Amy and Kyle, sitting in a tree... k-i-s-s-i-n-g..... :) Are these two cute or what!? They first met here in town at Barrymore's... so naturally, we put in on out shot list. So fun!
Kyle is from Valentine, Nebraska.... and wanted some shots in a location that reminds him of home. :) I *love* these! (Amy's J Crew bag is soooo her!)
This may be my favorite fave! Cute, cute, cute! Thanks for inviting me to work with you as your wedding photographer... I'm looking forward to November!
What a wonderful day for a wedding! Guests continually remarked with happy surprise that the weather for Sara & Alan's big day was so cooperative. But it's not just the weather that was perfect.... their entire day had the same magic touch as they waltzed through the ceremony, the trolley ride, a park and not one, but two bars... and ultimately, into each other's arms for their first dance. :) This is their story... in a few of my quick pick favorite images. :)
Church: Saint Joseph's Catholic Church
Flowers: Burton Tyrrell's
Reception: Lincoln Station
Catering: Premiere Catering
Transportation: Ollie the Trolley
This little shutter snapper is none other than Al's nephew Louie. I spotted him hunting me with his camera for what seemed like a good 15 minutes during the ceremony. Needless to say, it was quite entertaining... I'm anxious to see what he ended up with!
Afterwards, the cousins couldn't wait to get on the trolley!
I'm luvin' Liam's freckles!
As their wedding photographer, I suppose it's slightly possible that I am biased.... but this is just plain gorgeous!
The girls look so great in their dresses!
Of course, the men made the suits look good too!
Sara surprised me when she added the flower to her hair after the ceremony.... fab!
Before making their grand entrance.... the crew decided to make one more pit stop.... where I happily snagged this gem: = LOVE!
If there's one thing I love almost as much as cool bridal hair pieces/veils.... it's suspenders... ladies, are you with me!?
And this, ladies and gentlemen... was their first dance.... a waltz.
And they lived happily ever after. :) Congrats you two... and safe travels!
I can't believe my baby brother is so.... grown up. He was the kid who never wore normal clothes.... it was super hero costumes only. He had the most incredible golden curls that flopped around his face in the summers and though he may not care to admit it now.... he was my little buddy. With dad at work and mom knee deep in her P.h.D. program, I was the oldest of all four of the kids, and was happy to embrace the role of big sis... taking it very seriously. :) He was my little brother, after all!
He and Jamie have been together forever, and this summer... they are officially tying the knot. Both students, if they're not in class (or running to/from), they can usual be found studying. Jamie just switched to early childhood education, and Nick is pre-med. Over the years, I've repeatedly teased Nick that he is sooooo much like me (much to his everlasting frustration....) but, as he's getting older.... I like to think (and hope!) that I am also much like him in the sense that he is incredibly self-disciplined, focused... and capable of anything he puts his mind to. :)
His razor sharp focus at the moment is set on working his butt off to prepare for his upcoming MCAT exam. When I say 'butt off,' I mean.... the kid studies like nobody's business. His practice exams have scored him as high as 41 (he's already in the top 1%, and hasn't even taken the real test yet!). On top of rockin' grades, a killer study regimen, and of course, his ongoing dedication to his workouts (he has been obsessed with the study of physical fitness since he was about 12).... he is also a proud papa of little Cole... who will make an appearance as the 'best man' in the wedding this July.
And all of that makes me one proud big sister. :)
He and Jamie are quite the team. The support I see from Jamie towards them as a family and especially towards Nick is inspirational. They are simply adorable to watch... as the pictures show. :)
Of course Cole was with us for our shoot..... How could we not bring him??? Look at that face!!!!
I love this shot. Jamie has morphed into the role of 'mom' with such grace.... she just looks so classically elegant here... even while Col-e jumps on her. :)
I love the old Coke bottle here... (no, he's not really drinking it!)
With the 2010 season on my heels, I thought I'd take a quick break from wedding photography for a few short days to pop over to the windy city for something entirely different - a 3-day intensive improv/writing workshop at Chicago's famed Second City. Having never studied improv before, I wasn't sure what to expect... but I was determined to have a good time and explore something that was entirely new to me.
