WPPI - The Nitty Gritty

I had no idea what it was going to be like, but I did expect to learn something. I just didn't expect to learn *this* much! WPPI was an amazing experience as as I said before, I'm overwhelmed with ideas and inspiration. Between Jasmine, Jose, Jill LaFleur, the Women in Contemporary Photography, and Photographer's Ignite, I'm spent. We had other classes too, but these 5 were the TOPS. Highlights for sure!

I should start off by apologizing for the abnormally long post. If I lose you here, no worries. I just don't want to forget this last week! I'm getting into the nitty gritty...the long way. =)

Opening night we went to a fashion show with Nigel Barker. Pretty awesome seeing him just right there. At one point he asked for volunteers to model for him on stage...and unless I started punching people out, I knew I wasn't going to get it. Alas, though. How sick would it have been to have said that I was shot by Nigel Barker?! Um, so insane I'd probably pass out. Or blubber like an idiot and literally not remember my name...oh wait, I did that with Jasmine Star too! Ugh. ;)

Anyway, here are some pics. First, Mr. Barker:

Jason and I in the Grand Garden Arena:

Seeing Jasmine rock it out:

Then Jose Villa! I took this picture of my husband who listened to Jose's 3 hour class too...totally worth it!!

Opp, then watching Jasmine talk at the Kubota booth...Jason took this picture of me standing in the crowd surrounding Kevin Kubota's booth that hour. =)

And beautiful Jill LaFleur's classroom!! This woman is amazing. Such an inspiration and for sure it was more pleasant listening with all the stunning decor she filled the room with.

And no stone was left unturned. Even her business card and info was stunningly wrapped for us! Jill, you rock! Swoon. =)

One class I didn't photograph, but was entirely worth the trip to Vegas was the Women in Contemporary Photography speech. Nine wonderful women who run super successful photography businesses spoke about their approach, their beliefs, and their advice. The arena was full of women, but luckily we landed a spot 2 seats over from Jasmine's husband, JD, so Jason knew he wasn't the only guy there. =) Kidding. But there were a lot of women...and the girls flocked to JD just as much as Jasmine. At one point, Jason looked at me and said, I honestly don't know how they deal with that! Props to you guys honestly...because at conventions like this, you've for sure reached celebrity status!! But back to the class. The women were amazing!

--Catherine Hall spoke about gaining confidence in your value as a photographer. Believing that you're worth what you charge. Because regardless of what the numbers are, you are worth what you ultimately believe you are! Uh, note to self.

--Jasmine talked about outsourcing the 2 things you're the weakest at doing. So if you can't design albums well, or some aspect of your business seems to be the bane of your existence, then outsource it. She also mentioned how severely important she thinks your online storefront is. And how blogging has made her who she is. People see her in everything she does. She has a thumb-print on literally e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g, so her brand is now desired by a ton of brides. Even non-brides. And yet, she says people are attracted to people who are like themselves. Thus when someone doesn't like your style, awesome. Because it gets you closer to narrowing down YOUR brand. Noting...

--Lindsey Adler was a surprise because she shoots fashion. LOVE. Her approach was super similar to the others, but since she's so business savvy in the fashion world, it was like listening to a lightning storm because she just radiated power. Noted.

The other women were absolutely fabulous as well--Joy and Jules Bianchi, Jessica Claire, Kay Eskridge, Dawn Shields, and Sarah Petty--so check out their work. Women's work. Yaya.

As WPPI came to an end, there was another highlight, besides what I've just raved about. This last class, or show rather, called Photographer's Ignite sent us home with a bang. Basically 18 photographers get just 5 minutes to speak and share their wisdom with us. This made for the most entertaining morning. It was just plain fun for sure!! I had not expected to literally wipe tears from my eyes from laughter, but Kirsten Lewis gave me no choice. And Jasmine decides to get up their and give her words of wisdom in an acapella rap! Are you serious? Girl, you are ridiculous!! And if you want to see them both: click here.

Below is a photo of the fabulousness that #photoignite held.

