So in 2007 I met a group of amazing ladies at a workshop that I attended… and we decided that we wanted to get together again, so we created our own little group and planned a trip. Last year we went to Dallas…. and this year we are going to Florida! We call our little group Focus… We are a group of ladies who are photographers, wives, and most of the women are mothers. We all love Jesus and love our businesses, and love sharing our ideas and strategies that work in our own businesses to help eachother grow.

So, last July, we all headed to Dallas, Texas to share, learn, and grow with eachother…. and we had an AMAZING time! We came from all over the place… and I feel like I have known these ladies for years even if it hasn’t been that long, and I am excited to say that we are getting together again this coming April!

I will share a little more about this trip this week, and show you some of the sessions that we set up… but I wanted to share the women with you that I love dearly, and that I can’t wait to see!

This is Kristin…. She is a proud wife and mother of 2… who lives in Nebraska! She has to be one of the sweetest people that I have ever met. She is a sweet, gentle spirit… You can check her out here: http://www.kparrphotography.com/

Hopefully she won’t hate me for this shot… I am posting photos of us hanging out during shoots that we scheduled… and this was after her flight to Texas and in the REALLY HOT Texas heat! We did headshots of eachother… so I shall share some of those as well!

This is Janet… Janet was my roommate at the workshop that we went to… and I love this chic to pieces! She CRACKS me up! Feel like I have known her all of my life. Janet is in Texas and is a proud mom to 2 children with a bun in the oven! So she will be cute and preggo when we see her in April! You can check here out here: http://www.janetwisnerphotography.com/

This is Holli B. She is located in Oklahoma…. and I love her dearly as well…. I would say that about each of these women so instead of repeating myself 10 times… You can just read on and insert, that I love them dearly…

Holli is a wife and mom of 2 kiddos… Holli and I went to another conference together last November in New Orleans. NOLA PartnerCon… and had a blast. We learned a lot… chatted a lot about life…. sang karaoke, ate alligator and other yummy NOLA dishes.

You can check out Holli here: http://hollib.com/ She isn’t going to like the photo I posted of her… but she wouldn’t have liked any of them…. so…..  ;)

This is Heather. Heather is another Texas gal… and is a wife and mom to 2 of the cutest dogs that you have ever seen! Heather is a really amazing woman and sadly she won’t be able to make it this year, but for good reason. She is opening up a new studio! So excited for her! She decided last year that she was done shooting weddings and was going to devote her time and talent to shooting children (that always sounds so bad!), families, and fashion…. It is so exciting to watch her be so successful in her endeavor. We will miss her a ton, but are so excited for her right now!  You can check out Heather here: http://www.heatherthorne.com/

This is Tisha…. Tisha is a Texas gal too… Do you see the trend? This is why we went to Texas last year! But Tisha is in No Man’s Land…. Brady, Texas… She and her husband just opened up a studio in their town, and they are the go to photographers in their area. They have 2 kiddos…. and are a really amazing couple! I was super excited to meet Tisha’s husband Jim this year at WPPI!  You can check them out here: http://www.tishaandjim.com/

Meet Casey. Casey and her now husband live in Lubbock, Texas…. Last year Casey was getting ready to marry her now husband Aric… who is also a photographer. They had a destination wedding in Mexico (the photos are AMAZING!!) and are now a husband and wife team! I was excited that we got to spend some time together in Vegas at WPPI. You can check them out here: http://www.aricalanphotography.com/

Meet Jan (left) and Angela (right). Jan is located in Colorado… and is a wife and mom of 2 kiddos. I got to spend a lot of time with her in Vegas… and she cracks me up! Seriously, some of the things she says… you think… did she just say that!?  She is actually the only one that we didn’t meet at the workshop but she knew Holli and came, and she fit in perfectly! You can check her out here: http://www.janschillphotography.com/

Angela is another Texan, but she lives in McAllen… so she is very close to Mexico! She and her husband are a team and they have a LOT of kiddos… 4 gorgeous girls to be exact! Her hubby always wants to come to our get togethers… but sorry, no boys allowed!  We love our husbands dearly, but there is nothing like a girl get together!  You can check out her and her husbands work here: http://www.gerardogarmendia.com/

This is Maureen…. Maureen, for starters, I didn’t take this photo! It was Casey! She was letting me play around with her Canon so she had my camera for a little bit….  ;)  You always look good anyways….Even when you are making a face that reads “Don’t you dare take my photo right now….”