The weather in the city was amazing...
I completely hit a home-run with my hotel choice (this is me in the elevator....)
Two days in this swank spot for $100 (including tax!)? Yes please! Plus, it was located right near the intersection of Grand and Michigan Ave., in the heart of the famed Magnificent Mile (not that I did any shopping.... but... it did make for great window browsing while running to the lake front to put in my requisite mileage every morning!).
I lived in Chicago off/on for roughly 4 years after college, and one of my favorite things about the city is the incredible public transportation. The CTA (Chicago Transit Authority) makes it super easy to get around and even makes use of impressive technology that lets you input your starting/ending locations, then it tells you not only the route/transit connections you need in order to get where you want, but it even tracks the buses/trains telling you when the next one is arriving, and how long it will take you to get to your destination. I was blown away!
Much of Chicago's 'subway' is actually elevated above ground (hence the name the 'el train'). It makes for lots of fun when coming from the airport with a suitcase. :) Good thing I travel so light!
I took advantage of this travel opportunity to test out my new purse/camera bag made by my friend Maile (Relish Portrait Studio). The bags are called 'Epiphanie' bags... and it meant that I didn't have to carry a purse AND a separate camera bag. (Plus, I *love* the color!) I took out the adjustable partition inserts so that there were 3 compartments: one for my camera, one for the 2nd lens I bought, and one for all my 'purse' type stuff.
People watching on the trains...
This young lady, Anika had *the* coolest hair and sunglasses... I mean.... look at her! I felt absolutely compelled to ask if I could shoot a couple shots of her, so with my best "I'm-Not-A-Creep-I-Promise" self-introduction.... she obliged. Turns out she's in a band. As soon as I finish this blog post I'm sending these images to her. :) Thanks Anika!
I think this one is my FAVE!
Second City is in Piper's Alley in Old Town at North & Wells. I love the energy up there.... so much buzz! (Maybe it's from all the Starbucks in the neighborhood.... there's one right inside Second City that is open 24-hours!)
In case you're not familiar with Second City, it's the fertile breeding ground for amazing comedic talents like Tina Fey, Bill Murray, Mike Myers, Chris Farley, Dan Aykroid, Gilda Radner, etc.... Over the years, many of the stars from Saturday Night Live got their training at the Second City conservatory. Pretty incredible!
This was our home for three days. A simple classroom consisting of wide open space, an L-shaped bench and peppered with a few chairs. Truly a space of limitless potential... it became many different things over the course of the class.
The main messages that I took away from this exploratory 3-day session were in-line with Second City's 'collaborative' philosophy. Our teacher, Nick, taught us that in improv... there are no bad choices. Only choices, and better choices. Every choice that we make is a gift that we give to the other players in the scene with us. It is our duty, as scene collaborators, to accept and honor the choices each other makes. This is done by continually saying 'Yes and...." to each other. Not literally of course, but figuratively. It's kind of like a game of tennis where players serve the ball back and forth to each other all across the court (I'm just guessing... I've never really actually played tennis... but then again, until this week... I had never really studied anything about improv before either!). When another player in the scene makes a choice and tosses the ball back to you.... it's your job to accept their serve (whichever direction it may have gone in), run to it, embrace it.... and send the ball back to keep the game going.
One of my favorite things that I heard Nick say, was that in terms of the creative process, the word 'no' is an act of violent opposition. Kind of like when someone serves you a ball in a game of tennis... and instead of going for it... you just stand there and let it hit the ground. Not much fun, not much of a game.
