Some people have the gift of learning by hearing instructions, or even by looking at a step by step manual. I, unfortunately, don’t really have either of those gifts… I learn by doing. A lot people ask me how I started with photography, wondering if I went to college to get a degree in it. The answer to that is… I almost did. For a long time, I bought into the normal societal assumption that to be anybody, to make a decent living, you NEED a degree. So naturally, when deciding I wanted to be a wedding photographer, I assumed that I had to go to school and graduate with a degree. Well, after a lot of conversations with numerous people, through lots of prayer and deep thinking, I decided against going to school… and instead, go and do photography. I watched tutorials, I went to photographer shootouts, I read books and manuals. I did take a few college courses on business and photoshop, but all my knowledge and experience in photography comes from doing as much of it as I possibly can.

So, at WPPI, that conference I talked about in my last post, my friends and I decided to further what we were learning and actually put our learning to the test. For these photos, since I didn’t bring my own camera (Nikon), I used Alexandra’s camera (Canon) to shoot. Now, before you Nikon lovers shun and banish me to the edge of town, just know I’m even more in love with my Nikon than I was before.  But for the record, it really truly is what you do with the camera that matters…. not what brand you use.

Here are some of my favorites from the evening of shooting for fun….

(Photo Credit: Betsy Lackey)

These three images were taken with one table light to her left….

These were taken with the desk lamp on to her left, and a floor lamp held up to her face to her right…. kinda looks like studio lighting, no? Loved these photos!

Alexandra holding the lamp for the above shots…

Then I shot a few of Alexandra with just the desk light on her left… Love the soft and seductive feel of this one!

Then they both stole the cameras back and shot me, but they made me laugh too much…

So then we got dressed to attend a photographer social function and ended up being REALLY late because we were doing this….

All in all, it was rejuvenating and SO MUCH FUN to shoot just for the fun of it. I highly encourage you to have fun, experiment, and put your book learning to action…. however that looks in your own life.

Every year there’s a gigantic conference for wedding photographers called WPPI at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, NV. It’s not just any conference… it’s the mother of all conferences and photographers from all over the world fly in to learn, hone their craft, see the latest in technology and products, and to brush shoulders with the best in the industry. You know when you’re watching the news and they’re covering some event that is swarming with paparazzi? Yeah… it’s kinda like that…. times 10,000. Photographers EVERYWHERE, impromptu photo shoots happening every 10 yards, and the typical elevator chit-chat includes photographer jargon like “…ISO capabilities…”, “… so we shot everyone in the church…”, and “…do you prefer auto white balance, or manual Kelvin?”

I love it.

Anyhoo…. the beauty of this conference is that it’s soooo packed with information, people to meet, things to see, and ideas to consider, that the growth happening during those few days is like forced osmosis. At the end of each day, it feels like your brain is exploding…. in a good way.

But I think my favorite part of this conference is what happens in between all of the learning, seeing, and people meeting. My favorite is the conversations and the time spent with those who sharpen me. Iron sharpens Iron, and I crave relationships like that. Although business and technical improvement are really important, they can’t be everything we talk about. And while I AM a photographer, I’m also a person who craves deep relationship, and I can’t live a healthy and balanced life by just nurturing one part of me. So in between the business and photographic learning at WPPI, I get to spend my time delving deep into issues regarding real life, purpose, and love with people whom I have the privilege of calling friends. We get to pray together, study His word together, cry together, and laugh until our insides fall out. The holistic growth the happens when friends, who happen to share the same passions as you, come together to build each other up…. it’s vital to my growth… as both a photographer and a person.

Here’s a few shots Betsy took of me while a few of us were in a fit of hysterical laughter…. love them!

Every year, I set goals for myself, and for my business. The goals range from simply spending more time journaling (it’s a lot harder than it sounds) and revamping my website, to bigger things like increasing the number of weddings, engagements, and portraits I shoot per year. I like to set goals because I never want to be a person who stops growing and learning. It’s a good exercise  to write these goals down because then I feel responsible to fulfill them…. kind of like keeping myself accountable to the person I wish to be. Well, one of my big business goals last year was to try to get 2 weddings published in magazines or wedding style blogs. I started smaller and submitted a few engagement shoots, then drew up the courage to submit some weddings. I was floored when wedding blogs and even a magazine wanted to publish my work! And I’m SO EXCITED to report that 3 Engagement shoots, 1 portrrait, and 3 weddings were published last year. Woohoo! The latest wedding to be published is Joe and Rachel’s Sacramento Area wedding from last fall! To view their full post at “On the Go Bride” Blog, click here.

So here’s to setting goals… dreaming bigger… and achieving those goals. Here’s to becoming to person we wish to be!

I met Karli and her mom at Casper’s Wilderness Park on a sunny January afternoon. The sun shone through the trees and sparkled on the grass as I imaged it would in any fairytale movie. It had rained heavily the week prior and all the new spring grass was starting to poke through, showing signs of an early spring. As Karli added some final touches to her outfit, I admired the guitar she brought with her… a simple silky smooth Martin Acoustic. I smiled to myself noticing all of this… the perfect weather, the butterflies and birds, and this sweet girl with her guitar…. and I knew this was going to be a PERFECT portrait shoot.

Karli is one of the sweetest and most beautiful 12 year olds I have ever met. Not only is she beautiful, but she’s also a great student, an athlete, and an extremely gifted musician! You can listen to her cover of Taylor Swift’s “White Horse” here:  White Horse, Cover by Karli

We had such a fun time that afternoon… here are my favorites…

We brought out Karli’s little friend Charlie for a few photos. They’re so cute together!

Then we took a few with her parents who are some of the most supportive parents I know! They’re so proud of their little girl and it shows in how much they invest in her. Karli, you’re one lucky girl!

Look at this fierce face! Karli! You rock girl!!