Maureen is a wife and mother of 2 little boys and is based out of Louisiana… She is a fun loving, easy going girl… who is ADDICTED to her iphone  ;)  You can check her out here: http://www.wilkinsonphotography.net/

And this is Meaghan… ha ha just kidding…

It’s me… and yes, I have a box of Sprinkles Cupcakes in hand… We all went to Sprinkles in Dallas on the day that we left to take some cupcakes home to our husbands, kids, and for me…my 2 dogs. They really do have dog cupcakes and our dogs loved them! As for the one for my husband… I don’t know if he even got any… I have to say cupcakes are a weakness of mine…  I love Cupcakeries… and yes I may have just made that word up.

So….  a photo of yours truly…. notice the sheer joy on my face because of the box in hand.

Enjoy this amazing weather!!!!

m.e.

So last week I got to spend some time with Tara and David who got married last September… We took some photographs around their new house in Hampden and along the Avenue… and let me tell you, if you are looking for some of the best places to eat, shop, or hang out in, Tara and David are the folks to ask. They eat, sleep, and breath Hampden and can tell you all of the best spots!

Had so much fun hanging out with them…. and just love their style! All of their sessions have been super fun and vintage themed… I think it is great when your photoshoot totally embodies who you are.

So we started with a few at the house… a few inside….. 

And a few on the porch. It was the most PERFECT weather! So glad that spring has finally come…It has been looooooong awaited.

I love how Tara and David interact… They have such a sweet, genuine, connection. Love this photo!

If you haven’t ventured to Hampden, you definitely should. Take a walk along The Avenue and check out all of the fun shops!

Something I just love about a headless shot…. I don’t know if part of it is just being a girl and loving shoes…. and so this is a way to capture that? Maybe I love to read body language and the posture of a couple….. but for whatever reason… these are  fun shots to take and usually end up as favorites…

Sometimes I think about Josh and I having a session together…. I really think we should! I actually am slightly embarrassed to say that we have not done that, and I am a photographer!!! I love moments like these… would love to have some captured of Josh and I…. although I am willing to bet that we would have a lot of laughing photos… and probably less tender moments… or I suppose they would be a different kind of tender. I LOVE that Josh makes me laugh…a LOT. Even when I want to be mad at him… he makes me laugh. Just one of the things I love about him…

And I have gone on a tangent…

Back to the tender moment:

Cute!!!

Thanks Tara and David for an AWESOME session!!!

m.e.

So I have a little public confession….. I actually don’t recycle. Please don’t hate…. and I hope you don’t stop reading just because I don’t recycle…YET. Oh internet…. you now know my shameful secret….

I actually cringe when I throw away things that I can recycle… and I hate packing my husband’s lunch in plastic baggies… so I was more than excited when I saw these:

So these are called Lunchskins… Check out the website here.

You might already know about these, but I was super excited to find them.

You have to check them out… and for those who care, they do have manly colors… green, brown, red…. so don’t fret. You don’t have to have a polka dotted pink snack baggy in your lunch.

The are really amazing… dishwasher safe…. and you never have to throw away those plastic bags again!

This might be my first and definitely not the last step to me going green…. Keep me accountable folks! If I tell you I am still not recycling in a month… you should be mad at me.

Have a great weekend!

Enjoy this awesome weather!!!

m.e.

Right before I left for WPPI, I got together with a few of my favorite local wedding  vendors, Carla David, of Carla David Design, and Amie Decker of Amie Decker Makeup…. for a mini photoshoot of Carla. She has been in need of some headshots, so we got together for a quick little session. Amie, of course, did her hair and makeup.

This was actually kind of hard for me… in part because I have a really stiff view of “headshots.” I totally envision super boring, black backdrop, turn your head this way and smile shots… Not to say there is not a time or place for those… it is just not how I tend to shoot.

So, this was a good shoot for me to break the stereotype of what headshots “should” be.  It was hard to try and photograph from the waist up…. I had to keep reminding myself that that was all she needed…. Although we are planning another shoot in April.. that will be a super fun styled shoot…. and so I can’t wait for that session!

