I like workshops for many reasons. In the beginning it was for education on technical things, then for business, now it’s more of a personal journey to keep that spark alive in me & to keep creating art. I’m finding out more and more that my internal struggles to create art is totally normal and that I’m not crazy. Well my husband would probably differ… a little, ha ha. For me, it’s an every day struggle to not go skipping right into the dark side of thinking. The more I become aware of the way I think, the easier it is to let go and move on. It’s like anyone with an addiction and your trying to kick it. You think about it everyday and it’s a goal to just not act on it.

To be honest, this photography industry can suck you in and it can turn you into a robot of what “YOU THINK” that other people want. NOT what YOU WANT.  So then you start to disrespect yourself and your art, it then turns into a job I hate and a job I have to show up for. HELLOOO, MCFLY! I quit that very same job that made me feel that way 4 years ago to pursue the job I love. I can’t believe I’m here again!   The workshop was a wake up call for me to let it all go, start looking at my business differently and start doing what I loved in the 1st place. I need to shut down the out side noise (as they say) and just listen to me & what I like. It’s like that movie Field of Dreams. “If you build it, they will come”.  I was slacking and just showing up for work and not really working for it.  I read over my workshop notes and I wrote down 5 times “This is hard work. When you show up for work, it will work for you.”    How come I didn’t know this before? How come I’ve been walking around in that cloud of  ”I don’t know why?”   I think I need to have a T-Shirt made with that phrase on it so I remember to keep plugging away at it, no matter how much I would love to shut it all down and watch America’s Next Top Model. As my husband says “The squeaky wheel is the one that gets fixed!”

It’s never to late to learn new things, to be aware of who you are, and carve that path in life you know you deserve.

Here I am back at home, finding that I want to fall back into my old ways. I know I’m aware of them, and thats a start.  We all have struggles,  So I encourage you to write them down, be aware of them, and make that conscious effort to stop and change. This isn’t rocket science, it’s just willpower and willpower my friends is free! Those who are close to me know that willpower is a word not in my vocabulary, well folks I grew a pair of balls!  BOOM!

Now lets see some pictures

I was lucky to have a friend go with me to the workshop. Belle from Lamb & Lark Photography. We got into San Francisco the day before the workshop so we could walk around and be nice and rested for the 1st day of class. ha ha (some are iPhone pics and the nice ones are from my camera ha ha) The workshop was held in Pacifica, CA.

This was the lovely beach house we stayed in. It has amazing views and I still can’t believe that real people get to wake up to those views everyday!

Belle looking all cool gazing out to the ocean

The fog for me was just another person who I thought was just amazing. One minute it could look this way as the haze burns off in the morning.

30 minutes later it could be total fog…

30 more minutes later is could just have fog over the water! I thought I was bi-polar!

At the end of the 1st day we had a private show from Nicki & Tim Bluhm. It was a nice way to wind down and just enjoy all that was around me.

Day 2 we had two amazing guest speakers, Anne Sage mastermind behind Rue Magazine & blog The City Sage . Oh and once again I was into how the fog can just roll in and out in a matter of minutes!

Then we had Chole Aftel who is a wizard with the polaroid cameras. She taught us so much that I’m excited to get my polaroid cameras in the mail any day now!

Sam & Belle looking pretty damn cool

Then the beautiful Noa shot an editorial for Rue Magazine with Apartment 34. Can’t show you to much

Must get the iPhone pic of me, Belle and Noa… Love that Sarah in the background was trying to dodge not being in the shot! ha ha

The ocean view from my hotel street. OH how the ocean makes me feel so calm and clear.

the lovely Sarah Layne of Sarah Layne Photography.

Thank you Noa for allowing me to soak in all you have to offer, Thank you CA for being so beautiful I could see me living there one day, Thank you Belle for joining me in this journey, and Thank you workshop friends for just being you.

What I’m trying to say is we are that normal family and nothing to exciting happens, except when someone trips and we laugh about it. So what’s a normal family to do? We went on the “Disney” florida trip for spring break. WHOO HOO. My dad lives in Florida and we tried to see and visit as many things as we could. This is our first real family vacation. I don’t call Las Vegas our 1st family trip because Matt had to work a big chunk of it.

