#88....check!

88. Watch the movie "Born into Brothels"

Last night I had Liene Stevens of Blue Orchid Designs over. I've gotten to know her a little and we are becoming fast friends. She brought Philippino food and I gave her a little crochet lesson. Here's Liene starting a baby blanket:


She's going to be done with that in no time :).

We also watched the movie "Born into Brothels." I first heard about this movie by reading Liene's blog and it peaked my interest. So I put it on my list to make sure I didn't forget I wanted to watch it. I know it's an easy goal to complete, but I wanted to make sure I was intentional.


The movie was about a young photographer, Zana Briski, who spent a few years living in the red light district of Calcutta, India. She got to know many of the women who make their living through prostitution as well as their children who live in some of the worst conditions I've ever seen. She got all of the children cameras and film and began to teach them about photography. It's amazing everything she poured into them -- even working tirelessly to get many of them accepted into boarding schools so they could escape their bleak fate in the brothels. This movie is definitely a "must see." I'm going to watch it one more time before returning it to the video store just to try to take more of it in.

Thanks Liene for a fun night! Can't wait to do it again!

Who are these guys?

So, at WPPI I'm eating dinner with some of my closest photographer friends. I've known these guys for over a year now. And all of a sudden they start talking passionately about literature and Shakespeare and stuff and I feel like I'm in the twilight zone. These guys are fun-loving and passionate about photography and I know they're smart and stuff but I was a little stunned by the fact that they were all so impassioned by this topic.

I started video taping them about 10 minutes into the conversation so by now they'd already covered a lot of ground. And a warning to those of you who don't know Isaac Bailey, Stuart Thurkill or Jared Platt or who aren't fascinated by literature--you might find this video extremely boring. But if you do know them, I hope you'll find it as entertaining as I did.

My beloved assistant

I finally got to take Jamie to dinner for her birthday tonight. We went to Mexican and I of course had fajitas :). Above Jamie is enjoying her flan.

Jamie has stuck with me for a year and a half so far and tells me that she is going to work for me forever. I keep telling her I'm going to need her to sign a legal document stating that :).

It was fun filling her in on WPPI and hearing everything she is up to with her growing portrait business. She has evolved into an amazing photographer! I'm so proud that I can take a little credit for her.

Thanks for the fun night Jamie! And for being the fun, great person you are.

Last Day of WPPI

I'm sitting at the Las Vegas airport waiting for my delayed flight to board so I thought I'd post real quick. Above is a photo of me with my buddies Todd Watson and David Jay, the superstar masterminds behind ShowIt Web software that any photographer who is even slightly cool uses to post slideshows on their websites. I was glad to run into them on the tradeshow floor and connect for a minute since there are thousands of people here and it's pure craziness.

I'm coming home a little tired out but with some great ideas I'm going to pursue as well as a few new products and I'm a little closer to checking off a few more business goals on my 101 list. I'll have to post on those a little more in the future.

My plane just arrived so that's it for now...

Shooting in Las Vegas

I'm having a blast in Las Vegas at WPPI. This is my second year here and it's definitely different than the first year but still just as great. Last year everything was new and I soaked everything in like a sponge. This year, I feel more relaxed and ok with not doing EVERYTHING, which is impossible anyway, and I'm mostly just enjoying hanging out with friends and meeting new people. That's definitely the best thing about these type of conferences. It's always great to learn and be inspired but the networking and relationship-building is the most valuable.

My friend, Jared Platt, who is a great Phoenix photographer, just shot a wedding for a couple who is now on their honeymoon in Vegas. So he contacted them to do a fun shoot while he was here. I tagged along as did two other photographer friends, Isaac Bailey and Andy Andrews. I mostly had fun shooting the other photographers.

Here's Andy shooting Jared laying on the ground as he shot the couple:


Isaac shooting Jared as the couple stood ignored in the background:


The always goofy Isaac Bailey:


And the cute couple:



I'm sure everyone wondered what kind of celebrities these guys were having four photographers following them around the streets of Vegas :). It was fun.

