Getting Learned: Amy Wenzel Workshop

Posted on August 27, 2010

For the year 2010, I have been privileged and blessed to attend several photography workshops. I have learned so much about the technical and business side of photography and feel that each workshop has pushed me, in different ways, closer to where I want to be with The Salted Image. The latest workshop I attended was Amy Wenzels in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I was especially interested in learning from her because she specializes in Senior Girls (my favorite!) and children (I could use some help, OK-a lot of help!). Her two day workshop covered tons of information on running a business successfully, and shooting and processing awesome pictures. Amy is a very sweet and friendly women who was more then willing to share all her techniques and “secrets”.

On one of the days we were treated to watching Amy photograph and lead us through one of her sessions. It is always very interesting and educational for me to watch how other photographers handle a photo shoot and Amy was no exemption to this. Here are some of my captures from the day…

Now the models were awesome and it was great to watch a talented photographer like Amy work her mojo. All that being said I am not in love with these pictures because they look too much like pictures taken at a photography workshop. Of course they are pictures taken at a photography workshop and maybe I am the only one who can tell but it bugs me all the same.

The models were all cute and gorgeous (as it was appropriate).

The senior girls were working it big time.

So yes, If you are looking to grow in leaps and bounds then take a workshop! Amy’s workshop would be a great fit for those new to the business and/or looking to enhance their skills fashion-style senior photography and children.

Filed Under Business, Improving my skills | 1 Comment

Getting Learned : The Jasmine Star Workshop

Posted on June 8, 2010

In April, I had the opportunity to attend Jasmine Star’s Workshop in beautiful Orange County. Holy Smokes! No wonder Southern California is such a popular place to live. The area we were in was gorgeous! I have no pictures to prove this because I was too busy staring at everything with my mouth hanging-open to remember I had a camera.

I have followed Jasmine Star’s Blog for a couple years now. I love her writing-style, crisp and clean photography, and willingness to share everything that she knows. This was actually my second time to hear her speak, the first being Showit’s National tour in Houston a couple of years ago. At the finish of that seminar, I began making my way to the door. I had a long drive home, it was late and I was very busy trying to justify to myself why I should just dash instead of mingling with the other photographers. However, as much as I wanted to avoid akward conversations with strangers, I knew that Dustin would kick my tail if I went home without at least introducing myself to Jasmine. I looked over and noted that she was surrounded by adoring fans. I would have to wait forever to talk to her, and did I mention that it was late?

I stood there debating my options when the crowd around her disappeared and she was standing alone. In a moment of bravery, I nervously approached her. Our conversation went something like this…

Me: Hi, I just wanted to say hi before I left, if I don’t say something my husband will kill me when I get home. Okay,… well…. you’re great. Bye.

(And then I turned to bolt out the door)

She: No wait, why would he kill you?

Me: Ummm….Well, because I am always looking at your blog. He would be ticked if I was in the same room and didn’t say something. Ok, I don’t want to bother you. Bye.

She: No wait, don’t leave I would love to talk.

Me: Gotta go… (as I charged for the door)

…At this point I envision myself like Cinderella racing away from the confused prince and rushing off into the night. Well, maybe I am getting a little carried away.

So yes, it is sad that years later I can still recall our 45 second conversation with clarity and yes, it is a lot sad that I am comparing myself to Cinderella. My point is that she was nice, down to earth, and wanting to help three years ago; and now she is still nice, down to earth, and willing to help.

This is the part where Jasmine showed us her super-secret posing techniques. I am really not even supposed to show these, but I will take the risk…

Ok, so yes, that is a joke. Please, please, Jasmine if you ever visit my humble little blog- don’t hate me! I just couldn’t help myself.

So yeah, those are all the jokes I have. Let me get serious.

This Workshop was great.

The day long workshop was focused on branding and moving your brand forward. She shared her story and what has worked for her. Jasmine did not hold back with anything, she was 100% herself and shared everything she could. She gave tons of time to answering questions and to helping each attendee present. I am pretty sure that I drove her absolutely bonkers with my silly questions, but she always responded graciously to my pestering. JD, her husband and second shooter, was great too. I asked him an equal amount of questions to which he responded thoughtfully and affably. He was so good-natured and amiable that I am sure every attendee (well maybe not the guys) there left with a little JD crush (oh please, you know you did!). She also fed us well and good food makes me very happy.