So here are a few favorites of the day… Love her laugh and smile! So cute!

Wouldn’t you know that as soon as we had pulled away to drive down the road for a few shots it started drizzling? It was actually almost like hail….  But, we had postponed this shoot so many times for numerous reasons one of the biggest being all of the snow that we got this year… that we would not cancel this shoot! So, Carla and I (frozen and a smudge wet) continued on… 

We stopped inside for a quick minute to warm up and get out of the wet…

I had so much fun on our short adventure Carla…and am super excited for our shoot in April!

If you are a bride (or not a bride) and are looking for someone to work on your invitations and all of your paper goods for your wedding or event, you should totally check out Carla! She does amazing work, and specializes in branding events. She is also working on my branding now…. we are meeting again on Tuesday for the next set of concepts. Can’t wait!

Check out her website here: http://www.carladaviddesign.com/

And her blog here: http://carladaviddesign.blogspot.com/

And if you are looking for hair and makeup for your wedding (or any other photoshoot or occasion) check out Amie Decker. We have several weddings together again this year and I am so excited!!

Check out her website here: http://www.amiedeckermakeup.com/

And her blog here: http://amiedeckermakeup.blogspot.com/

Have an amazing day!!!

m.e.

Yesterday was a crazy busy day, and it all started with an awesome photo shoot in Ellicott City with Melissa! I met Melissa last year at one of my January weddings. You might remember the bride, Sarah from her wedding or the recent session with her new babe.  She did the hair and makeup and did an amazing job! You should check her out at the Renaissance Hair Studio and Day Spa in Hunt Valley, Md!

We seriously lucked out with the most gorgeous weather! It is so crazy how a nice day like yesterday (and today) can put you in such a good mood!

Melissa and I had an awesome time playing around in Ellicott City, taking photos, and chatting about life… It is always funny to see people’s reactions when there is a bride wandering around in her wedding dress. She got so many ‘Congratulations’ and ‘Good Luck!’ and she also had a lot of men telling her she was beautiful, wanting to be in photos with her, or asking her to marry them…..

So, with that said, Melissa and I decided that a really effective (note that I am not saying best) way for single gals to meet some guys is to put on  wedding dress and galavant around town.

Doesn’t Melissa look gorgeous?!?!  And she did her hair and makeup herself. Love her hairpiece!

So classy….

I will say that I have a new appreciation for bridemaids who have to button all of those little teeny tiny buttons on the back of a brides gown! I did it… and it took me forever! But it was totally worth it!

So glad that the sun has decided to shine in Maryland again after a long harsh, freezing winter! So a little flare to celebrate!

I know I have totally shot here before… Not going to lie…  This is one of my most absolute favorite spots in Old Ellicott City! A lot of seniors usually like going there… but this is the first bride that I have up on that door. Melissa was definitely brave!

Love this light!!!

Ummmmm….. can you say beautiful?!? Her husband Ryan is a lucky man!

We did venture up the stairs to a balcony in the heart of downtown…. We didn’t stay long because there were a ton of nasty icky bugs! Melissa braved it…. and luckily none made their way onto… or into her dress.  :)

Thank you Melissa for such a fun, refreshing session!

And to blog readers… I know I keep saying that I am back… and I really am!!! Josh and I were in Las Vegas from March 4-11th for WPPI, Wedding and Portrait Photographers International.  I did plan to blog while there, but the days were full of classes, walking around the tradeshow, and catching up with photographer friends from around the country. We had an amazing time…. and came back utterly exhausted. Heck, there were somedays that I would get back from classes at 9pm (after a full day of them starting at 8am) and just crash! But, we are really excited about what the future holds! I have a lot of fun news and things to share with you as time continues… so as these things start to unfold (some personal and some business, and some just fun!) I will share them with you here on the blog. The tradeshow was great and I am ordering some new samples to introduce some new products that we will be offering. So, apologies for not blogging…there was not much time, and quite frankly internet service was pretty expensive per day, and there wasn’t even time to use it!

Enjoy this sunshine and stop back tomorrow to see some photos of Carla David, of Carla David Designs. We had a little headshot mini session before Josh and I headed out to Vegas.

Blessings!

m.e.