I've got one more day here and then I'll be headed home. I'll have to share more with you on what I've gotten out of WPPI once I get back and have had a chance to reflect more on it all. Till then...

I'm in love

OK, so maybe not REAL love. But Josh Groban is AMAZING!! I just got back from his concert. His voice is pewer shooga. I can't believe his range and how effortlessly he sings. He had an amazing group of musicians with him too. It was a total feast for the ears. And the set was great as well.

A huge thanks to my friend Julie who surprised me with his CD and tickets for Christmas. I had so much fun on our hot date! My good friend Marisa also came with and it was so special because both girls have 3 kids and we actually got a chance to talk uninterupted :). Here we are eating Mexican before the concert:


Unfortunately, the mean guys at the gates wouldn't let me even take my little point and shoot camera into the concert so I don't have any fun shots to share with you. But it was a great night!

Bright and early tomorrow I'm off to Vegas for a photography convention. I'm looking forward to networking with friends and getting to know new people. I'm sure I'll come back inspired and challenged!

Me & Pat McMahon

So here it is--my first TV appearance. And I say "first" because I'm sure this appearance on a little-watched local Arizona channel will lead to my career in network television and major motion pictures. It's just a matter of time :).

Thanks to Ken, my favorite DJ, for hooking me up with Pat. And to Owen, my video guy for getting the footage converted. And I'd also like to thank my parents, God and the academy :).

Enjoy!

My first TV appearance!

This morning I was interviewed by Pat McMahon on his show on our local AZ channel. I tivo-ed it and it was pretty crazy seeing myself on TV. It was fun and I'm working at getting the footage converted so I can share my segment with you. So stay tuned for that...

Other than that, today is a pretty lazy rainy day. It's pouring like crazy outside! I love when it rains.

Oh--I sent out my March newsletter yesterday so hopefully you got that. If not, type your email into the box on the right side of my blog and you will receive my monthly newsletters.

Hope you have a great rest of your day!

Jake & Taryn

Saturday was Jake & Taryn's wedding. They got married at Sassi, a beautiful venue that I was excited to get the chance to shoot at. And it didn't disappoint. It was not only beautiful, but the staff there was such a joy to work with--everyone was so kind.

I also got to work with Kim Horn, an excellent wedding consultant, who helped the day to run SO smoothly.

Of course the day started with all the getting-ready fun:


Taryn seemed very calm:



The dress was unique and had a vintage feel to it:


The veil:


The bridesmaids wanted to check out the reception site:


Jake & Taryn wisely chose to see each other before the wedding and we got some great shots of the two of them:



Taryn's dad walked her down the isle:


Check out how gorgeous the ceremony site at Sassi is:



The family members and flower girls looking on:


Jake was so excited to marry Taryn:


Husband & wife!


The reception room was beautiful. Designs by Design did a great job with the floral arrangements.


The cake was simple and elegant and the best part about it was that it tasted SO good. One of the best I've had and I've eaten a lot of wedding cake :). I will definitely be referring them in the future. Way to go Barbara with Let Them Eat Cake!


Jake and Taryn also had one of my favorite bands: The Shining Star Band. They rocked throughout the reception--amazing stuff! Here's the romantic first dance:


It was a great day! To see a slideshow of more shots from the wedding, including some from the rehearsal, click here.

Thanks to Jake & Taryn for allowing me to be a part of your wedding as well as to all the amazing vendors who worked together to pull off a great day!

#11....check!

11. Order pens for my business

This is one of those things I've had on my list of things to do FOREVER--something that would be good to do but is easy to put off and never get around to. So I put it on my 101 in 1001 list and I got it done! I feel so official now having pens with my logo on them :).

At receptions I put out little forms for people to write their email addresses on if they want to be able to view all the photos online. So it's great to have these pens to put out with them. And if people take one home with them--great! I have 500. :)

Two weddings featured in March issue of WC!