We were also given the opportunity to watch her in action and shoot beside her for a styled wedding session. It was very inspiring to see how she connected so easily with her clients. She made the models Michelle and Colton comfortable and at ease and she has a natural talent for making her subjects laugh. It was great being able to photograph such beautiful people in such a beautiful location but it was even better watching Jasmine work her magic. Afterwards, she shared her post-processing techniques and work flow. I appreciated her candidness and honesty in how she runs her business and I am in awe of how organized and efficient she is. I think as a photographer, I tend to look at wildly popular photographers and think that their success came from luck, having money, or knowing the right people, and yes these things help but Jasmine showed us that hard work, intelligence, persistence, creativity, and business know-how go a long, long way.

Some of my images from the day…

Woah. That was a long post. If you are still with me, let me hear a “Hey! Ho!”

Seriously, I should have been in bed hours ago.

Filed Under Business, Portraits, Weddings | 5 Comments

My Book Shelf : David duChemin

Posted on May 15, 2010

When I find an author I love, I generally don’t pace myself. I wish I did, but I just don’t have that kind of self-control in me. I will read every one of their books as quickly as I can get them in my little paper-cut filled hands. I am always disappointed, when so soon after discovering the author I have nothing new of theirs to read. The author that I am voraciously reading at the moment is David duChemin, a travel and humanitarian photographer. I discovered him through the blog of Zack Arias, also a very talented photographer. He recommended duChemins book Vision Mongers on his blog several months back and I finally got around to reading it.

Click here to visit PixelatedImage.com – David duChemin.

I loved it.

Not only does duChemin have an incredible talent for photography but he also has a serious flair for the written word. Now this is not your typical photography book, filled with how to set up a shoot or what settings to use for certain situations, instead it is about having a vision and a passion but at the same time being practical and purposeful. His focus is on staying true to your “craft”, while fusing it with commerce.

Not only is it an interesting and entertaining read but it is also equally thought provoking and inspirational. Mr. duChemin seems like one incredibly down to earth and practical guy and I love that, especially in a person who has any kind of claim to fame. After finishing his book, I was very excited that I could prolong my duChemin fix by adding his e-books to my virtual bookshelf. At just $5 a pop you really can’t go wrong. Each of his books has been worth far more then the asked for price. So if you have a photography business, if you are thinking about starting a business, or if you just want to pursue it as a passion, then I would recommend you read his work. He also has tons of articles and advice on his blog so after you get hooked there go ahead and start with his Book Vision Mongers. If you like his written words then check out his stunning visual portfolio that spans the many faces and places of our beautiful world.

Go and read it we can compare notes later.

Filed Under Business, Stuff I like | 2 Comments

Worn Out and Inspired

Posted on April 22, 2010

I am home and recovering from my whirlwind trip to LA to attend the Jasmine Star workshop. I will post about it soon, in the meantime I want to let everyone know I will be working like a mad women on your pictures over the next week.

In honor of Jasmine, who has a fur-ball of her own who she is quite smitten with, here is a teaser from Amber and John’s engagement session in Plantersville…

Filed Under Business, Engagement Session | 1 Comment

At Long Last…

Posted on March 12, 2010

I am not sure why it has taken me so long to write this post. It has been sitting as an unpublished draft on my blog for close to two weeks, really I am amazed that I finally pushed the “publish” button!

I think my hesitation comes from the fact that I tend to freeze up when given too many choices (don’t take me to Subway please!). At the end of February I attended my first photography workshop. The “Life as Art Workshop” was taught by Nichole Van and it was worth every penny. The amount of information she packed into three days made me feel like I had a piano strapped to my head. Processing it all is going to take awhile. There are a ton of things I want to do differently and figuring them all out is making my head want to explode!

Not only was it a great workshop, full of information, resources, and tons of goodies to take home but I also left with some great new friends (enter “Awwwww” here). Not to mention that I won the roommate lotto with Karyn. Karyn is a fellow Texan transplant and a total peach. You can check out her site at In Bloom Photography.

Here are some images from our mass photo shoot…

It was such a great experience and if you have come upon this blog post while researching Nichole Van’s workshop I encourage you to 100% go! You wont regret it!

So now I have a lot of choices to make and maybe, just maybe I can break out of my deer in the headlights stance and start moving on all the ideas I have. I can’t wait to get started!

Filed Under Business, Photography, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

My Book Shelf

Posted on February 23, 2010

I love when I open my front door and see a box from Amazon sitting there expectantly. I can almost hear the angels singing from the Heavens (I get the same feeling EVERY time I walk into a library. It’s magical.)

What is better than a box of books?!

I make it no secret that reading is one of my favorite things to do. There is not much better than an unread book just begging to be opened. I love holding a book for the first time and imagining what is inside. I love the smell of the pages and the smooth texture of the spine. Dare I admit, that I will often take a deep breath of the dust jacket with my eyes closed in eager expectation before I even open the cover?