Here are a few of our family moments in Florida. All photos taken with my iPhone 4s. I just didn’t have one more hand to bring anymore stuff than we did. Plus who wants to drag their big camera around Disney for 12hrs? (yes, 12 hrs) Not me!!

I did get a little teary eyed when the kids saw the Ocean for the 1st time. We have big lakes, but the Ocean can just take your breath away with it’s beauty.

A lot of pool time at my dads house. The kids played and the men read while watching TV LOL

Easter we spent a good part of the day at the Ocean swimming and eating ice cream

That Monday after Easter we went to Disney’s Magic Kingdom. Okay we did make some good memories. I was not excited for Disney, the crowds, the consistent heat, the lines. Just in a matter of minutes I was sucked into the Disney excitement and I too drank the cool aid and wanted to skip down the main road!

Matt was “That Guy” at the Monsters Inc. Comedy show. If anyone who’s seen that show knows who “That Guy” is!!

This was taken at 12:30am! We were officially pooped and just wanted home.

We had a great 1st family vacation and we have no clue why it took us so long to make this happen! We vowed to try and do something each year as a family other than the sitting on the couch watching Glee together!

I have a few more personal blog posts coming, I attended a workshop and declared a few personal goals I want to share with you!

My wedding season doesn’t really start for another few weeks so I want to get in the habit of blogging on a regular basis…. well baby steps!

This little girl is actually going on a family vacation!!!!! It’s been way to long and this family needs some fun in the sun.

I will be out of the MI based office April 4-11. But I will have a FL based office by a pool where I will be checking emails and trying to respond in between swims.

Collaborative styled photo shoots are a serious perk of being in the wedding industry. Take a bunch of lovely creative ladies, give them a fun idea and watch them go to town making it come to life. It’s awesome.

The inspiration for this particular shoot was hair. Joan, the talented temptress of Hairitage Salon and Day Spa was uninspired doing the same old ups do over and over for brides. She wanted a forum to showcase some twists on the tried and true classics. So she asked her lovely friends Sam of Shutter Sam photography, Jamie Kirby of Heyday Event Lab and Erin Frances for make up.

It all came together one sunny Sunday afternoon at the Watermark 920 in Muskegon.

Joan knew the perfect recipe for a great shoot: one part hairstylist, one part makeup artist, add one talented photographer, ship in some amazing dresses from a boutique in Boston and a sprinkling of an event stylist. One quick meeting to discuss the concept and we were off making magic happen.

Modern Contemporary

The first look we took our twist on was modern contemporary. This Nicole Miller dress is sleek & slinky. Mixed charmeuse and chiffon silk column, drop-waist, strappy dress with waist embellishment and beautiful pleated back skirt. Low and open back for a sexy yet sophisticated look. A bright red pout with simply smoothed and polished hair, worn down to show you don’t always need to have your hair up to for a special occasion/wedding to look like a bride. If you never wear your hair up, you should consider wearing your hair down for your wedding as well. Most of the time less is more for brides, just because it’s your big day, doesn’t mean you have to look over the top. You don’t want to look back at your wedding pictures and have regrets.

Model: Jamie       Dress: Nicole Miller / Style #EA008         Hair Accessory: Pixel and Hank        Background: Black paper, hand drawn art by Jamie Kirby

Edgy

Our rock ‘n roll married lips and glamour our sassy blue haired model rocked a wild, effortless, rough and elegant up style, with the ever so popular braid wrapped around the back. This Dere Kiang mini dress breathes some excitement into your day! Perfect for a unique ceremony. Feather accesnts heighten the carefree allure of it’s short, flared skirt. Oh and let’s add some  knee high Chuck Taylors. Shiny gold metal paper was the perfect backdrop for this rockin’ ensemble!

Model:   Leah          Dress: Dere Kiang/ Style #11101        Hair Accessory: Vintage           Background: Gold Metal Paper assembled with Gold Fringe by Jamie Kirby

Sweetheart

The quintessential sweetheart with a princess like hairstyle with twisted sides, subtle volume and a romantic lower bun decorated with a rhinestone hair comb, which is always a classic addition to any special occasion hair style. Even if you wear your hair down, think hair accessories for this wedding season. This look is freshened up with over the top rosy cheeks and bold lips. Layers of transparent cream and white served as a perfect ethereal backdrop. Our model Chelsea can wear the hell out of this killer Nicole Miller number. Sweetheart neckline, Wrinkled Taffeta is modern but simple. The best part of this dress is it’s very lightweight and comfortable to wear, no need to iron this dress. Just throw it in your suit case for that destination wedding!

