ESCALATE Yourself! Mon. March 15, 2010 photographers
Whew, am I ever glad that WPPI is over! While in one sense, it is my absolute favorite week of the year, the smoke and general "ick" of Vegas seems to cling to me long after I return home. Also the laundry--let's just say it's almost unbearable :)
One thing that I do LOVE about WPPI though is that it is an incredible opportunity to meet and reconnect with so many of you! Even though I must have had hundreds of conversations, I know that there were also many people I didn't get to see or chat with, which makes me sad.
Another thing I love about WPPI is the chance to learn from so many amazing speakers, many of whom I consider friends. I only wish that there was MORE time to hear them and chat with them face to face, instead of being swallowed in a sea of people the second they step off the stage.
What I think really sets ESCALATE apart is the fact that the 7 speakers each represent a completely different aspect of the industry. Being able to learn what they have to offer all in one shot is really a unique experience. Plus, you can't beat the price!! It's SUPER inexpensive--only $179 for the first group that registers and $249 after that, and what you get is two FULL days packed with awesomeness.
Not to mention that the people speaking are freaking incredible (myself excepted, of course!):
Jerry Ghonis
Becker
Jasmine Star
Dane Sanders
Jeremy Cowart
David Jay
These things are the reasons why I am SO excited to announce ESCALATE, which will take place right here in Newport Beach on May 17-18!!
I'm so honored to be able to stand up with some of the people I respect most in this industry, and in front of the people who attend!
Even though each of our individual pieces are only that--a small part, we are hoping to create a WHOLE bigger than the sum of it's parts. The thing I absolutely am most excited for is being able to have connections and conversations during the time that I am not speaking, and as a bonus, in a smoke-free, less distracting environment!
Seriously, run, don't walk to get a ticket to this thing. It will be, in a word, EPIC!
And because you've made it this far, here's a shot of the amazing JP & Kris Ann Elario's wedding that I shot last week in Albany. More coming soon!
I hope to see you all at **ESCALATE 2010!!!!!**! Shout it out in the comments if you're with me!
WPPI: Where to find me! Sat. March 6, 2010 my life
Sunday:
9:00pm: MGM Poker Room for the Annual Photog. Tourney
11:00pm (maybe!): Airhorns & Lasers Party!
Monday:
10:00am: SHOOTSAC™ Booth #1246 Grand Marquis Ballroom
11:00am: Chat wtih Dane Sanders at the Fast Track Lounge
11:30pm-3:30pm: SHOOTSAC™ Booth #1246 Grand Marquis Ballroom
6:00pm: Jasmine Star's Platform
Tuesday:
11:15am: PickPic Booth: SPEAKING about marketing & how to get featured on blogs!
12:00pm-3:00pm: SHOOTSAC™ Booth #1246 Grand Marquis Ballroom--COME GIVE A VIDEO MESSAGE TO US!
1:00pm-4:00pm: Shootsac Booth
10:00pm: [ b ] Party!
Wednesday:
11:15am: PickPic Booth: SPEAKING about marketing & how to get featured on blogs!
12:00pm-3:30pm: SHOOTSAC™ Booth #1246 Grand Marquis Ballroom
Thursday:
9:00am: Photographer's IGNITE Presentation! My Topic: How to Succeed at Photography (without really trying)
So come and see me! Say hello! Don't be shy! Also, this is what I look like this year, no more red hair for now:
A Shoot in Four Words (and FOUR NEW COVERS!) Thu. March 4, 2010 gossip
When Amy of Weddingchicks first told me about her idea of a styled bridal shower/brunch in combination with an engagement session, I was hooked! I shoot TONS of wedding stuff, but not much girly/bridal stuff, so it sounded like it was right up my alley! It didn't hurt that I also had four HOT new SHOOTSAC covers to shoot, and I knew that I was sold.
I wasn't wrong.
Amy put together an absolutely AMAZING team of people to design, style, and execute the shoot. If you are a bride reading this blog, you'd be making a smart move for your wedding by working with any of them:
THE FOUR INSPIRATIONAL COVERS FOR THIS SHOOT: Cheerful, Engaging, Whimsical and Swell--our NEW covers that will be available on the SHOOTSAC WEBSITE first thing on Monday! You will meet and get to know them today--I'm sure you'll become fast friends!
The focal point for this shoot was simple: A yellow button.
Why a yellow button? I don't know! Because buttons are adorable? Because I love them? Because I want to see more of them? Whatever the reason, once I threw that out at Amy, Ashlyn & Heather, they jumped on the button train and got to work!
I'm not kidding, they seriously got to work--making table runners, stringing buttons, you name it:
Buttons buttons everywhere!
Even hanging from the ceiling like a more beautiful dream catcher than I could have ever dreamed!
These recipe boxes and menu cards were so sweet! The buttons on the front are actually hair clips from Ink and Button--I kept the yellow and blue ones--try to spot me wearing one in Vegas next week!