Ahhh, books.

So the new additions to my bookshelf…

Half of the books are business related (how else can I justify my book habit?) and honestly I was not super excited to start reading them. I am a bit surprised that Word of Mouth Marketing (one by Silverman and another by Sernovitz) is actually an interesting subject.

Dale Carnegie’s classic How to Win Friends and Influence People should be read and practiced by every single person on earth. The world would be a better, sweeter, and happier place.

I saw the book A Million Miles in a Thousand Years refereed to on a peach of a blog, and was reminded that the author, Donald Miller, wrote one of my favorite non-fiction books ever, Blue Like Jazz. So why haven’t I read his newest work? I was tempted to peek in it the other day but decided instead to hold off for my flight to Salt Lake City. The anticipation is killing me.

I read Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell several years ago, right after finishing Blue Like Jazz. I remember not being that impressed with it, but I think that may have had something to do with the fact that I had just finished such a fantastic book and nothing else could come close. Dustin requested it recently, and when Dustin wants to read a book (a rare occurrence) I will jump through hoops to make it happen.

My guilty splurge was Making Children’s Clothes by Emma Hardy. Truth is, I bought this at a fabric store because I had a 50% off coupon. So far I am loving it, not only are the patterns simple enough for a novice like me to grasp, but they are also very cute clothes. I have learned that simple and cute don’t often go together in the sewing world so I am very pleased with this.

So while I am out of town over the next couple of days, for my long-awaited, first ever, photography workshop, you can bet I will be opening a book every chance I get (flying without my kids, are you kidding me!!).

And by the way, what’s on your bookshelf?

Filed Under Business, Personal, Stuff I like, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Gettin’ Learned

Posted on January 24, 2010

For the past several years I have wanted to check “totally awesome Photography Workshop” off my to-do list and next month I will finally get to bust out the pen and cross it off. In several weeks I will make the trek to Salt Lake City to attend Nichole V’s life as art workshop. I have heard an abundance of great things about this workshop and I think I may self-implode from giddiness before the big day even arrives. Nichole is a talented wedding and portrait photographer and I am uber excited for what this will do for my business as well as for you who find yourself in front of my camera. Bring on the education! Now excuse me while I go take some deep breaths and try not to hyperventilate.

In the meantime, here are a few images of Riley’s awesome big brother, Brenden, as he hung out with us during Riley’s session…

Filed Under Business | 2 Comments

Free Senior Portraits {Amarillo and Canyon High Schools}

Posted on January 20, 2010

The Salted Image is looking for a couple 2010 Seniors from each of the area high schools to give free sessions too!

Receive a free session as well as your high-res images on disk for you to print off as needed. What I ask in return is that you pass out some super cool senior rep cards (your image on one side my business info on the other) to your family, friends, friend’s friends and families friends! Send me an email to leah@thesaltedimage.com if your are interested.

And how boring is a post without pictures? Here is a recent picture of our uber-cool friend, Meg in the snow. Maybe by posting this the snow will come back, enough with the 60 degree days already!!

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Listen Up

Posted on October 28, 2009

Dustin and I have a debate over whether or not to put music up on this site. Dustin loves music, anywhere, anytime, anyplace. Personally, I find music on websites a little annoying. The first thing I do is try to find the off button or turn down the volume. But I couldn’t resist not playing Frances England’s “You and Me” on the kids gallery. It just belongs there. Plus, I can’t listen to that dang song without getting a lump in my throat…

francis-england-2 The greatest thing about her music is that anyone can enjoy it. I find myself playing it a lot when I’m driving; with or without the kids. She’s good. She’s that good. So go, listen to her music, and try not to get a lump in your throat.

Filed Under Business, Music, Uncategorized | 2 Comments

It’s a website, or is it a blog?

Posted on October 26, 2009

Finally, after months of preparation (better known as procrastination), my new blogsite is up and running. I love that it combines my blog with my website! In theory this frees up time for fun things like blogging and taking pictures!

And since I am talking about websites, are you looking for a website template or blog of your own? Check out PortfolioSitez. Not only do they offer a variety of website and blog templates, but they are also very affordable and have the best customer service! They are running some October specials, so check them out…

Have any ideas of what you would like to see here? I am planning on a weekly post geared toward Mom’s wanting to take better pictures of their children, maybe a monthly give-away…
Hate it? Love it? Have some ideas of your own? Let me know; I would love to hear your feedback!

If you want to visit my old blog; go to http://lmdd.blogspot.com

Filed Under Business | 3 Comments