This morning about 20 of us met Justin & Mary at 6AM (!!!) for a little mini workshop on lighting and posing in the courtyard of the MGM Signature. (This meant Allison, Christy, and I had to get up at 5am. After three hours of sleep. And you wonder why I’m weepy today…) The super gorgeous Liz & Ryan were our models, and they absolutely rocked it out in every way.

It’s funny – I’ve been to Spread the Love twice, Walk Through a Wedding once, and had a mentoring session with Justin & Mary. You’d think it would get to a point where I’m Justin & Mary-ed out – but every time I hear them speak or meet with them, I get something new out of it. Today we learned how to bring beautiful, organic emotion out in every single photograph in a simple and fun way. I cannot wait to use these new techniques at my next wedding on Friday. I really cannot thank Justin & Mary for being such genuine, giving people. They support our community in so many ways, and I am not just in awe of their work, but their huge hearts as well.

The Sunrise Shootout was one of the highlights of WPPI for me, and definitely worth the 5am wake up call. Here are a few images from the morning. How bananas is this light?! Holy wow, it was gorgeous.

Next stop… NEW YORK CITY, BABY! Wish me good flying luck. I can’t wait to give John a giant kiss!

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A brief rundown, with a much longer recap to come once I’m home:

• My WPPI classes have been fantastic so far. I really feel like I’m going home with an amazing new perspective on my business and full of ideas to take this elopement thing I’m doing to the next level.
• I am rooming with Emily, Christy, and Allison – awesome fellow APW sponsors – and I LOVE THEM SO MUCH!! I feel like I have spent the last couple days just nerding out – talking about photography and business – and laughing. Oh, so much laughing. These are three of the funniest ladies ever.
• Saturday night we were walking back to our room – I told my roommates to go on ahead, because I wanted to grab a bottle of water. When I arrived at the room five minutes behind them, I found out that they had all met TONY DANZA in the elevator ride up! I was so sad. Lesson: Don’t split up from the group!
• I walked the trade show floor a little bit today, and was so incredibly impressed with the people at Richard Photo Lab. Huge thank you to Brian for taking the time to listen to me, encourage me in my business, and share how they can help me reach my goals. I am so excited to start giving them my business!!

Much more to come, now I have to run out to class!

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Actually… that’s not true. I do know why I’m getting worked up. I will be meeting some amazing photographers who I have spent the last year and a half getting to know through emails and Twitter, but have never met in person. I am going to be taking classes and workshops from some photographers who I have long admired. I’m going to be surrounded by people who are clearly awesome at what they do – which is more than a little intimidating. It’s a lot to process. I also have found if I obsess about what’s going to happen when I get to Las Vegas – I’ll obsess less about the fact I have to get on a six hour flight to get there.

We’ve been through this before. I am not a good flyer. I am a really bad flyer – especially alone. I often opt for eight hour train rides instead of one hour flights back to North Carolina to visit my family. And yet I am obsessed with traveling and seeing the world. My life would be infinitely easier if I were just content to stay home all the time. Or… if I could just get over this flying thing. I’ve prepared distractions… the last half of Mockingjay – which I’ve been saving just for this; old Ricky Gervais/Stephen Merchant/Karl Pilkington podcasts, because no one makes me laugh harder than Karl Pilkington; the obligatory trashy magazine or two; and luckily JetBlue has TVs if all else fails. (Although, truth be told, I keep my JetBlue TV on the flight map at all times – y’know… just to make sure we’re still in the air or something. I clearly have serious problems.)

I’m not sure what the internet situation will be or if I’ll have time to blog, but I do intend to at least try. I’m really excited to share photographs and experiences with you. I’ve never been to Las Vegas before, and I’m bringing my 24 1.4 lens to make sure I capture it in all its glory. Vegas just screams wide angle, I think. Wish me good flying luck, and hopefully I’ll be checking in this week to share all my adventures with you! (And if you’re going to WPPI and you see me walking around, please say HI!!)

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I met Rebecca & Pravit at City Hall, and after their lovely ceremony we headed to Chinatown for some portraits. They decided that since they met in China, that Chinatown would be a fitting location for their wedding portraits, and I could not agree more. Luckily we had nice, mild weather again today, so Rebecca was able to show off her gorgeous dress in the photographs!

Rebecca & Pravit, thank you both so much for everything. Working with you two was such a fantastic experience, and I wish you so much happiness!

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Stephanie & Dan were married on one of those very mild winter days. They came prepared for the worst – wait until you see Stephanie’s GORGEOUS fake fur coat – and it ended up being a beautiful day. We started the day at the Eventi Hotel where Stephanie and her sister had their hair and make up done. I met Dan and Stephanie’s brother-in-law downstairs, and we found a beautiful spot in the hotel for a First Look. And then we were off to City Hall!