Each girl had her own name attached to her box:
Teaspoons adorned the back of the chairs, affixed with yellow string:
Flowers with little edible treats in them and sprigs of fresh yellow buds make the table look so clean!
Erika showed up with the cake-S! I thought i was in heaven when she showed us the little baby cakes:
Each individual cake was placed on the plate for the guests as a dessert:
They were just so darling!
Katie, our beautiful bride toasts with her girlfriends:
So much cuteness!
Look who else made an appearance at brunch!
Nom nom nom--Cafe Mimosa, I love you:
Time spent with your girls is time well spent:
Some more morning cheer:
It was a brunch that was, in a word, CHEERFUL!
Later that afternoon, we took the opportunity to style and shoot a little engagement session for these two. Aren't they just...swell?! A little old fashioned, and a little laid-back, we had the most delightful afternoon!
Seriously, can they be any cuter?
One of my faves:
Erika made us these little button shaped cookies! This shoot is for the modern day housewives out there:
Ryan tries to steal while distracting Katie:
A kiss on the hand may be quite continental...(bonus points if you can fill in the blank):
Isn't life just swell?
One element that the whole team tried very hard to bring to the shoot is the element of WHIMSY! To be Whimsical, in my opinion, is to be DIVINE! And divine it was to have details like these--colorful baking supplies, a bright yellow clock, a hand tied stack of treats, a glass jar of buttons--all too beautiful for words!
Making the most of those mini-cakes:
The bouquet was just so much fun! Look a the buttons wrapping the stems:
Fun fact--the green suitcase is the one I used to exit my own wedding reception :)
I love it even more today than I did then:
Look--a whimsical little cover showed up, along with a play on photography with Ryan holding the bouquet:
When I think of Whimsy, I think--slightly unexpected and always light and fun!
Rachel, you are a beautiful, whimsical model:
The trick to a great shoot, if there is one, is that it be ENGAGING! What does this mean? Well, simply that it can attract and hold your attention. I think that these two have the ability to do that, don't you?
Katie and Ryan seem engaged with one another:
Which leads to sweetness:
And more sweetness:
The patterns and textures here are engaging to me:
And Ryan is engaged by Katie:
I am quite engaged by her also!
You make this new cover look amazing!
And two more, just because I love them:
These FOUR new covers: CHEERFUL, SWELL, WHIMSICAL & ENGAGING will be ready for you to buy on the SHOOTSAC™ site on MONDAY, so get 'em while they're hot!
And for the hottest thing since sliced bread, head over to THE SHOOTSAC BLOG to see our CRAZY new announcement (here's a little sneak peek):
Everyone who was involved in this shoot--I love all of you--you're the BEST! Pop on over to Weddingchicks for more!
I done got behind again Fri. February 26, 2010 people
So many shoots, so little time!
The past few weeks, I've been shooting up a storm, and I'll be spending some time this weekend and early next week cooking up a TON of new blog posts for you. Because it's Friday, and I like for Fridays to be extra pretty, Here's a little bit of what I've been working on.
In other news, I'll be heading to LA today for my semi-annual haircut! I try to go right before WPPI and then again in October for my hair appointments, and this time, I think I may need a bit of a change. So--bangs? no bangs? Super dark hair? Back to red? Help me, and SOON!!
Oh right, the shoots--that's why you're here! Well, first there was this beautiful couple who is pregnant with TWINS! Mandey is due really soon, so hopefully by the time I post their photos, I'll have some adorable baby photos to go along with it!
Then there was the little mini-session with Little A, the daughter of my friend Kate, Florist Extraordinaire. We only shot for about 10 minutes but there were a few gems:
I can't forget about Katie & Ryan, who modeled for the Weddingchicks style shoot! You'll see that one in the next week or so:
This drop dead gorgeous couple is one of my 2010 couples whose wedding I'll be shooting in October! I can't wait for this one:
And it's always a good day when I get to photograph Braedon & Lindsay, especially for one of my workshops!
Last, but certainly not least, if you haven't heard, we are launching FOUR BRAND NEW SHOOTSAC COVERS AT WPPI! Not going to WPPI? Don't worry--this new cover and it's three best buddies will be up on the shopping cart on March 8th! Make sure that you are on our MAILING LIST, because I have a feeling that these are going to sell out really quickly:
And that's it for now! I'm shooting a bridal shower for superstar Leila Khalil on Saturday, and it's got an amazing team behind it so I'm sure that will be fun to share as well :)
Everyone else, there is LIMITED space at the venue and they've already sold most of the tickets, but you might be able to snag them today--I wouldn't wait on this one, just click the poster below:
One more winning thing that happened this week was my latest JC/OC Workshop! This one was styled by Rebecca Stone of Duet Weddings with amazing florals by Kate Holt of Flower Wild, so needless to say, it was SO stunning. Here's a little overview, and I'll be posting about this in the future!
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