It’s VEGAS time, DUH!!!! Gosh, this is like the superbowl of wedding photography and I freakin LOVE IT!!! I cannnnot wait!!!

Sooo…..just in case you have been living in a hole (j/k!)… I thought I would let you know that the WORLD’S LARGEST PHOTO CONVENTION is coming up!!! HOLLLLA!!!!

WPPI is March 15th-20th in LAS VEGAS BABY!!! It’s one rockin’ time and if you aren’t going, well, you are missing out…so change your plans and get your butt there!!!!
It’s at Bally’s & Paris right in the heart of Vegas and it’s just such an amazing experience! Every photo vendor know to MAN is at the tradeshow and all the hottest people in the industry are speaking! It’s super INSPIRING and I HIGHLY recommend it!!! This is the LAST year for it to be at PARIS & BALLY’S so you must come just because of THAT so you can say “wellll….back in the days when wppi was a paris & bally’s” and then you can sound smart!!!

I’m going to be spending my time in the GARY FONG BOOTH(you should click that link to see what you are in for at the GARYFONGINC BOOTH…..so stop by and say HEY…and if it’s BONKERS at his booth, like it uuuuuusually is, BLOW ME A KISS!
Can’t wait to see all you PARTY PEOPLE there! CLICK HERE for more info!!!!

If you haven’t heard, Indy has turned into QUITE the hub for photographers!! I remember a day roughly 6-8 years ago when I was among the only 10 wedding photographers in INDY (i feel like I should be a grandma or something! ha!) and last I heard there were over 350 wedding photogs here! YIKES!!! I guess we are just the cool place to be…and we’re growing!! So…that means we have our own seminar here….it’s OSP INDY and it’s coming up SOON!!! It’s March 24th - March 26th at a wedding photographers home away from home (or at least mine!) the Omni Severin Hotel in Downtown Indy! There are some ROCKING people involved this year including the LaCours, Garrett Nudd and Kevin Swan!! There will be food, fun, live shoots, awesome people and MORE…so if you are local and if you are cool, you MUST COME HANG OUT!!! CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO ON OSP INDY!!!! OHHHH….and did I MENTION that it’s only $50!! That’s a STEAL……so don’t even try and say you can’t afford it because you will be a LIAR!!! SEE YOU THERE PARTY PEOPLE!!!!

OSP INDY, OMNI SEVERIN, MARCH 24-26th, INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA

If you are a photographer who edits your images, you MUST see this new product! I am BLOWN away by it…..really! It’s called VIVEZA and it’s a NIK PLUG IN for PHOTOSHOP. It’s literally like combining many photoshop tools into one mini application that does completely customized adjustments on images with incredible speed and ease! I just watched all of the demos and I’m sitting her in awe of this!! YOU MUST check this out!! I HIGHLY recommend checking out all the demo’s to see the full capability of VIVEZA! INCREDIBLE!!! BORDERLINE….REVOLUTIONARY!!!

look at this image. seriously??? really??? who takes images that are THIS freaking cool and inventive and unique and inspired and just plain great! that is exactly why i have a hate/love relationship with THE IMAGE IS FOUND!!! funny that they have NO clue who I am…but we have this relationship ANYWAY! haaa!! (i’m laughing to myself right now!) i hate them for being sooo freaking inventive and inspired WITHOUT fail…and i love their work like CRAZY. hence, love/hate, hate/love. Regardless of my feelings, they are clearly one the BEST photogs of our time! NO doubt. i just wanted to show you this and tell you that a) if YOU can see images like this just happen as you are on a normal shoot, then KUDOS TO YOU my friend….you are cooler than me and b) this image makes me want to be a better photographer for more reasons than one. period.

Soooo, the rumor on the street is that my uber-fabulous album company, Leather Craftsmen, is UNVEILING a NEW kind of album at WPPI!!! I am MUCHO excited about this and I just HAD to tell you!!!! So, if you are at WPPI…STOP by and SEE what it is! I REALLY have no idea, I just have heard rumors!!! I LOVE rumors about photo stuff…i’m SUCH a geek!

I know you were all wondering if I vanished…but no, I’m here…I’m alive!!! I’ve just been BURIED lately with endless traveling, a major 3 week computer crash, wisdom teeth surgery on all 4 teeth and a MOUNTAIN of backlogged work to show for all of that….occupying every ounce of my time! So, please accept my apologies!!

Sooo….if you know ANYTHING about photography, you KNOW about the FABULOUS Jen & Steve Bebb of Bebb Studios. They are undoubtedly among the BEST photographers of today and were listed as one of the TOP 10 Wedding Studios in the WORLD by American Photo!!!!