Pictured above (in presenting order) is Kevin Kubota, Tracy Taylor & Dee Green, Scott Bourne, Jasmine Star, Wendy Roe, Tamara Lackey, Taylor Jackson, Becker (who is amazing as well...but I missed his class because of a flight. So sad.), Kirsten Lewis, Dale Benfield, Lydia Shannon, Kimberlee West & Marissa Boucher, Mike Larson, Vicki Taufer, Rosaura Sandoval, Jason Groupp and Joy & Jule Bianchi.

All you guys are superheros. I loved every minute.

Can't wait for next year!

Happy Tuesday!! ~Shannon

Inspirationwhelmed

Today is Saturday and after a super long journey home, I am feeling overwhelmed with inspiration. OVERwhelmed. Inspirationwhelmed. I learned so much at WPPI and I'm not sure where to start in the sharing of what an experience this was for me.

So let's start with the easiest thing to talk about...I was fortunate enough to actually MEET both Jasmine Star and Jose Villa. I've been following Jasmine for the last 3 years and to get a chance to just thank her in person was beyond exciting for me. When I walked away, my body was shaking with adrenaline and I know she has no idea what she's done for me, but she has made me better in every way possible. And I honestly love her for it. As for Jose, I only recently started following him after seeing his work in a magazine...and I just can't get enough of him! I looked at his images so often that I recognized them in an album at the trade show. There was no watermark or logo, but I was SURE they were his. At the back of the album, they credited Jose Villa for the images. It was then that I knew why I'm so taken aback by these two. They poses a quality of image that is so real, so consistent, and so beautiful, that I instantly know who shot what! My crowning achievement in life will be just this. I have a long way to go, but geez the inspiration and excitement is bursting from me. Like confetti. And I honestly have no other way to describe it!

After an emotion-packed few days, my husband, Jason, and I took class after class to absorb the best of the wedding photography industry, which is filled with some of the most genuine people on the planet. I met photographers there, however, who thought I'd been shooting weddings for years. I passed out my cards and then thought...I wonder if they'll even like me because I have so far to go... It's been a challenge for me to not continually compare myself to others, but my journey is unique and we all have to start somewhere. On our own time. I honestly love my fashion and won't ever give it up, but I am eager to dive into this industry and shoot real-life love on a regular basis.

I have a few more changes to make to my new wedding-website before releasing it, but then it's go-time. I'm all in. And even though I'm starting in the back of this race, humble and meagerly trying to find my way, I will. At least I'm praying I will. There is so much talent out there and I struggle with thoughts of worthiness. But I'm still shooting, still dreaming, and still in it.

Love & Joy.

Shanny

WPPI - Eeeeeeeeeeek!!

I don't know who's more excited...me or the dogs?!! Tomorrow morning my husband and I leave for WPPI! Viva Las Vegas! I have wanted to go for years. Finally it's here. And I'm totally pumped. I signed up for tons of classes and hope that I have enough time to actually see everything/one on my list. Of course, I'm also stalking Jasmine Star, so hopefully I'll get a peek of her too...in-between all the classes I'm taking. I honestly can't wait! Eeeeeeeeeek.

But my dogs are freaking out too. See, whenever Jason and I leave, my dad takes care of the pups. (Thanks Dad!!) To keep them occupied, we give them a new toy that they can destroy. It makes for a messy house, but it also makes for a two of the happiest dogs! I gave them their new tigers just before heading to my dads for their stay. Both looked at me with eyes screaming "Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeek!" =)

Eddie's Smile kills me.

Have a great week everyone!!!

Our Ordinary Valentine's

I have a tiny family of 4: A husband, 2 dogs...and me. They are the love of my life and I don't think anything compares to the awesomeness of their personalities and our day to day routine. I am learning to love my life in the ordinary. Yesterday's sermon was about remembering to thank God in the ordinary. It's easy to call on Him in times of sorrow and pain, but what about all those times during the day when life is entirely ordinary? Thank you God, for my life as of now...plain and simple. Laundry in progress, dishes in the sink, flowers on the table, photos waiting for edits, a dog at my feet, a dog barking at the door, and the greatest man ever to have spent the last 10 Valentine's Day with.

Our ordinary life is perfect. And our ordinary Monday night--workout, make dinner, play with the dogs, and watch 90210--will be the best extra-ordinary Valentine's!

