“Standing for something isn’t just about writing it down.  It’s about believing it, and living it.”

“Commit to make decisions.  Don’t wait for the perfect solution.  Decide and move forward.”

“Remember, fashion fades away.  When you focus on permanent features, you’re in bed with things that never go out of style.”

“Stop imagining what’s going to work.  Find out for real.”

“Momentum fuels motivation.”

“When you spend time worrying about someone else (competitors), you can’t spend that time improving yourself.”

“Inspiration is a magical thing, a productivity multiplier, a motivator.  But it won’t wait for you.  Inspiration is a now thing.  If it grabs you, grab it right back and put it to work.”

I highly recommend this book and hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Here’s to a productive Thursday!

1. What does your car say about you? If you don’t have a car, what kind of car would be your daily driver? Hmmm, I think my car says that I am reliable.  I drive a car that is known for being safe, getting good mileage, and lasting a long time.  That says reliable to me.

2. If you were celebrating your 30th anniversary, where would you want to go? I would want to go back to Key West, FL, to the same resort and the same beach we got married on 30 years earlier and renew our vows.

3. If you could trade places with any person for any amount of time, who would it be? I would trade places with a professional athlete…a good one though.  I would love to see their behind the scenes training regimen and then feel the glory of victory!

4. What is your favorite kind of cake? If you don’t like cake, what is it about it that you don’t like? My favorite kind of cake is called opera cake.  I have only seen it at one bakery and that is in my hometown in MA.  It basically is a chocolate cake but is infused with coffee (using real coffee beans) and is just delicious!  The coffee taste just adds a little something and ensures that the cake is nice and moist.

5. Would you have wanted to live in your parents’, grandparents’ or great-grandparents’ generation or only your own? I am fully content living in this generation.  I love the internet and social media and have no clue what I would do without it!

6. Do you have any home remedies for illnesses, cleaning or otherwise? Not that I can think of???

7. What is your ideal weather situation? My ideal weather is low 70’s and sunny everyday!  Isn’t that what it is like in San Diego?  Maybe that is where I should be living!

8. What is your best attribute (physical or personal)? I think my best attribute is my smile.  Not the smile itself but the fact that I do it a lot.  I even smile at strangers

9. Do you text or surf while driving? No way!  Not only is it against the law here in Michigan (and I am a rule follower!) but it is so dangerous.  There are enough distractions on the road and no text can possibly be that important that it couldn’t wait until I arrive at my destination.

10. How long have you known your best friend? I have know my best friend for about 24 years!  We played on our first soccer team together when we were 5 years old.  Crazy…now I feel really old!

Hope you all have a great day!

Day 1:  The entire day was a classroom session.  This session included Jasmine’s history and how she became so successful in such a short amount of time.  The main focus was branding and how there are so many opportunities using social media.  The main point I took from this session was to brand yourself online as a person, not as a photographer.  Clients are selecting a photographer as well as photographs.  If a potential client feels that they know you before they contact you then chances are they already know that they like you, and your style, because you have been so transparent on the web.

Day 2:  This day was a hybrid of classroom time and “hands-on” learning.  The classroom time consisted mostly of Jasmine taking online questions.  The second portion was the real first look between the bride and groom.  Unfortunately, I was unable to watch during this time but it consisted of Jasmine demonstrating how she uses light and posing her clients.  I sure this portion was awesome and I am bummed that I had to miss it!

Day 3:  Live wedding day!  The entire day literally followed Jasmine and her second shooter JD as they shot the entire wedding.  Jasmine would talk to the camera and let us know why she was standing where she was, what settings she was using, and why she was getting a certain shot.  Although there was some down time during the day (as there is at any wedding) I felt confident because there were many times that I could say “I do that too” while I am shooting weddings.

Day 4:  The day again began with a question and answer session with both Jasmine and JD.  The classroom then continued to Jasmine showing all her images from the wedding day and how and why she chooses certain images to show the clients.  She also spilled some her photoshop secrets which was really cool to see how she attains such a beautiful final image.

Day 5:  This was basically a full day of Q&A that dealt a lot with branding yourself and your business after the wedding is over.  She also talked a bit about her pricing as well as her business structure.  The main thing I took from day 5 was to value your time.  Time is money and you are running a business!  Keep that in mind with everything you do.

Overall this was a really good educational experience.  I have always admired Jasmine Star but this performance really proved what a hard worker she is!  If you are interested in watching this course you can buy it here!

And here is a picture of Jasmine Star and me from a seminar last September that my friend Brooke took…

I was in my senior year of college, and was graduating with a degree in business administration and marketing.  I though, hmmm, what am I going to do when I graduate?  Now, I know there are plenty of business and marketing jobs out there, but I guess I just wasn’t ready to join the workforce at that time.  I thought well, I guess I will go to law school, I will get a good education and being a lawyer might be fun, right?  Wrong.  Law was not the right fit for me.  After working at law firms and in law related jobs for 6 years I was bored, uninspired, and constantly trying to find my passion and direction in life.  Then, I got engaged and that changed everything.

As I started my wedding planning process I was spending hours on wedding blogs, planning websites and the like.  It was then I realized that although I was looking at the lovely things in the photos, I was spending more time wondering how they captured those images.  I began reading photography related books, blogs, and manuals to learn everything I could about photography.  Then it hit me.  I love photography.  I have always loved photography.  My high school job was working in a photography studio.  My friends call me the paparazzi for heaven’s sake!  How could I not have seen this sooner?

So here I am.  A photographer, not a lawyer, a photographer.  It is still weird for me to say it, but I like the sound of it.  I now have the ability to follow my dreams and pursue my passion.  Honestly, how many people get to do that?

Hope you all have a wonderful Thursday!

Happy Wednesday!

1.  Turbo Kick:  I have been certified in Turbo Kick for over a year now, but just started teaching 2 months ago…and I LOVE it!  It is definitely the best cardio workout ever, and get this…it is FUN!  I leave class so energized (and tired at the same time) and cannot wait for next week!

2.  Michele Watches:  These watches are amazing.  The absolute best part is that you can interchange the bands with two clicks.  You options for colors and style are endless.  I wearing my white band now, before summer ends because you know, no white after labor day…which is rapidly approaching.

3.  Girl Talk- Knight Rid(d)er:  This is the best running cd ever.  It is a non stop 42 minute mix of old and new songs.  Girl Talk is such a funny name for an artist…but this music rocks, it even makes me want to go running!

4.  Date Night:  This movie is hysterical.  I literally laughed through the entire thing.  My favorite line in the movie is “zip your face!”   hahaha, I laugh just thinking about it

5.  Seth Godin’s Blog:  I cannot express how much I love this blog.  It is a daily dose of straight up, honest business advice.  Sometimes it is just what I need to kick start my day.

Well, those are the flavors for this week…until next time, see you on the flip side!