I just got a copy of the March issue of the Wedding Chronicle and two of my weddings are featured in it! Paula and Brian got married in November at The Wrigly Mansion and Kim and John got married in November at Grayhawk Golf Club. Both were amazing weddings. Each spread in the publication features numerous photos telling the story of the event as well as a few paragraphs on how the couple met and how their wedding day was unique. You can pick up a copy to see for yourself at any AJ's fine foods.

I also want to send out a congrats to my fellow photographer friends who were also featured in this issue -- Michelle Meyer, Jennifer Bowen, Gino with Story by Photo, and Anne McCarthy with One Fine Day -- way to go guys!

My "American Idol" Friend

Sean Michel was one of the groomsmen at Clay & Rhonda's wedding and I met him the day before at my favorite Thai restaurant in Greenville. I found out that just a couple months ago, he auditioned in Memphis for American Idol and made it as far as Hollywood! As soon as I heard that, I remembered seeing that episode. Here's his audition:

It was fun getting to know him--he had a lot of fascinating stories to tell. He has a band that tours around America. Click here to find out more about it and hear some of their songs--good stuff!

Rhonda & Clay -- South Carolina Wedding

Rhonda & Clay are two friends who I love dearly. They got married on Saturday and I was so blessed to be able to be there to witness their vows and to document the day of their wedding. It was really special to me.

The girls hung out and got pretty in the morning at Rhonda's mom's house. Rhonda held nothing back from the camera:


Rhonda is the cutest lil' southern bell with a drawl and all. I find myself wanting to talk like her when I visit :).



She looked absolutely gorgeous and glowed all day:


Clay and Rhonda saw each other before the wedding and we got some great portraits around the Furman University Campus that was absolutely beautiful.

This is Clay and Rhonda seeing each other for the first time:






The bridal party was large and a lot of fun. I got to know most of them as we hung out in the days prior to the wedding. Clay and Rhonda are both so good at being friends and it showed by the quality people and the amazing support they had in this group. Some came from as far as Taiwan to be there.



The ceremony was in a beautiful chapel on the university campus. Rhonda's dad walked her down the long isle:


And gave her away:



The ceremony was really full of meaning. I cried a little :).


Man and wife! Finally! :)


The first dance was sweet:



And they had a fun sparkler good-bye.


It was over so quickly--everything just flew by!

To see a slideshow with more photos from the day click here. The song is sung by one of the groomsmen and was played at the wedding--more on him later.

Clay & Rhonda--I'm SOOOO happy for you guys and miss you already!

The Neese Family

These are my dear friends I am visiting here in Charlotte this week. Michelle has been my friend since 4th grade -- for 20 years now! We only went to school together the one year in Minnesota. I remember riding the bus with her to school and singing songs. Then she moved away and we were pen-pals. I have over 50 letters from her from that time. We both moved numerous times and then when we were in high school she flew out to visit me each year because her dad is a pilot. Then I was in her wedding nine years ago. And since then she has had 4 kids. I've been doing the visiting the last few years and it's been nice because I have shot 4 weddings in the Carolinas now so each one is a good excuse to visit her. God has really blessed me with her friendship and used us in each other's lives over the years. We always have the best deep conversations about life. Anyhow... now that you know my life story :)

Today the kids were playing in the backyard--the weather is GORGEOUS here. And so I did some shooting and got some great shots of their cute family.

This is Gavin, the oldest:


Logan is next:


Rhiannon is the only girl:


And Aiden is the baby:


I love his chipmunk teeth:


Here's Brian and Michelle:


And a cute shot of the three boys:


I love this family. The kids are each so special and have their own unique personalities. My friend Michelle is an absolutely amazing mom. She blows me away. It's crazy to think about where we are now and how far we've come from the little girls who rode the bus together in 4th grade. Life is one amazing, unpredictable journey.

Cool NC Photographers

The wedding on Saturday was fabulous. I'm working on getting some photos edited to share with you. But...I'm also kinda on vacation visiting with my friend Michelle in Charlotte, NC. More to share on that later.