♥ Happy Valentine's Day my love! From me and the Dogs. xoxo ♥

Personal: The cupid-gram

A few days ago, my sister-in-law asked me what Jason and I did for our first Valentine's Day. For someone who seems to remember everything, literally so many details it's obnoxious, I actually wasn't sure I could remember. I tried thinking hard, squinting my eyes towards the bright sunlight...as if using the trick to correct my astigmatism might help me correct a memory lapse. I can't really remember, I'd told her. But I'll think hard on it...maybe the answer is in one of my old diaries, I suggested.

After a few hours of trying to remember which one was our first one--To the diaries I went. And back down memory lane for longer than I'd wanted to be there. Within the pages of my high school diary there was more heartbreak and anxiety than I'm proud to admit. Sure there were happy times, but I found the pages riddled with phrases like why doesn't he like me, maybe he'll notice me today, I'm so heartbroken I can't eat, hopefully by the next entry we'll be dating, and maybe I won't ever truly understand love until I'm married. As for the Valentine's Days, most were fairly bland and some were down-right sad. When I was a freshman, I'd fallen hard for this guy in the 10th grade. When Valentine's Day came, our high school gave out cupid-grams...a red rose and a song from our choir were delivered to all the lucky girls. For most of the girls who didn't receive one, we'd brush it off like it was no big deal--a dumb thing anyway. But to me, it was the world! I would lay in bed the night before thinking about how it would happen. How this guy, was going to send me one in Biology, no 2! cupid-grams. I would be the talk of the school, I'd thought. But things don't always work out the way you dream. I didn't receive one from him, but instead, he'd given his red rose and song to one of the prettiest girls in the school. As for me, he later taped a blush-colored carnation to my locker as a peace offering. A carnation?! I have since hated that flower.

Since, as it seems, Valentine's Days never really amounted to anything, I started realizing that I've suppressed most of my memories of this yearly holiday. After spending hours re-reading those high-school days, I was glad I'd let them go and failed to remember them. The joy didn't flow through the pages until I'd met Jason and honestly things were so awesome, so happy, that I hardly ever wrote. I was so busy living life with him that I'd let years fly by in my diary--empty page after empty page. But somehow, as odd as this sounds, staring at those blank pages jogged the memory of our first Valentine's Day. As neurons fired rapidly, I smiled as I remembered it:

I'd been at school all day...watching the girls in my class get cupid-gram after cupid-gram...and rose after rose. I was a senior that year and Jason was a freshman at CU, so clearly I should have been over the whole rose/song thing, but I wasn't sure I was. Yet, I'd made it through the day in good spirits and was looking forward to our date later that night. As soon as I had walked inside my basement door, I noticed that the floor beneath me was littered in petals. Red rose petals covered our teal carpet in a trail to my room. At the age of 17, this was honestly the coolest thing ever!! On my dresser sat a dozen long-stemmed roses, a teddy bear, and a HUGE box of chocolates in the shape of a heart. There was also a few cards waiting to be read and a note that said "Call Me". I remember picking up the phone thinking, this is SO much better than a cupid-gram!

I found out later that his sweet surprise was hardly an easy feat. He'd asked my parent's permission to sneak into the house during the day and had strategically planned the drive from Boulder to Longmont in-between his own classes, making sure to miss my late-morning departure for school and my early arrival home...nothing was easier than my senior year in high school let me tell you! Ha! But back to the story. Jason had planned a lot of this well, but had forgotten one super important detail. Um, gas! He'd run out on the highway. Of all places! Bad news bears. Not only had he run out, but he couldn't think of anyone who could help him, so he started jogging to the nearest gas station...nearly 3 miles away. I laugh every time he tells me this story because not only did he have to run there, he had to run all the way back, with a shiny-red gallon of gas. Obviously he'd made it before I'd come home, but his effort alone won him the boyfriend-of-the-year award, and those chocolates tasted sweeter as he'd reenacted the scene at dinner.

This cupid-filled day lands once every year and yet while I can't remember them all, there are a few that are unforgettable. There was the one where he'd surprised me in Cali at school with flowers and a visit; or the one when he'd forgotten entirely until the night of so he purchased not one, but fourteen separate bouquets as a make-up; or the one where he surprised me with a cozy dinner that he'd made 100% on his own; or the one where he learned that I honestly do not like traditional V-day gifts--in fact, I loathe the jewelry pendants & candy. And pink is my least favorite color. Props to J for figuring that one out early-on.