The players in a scene are all responsible for helping each other out and making choices that support the choices everyone else is making. Nick said, "It's your job to make the other players look good." Sounds like good advice for life in general... don't you think? :)
Our days consisted of a series of 'exercises' where we would explore movement, shape and the transformation of all those things. We were often given a location, and in pairs or groups of three we were asked to bring the scene to life. There were usually some interesting rules/restrictions such as only being able to speak in 1 word sentences, or sometimes not being able to speak at all. One of my favorite exercises was done in pairs with one person pretending to be a poet, reading a poem (whose title was randomly generated by someone else in the class) in a make believe language while the other person served as the interpreter doing their best to give shape and reason to the jibberish and body language the 'poet' was supplying. I was continually blown away by the incredible material that would seem to come from nowhere in only a matter of minutes!
Having just come off of my experience writing the (hopefully) comedic "Uncle Bob" piece, I was really excited for the writing section of the workshop. We learned to explore dialogue, emotion, needs/wants and obstacles to make scenes that carry their own weight.
Of course, when it comes to improv.... there is no writing. You make it up as you go, completely on the spot. It was fascinating to realize that like any art form.... there is a structure that makes it possible. There are principles to learn and techniques to study. (This was very encouraging, as I always just thought that improv professionals simply woke up knowing it all... go figure!) Much of it centers around learning to let go of control and go with the flow. This was probably the hardest part for me as not only am I a total control freak maniac, but I have a very hard time just being 'silly' and doing things that at first glance appear to lack significant purpose. Of course, sometimes, having no purpose... *is* the whole purpose. :)
The other people in the class came from all across the country and even from as far away as Canada. With diverse backgrounds and spanning various age groups, it was an eclectic mix, held together with a thread of common interest in this art form/life skill.
What a great experience. Thank you to all the players for continuing to pass me the ball with a big "Yes and...." :)
As an added bonus, I managed to squeeze in an opportunity to connect with photographer friends Kenny Kim,Kenny Nakai, and Matt & Stevie Savage for an outdoor dinner on a gorgeous Chicago evening. So glad we could make it happen guys!
Saturday marked the completion of my first 10 mile race. When people find out that you're training for a marathon (or half marathon, as in my case), they tend to assume that you are fast. Everyone wants to know what your time was. The minute I got back from the race, the first question I got was, "How'd you do?"
The short answer is, out of 893 runners... yours truly came in 683rd with a time of 1:50:47. I even got beat by a 9 year old and several people over the age of 60 (there's some inspiration for you!). Even the incredible 73 year old runner was only a couple minutes behind me.
But....
It's not about that. My time? That's trivial compared to the fact that I'm well on my way towards accomplishing a goal I've been working on for nearly 3 months. I'm not running to break world records (or even local ones). I'm not running to try and beat that crazy fast 9 year old (though I wouldn't complain if I did.... ;) I'm running to be healthy. I'm running because it's simple and travels well (no gym required!). When you train outdoors as I do, there's a whole new connection to nature, weather patterns and even the city itself that can be pretty cool. I'm really running because.... it's just plain fun and sure beats sitting on the couch.
I've only been 'a runner' since the beginning of January when I was still very skeptical about this whole endeavor. Me? Run? Are you kidding? Growing up, I was a swimmer and a dancer. I avoided running like the plague.
"Soccer? Ummmm.... I'm pretty sure that involves running. No thanks."
"Basketball? Same deal."
"Softball? I'll pass."
So what changed? I suppose that I did. I always loved the fact that in swimming, your only real competition was yourself. I guess I realized it's the same with running. At the beginning, a 2 mile run nearly killed me. Saturday, I ran all 10 miles and though I won't pretend it was a walk in the park.... (it was infact, a run in the park, and the mud, and the rain.....) it was nowhere near as hard as the first 2 miles I started training at. My pace has improved by nearly 2 minutes/mile and... I've dropped nearly 20 lbs. What's not to love about that? :)
This is my muddy glory shot. :)
After the run, we went to celebrate Cole's first birthday. Shamefully.... I didn't bring my camera (which Abuela was quick to point out). But, I still enjoyed watching him devour his birthday cake. I can't believe that little monkey is 1 already. He is pure joy... I just love him so much!
Then it was out for an early dinner and back home to observe earth hour by candlelight.
Time for another 5 mile training run.... have a great week!
