Album Sneaky Peeky

I can't wait for Cassie + Taylor to get back from their honeymoon so they can drool over their gorgeous album design! Here are a few of my fave spreads!

I love using a lot of negative (blank) space whenever possible. This spread makes me swoon!

I love the color and mood of this one. Can't wait to show them the whole thing. :)

How'd I rock their wedding proofs and album design so quickly? I detail my whole process in my wedding workflow guide. Save 10% with the code: CRAZYFAST and rock some albums of your own! :)

Down the Aisle: Cassie + Taylor

Vera Wang dress? Check. Incredible live band? Check.

Man of your dreams? (And a Rolls Royce to drive the two of you off into the future you've always imagined?) Check!

Cassie + Taylor have a lifetime of love, fun, and adventure ahead of them. I'm so honored to have been there to be part of the day it all began. :)

(See the bottom of the post for more info on all the vendors who helped make their day so incredible! But be forewarned, this is a mega-post!)

Here's Cassie's cathedral veil draped across several chairs while she gets her make-up done…

I love this photo of Cassie's dad Tom. :)

Cassie makes Vera Wang shine!

The Doc James Band was KILLING IT. Taylor + Cassie were s-m-o-o-t-h like butter on the dance floor... LOVE IT!

After a second wave of dance incredibleness with Cassie and her dad—I had to ask. Where did they learn to rock the dance floor like that? "Oh, that? We used to dance every night after dinner when I was a kid," Cassie said. How inspiring (and adorable) is that? Check out that Vera Wang dress in action!

Like I said, The Doc James Band was KILLING IT. They brought an incredible light show with them (even a spot light). Made a HUGE difference.

Bo, the ring bearer, was fierce on the dance floor!

Congrats you two! (And special thanks to Julie at The Lincoln Country Club for taking such great care of me last night! She sent me home with cookies & hot cocoa to boot!)

Dress: Vera Wang Rolls Royce: Timeless Transport Church: First Plymouth Cake: Donna, The Lincoln Cake Lady Reception: The Lincoln Country Club Band: The Doc James Band

Gettin' My Yurt On

It was roughly three years ago when I first heard the word "yurt." According to wikipedia, a yurt is portable, wood lattice-framed dwelling typically used by nomads in central Asia (commonly associated with Mongolia). And though it is technically portable, it's definitely more home-like than tent-like. I liked the sound of it, and started researching them. What they're made of, how they function, how we might build our own... and even contemplating buying an acreage and putting up a yurt until Emir and I could get around to building our next home (that may take awhile....).

Thankfully, this past weekend (only three years later), I finally got to experience one first hand. Our friend Jason is a professional outdoor adventure leader with the University of Nebraska - Lincoln who regularly takes people (students and non-students alike!) on all kinds of amazing experiences. He and his wife Christina are living-breathing adventure/fitness advocates who ooze a contagious passion for an active lifestyle that will absolutely (and happily) infect anyone who comes in contact with them (they are directly responsible for the fact that I started running last year, which in turn got Emir into running too). So naturally, when they approached us and said, "Let's take a fun trip somewhere!" Emir and I responded with a resounding, "Absolutely!"

Last Wednesday morning we climbed into a van with another couple of great friends and headed west to the backcountry of Colorado for a weekend of cross-country skiing, good food, good friends and... a yurt. The inside of the yurt had three sets of bunk beds, a propane powered stove for cooking, some firewood, a table and folding chairs, and a wood-burning stove. No processed garbage or canned junk food, each couple would be responsible for a home-cooked/healthy meal. Christina & Jason cooked up our first dinner of whole-wheat pasta with fresh vegetables in an incredibly yummy sauce. The next morning Emir and I whipped together some buckwheat pancakes with 100% real maple syrup. For lunch we ate pitas stuffed with fresh veggies and that night, Paul & Stephanie put together an unforgettable veggie & peanut stew that disappeared in record time. Learning to cook and wash dishes without running water was actually... fun. The wood-burning stove kept the yurt more than warm enough while serving double duty and melting the continual supply of snow we placed in the large soup pot on top for drinking water and washing dishes. (See below.) When we weren't cooking... we were skiing. I had only ever down-hill skied before, so the whole cross-country thing was entirely new to me... but after wiping out a few times (and stepping through a few snow banks that reached up to my waist) I'd say I caught on fairly well. :) The scenery was gorgeous! The feeling of gliding over the snow while surrounded by sunshine and tall aspen trees was surreal. The view from the entrance to the yurt was breathtaking, day or night (that's the outhouse in the bottom left corner). Of course, we had to have a little head-lamp/night time/long-exposure fun! :) If your tail is wagging and you're thinking to yourself, "I'd like to go on an adventure!" Check out the current trip schedule and see what tickles your fancy. Jason and his staff lead folks on all kinds of trips like rock climbing, canoeing, camping, and biking. No experience/equipment required, they will get you the full hook-up! The pricing is unbelievably reasonable and... you don't have to be a university student... everyone is welcome!

Shoot Shack: Brittni + Scott

Down the Aisle: Brittni + Scott

Sometimes you do get a second chance to make a good impression... and in Scott and Brittni's case, it led them down a path that brought them to the altar yesterday afternoon. Brittni's been dreaming of her wedding day since she was five, and from what I could tell yesterday, Scott literally made it all come true.

Congrats you two!

I got a kick out of watching their faces during the ceremony. Exchanging a glance here or there, or sharing a giggle. The kicker was during the vows when Brittni reached into Scott's pocked and pulled out a tissue. :)

I love this. It seems to sum up them and their relationship rather well. :) Adorable!

The wedding reception was GORGEOUS. Held at the Qwest Center Omaha, everyone's jaw hit the floor upon entering the room. Whether from the incredible centerpieces, the sweet & yummy candy bar, the kids' tables, or the incredible lighting design contracted through the Qwest, it was a sight to be seen!