Today I met up with Sara and Melanie with Whitebox Weddings who are located here in NC. They are two super-cool girls who have a great thing going here in North Carolina. They somehow found my website and subscribed to my newsletter. So that's how I found out about them. Since I knew I would be coming here, we set up lunch and talked about the industry and all the stuff photographers enjoy talking about.

Some people wonder why I would want to meet up with other photographers who are my "competition" but I really don't view other photographers that way. I love networking every chance I get and sharing ideas and learning from one another. It's great to have friends to call on in times of need. And also, the reality is, I can only do one wedding a day. So when I'm booked, I want to be able to send brides to another photographer who I think is fabulous and will do a great job for them. When I do that, other photographers generally return the favor. So networking with photographers is one of the best things you can do marketing-wise. Plus it's just fun to have a good excuse to go to lunch!

Sara & Melanie--thanks for making the drive to meet up with me and I look forward to teaming up with you guys in referrals and hanging out with you in the future when the opportunity arises! You guys are great!

Clay & Rhonda's Engagement Shoot

So today is the day before Clay & Rhonda's wedding. It's a little crazy. But we made time today to do a very short late engagement shoot. It was fun shooting out here in the South Carolina countryside--such different scenery than Arizona's. Here's some of my favorite shots I got.







Clay kept kissing Rhonda on the nose--it was cute.




I can't believe the wedding is tomorrow!!

In South Carolina

Just wanted to post real quick that I made it to South Carolina last night and have gotten to catch up some with my friend Rhonda (3rd from the right). She and I lived together for 3 months in the summer of '99 while we took part in a ministry/discipleship program through Kingdom Building Ministries which included a one month mission trip to Thailand. It was an awesome experience.

Rhonda is marrying Clay (2nd from left) on Saturday and I'm excited to have the chance to shoot their wedding. They are really great people and I feel so blessed to be here. The photo above is of a bunch of us involved in the wedding going to lunch today at a Mexican restaurant. Good stuff.

Tomorrow I'm doing a late engagement shoot around Greenville with Clay and Rhonda so that should be fun. Stay tuned for fun pictures to come!

Happy Birthday Jamie!!

Today is my lovely assistant, Jamie's birthday. She has been working with me for a year and a half and I appreciate her as a person and everything she does for me SO much. She shoots most all my weddings with me and is very talented. She also takes care of most of my color correction and editing so that I can focus on other parts of the business which is a HUGE help.

You are awesome Jamie! And per the usual, your belated gift has been ordered but not delivered yet :). We'll celebrate when I get back!

#3....check!

3. Blog every day for a month


It feels good to check this one off my list because it's a big one. I can't believe I did it! Every single day since February 6th I have blogged. When I started my blog last April I couldn't imagine coming up with something worthwhile to say a couple times a week let alone every day. But this last month has stretched me and helped me to think outside the box with blogging. I think it will help me going forward to make my blog interersting and keep it consistent--even if I'm not posting every day.

Tomorrow I'm leaving on a jet plane for the Carolinas. I will be shooting a wedding in SC on Saturday and visiting friends in both the Carolinas the rest of the time I'm there--a week total. So it should be fun! I will be available by email and phone but it's hard to say what internet connection will be like so I'll try to blog a couple times. Hope you have a great week!

Introducing Tate

My friends Michelle & Haines, whose maternity shoot I did a few months ago, just had their little boy, Tate, on Saturday morning! He is 6 lbs and some change and 19 inches long. I got to stop by the hospital yesterday to meet him and shot a few photos while there. Oftentimes I don't find newborns super-cute but Tate is a cutie and I'm always so amazed at how tiny and soft newborns are.

Here are some of my favorite shots:



Blowing bubbles:


Angry-baby face:




SO sweet.

The Art of the Album design

Designing albums is an art in itself. I really enjoy the process of designing albums for my clients and giving them an end product that blows them away and is a treasured keepsake for the rest of their lives.