Sometimes it's great to feel part of something bigger than ourselves... When was the last time you felt like that? Here's another opportunity, that's easier (and more fun!) than you thought....
On Saturday, March 27th at 8:30pm local time, people around the world will be turning of their lights for one hour to send a strong message about their concern for climate change and this lovely jewel of a planet that we all call home. Be part of the fun & join in! (The kids will LOVE it!) :)
It snowed. Again. After a 60 degree day filled with the vitamin d goodness of the sun, it snowed while temperatures plummeted back to below freezing and the weather fairies laughed at us and our newly washed cars (that's Nebraska for ya!).
But, even on a day like this... even after running 10 miles through the icy snow this morning.... I am feeling good. Really good. I've been relishing the time I've carved out to spend nurturing my passions and creativity... and naturally, that feels awesome!
I've been reading up a storm lately which has not only stirred up tons of new ideas for my business.... but has also helped fully embrace and better understand lots of new things that I'm really excited about! Reading is something I love dearly, but it tends to be very labor intensive because I don't just read. Nope. I devour. I read for knowledge. For wisdom. For inspiration, ideas and sometimes... just plain fun. Like a run-away freight train, I dog-ear any and every page that casually mentions something half-way interesting that I might want to follow-up on later. It could be another author I want to check out, or a website I should visit... or simply another book that I may buy while further contributing to amazon.com's global empire. :) These are just a few of the books currently protecting my nightstand from dust.....
The same is true of magazines. They've been piling up on my desk since November (literally... I just learned all about the latest and greatest Thanksgiving recipes), but I recently made my way through about 30lbs. of them. This, of course, means piles and piles of tear sheets that I now have to sort, file and somehow put away for a possible later future reference (who doesn't want to know Martha Stewart's brilliant ideas for dying easter eggs or some random tutorial on the pen tool??????). *sigh*
Through it all... Merki provides plenty of comic relief. After my run this morning, I fixed a big yummy vegetable/pasta lunch, and while I was getting things out of the cupboards, guess who was taking their place.... that's right. Miss Merki. When she was finished hanging out on the bottom shelf, she made a u-turn and cozied up amongst the soup cans on the 2nd shelf. After that, she wanted out. While most cats are content to paw at the door until it opens, Merki literally launches herself at the door... through the air... until she lands atop the lattice where she literally hangs until someone lets her back in. I was able to catch it on camera today.... too funny! I love the look on her face, as if she'll fall to certain death if we don't let her in..... Right this very minute.
It's still daylight... plenty of more reading to do. :) Enjoy the rest of your weekend!
(If you're looking for the Uncle Bob Ignite video, it's at the end of this post! :) - Enjoy!)
What fun we had again in Vegas this year! We arrived on Sunday, dropped off our bags and immediately checked out the scene at the conference.
Emir came along and was an INCREDIBLE source of support and encouragement. I absolutely enjoyed having him there with me... and don't know what I'd do without him! I love you sweet thing! Here, he solves some last minute IT challenges.... :)
Sunday night, we got cleaned up... (I know, worst camera phone EVER!) and I was surprised to discover that I actually fit into this dress.... Hallelujah! I suppose that all the running has really started to pay off! ha! I'm proud to say that I continued my training by cranking out another 13 miles along the Vegas strip in the wee hours of the morning during the conference. (It was kinda crazy to see people in the casinos at night when we were going to bed, and again in the morning.... still in the same seats at 5:30am the next day when I headed out to run.... I guess they were really having a great time!)
Sunday night meant dinner w/ friends (gasp! no photos!) and surprise tickets from me to Emir for Cirque's LOVE. (Which, is aptly named... as we LOVED it!)
I've been looking forward to teaching my first WPPI Master Class since last year's WPPI.... and was so excited it was finally here! I was bursting at the seams with passion to help fellow photogs be the best they can be. We talked about using Adobe InDesign as part of a regular work flow as well as some basic design principles to really hit the ground running.
