J* WORKSHOP Part II

In my second post about the Jasmine Star WORKSHOP, I am excited to share lots of images of Jasmine in action. After lunch Jasmine had planned an outdoor photo shoot in bright light. Most people can shoot easily when they have control over the time of the shoot and the light is perfect. However, what happens when we are asked to shoot in full light? What happens when the sun is overhead and harsh? These are things Jasmine would approach with us and give us suggestions, pointers and her advice on how to handle these situations. Before we all gathered our camera gear to head out, Jasmine gave us a few words of inspiration. She pushed us to find shots that would reflect our style and give us a signature look. She suggested we take chances in capturing images we could use to help brand ourselves.



This ended up being one of "my" favorite parts of the workshop day. Maybe because I am so passionate about taking photos, but more likely is was my sheer excitement of being on a photo shoot with Jasmine. A chance to learn, to watch, to observe and even participate on a shoot with the Rock-Star herself. I listened so attentively as she spoke on so many different topics. She covered shooting in full sunlight, using natural reflectors, interacting with your clients and more, more, more. She spoke with such passion, such conviction and such energy...it was invigorating to say the least.



I'm not sure who was more fun to photograph, Jasmine or the models...ha ha. I did get some "AMAZING" photos of Ashley and Jeff and will share those in another post.



We all watched with such anticipation as she showed us how she gets those "fabulous" and "flawless" images that has defined her style and help to catapult her business.



She took time to help explain techniques to use with your clients. Most of our clients are "not" professional models and most of them are rarely in front of a camera for a professional shoot. Jasmine used herself to demonstrate "smiles" and I love these three images I snapped. She is giving us information on getting clients to look sultry. I love the image on the right, I think it shows how good she was feeling while she explained this to us...ha ha. I love it!



JD...her husband, her business partner & her soul mate, joined on the shoot. JD not only handles the bulk of all the business stuff, but he second shoots with Jasmine and is very talented as a photographer himself. He was responsible for the details and arrangements of the workshop, as well as keeping the day running smoothly. I got a chance to talk with JD during dinner, as him & Jasmine tried to move around and speak with all the attendees. He spoke with me and was genuinely concerned about me, as well as my business. He encouraged me and asked for feedback regarding the workshop. I offered my comments in saying, "it could not have been better in my opinion"..."it was fab-u-lous".



Jasmine purposely posed Ashley & Jeff in direct sunlight to explain using natural reflectors. I found this information VERY helpful, since I am a natural light shooter and rarely use flash.



The light was beautiful, even in the middle of the day with it being harsh.



We walked around getting full light from all different angles...soaking up the sun & soaking up some J* knowledge. It was a win-win situation for me.



Connecting with your clients is very important. Making them comfortable with you allows them to trust you, thus making your images reflect the connection you share. On her blog, Jasmine always expresses her LOVE for her clients.



Talking with her hands is something I noticed alot. I do this too. :) ha ha.




No matter how many questions Jasmine got asked throughout the day...she listened carefully to each one.



I snapped a photo of some of the workshop attendees as we walked. I have to say that the group of photographer's I met on this day were all AMAZING. Each and every person made quite an impression on me. Their personalities, their passion for photography, their talent, their willingness to share and their strong desire to follow their dreams is something I notice...in each & every person that attended.



Near the end of the photo shoot, we got some J* instruction on interaction with out clients. I noticed immediately how relaxed she makes people feel and I smile because she was having as much fun teaching as we were having learning.





Jasmine is very entertaining...see how funny Jeff thinks she is. I can see why her clients laugh so much.


Jasmine...you rock!


Flawless make-up by : Vivian Tran of All Made Up
Floral designs by : Lauryl Lane

To sum up my experience at The WORKSHOP is easy...I was very BLESSED to attend! It has more than already paid for itself. The knowledge I gained, the inspiration I received, the insight from a queen of the industry, the one-on-one advice, opinions, tips, the workshop specials and discounts, there's no way to explain everything I gained...let's just say, it was "more" than worth it. To learn, to grow and to become better as a photographer you have to educate yourself and find ways to push your business forward. This is what The WORKSHOP did for me and I will be a better photographer for it. More importantly, I will be a better person and also a better colleague to others, because of Jasmine.

J* WORKSHOP Part I

It was a morning of butterflies and nerves. How would the traffic be? Would I be running late? Would I get lost as I so oftenly do? (Yes, even with a GPS.) Would I ask stupid questions doing break time? Would my stomach growl because I was too excited to eat? These were all things that plagued my mind as I awoke "extra early" Monday morning. You see it was the morning of a long anticipated workshop...The WORKSHOP by Jasmine Star. She has been an inspiration to me, not only as a Photographer, but also as a person. She puts her heart and soul into her work and into giving to others. Her passion reminds me of my own, how I feel my eyes light up when I talk about photography. How my heart beats faster right before my shoots...and how every day is happy because I am following my dream. I believe these are a few things I have in common with Ms Jasmine Star. I was ecstatic to receive my confirmation as a workshop attendee at the end of Sept. I did my happy dance...twice.

Not only would I get to meet Jasmine, someone who has paved a new direction into wedding photography, but I would also meet 19 other photographers. Other photographers who have a passion too, a passion to learn and a passion to build their businesses. To say I was intimidated to be among such an amazing group would be an understatement. I had checked out all my fellow attendee's websites and blogs. The amount of talent that I would be around was a little overwhelming. Thus more butterflies and nerves. Although in connecting with the group on Facebook, I felt that each and every person was genuine, energetic, excited and as happy for the workshop as I was. I was humbled by everyone's kindness and sheer willingness to share their ideas as well.

