Kanarraville, UT

This post concludes my pictures from my week in Vegas. As Michelle and I were driving back to Salt Lake, we first saw this old structure, with only 2 walls still standing. Cool, I thought. Right as we were driving past it, we both noticed the beat up, rusty car. Feeling all inspired from the week, we decided to go back and take pictures.

So, we drove to the next exit, turned around, and got off at the previous exit (the one for Kolob Canyon). We followed this awesome red road (didn't take photos of it....) but that road ended because of a small river. We backtracked (again) to the next exit and backtracked (again) to almost the same point where we were before. Is this making any sense? The road to get there was an old paved road, which was 80% dirt and dried up mud with huge tire marks from trucks. Even though it was a little crazy for part of the drive, it was totally worth it!


Here's a quick story from WPPI. Sunday afternoon was the start of the platform classes. I was running a little late and if anyone knows me, they know I like to be on time for almost everything. I was starting to get anxious in the car because I couldn't seem to drive there fast enough (without being a total maniac). I finally make it to the hotel and found a parking space, which was an ordeal in and of itself when I saw Barbara at the elevators.

I had never met Barbara before, but I could tell she was waiting for someone or something with all of her luggage by her side. I can't even remember how we started talking, but I learned that her ride hadn't been able to pick her up from the airport and she'd been hauling her luggage around all day. She was waiting for them to come now, but they were running late. She also wanted to get to the same platform class as me. She was 10x more stressed than me and she'd had a rough day. I insisted that she put her luggage in my car during the class. After a lot of convincing, she agreed.

Anyways, sorry this is so long! I just want to say thank you to Barbara for helping me open my eyes to the world. I was so caught up in my own priorities that day. I feel blessed that I had the opportunity to slow down and think of someone else other than myself.

Amazing Influences

I think the most amazing thing about WPPI is that I was surrounded by amazing photographers who are talented and think outside of the box. A couple photographers who really influenced me were Jerry Ghionis, Kevin Kubota, Joe Buissink, and Michael and Anna Costa.

Jerry Ghionis creates beautiful, sassy fashion weddings. He photographs unbelievable images in ordinary situations. Jerry showed us all of these before & after shots that were just astounding. I guess I can't ever complain any more about bad locations ;)

Kevin Kubota re-emphasized to me the importance of positive thinking, goal-setting, and having confidence. He has pointed me in the right direction and given me many great tools for moving my business forward.

Joe Buissink spoke on Tuesday night. I loved how he told us to "Find the moments." And then "See the moments with your heart." He was so inspiring and reminded us to give back. He published a book called Autistic Heroes, which is beautiful.

Michael and Anna Costa are located in Santa Barbara, a very competitive area, but are thriving. They are a great example for me because they don't let anything keep them from moving forward. I love their style and enthusiasm.


These are pics I took of Michelle while meandering around Vegas on our photo excursion. I wish I had brought a flash with me...as some of these indoor locations were dark...but I love the funky colors that showed up. You're gorgeous, Chelle!

Vegas in Black & White

While down in Vegas, I figured out how to shoot in black & white mode on my camera. I'd never done it before. Go figure! It was fun trying to pre-visualize and then get immediate results. I LOVE how my camera converts the colors into b&w. I'm excited to use this function more often :)

Ok, so more about my experiences down at WPPI....

It all started on Friday evening.

I had driven down to Vegas by myself because my other friends from Salt Lake couldn't make it to the Business Institute. I had everything mapped out on Google and I was ready to do this part of the experience on my own. As I was sitting at a stop light one block away from the hotel, I heard someone calling my name (I had my window rolled down because the weather was very pleasant). It was my friend Anna from BYU!

We went through the entire photo program together and I hadn't seen her for almost 4 years. It was wonderful to have a friend during the Business Institute, but even better to have a chance to catch up with Anna and talk about our businesses and goals during the breaks. I feel so blessed that we ran into each other again.

We also ran into our friend Jon on Monday morning, who is an amazing wedding photographer who shoots with FILM. I just found out that Jon will be sponsored by Fujifilm. Congrats, Jon! I always feel privileged to know you :)

Inspired, Excited, and Empowered

I can't believe how amazing WPPI was this year. Maybe it wasn't as good for me last year because I was sick and because I didn't attend the Business Institute, but I really feel like my week down in Vegas was life-changing. The problem is that I have so many ideas and so many things I want to do and I get back home and quickly get thrown into catching up. It's a little overwhelming, but....

it's all worth it! I want to share some of the things I learned, or things I was inspired by. It might take a few posts, and it might take a few days, but I just feel so refreshed in life that I want to share it with all of you :)

On Monday evening, I went to a seminar by Jesh de Rox. If you think the song on his website is beautiful, imagine listening to it live. He has become really good friends with Amy Seeley and she came to WPPI to play for him! It was incredible. It's hard to not be immersed in Amy's voice and the emotion in her songs.

Anyways, Jesh was so inspiring. I must say, I didn't know what to expect of him. I've admired his photography for some time now, and I am sometimes intimidated to meet someone like that. Jesh is so approachable, so down-to-earth, so genuine.

He spoke about how every voice is important. Jesh was so passionate when he described how valuable our relationships are in this life. He reminded us to share, listen, look & see, soak in, explore, and grow. And, he spoke about fear. The fear that keeps us from doing amazing things is misplaced fear.

I am seriously a better person from listening to Jesh speak. I feel blessed that he has touched my life. Thank you, to all of you, who have also touched my life in many ways. I hope to do better at showing my gratitude. I would not be where I am today without all of you!


These are some photographs I took with Michelle. We only walked a few blocks, but I wanted to try new things and be inspired. I was playing a lot with different shutter speeds: showing motion and stopping it.

WPPI: 2008

I am so excited for WPPI this year. For those of you who aren't geeky photographers, WPPI is a big photo convention held down in Vegas. There's a tradeshow, tons of awesome classes, inspiring photographers, and great networking. I came down a few days early this year to go to the Business Institute. Tonight, we had the first speaker, Jerry Ghionis. Man, I am already so pumped! I could've listened to him forever. I am so excited to implement all the things I am learning into my business.

For your info, I will be checking emails periodically and returning phone calls, but I will get to the bulk of my correspondence with you all when I get back into Salt Lake on Thursday the 20th.

These are some pics I took today of some Joshua trees outside of Vegas. It was nice to actually stop here (I've wanted to photograph them since I saw them from the freeway when I came down in January), stretch my legs, lose my keys, and enjoy the sun. P.S. I'm glad to be down here where it's pleasant and warm rather than Salt Lake, where it's cold and wet.

Cheers!