Last year, while boldly following my heart down a path that eventually lead to this year's Master Class, I found myself under the supportive wing of this fun fella... Joe. :) He introduced me to the rest of the Rangefinder family and welcomed Emir and I back to Vegas with his hearty grin and a big bear hug. You're the best Joe!
I am eternally grateful to Adobe,AsukaBook (Lindsay... you rock my world!) and Banti Album Proofing for helping to bring this class into existence. Their support made this learning opportunity a reality, and I'm not the only one who was grateful. One quote I received after the fact was from Jake who said: "2 years of WPPI and @kplicanic was hands down my best class yet!" Those simple words made the countless hours of prep, writing, planning (and stressing!) completely worth it. I am THRILLED that everyone seemed to really enjoy it and left better equipped to rock their businesses. Yay!
It was ultra exciting to have Adobe dream team members Julieanne Kost and Allison Goffman sitting in on my session. Truly an honor ladies! Thanks so much for your support!
The icing on the cake was afterwards when we met up with other Adobe conference speakers including Kevin Ames, Jim DiVitale, and Art Suwansang for drinks later that night.
We had a lot of fun... but no fluff here! This class was bursting at the seams with hard-core substance! (Hence, the serious looks of concentration... ;)
Of course, I was up to my usual antics.... (I have no idea what I was illustrating with my wide open arms.... document bleeds perhaps?)
Following my Master Class, I got to visit the great people over at the AsukaBook booth where I did a couple of quick demos explaining how to export from InDesign specifically for AsukaBook. If you've never checked them out.... some seriously great folks over there! Luv you guys!
Me, gettin' my 'Britney' on. (Love the headset mic!)
Ok. So, yes..... that horrible looking man pictured below.... is me (Thanks to Jen Mckendrick for snapping and sending such fun shots!). (Scroll down for the full 5 minute VIDEO)
It was to be the official closing session for the conference and it was suggested that I submit some proposals. So.... submit I did. Perhaps as many as 5? After finishing what I thought was my last proposal idea.... I was brushing my teeth one day when the idea for Uncle Bob came to mind. I ran to the computer, submitted it and quickly went back to brushing my teeth where it dawned on me.... I might actually have to go through with it (costume and all) if it was chosen. Ha!
So.... I began writing...... then editing. Then writing some more. Then, I threw the whole thing out and started over. TWICE.
Write/re-write. Then.... record to test timing. Followed by (are you surprised?) more editing and re-writing.
Eventually, I went thrift-store shopping... not for fun things like shoes or purses.... but for.... "Bob's" clothes.
I roped Emir and my soon to be sister-in-law in on the action and created the imagery for the 20 slides that would auto-advance every 15 seconds for what was to be nothing more (or less!) than a 5 minute presentation. These are a few of my fave slides....
I enjoyed the entire creative process almost as much as the live performance. :) The days leading up to the event were spent twittering on behalf of Uncle Bob (much to the confusion and bewilderment of those he reached out to!). It was a riot to watch people's faces wash over with a smile as I walked through the audience before the show welcoming everyone, shaking hands and telling them how great it was to see them again (since the last wedding they photographed where they surely ran into me.... er..... I mean, Bob!).
One email I found waiting for me upon my return home said: "Hey Khara! Just wanted to say, AWESOME 5 minutes at Photographers Ignite. I really ALMOST did wet my pants!! LOL. Great Job!!" People almost peeing their pants? SCORE! (wow... I continue to be amazed and how truly unattractive I am in this outfit! ha!)
If you want to see the whole 5 minutes for yourself.... check out the video below. :) What you can't see well in the video is the final slide, which brings home the point of the whole presentation. It says: "Don't be Uncle Bob! You just spent a week learning great things from great people. Go forth and put your new found wisdom into action! (Don't be Bob!)
'Tis that time of year again! I'm headed out west where I'll be presenting at this year's WPPI Conference. I am *so* stoked!