The WORKSHOP by Jasmine Star was filled with information on every possible topic I can think of. Between her outlined presentation and the constant stream of questions, I can say undoubtedly that all areas of photography and even our personal lives, were covered. I am super excited about her advice at The WORKSHOP, because I am in the middle of re-branding myself. My NEW LOGO is done. My new customized blog is almost done. And....a NEW SHOW-IT website is coming soon. (DJ you ROCK!) Her suggestions were brilliant and will definitely push me above & beyond with my branding. The attention to detail at the workshop was flawless. JD (Jasmine's husband, business partner & soul mate) was the one who organized the entire workshop for us. JD...you get an A+++++++++++++++! I love fresh flowers, they always add a special touch of elegance and class.



We each received a notepad, a pen and a hand written personal note from Jasmine. The fact she took the time to get to know us before we arrived, showed exactly how much this WORKSHOP meant to her. It is always things like this that make my heart smile. Here is my note.



Did JD know that strawberries, blackberries and blueberries are my favorite? I think so...or at least that is what I am telling myself.



Jasmine was flawless from head to....toe~



And she's a MAC girl too. Gotta love anyone who shoots with Canon and loves Apple.



Loading some images for the big projection screen. (Yea MacBook Pro)



Jasmine shared personal stories which almost had the room in tears at times. She also listened very attentively when a workshop attendee would ask a question.



A change of shoes and we were off for an outdoor learning lesson and photo shoot. Jasmine is known for wearing her Cowboy boots on many of her shoots. I am sure it is 5% for comfort and 95% because they are so cool!



As part of the workshop, we got to learn first hand how Jasmine interacts with her clients. We learned how she has built a powerhouse of "fanatics" for herself with her clients, as well as their friends & families. I was truly honored and humbled to be shooting along side this Rock Star!


If you want to be inspired...if you want to soak up knowledge from one of the industry's hottest (by means of "she is on fire"...ha.ha...although she is gorgeous too)...if you want to push yourself to be a better person, a better photographer and a better colleague to others...then sign up for her newsletter and be alerted to news of her next workshop.

I have more photos of Jasmine to post from our day and also some of Ashley & Jeff, our models. For now, one last pic of Ashley and Jeff...


Flawless make-up by : Vivian Tran of All Made Up
Floral designs by : Lauryl Lane

CHLOE´ PART II

Another teaser...I will be posting the entire shoot very soon. For now a couple more photos of the very gorgeous and fabulous...Chloe´. By the way...she is most definitely as beautiful "on the inside" as she is "on the outside".



One word...F-I-E-R-C-E!!!!



Just a candid shot I snapped in between getting her portraits. Chloe has the best smile ever!



She is funny too. LOL. Chloe´....thanks for making me laugh so hard during our shoot. I wanted to write a caption referring to the gun show, but thought that would be silly. ha ha. You rock girl!


Will post the entire session soon...I didn't even get to the other outfits. More beautiful images to come.

CHLOE´PREVIEW

This is only a short preview. I wanted to share a couple of the amazing images I took of Chloe. I have so many FAVORITES and will be posting more soon.

For now, here is a teaser...

MADYSON...RANDOM

This is Madyson trying on costumes for Halloween. I am not sure what she was saying here, but she certainly is getting her point across with that finger. ha ha. This was one of her Princess costumes. She put it on over her other clothes and just ran around the back yard.



I asked her to smile and you can see how difficult she found this task. She is taking her hands and pulling at her mouth. Of course, I do see a genuine smile behind all that silliness.



I love this shot. I took it after Madyson went and dunked her head in the pool. She returned looking ever so much like a proper little princess. ha ha. This child makes me laugh so hard.
*Disclaimer : This was not a planned photo shoot. It was just a couple of images I snapped really quick. I do not encourage any kids I photograph to dunk their heads in the pool during a shoot. ha ha...LOL.



This is Bailey. She is just awesome.



These next two are a couple of my favorites. Madyson always seems to be screaming when Bailey is around. This was too priceless for me not to document. You can see how hard it is for Madyson to stay quite, she is about to bust out laughing.



She does love her Bailey though....





And mostly, Bailey loves her.



Kisses and licks for Madyson.


Have a blessed day~

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Mocha wanted to say Happy Halloween...


Have a SAFE & HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!

LACIE big disk quadra

External harddrives. The Lacie brand is awesome. Shooting with the Canon 5D Mark II is amazing, but my RAW image files are huge. This means when I back-up a shoot it takes up a lot of space. Filling up my current Lacie external harddrive was very easy, so I felt the need to upgrade. Lacie has a huge selection of products and after researching I decided to go with the "Lacie big disk quadra" with 2TB of space.



The Lacie harddrives will lay horizontally, stand vertically, stack together or you can rack-mount it with other Lacie harddrives. It has a detachable plate that you can easily attach for vertical storage.



This particular model offers a "Lacie Shortcut Button" on the front, which launches any backup or library application.



Another feature I really like is that the "Lacie big disk quadra" offers data transfer at very fast rates. This is important when backing-up a wedding with a mega number of images. Transferring files is all about speed. Speed is good. Also, this model has a quadruple interface....it can be connected via FireWire 800, Firewire 400, Hi_Speed USB 2.0 or eSATA 3Gbits. I prefer the FireWire 800 with my MAC.


Finally, I really love the exclusive aluminum d2 heat sink design this model offers. It is fanless and operates quietly. Nice!