Valentine's Day is around the corner again. The 10th one we've celebrated together! Ten. Our life IS love, so a specific day on the calendar seems mundane. But we'll celebrate anyway! Gives us another excuse to stay in together and be happy as pie. Happier than a cupid-gram could have ever made me. ♥

Photo: Senior Year 2002 with J.

Bridals: Fashion & Hailey Middleton

You know everyone is going to shoot her after this, she said. I laughed...knew she was right. Natosha, my makeup artist, & I had been working together for awhile so we knew this girl was beyond GOOD! Last March, we caught a beautifully warm day and shot for hours. At least 700 pictures filled my card after only three outfits. But she was ridiculous. Better at modeling than I think she'd acknowledge. Yet it seemed like somehow she knew she was good. Hailey Middleton. I knew I wouldn't soon forget her name. And 'Tosh and I just laughed out loud. Hailey, don't forget us when you're famous. =) Lol.

Hailey makes my shoots something straight out of a fairytale. She connects with the camera--latches on and never lets go. She's somewhere between amazing and perfect, I think. Maybe it's her confidence? Maybe it's in her blood? Or yet maybe it's the adoration and support from her mother who accompanies her on shoots...who sits quietly in a corner, but beams pride Hailey turns to fuel? Nan, is someone I'm super fond of. And we've only met twice.

On a snowy day last week, Hailey showed up looking stunning as ever to help me shoot another bridal-look for my wedding portfolio. I want brides to see how gorgeous you can look! And while I feel a few heads shaking...you don't have to be Hailey or even a model to look this good! You just have to "beam." Laugh out loud like no one is listening and smile, like my friend Cassie says, as if you don't care if anything's in your teeth. =) Basically just show me your "happy." The fact that you're beautiful makes you the perfect model...and you're beautiful because you're YOU. ...and because you're in love.

You'll be the prettiest bride anyone's ever seen. Swear. But if you're still not convinced...let Hailey inspire you. And then summon up the gumption to rock it out--entirely out.

Makeup: Natosha Cooke

Hair: Brandice Rodriquez

Model: Hailey Middleton

Flowers: Yours Truly

Gowns: Alisa Benay

Location: Niwot, Colorado

Happy Tuesday! xo

Wedding: Boulder Bridal Shoot...Part 2

The following is the reason I love photography, but mostly, why I love shooting people. I LOVE fashion...every single aspect of it. Even the ugly-pretty. But people in love? Is there anything that beats that? Throw in a little fashion and suddenly I'm on cloud 9. And 10.

Here are the images I've been so excited to share during our second-set a few weeks ago. Once again, many thanks to those of you involved. And double hugs to you, Cassie, who knocked it out of the park when I'd asked you to be a part of something with only 48 hours to create. =)

Luccia & Austin, you rocked my world here!! =)

Makeup: Natosha Cooke

Hair: Brandice Rodriguez

Location: Flagstaff Road

Grip: Jarrod Renaud

Scene Design: Cassie Jahn

Flowers: Shalynne Imaging

Models: Luccia and Austin

___________________________________________________________________

And just because I can't resist! ...a quick shoot with Brytny just before sunset in an Urban/Winter Bridal look. =)

Makeup: Natosha Cooke

Hair: Brandice Rodriguez

Location: Flagstaff Road

Grip: Jarrod Renaud

Model: Brytny

Flowers: Cassie Jahn

Cheers & Happy Friday!!!

♥Shanny

Memorable Blue

Today I'll always remember. The gentle snow that fell all day like confetti, the cold temperatures of 30° feeling warm after -17° days last week, the cozy lunch with Jason at Chipotle for the hundredth time. =) I have so many days like this, but today felt special.

I took the dogs out for a run in the field tonight. Just before sunset, yet again, our trees made a silhouette that was stunning against a snow-lit blue sky. B.l.u.e. ...tranquil, quiet, confident, and loyal. I had to take a picture.

Something about holding a camera makes me feel whole...

P.S. I am super excited to attend WPPI this year and try to "accidentally" run into Jasmine Star! Woot!!!