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!

Tanya and Michelle

I was so excited for this photo shoot! Tanya and Michelle are the winners of our Who Do You Love photo contest from February.

These girls are a blast to be with and are so cute! I wished we'd had all night to shoot. Plus, I loved the locations we found. In fact, as I was driving to meet them, I saw out of the corner of my eye all these yellow garage doors. Boy, was that place cool or what? I especially loved the bright yellow with their bold red and purple shirts.

And here's a funny story for you. Turns out that Al is Michelle's great uncle. She said that Al is really only 93...I'll have to give him a hard time for lying about his age ;) What a small world!

Tanya is getting married in July and Michelle is attending grad school in Germany, so this was a perfect chance to get photos of these two.











































P.S. This is Tanya's car. It holds a special place in Michelle's heart because to get out of the passenger side, she has to roll down the window and open it from outside ;)

Al

Al and I go way back. When I was in high school, his wife Beverly was my piano teacher. I always loved going over to their house for my lessons -- they always made me feel welcome with a cookie and Al would tell me his latest joke. Beverly loved the color purple. I always chuckled at their twin purple couches set against spring green carpet and walls. Now it is a statement of who they are and I love it.

Beverly passed away a few years ago. Al is now 94. I had a great time taking his picture yesterday. He was worried I was going to use too much film on him despite my efforts of reassuring him that I could take more pictures than he could ever imagine with my fancy digital camera;)

I even got a kiss on the cheek because he said kisses made him smile :) Thanks for being such a great part of my life, Al!