Model:  Chelsea               Dress: Nicole Miller / Style #HG0013             Hair Accessory: Rhinestone comb from Camilla’s Bridal    Background: White Paper, Ribbons, Coffee Filters, Chiffon and ballons in flowy layers. Assembled by Jamie Kirby

Classic Sleek 

Our Mikaella strapless embellished beaded gown, has a mermaid silhouette for those amazing curves.  Hair was VERY polished and done up in a timeless chignon. You can never go wrong with simple classic up style, like a chignon or bun. Her makeup was also timeless, with clean nudes and peaches; just enough to give a soft powdery look to the skin.

Model: Dalcione        Dress:  Mikaella / Style #1512         Hair Accesorry: Bird cage veil with side Rhinestone clips from Camilla’s Bridal       Background: The Watermark 920

Classic Vintage

Layers and layers of gray ruffles had us going crazy over this gorgeous WTOO dress. A little dose of pink heart veil from Pixel & Hank was just enough sweetness for this modern vintage’y look. Her hair was a very romantic up style with lots of volume and texture pulled away from the face, perfect for and evening wedding or the bride that wants something other than the norm to dance her night away.

Model:  Dalcione         Dress: WTOO/ Style #Dove 18713         Hair Accessory: Pixel & Hank           Background: Old pages from books glued to background paper.

It never hurts to have a little behind the scenes.

Our photo shoot location was The Watermark 920, it’s a wedding planners dream.  A well-appointed blank canvas with stacks and stacks of black Chiavari chair.  This space is easily transformed into any brides style. We use the space itself as the backdrop for our final look.

Some Massive Thank You’s go to:

The Watermark 920 for allowing us to use your amazing space. Want to see more of Watermark 920 check out their Facebook page or get a tour from the lovely Laurel Sass.

Camilla’s Bridal in Arlington, Massachusetts

They provided all the amazing dresses and some hair accessories. If you have questions about the dresses or want to buy one just contact Del, delreis@hotmail.com

Pixel & Hank

Daisy has the best eye in the accessory business. From head to toe she can do it! You can also check out her Etsy shop or Facebook page.

Our Creative Folks who did all the hard work.

Joan Osterberg has been making fabulous hair for 11 years. Want her to do your up do for your wedding or boudoir? You can get ahold of her at Hairtage Salon and Day Spa

Erin France just has a way with the makeup brush! You can get ahold of her at The Barber Shop

Jamie Kirby from Heyday Event Lab is a delight to have around and her fancy pants ideas will leave you speechless. Check out her facebook page!

Sam (me) well I can toot my own horn every now and again! Just call me because well… I ROCK, wink wink.

B E L O V E D sessions include a box of all fine art prints.

OMG, I LOVE BABY YAWNS!!!

Harper is like… really? a kiss!!!

I usually don’t participate in large bridal shows, I feel they are more of a farm of everything and nothing makes sense together,  if my brides are anything like me they will get overwhelmed and just shut down to all the noise and eye stimulation!! I actually found a show that’s more my speed. I’ll be in Chicago at Indie Wed January 28th, 2012.  It’s two floors of vendors that all compliment each other very well. So if your planning an Indie kind of wedding here are some reasons to go!

• Held in the beautiful & amazing Ravenswood Event Center (with a huge collection of vintage and prestige cars on display)
• Over 100 awesome independent vendors on two floors
• Free workshops & lectures throughout the day on their own floor
• Live musical performances all day long on the main stage
• Six amazing caterers with samples galore
• Beer & food pairings from Goose Island
• Lots of sweets samples from local pastry superstars
• Wandering models wearing the best in bridal couture
• Swag bags for the first 50 people in line (1 per household)
• Many vendors with wares for sale including jewelry, clothing, accessories and more
• DJ’s rocking some tunes on both floors
• Our Inspired Creations Contest featuring vignettes by teams of wedding pros
• and much more to come.

So if you would like to win some tickets, just leave a comment below that you WANT!! I have a limited number of tickets so 1st come 1st serve.

I’m on the 1st floor, come find me!! My booth will be designed by Heyday Event Lab!

Congratulations Lisa & Thomas!