I encourage my clients to give me some freedom in selecting the images that go into their albums. That way, as I design, I can select the perfect images that will go together to make each spread really sing. Usually when I design albums with a certain amount of freedom like this, clients are very pleased with the result and just want to make a few changes. I am always happy to make the changes because I want the album to be perfect for them.

The alternative is to design the album with just the images that the couple picks out. I appreciate the time and thought that goes into the selection of images for their album. But often times, the selection of the couple is such that it is difficult to design the album as a piece of art (i.e. too many portraits and not enough detail shots, or not enough shots that help tell the story) and the design process deteriorates into one of trying to make everything fit. This type of design work can be difficult and frustrating for me simply because I really want the best for my clients and I know they're missing out.

Hazel & Elias got married just over two weeks ago and I'm excited to report that we already have their album design complete!! I'm excited about this because we have been trying to get caught up and one of my goals is to change our workflow so that designs are getting completed within two weeks after each wedding. So we're getting close!

I love Hazel & Elias--they are great and I really enjoyed working with them. They opted to go the route of chosing their own photos for their album so I designed their album with only the 115 photos they picked out. I believe they were concerned about additional cost, which I totally understand. But this album is a classic example of the outcome of the design process that doesn't allow for freedom on my part. I really did the best with what I was given, and I hope Hazel & Elias are happy with the outcome. But I'm a little sad because I think I could have given them something even better.

Click here to view Hazel & Elias's album design.

To view some other album designs, as a contrast, that were created with some freedom on my part, click here and scroll down past this post.

Feel free to comment and let me know what you think about what I've said and the pros and cons to the two alternative design processes. I would love your input and thoughts as I am trying to make the experience of album design the best for my clients!

Melanie & Eric's Engagement Shoot

Melanie and Eric are getting married in May in Sedona and today I shot their engagement photos! It was fun to finally meet Eric and get to know them as a couple. They are both really smart, kind people and we had a fun time together. We shot in Papago park and I think it was the most adventurous engagement shoot I've done. We hiked up the mountain and I even slipped and fell on my butt once but I saved the camera which is the most important thing :).

The Papago moutains are so unique looking:



Melanie and Eric are really sweet together.









And check out how GORGEOUS Melanie is. She looks like a model here:









Can't wait for your wedding in a few months guys! And thanks for introducing me to Thai Lahna--that was yum-meeee.

Duh...#75....check!

So I was just looking over my 101 in 1001 list and realized that #75 is Upgrade my 17" laptop. I did that! Fun to check off another one without even realizing it :).

Thanks for all your comments on my blog guys! I love reading them. I still can't believe how cute my parents are...

Hope you have a fabulous day!

#78....check!

78. Take photos of my parents


Yesterday my mom came over to hang out with me during the day a little. She had just had her hair done that morning and looked so cute. So I said we should do a photo shoot with her and my dad on one of the days she gets her hair done and she said, "How about today?" So we did it! It was a little sad though cause it was SO windy so I don't think you get the full effect of the hair-cuteness. But look how cute my parents are together!! They are some of my favorite people in the world and this August will celebrate 33 years together. I'm proud of them for sticking through some tough times. They know the meaning of their vows, "in sickness & in health." My dad nearly died of a brain aneurysm 5 years ago and his recovery has been a long one. But he's doing well and we are SO thankful to be able to still have him with us.

We had fun taking some photos with my dad and both of his babies:


He loves his motorcycle. Yes, my dad is a hard core biker-dude.

Those of you who know him are laughing right now. He's a gentle-spirited electrical engineer nerd in real life but I think the motorcyle helps him feel like he's a little more on the cool side :).

He had so much fun with these photos:




Then we took some shots around Freestone park.





And finally ended up in old town Gilbert where we ate at the new Oregano's there--yumm! But we took a couple shots while waiting for our table.



Love you mom and dad! Thanks for everything you've done to bless me and impact my life!!