Really, this time! I have a lot of friends with kids and I sooo enjoy being 'Aunt Stephanie' to all of them. Kids are the best and I've gotten good at playing with them and wearing them out for mom and dad. :) Its awesome. but NOW!! I have a real, honest-to-goodness, actually-related-to-me nephew! My big brother, Jeremy, and his wife welcomed little Brad Michael into the world on Monday, October 26th (which is Jeremy's birthday too! What a gift!). We're so happy to have him here, especially my mom. Brad is her first grandbaby so she is just over the moon to finally meet him. I'm pretty excited too, in case you didn't notice. :)  I got to go over to their house to meet our newest addition this weekend and get some first baby pics. We didn't really have time for a full session but I managed to squeeze in a few, of course. Welcome to the world, Brad, and you better get used to Aunt Stephanie having the big black box clicking in your face for years to come.

Ok I know I promised more on the couple that modeled for us at the Jessica Claire Workshop some time ago so I'm sticking to my promise and ready to deliver! Gena and Jeff were the loveliest models a girl could ask for. Although they've been married for 4 years already (!) they were just as sweet and cuddly as if it were their own wedding day. We got a chance to get some time with the Gena and Jeff to do portraits around the BEAUTIFUL wedding scene you saw earlier, and this is what came out.

I really had the best time, learned so much and got some fantastic new ideas and motivation and inspiration for my own work. Its making me think about the way I do most things in my business and how I can improve and put out nothing but the best for my clients. Because ya'll are my favorite. :)  Enjoy.

Wow! This was my first photography workshop and I have to say that I fully believe I picked a great one. Jessica Claire is one of the best in the business and what a phenomenal opportunity to get to learn a little about what makes her tick. And what better place to have a wedding workshop than beautiful Orange County, CA! It was my first trip to the west coast and it surely did not disappoint. I'll have to go back someday and get the full SoCal experience.

We started in the "classroom" which turned out to be her home studio in Ladera Ranch, CA. She gave a great presentation on branding, marketing, workflow and mistakes and successes in her career. A short break for lunch then it was off to the wedding! Jessica set up a mock-wedding so we could follow her around for a typical wedding day and she could show us how she operates and talk about what she's doing without interrupting a real wedding day. How cool is that!?

The details of this setup were ah-MAAAH-zing! Something you don't see every weekend. :) We all had an opportunity to shoot at will and capture some of these details to inspire us and our own brides.

Oh and there was also a gorgeous couple and 'bridal party' to boot! More on that later....

For now, Check out some of these CRAZY COOL details!

Whew! I love traveling but it sure takes a toll on me. Especially when the trip is as frantic and fun-filled as this one! I just got back from spending about 3 days in Orange County, CA for a workshop with Jessica Claire! She's rated one of the top wedding photographers in the world and it was a wonderful experience to get to listen to her talk about what makes her successful, shooting tips and techniques and her life in general. She even set up a mock wedding for us to 'follow' her around for a day! Amazing!! I'm still reeling and trying to catch up on some sleep but I do have a sneak peek of the full entry to come. Your patience will be rewarded...

What an honor for us to have Denis Reggie come to our PUG in St.Louis for a presentation! Denis is one of the top wedding photographers in the world and to hear him speak on lighting techniques, locations and marketing was beyond inspirational. He pioneered the 'wedding photojournalism' era and, I have to say, I would love to follow him around at a wedding for a day, just to see how a wedding photojournalist in its truest form operates. I strive to be photojournalistic in my own approach to wedding photography, but I would be a fat liar if I didn't say that one of my favorite times of the day is when I get to take the bride and groom and do rock-the-socks-off portraits. :)

I'm anxious to try out some of the techniques learned at the seminar - 'foofing' anyone? - and I know that learning experiences like this will surely make me a better photographer and documentarian. Thank you for all your inspiration Denis!

BTW, Justin from GigBooks was also on hand for a short demo before the big Denis presentation! Its a fantastic studio management tool I use to run my business and I'm so glad they made the trip!