They are doing an incredible world tour of seminars called the BEBBINARS!!! The Bebb’s are friends of mine and ever since I heard that they were traveling, I KNEW I had to try my best to make it to one of the BEBBINARS and hear this amazing power couple and see them in action!! The seminar covers everything from marketing to shooting technique, to lighting and a live shoot!! Well, they are HEADED EAST with the BEBBINAR, my friends….so you need to get your stuff together and GO SEE THEM!!! I know it will be WELL worth your while!!!! CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION!!! Hope to see you there!

You know how I love finding AWESOME, talented photographers! So, I found a new one that I thin has some SICK raw talent! REALLY! His name is Jeremy Lawson and his work is really great!! You SHOULD KNOW about him and CHECK HIS WORK OUT!!!

I’m a girl who LOVES good fonts…but I find it challenging to find the fonts I like! I just like clean, no fluff fonts…straight lines, modern…no other monkey business! So….I came across a GREAT link with cool fonts for professional use!! LOVE THEM!! CLICK HERE TO CHECK THEM OUT!!
By the way, SMASHING MAGAZINE is a FIND on it’s OWN!!! It’s LOADED with info on soo many great things…from fonts like noted above, to photoshop tutorials, to inspirational stuff, to web design info, etc!! It’s REALLY terrific!! You should really RSS it!!

about blogs! Ya know…sometimes, I’m just amazed and overwhelmed at the INCREDIBLE amount of content within the internet…about positively everything and anything! Ya know what I love, though….when it’s GOOD and thoughtful…and USEFUL….and looks COOL!!! It’s like this amazing tool, the internet, that is still really a baby in terms of lifespan, but yet people have taken it and done SUCH awesome, inspiring, cool things with it…..

When I discover things like smashing magazine, great photographers blog, great useful info sites, sites that INSPIRE and SITES like THIS ONE\….I am reminded of just that!!!

NORTHxEAST is a really cool blog that has LOADS of great info about blogging…learning to blog, being successful at blogging, getting your blog to the masses, learning from blogs, etc!! YOU SHOULD CHECK THIS OUT!!!! I’ve only read like 10 posts…and I’ve learned lots of GREAT info!! And really, WHO doesn’t love GREAT info that is free!!! …i love the internet….

I get email updates on the topics happening over at OpenSourcePhoto Forum and I just read the FUNNIEST post that someone put up!!

Read this: (from Lizzie on OSP)

I’m selling a lens on Craigslist and got an inquiry from a self-professed “amateur photographer” asking me why I was selling it. We ended up corresponding, and his last email was so funny! I thought I’d post it for you guys:

Lizz -
I greatly admire any photographer with the self confidence and courage to do a wedding. It would have to be photography hell. My first dread would be lighting and then shooting constantly moving subjects and being blocked by constantly moving non-subjects with constantly changing lighting. I shiver just thinking about it. Your camera skills must be totally instinctual like a race car driver, I would pull my hair out or somebody else’s hair. My second dread would be suddenly all the bridesmaids, friends and in-laws would become photography critics. That’s to dark or, that’s too light, why weren’t you closer, or that’s not my good side. And then you have the ‘duckers’, do you get them at weddings? I have done our employee Christmas party, you frame a nice candid group shot and suddenly two people see the camera pointed their direction and duck under the table, ruining the memory for everybody. No Lizz, you couldn’t make me do a wedding at gunpoint. But you have my admiration and best wishes. Do have a web site? Hoping you a wonderful and prosperous New Year, ***

LOL!!! Isn’t that HILARIOUS!! What I LOVE is that she really doesn’t even state the MAIN things that make wedding photography CRAZY….SUCH AS….. working as fast as you can, with tons of people surrounding you, while staying on a strict time line, while being organized, friendly, staying in charge but not TOO in charge, keeping people where they need to be and all the while, actually being CREATIVE, finding GREAT light and locations and taking LIFE CHANGING photographs that will remind these people of the happiest day of their lives, FOREVER!!! And…while that is happening, kids are crying, people are asking 50 questions, you are competing with 5 “photographer” uncles wanting to shoot every shot you are taking, the Mom’s are asking you to do 10 extra breakdowns that aren’t on the list and you DON’T have time for, your assisting is staring at you wondering when dinner is, the wedding coordinator is staring you down reminding you that you have exactly 4 minutes and 28 seconds until you HAVE to be out of the Church and all the while, your feet are KILLING YOU because they just DO NOT make cute shoes that are comfy… and you haven’t eaten since 8am and you are on the verge of passing out!!! PHEW!!!! But…call me crazy….after just finishing my 40th wedding this year…I still LOVE THEM and probably will forever!!

CLICK HERE to read the OSP post!! SOOO FUNNNY!!!!