Sneak Peek - The New Look, Pt. 1

Seriously!

I know you all have been patiently waiting, as have I. Not to worry, things are moving along nicely in regards to our website(s). I was so super excited to have received my new business cards the other day. There has been a lot of talk over the past few months about branding yourself. Let me tell you, I could write a million blog posts about branding, but I won't go there quite yet. Seriously, it has been a wonderful process, and I am so happy with the outcome.

Here is a little sneak peek for you. These are my new business cards, which I had printed over at Got Print . The picture does not even do the new logo or the colors justice, but this is only a sneak peek, riiiiight? The are glossy front and back and are sweet! Until next time.......

You may have noticed my new little border around the picture. Yep, get used to it, because it is here to stay, just at the new location!

The Workshop!!

It was all the buzz last week in blog land, when Jasmine Star announced that she was going to do her first official workshop titled, "The Workshop". Oh my goodness. I had a feeling that something like this was going to be coming soon, she just couldn't not do something like this with her major popularity, skill, commitment, and love for the photography industry.

I went straight to the website she created with Show It Sites and read all the details. It was so exciting! To spend an entire day with Jasmine Star and 19 other photographers who want to learn how to build their business, work on branding, and other shooting techniques. I started to send David text messages with the details and informed him that the workshop was going to be held on my Dad's birthday. He said it would be a wonderful way to pay tribute to my father's legacy in the photography business and go to Jasmine's workshop on March 10th. HOLLLAAA!! I am going and I can't wait!

*edit, I haven't been "wait listed" and I am going. I get to spend the entire day with some totally fabulous people!



I think with the huge response she has received from the workshop, there will be more in the near future.

My 3 Favorites & The Longest Day: Episode 1

Over the course of the last year, I have been networking with a lot of the top wedding and portrait photographers in our industry. Asking the craziest questions, mistaking them for their twin sisters, (sorry J* and B) and then laughing hysterically at the crazy antics of [b]ecker! I am honored to be a part of this industry where we document couples and families special moments in time with our time and talent. While I am still working full time at APU, I have invested a lot of time and money into improving my craft with the hopes of someday doing this full time. Because of my current job situation and the commitment I have at APU, I am not able to attend WPPI 2009 in Las Vegas. My goal is to attend WPPI in 2010 and see how this industry has been changed by people who want to make a difference.

Like I mentioned above, I have had the opportunity to meet some of the biggest names out there like Jasmine Star, David Jay and [b]ecker and I have admired their work for the past year. They have done so many amazing things for the photography community such as DJ and OpenSourcePhoto, [b]ecker and the [b]school, and Jasmine for her continual inspiration on her blog. Without these three photographers, I am not sure where I would be today. Don't worry, I am finally getting to my point. My three favorites are a part of The Longest Day project with Ron Dawson from F-Stop Beyond, who I think is also amazing. Ron has interviewed almost all of the top portrait and wedding photographers out there and asked some of the toughest questions, but really brings it down to earth for the rest of us to understand and respect who they are. You rock Ron!

So I guess my point is, watch the video below and see how some of the top wedding and portrait photographers (and my 3 favorites) in the industry are going to be making a difference for two separate charities, but will also be displaying their "other" talents in these upcoming episodes of The Longest Day! Cheers!




It’s been a long time in the making, but it’s finally here. The premiere episode of the first online reality TV show for and about professional photographers, “The Longest Day,” this year’s buzz-building videos series for WPPI 2009.

The premise is simple: get 24 of the hottest professional photographers in the country (and Canada), bring them all to southern California armed only with the knowledge that they would be split into two teams and given an assignment to complete in just 24 hours. Once they arrive, they find out their assignment is to write, shoot, and edit an original short film about photography, AND an original PSA about the respective charity for which they are playing: ThirstRelief and Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep.

Over a series of ten episodes, you’ll see the drama; the comedy; and the battle for the best video and PSA as voted on by YOU. That’s right, as we lead up to WPPI (February 14-19) we’ll air the episodes. Then, about a week before, we’ll show the final short films and PSAs by both teams. You will then have an opportunity to vote for the videos you like the best. Thanks to our sponsors, the winning team will win $3,000 for their charity. The other charity will earn $2,000. (In this episode you’ll hear me mention $1,000 and $500 as the respective prizes. The ante got upped since the taping of this show).

The Quads: 18 Months and moving fast!

Many of you who frequent this blog, have watched the Shahbaz Quadruplets grow over the past year and a half. Well, can you believe it? They are now 18 months and they are all walking, starting to say words like dog, mom and dad, and their personalities are developing, which is a delight. I think it is so wonderful that God has given each one of them a clean bill of health, and Phil and Amy can rest knowing they are healthy.

If you need any history of these four miracles, you can go check out their blog here and you can click on Shahbaz Quads on the right hand side of this blog to see all of their previous sessions.

This session was a little more unique because it was the first time I had all four of them on their two feet running around. I brought my husband David with me for the first part of the session so he could get a different perspective. He hadn't photographed the quads since their 1st birthday, and it is a little easier when they aren't mobile and people are holding them. :) There was one adult for each quad, and we still could not keep up. It is so wonderful in the fact that every session we do with the quads, we learn more about them. Cedar is the only girl and she let's everyone know she is in charge. She has these amazing little ringlet curls and the brightest eyes. Jonah, well, he is not camera shy at all, and I think that he is in love with me and my camera. Jeremiah is so calm and reserved, yet has the greatest smile. We think he had a little ear infection this time around, so we didn't get that classic Jeremiah smile. Jordan is hilarious. He is so smart and knows when you tell him no, because he will point his little index finger with you and say no. Whether that is smart, or little Mr. Attitude, that's another story. This time, they needed to have a snack before their session so they could be happy babies. *Note to photographers, make sure you coordinate with the parents as to when the eating and feeding times are so you have the happiest baby ever.

To view more photos from our session, CLICK HERE for a slideshow!