.

I've put some photos of Jasmine in action below and very soon I'll post some of the photos from the practice session.

Jasmine, I have no idea if you'll read this but if you do, thank you so much for a fantastic workshop and for reminding us that being an amazing person is more important than being an amazing photographer.

P.S. Please note that I had to include the photo of her feet because I simply adored her rockin' animal print dress and boots.  Girl got style!  That's actually what she wore to shoot the session!  LOVE her.

 

A Bloody Long Way To Go

They have a saying in Australia that it's "a bloody long way to go" in part referring to its distance from the mother country of England and of course in general to it being a separate continent so far away from everything else. After a 15 hour flight and coping with a mind-boggling 17 hour time difference, I'd have to agree! But when we touched down in Sydney, Australia somehow it all became worthwhile.

Whether taking tea in the little shops near the Circular Quay, grabbing a beer in an old pub with a secret passage underneath it, or traveling down the winding roads in a tiny taxi (or huge bus) on the left hand side and then going through a roundabout with white knuckles - Sydney was both quaint and metropolitan. The people were incredibly kind and very curious to know you. After traveling in Europe and practically having to apologize for being American, Sydneysiders feel a very common bond with America (our histories are remarkably parallel).

I had the privilege of traveling to Australia for my job - the one that doesn't involve photography - and had a great time because (or some would say despite the fact) I was part of a four-person faculty/staff team chaperoning 50 freshman business students to Sydney for 9 days. My traveling companions had great senses of humor and we just rolled with the punches that come with large group traveling. I could not have asked for a better trip, except it should have been longer and I want to see more of Australia. Regrettably, my suitcases were jammed with items for the trip and I wasn't able to take anything but a point-and-shoot. But I had to include just a few fun photos, especially of our visit to a wildlife park.

Enjoy!

Updates and Changes

Life has been crazy lately. I'm sure a lot of you feel the same. That is one of the great things about it, really - that you never quite know what to expect. It is a blessing, although sometimes I have to remind myself of that. You see, I'm not a big one for change. I'll keep a computer or cell phone far longer than anyone probably should. I just get used to something being the way it is, and have trouble sometimes accepting that the new thing may be greatly improved. But change is inevitable, and a good thing - it keeps us fresh and constantly working to be better.

I do apologize for the gap in posting! I have had so many things going on I haven't had a chance to edit all the photos and get a decent post together. There has been lots of things happening that I'm anxious to post about and I promise I will be updating a lot in the next few weeks.

The first and most obvious is that I updated the look of my blog! A big thank you to Ellie of Rainy Day Templates for her assistance with this. Please excuse things looking a little out of sorts for another week as I adjust to the new look and finish improvements. I do hope you like the new look. Please feel free to leave comments or suggestions!

Another even bigger change that I haven't alluded to much at all is that I've moved! Yes, I am now officially a resident of Chicago. I have only been here a few days but I am already enjoying myself. What does this mean for my southern California clients? I still plan to be back in southern California several times a year, during which I will be available for bookings. I also am available for a small travel fee for events or wedding photography. Please contact me if you have any questions or would like to know upcoming dates for booking in California.