This elopement had such a glamorous, old Hollywood feel. From Stephanie’s dress and hair to Dan’s suit and shoes – they were just an absolutely stunning couple. After the ceremony, we made stops for portraits at the Brooklyn Bridge, a fire house (Dan is a fireman in London!), and finally Central Park. I could not have had more fun – this couple and their family were so incredibly sweet, full of laughter, and laid back.

Part of their wedding was already featured on Elizabeth Anne Designs last week, and I’m thrilled to share the rest of it here today! Stephanie & Dan – thank you for everything. You guys are amazing.

Ceremony Venue: Manhattan Marriage Bureau  //  Make-up: Anni Bruno of NYC Faces  //  Hair: Sissi Chan  //  Dress: Reiss  //  Shoes: LK Bennett  //  Suit: T.M. Lewin

Shot with: D700  //  24 1.4  //  50 1.4

Post production: VSCO Film –> Fuji 800Z- & Faded++ (my standard formula, for those that have been asking)  //  my own personal action I created to give each image a final color pop  //  Kubota Magic Sharp

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But I’m cooking up some new things over here for you guys – the main one being a series for photographers on some of the things I’ve learned about photography and running a business in the last few years. I’m super excited to get that rolling – and I have some awesome contributors. And since I had so many people asking about my technique for using VSCO, I’ll do a post outlining that as well. (So hang on for that one in a few weeks, and I’ll be sharing a few different recipes and tricks.)

Also last week, I forgot to mention that a couple of my photographs ended up on A Practical Wedding, in Meg’s recap of the Brooklyn book reading event. So you should check that out.

And now I have to go get ready to shoot an engagement session in Central Park this afternoon, so I will be back this evening with a sneak peek!

A few images from my life in the last week:

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So last night I dug the unedited photographs off my external harddrive, and decided it was time for them to see the light of day. I spent the evening wrapped up in them, editing and reliving those perfect two weeks. Thinking of chocolate gelato, drinking wine in Tuscany, long walks back to our hotel after dinner at night, and Italian coffee (when I taste good Italian coffee at a restaurant now… sometimes I cry. Seriously. John gets really embarassed.)

I was afraid of never writing any of them down, of the photographs languishing on my harddrive. Of the whole trip disappearing into the fog. So this is late. A year and three months late. But better late than never.

Photographs interspersed with stories of our trip. So I never forget. First up… Rome.

We stayed at the top of the Spanish Steps. The hotel had the tiniest elevator ever; I held my breath every time we took it to our room on the fifth floor. The hotel had at the greatest coffee in the world, and I kind of couldn’t wait to get out of bed everyday and run downstairs for a pot.

The Spanish Steps were always packed with people. Tourists and men handing out roses for change. They kept pressing the roses into my hand, and I kept pressing them back. “No, no, no.” I did not want to trade a euro for a rose. It was a lesson I’d learned the hard way at Sacre Coeur in Paris two years earlier. We would walk out of the hotel, buy gelato from a cart at the top of the steps, and find a place to sit on the stairs, eat our gelato, and people watch. Watch the tourists fight a losing battle with the rose men.

I think it was our second day. The jet lag was starting to come down like a hammer. We were wandering around, and found ourselves in Piazza Navona. We found a table at a cafe and spent the rest of the day eating pasta, drinking wine, and watching the street performers. An escape artist, a seemingly homeless man with a boom box who lip-synced opera, a quartet of old men musicians, a young kid with a guitar. We sat and talked and it was one of my favorite days.

We visited the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, Circus Maximus, threw a coin in Trevi Fountain, and looked through the Knights of Malta keyhole to see St. Peter’s Basilica. The history nerd in me freaked out. It was surreal, and all much larger than I’d expected for some reason.

I liked the sometimes narrow, winding streets. Little secrets tucked away. I did not like feeling like I was going to be run over by a scooter every time I crossed the street there. Rome was smaller then I imagined it to be, and easily walkable.

On our fifth day we took a train to Florence. My second time on a high speed train. I went to the bathroom and accidentally dropped my sunglasses in the toilet. Obviously I left them there.

Next week… photos from Florence!

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The book reading will be at the Park Slope Barnes & Noble: 267 7th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11215, at 2pm. Although you should probably get there a little early as it’s going to be packed. Party to follow from 3:30pm to 5pm at a nearby bar. Please RSVP on Facebook HERE.

I would LOVE to see you, so I hope you can make it!

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