If you're a photographer who will be there and want to connect, I'd love to meet you! Here's a bit of what my schedule looks like:
Monday, March 8th: Speaking at the AsukaBook Booth (#1619)@ 3pm
Tuesday, March 9th: Teaching a Master Class @ 11am (sold out!), but you can catch me later in the day at the AsukaBook booth again at 3pm
Thursday, March 11th: You WLL NOT want to miss Photographer's Ignite! 20 mini-presentations in 2 hours. It's going to be a blast! I have some special things up my sleeve for my presentation... if you're planning to attend, let me know (email or twitter message me @kplicanic), I'd love to have you there!
Seriously, come say hello.... It would be so much fun to meet you!
In between all of those fun things, I'll be connecting with photographer friends, colleagues and some of my favorite vendor pals. This industry is all about relationships... and WPPI is a chance to put names to faces, shake hands, say hello and spend some quality time with the rest of the incredible team who (in addition to my fabulous clients!) makes my job so much fun. I can't wait!
What joy. Pure, happy, light on your feet... joy.
Liz & Pepper's wedding was the first on my calendar for 2010.... and it couldn't have been better. Their day was wrapped in an envelope of peaceful calm. Liz, the ever cool & collected bride, appeared to be happily enjoying every minute of her wedding day.
At the end of the night, I gave her dad a hug and told him how happy I was for them... and that I especially loved his toast. He just smiled and said, "It's so easy. When it comes from the heart... it's simple." Word up. :) I think that's why Liz & Pepper's day was such a breeze.... they have been dating for 7-ish years.... and from the looks of it, their hearts were already married. Yesterday's celebration was simply making it official. Everyone knows it's right.... and that confidence inspired the beautiful day that officially began their new wedded adventure.
With a name like Pepper.... you know this is one cool dude. Pepper and 'the guys' played cards in the church basement before the ceremony.... (and taught me some fancy card-playin' vocabulary. I always just smeared the cards around in a pile b/c I can't shuffle to save my life.... but apparently there's a term for that... it's called 'washing.' I feel so official now!)
First look....
L.O.V.E!
How fun is this?
We headed outside so we could make good use of Liz's gorgeous coat. She's had it for years, and it just so happened that it was a perfect match for her dress! Gotta love that.... :)
She also had a pair of fancy wintery gloves to go with it. I love the elegance of winter weddings!
Moments before walking down the aisle, I spotted Liz in the back hall way peeking through the door/window. I couldn't tell for sure if she saw me and was looking at the camera (I was trying to be transparent!).... or past me at Pepper at the front of the church.... but I love this image.
I grew up down the street from Eastridge Presbyterian Church, and after 10+ years of shooting weddings, would you believe this was the first wedding I photographed here? C-razy! The church had a lot of great light and interesting architectural lines. I can't wait to go back! Pastor Jim Crelin, as entertaining as he was enlightening, performed the ceremony.
The flowers and centerpieces were all done by Stem Gallery. They always do such an incredible job!
Liz is so darn gorgeous!
Thank you both, so much for entrusting me with the memories of such an important day. I am truly honored! It was delightful to be part of your families for a day..... best wishes for a fun (and safe!) winter escape to the slopes! :)
Khara Plicanic
Khara Plicanic. Instructor, Photographer, Designer, Advocate. Here you'll find tools, inspiration, and empowerment to help you on your own creative journey.
Kyle is from Valentine, Nebraska.... and wanted some shots in a location that reminds him of home. :) I *love* these! (Amy's J Crew bag is soooo her!)
This may be my favorite fave! 
Cute, cute, cute! Thanks for inviting me to work with you as your wedding photographer... I'm looking forward to November!
And they lived happily ever after. :) Congrats you two... and safe travels!
This young lady, Anika had *the* coolest hair and sunglasses... I mean.... look at her! I felt absolutely compelled to ask if I could shoot a couple shots of her, so with my best "I'm-Not-A-Creep-I-Promise" self-introduction.... she obliged. Turns out 
What a great experience. Thank you to all the players for continuing to pass me the ball with a big "Yes and...." :)
Time for another 5 mile training run.... have a great week!
