A Glimpse in the Life: Personal

As I sat at my desk, wondering how in the world to follow up with my last "I'm going to take Jasmine's advice and start being more personal" post, I did just that...sat at my desk. I didn't know where to begin. I had a million things running through my mind, not one of which I could focus in on. Just outside of my window I begin to hear a strange noise. It was like that sound people make when they are immitating Darth Vader. That burst of air, weird breathing thing. But louder, much louder. In my determination to focus and blog I ignored it. Adam, however heard this panic in the dogs bark...like there was a squirrel up a tree, a leaf blowing in the wind, or a giant balloon in our backyard. Wait, what?

I ran outside to see what was going on, and sure enough, a hot air ballon was hovering over the fence next door. Naturally I ran inside to grab my camera, because it's not every day a hot air balloons lands in the hood.

Same shot twice....having fun with lightroom.

Not only did I get to see a hot air balloon mid flight and land in on our street....I also got to see the proccces of taking it down. It took about 5 minutes total.

And one for Adam, because he enjoys artsy things.

Thank you balloon man for stopping by!

Shot Party 2010: Featuring J*

The Background

For the past several months Kelly Manno has been pouring her heart and soul into putting together a workshop for photographers in and around the St. Louis area. She had this great idea to have multiple photographers come in and speak about their journey and adventures of being who they are as photographers up to date. She brought in some extremely talented people and put together a wonderful event, better known as Shot Party 2010! We attended classes, we went out and had a chance to work with an adorable engaged couple, we ate, and we shared, and we hung out with Jasmine Star...yes the Jasmine Star.

The Introduction

"So...how's Polo?" Seriously, Michelle! Those 3 words are the first words that come out of your mouth when you finally get the once in a lifetime opportunity to meet Jasmine Star?! After the initial shock of meeting one of the world's top ten wedding photographers, I was actually able to calm down and just talk. Jasmine made it easy, she was so down to earth and so just like everyone else in the room. She spoke to everyone for about an hour and put this little photography fire in all of us there! She was so informative, so inspirational, and so genuine. She is a woman who loves God, loves photography, loves JD, loves people, and loves love. I seriously sat there like a little kid smiling from ear to ear, soaking up her contagious personality and every ounce of advice she could give.

The Lesson Learned

I started this blog, knowing I am nowhere near ready, my pictures are nowhere near perfect, and I have a loooooooong way to grow. I wanted to be able to look back and see my progress. I wanted to be able to appreciate where I started and in one, two, and three years say "look how much I've grown!" I did not however share. I have no about me section. I have no personal posts. I have no glimpse into my life for my readers...after all, isn't sharing what makes you vulnerable? Doesn't sharing give people a reason to reject you? Sure in 2 years I will be able to look back on my pictures....but that's it. No record of personal growth, no life experiences, no feelings, just pictures. Jasmine spoke about the importance of connecting with your readers, your clients, and your future clients. Give people a reason to draw to you. It's ok to let people in. It's ok to be you! And for those who don't like it....whateva.

Literally I could go on and on about Jasmine and how great of a person I find her to be! However Adam keeps joking about the fact that I am going to leave him for her! I think JD would have something to say about that! However I will say thank you. Thank you Jasmine for being so real, so willing to share, and so inspirational to all of us here in St. Louis and to photographers around the world. You are fabulous...if I may put it in your own terms.

I will leave you with some "Shot Party" pictures!

Thank you Malorie and Thomas for graciously surprising me with a ticket to this event! Thank you to our real life engaged couple! Thank you to Kelly Manno for putting on such an amazing event! Thank you to all of the speakers who were willing to share their time and tips! Thank you to Jasmine and Jd for being awesome! Thank you to all of the new friends I met along the way! This is just the beginning.

Brotherly Love: Jordan & Aidyn

Carmen and I used to work together at an early learning center in Harrisburg Missouri. Carmen has two boys, Jordan and Aidyn, who love each other, love the country, and love the outdoors. They hunt, fish, camp, and at age 6 Aidyn knows more about trucks than I ever will. These boys are Carmen's world, and she enjoys every minute of it!

It took a little bit of bribery to get Jordan, age 1, to decide clothes were a good idea. I don't really blame him, considering the Mid-Mo heat!

Thank you Carmen and boys for hanging out at the park on such a HOT day! Good luck in 1st grade Aidyn!

Logos: A Touch of Class

I can not express how excited I am to finally have my very own LOGO!! A logo adds both a level of professionalism and a touch of class to any growing business. A very special and most sincere thank you to Ashley Frost! Ashley is an extremely talented graphics designer, who took a simple (and quite frankly terrible explination on my part of what I had in mind) and turned it into a something AWESOME!!!

Ladies and Gentlemen.....Viola`

And to put this beauty into practice I will use some pictures I took of handsome baby Davis at Bryan and Shefy's wedding back in June. Davis' parents, Mark and Emily are friends of ours from college. They are so blessed with such a well behaved adorable little boy!

Thank you so much Ashley!!! You did such a fantastic job!!!!

Baby Danica and Her Big Sister Joee`

Danica and Joee` are almost exactly one year apart. Their mom (and friend of mine) Christie was kind enough to invite me into her home to let me take pictures only 10 days after Danica was born! With the help of my sister Danielle, I would say the session was a success. Danica, aka superbaby, not only was awake the majority of the session, but at one point hoisted herself up with her arms, raising her head high to see what in the world that crazy lady with the camera was up to. If you are thinking this baby looks familiar, it's because she is featured in the header at the top of my blog!!!

Meet Baby Danica.

Joee` is just as adorable and just as happy!!! She is a little over one now, and Christie is teaching her sign language. I got to see first hand how she asked her mamma for food and milk while I was at their house. Danielle was able to get BIG smiles such as this one out of Joee!

Her eyes are soooo blue and soooo pretty!










Thank you to Danielle for coming along and for all of your help! Thank you to Joee` and Danica for being so darn cute! And thank you to Christie for letting me invade your home and hang out with you and your girls all afternoon! Congrats on baby number 2!