As I spend the next few days reeling from the overload of information from my time at the WPPI convention in Vegas, I feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity to have attended.  It’s something I attend every year, and I always come back feeling so inspired and ready to push myself to new heights with my art.  This year I returned from my convention with a deep desire to continue to form deeper relationships with my clients.  Somewhere at sometime I said, “People meet me as clients, but leave as friends,” and I realized that not only is this true, but I realized how much it means to me.  Having genuine relationships is a core value that I want for myself, my business and my clients.  It is very important to me.  I used to think that I was such a sap because I would well up with happy tears at some point during the wedding day.  I’ve realized I’m not a sap ~ I care about my clients;  If I didn’t, I would mechanically be memorializing the event, but I’m not.  I’m there feeling and experiencing the emotion of the day ~ that emotion, I’ve come to realize, is what I believe helps me create images my clients love.  I want that emotion to show with every shot I take ~

Life is about relationships…plain and simple.  Sure, we strive for material things and push ourselves to attain what this world calls “success,” but in the end none of that matters.  It’s the relationships that trump any and all other things.  For me, it’s my relationships with Jesus, my family, friends and my relationships with my clients.  So along with this year’s goal of being “schooled,” under the best of the best to perfect my art, I’m focusing on what’s important ~ relationships.

I’m a high achiever; I always have been…in the things that I’m passionate about (school wasn’t one of them…in case any of my teachers read this and chuckle at my self-proclaimed high-achiever status).  When I was super passionate about running…I ran marathons (the goal to break 3:30, extremely close but not yet).  When I wanted to have a baby, I had twins.  Okay, maybe I can’t take all the credit for that, but it fits.  Photography, I push myself every single day to be the kind of photographer that I want to be.  I do not want to be mediocre.

Unfortunately, for me, my drive to be the kind of photographer I know I can be and my high value on my relationships haven’t quite gone together like peas and carrots.  I KNOW I can have both; I know it:)  This year I’m going to work on making it happen.  Maybe this means less clients to be able to have more of “me” for my relationships.  Maybe it means reworking my workflow….and I know it means hiring an assistant.  I’m completely inspired and excited about what this will bring…

Sooooo….after my little heart-felt recap, I hope you enjoy these images I took at one of my workshops this past week in Vegas.  I studied under Mike Colon, known as the Legend Behind the Lens.  Mike Colón is a world-renowned celebrity wedding & lifestyle photographer based in Southern California. He has been shooting professionally for more than fifteen years and has traveled the world on assignments for his discerning clients. His resume boasts household names like Usher, Timbaland, Jim Carrey, Chad Ochocinco, Mel Gibson, Kenny Wayne-Shepherd, Bernadette Peters, Mandy Patinkin, John Goodman, Russel Simmons, Ines DiSanto, Grace Ormonde and Louis Vuitton.

Now, do I want to be a celebrity wedding photographer, no.  Do I want to make my clients feel like super stars?  Definitely!

From the feedback I received on my sneak peek, I think you’ll enjoy my full blog posting of this styled shoot!  What do you think of those incredible colors and overall style of the shoot?  Leave me a bit of love and let me know what you think about today’s post:)  Blessings!