After the traditional specialty dances, Brittni invited her mom out to dance with her... the two of them are like peas in a pod. I enjoyed watching their interactions all day. So cute, and this... a very touching tribute. :)

The dance floor was hoppin' all night long! The wedding party scored extra points when they surprised everyone with a choreographed performance piece!

Love Shoot: Kara + Kevin

July 30th seems like a long way away from the snow covered grounds of today... but as Kara and Kevin could surely tell you... it'll be sneaking up on us before we know it! :) Kara has the most gorgeous wavy hair... and Kevin? So comfortable with the camera in his face... we scored some great stuff!

Drizzle is their new puppy... we couldn't leave her out!

Looking forward to July!

"A" Stands for "Auto" (Not "Awesome")

Lots of folks have been asking me all kinds of questions about the book I'm writing, and while I'm over the moon with excitement, I haven't gone into a lot of public detail yet. BUT--I thought I'd share part of the overall concept with you. :) (The name of the book is NOT the same as the name of this post—in case you wondered!) [Editor's update: The book is out and it's called "Your Camera Loves You: Learn to Love it Back!"]

The book is based on one of my favorite classes that I teach on a regular basis (at least 4-8 times per year). It's a super basic, start at the beginning, sort it all out digital camera class embracing the premise that any and all cameras are capable of being pretty rad... if you know how to work them.

The problem is that most people don't.

They buy a camera, set it to "auto" and keep it there until they become frustrated. Eventually they hunt around for a newer model with hopes that the fancier camera will magically make their photos look better. Of course, it doesn't... and they don't... and the poor sap ends up back at square one, with only a bruised bank balance to show for it.

In an effort to break the cycle, I teach folks how to get the most they can from the camera they already have. You don't have to have a fancy-pants pro-level dSLR (or any dSLR) to get great shots--You just have to know how to work it. (As I tell people in class, "Don't be afraid to get bossy!")

To prove it, I thought I'd share with you a couple of sample photos I shot for the book while Emir and I were camping in Morocco's Sahara Desert. These were both captured (only moments apart) in the black of night with my Canon S95 (a super compact point & shoot camera retailing for less than $400).

This first image was captured with the camera (and flash) set to "auto." Needless to say... it looks awful. Where were we? The Black Hole?

This is literally the same scene, captured with the same camera only a few seconds later in a different shooting mode (in this case, manual mode). It is not a product of Photoshop, but rather... something much better. I like to call it... knowledge. I simply canceled the flash and increased the exposure time (by slowing the shutter waaaaay down). And... BAM!

Now, you can not only see the camels and the twinkling stars, but you can feel the warm glow from the campfire that was roaring behind me the whole time!

The book is slated to hit the stores sometime this summer (I will definitely keep you posted!). In the mean time, the next class is on the calendar for Friday August 12, 1-5pm. Contact SCC at 402.437.2700 to get signed up!

The Closest I May Ever Get to Appearing in a Music Video...

A few weeks ago I got an email from my friend Lan Bui who had this fun idea to make a lip dub video with a bunch of photographers who have enough loose screws between them to actually go through with something like this. :) (Just one of many reasons why I love this industry so darn much!) When I found out the song of choice was "Firework" by Katy Perry, I thought it was pretty apropos, considering we were all getting ready to head out to WPPI, one of the biggest (and most fun) conferences in the industry, where pros from all over the world come together to be inspired, share with others and continue the quest to master their craft.

Some of the cast gathered in the Los Angeles area to do a group shoot, while others filmed their segments remotely and sent in the finished files for editing. My segment was filmed locally at Marz in dear ol' Lincoln, Nebraska... you can see the result at 00:51 and again at the end.

Huge shout out to everyone involved... The Bui Brothers rock it again! :)

What Can Mascara Teach Us About Business?

The last time you went shopping for mascara... did you feel as confused and overwhelmed as I did? Yikes! We seem to be suffering from a plague of sorts in our society. It's known as the "Over Abundance of Choice," and it tends to drowns us on a daily basis... even when shopping for something completely mundane and ordinary... like mascara.

While at a photo conference in Las Vegas recently, I found myself at the CVS along the strip and couldn't resist documenting this outrageous collection simple products used to extenuate eyelashes. The sales clerk laughed along with me as I pulled out my camera and started capturing the different choices.

Voluminous mascara, lengthening mascara, voluminous & lengthening... in one. There were shimmering mascaras, water-proof options, and mascaras that provide 'lash definition.' With names like "Colossal," "Falsies," or my personal favorite, "Stiletto," they all sounded... kinda the same. There's even nutritional mascara which claims to make  your lashes "soft and healthy."

Some brands promised 11x the volume or claimed to increase length up to 85% (though I'm not sure I could see, let alone hold up my eyelids if my lashes suddenly became 11x heavier and 85% longer). Remember a year or so ago when one of the companies had actually produced a battery powered mascara with a vibrating wand? I laughed out loud when I saw the commercial for that one... (who wants vibrating pointy objects near their eyes?) which curiously, was nowhere to be seen on the Vegas shelves. You can, however,  still find telescopic "Last Explosion" wands that appear to posses magical powers of some sort...

(These photos represent only a small sampling of what was available... as there were so many, I actually got bored photographing them...)

The kicker is... they all basically do the same thing.

What you may or may not have realized, is we have a very real problem on our hands. All of this choice is actually becoming problematic, as discussed in the article, "The Tyranny of Choice" or in the TedTalk video with Dr. Barry Schwartz, referring to the notion that less is  more in what he calls "The Paradox of Choice."

There is substantial research showing that too much choice actually prevents us from being able to make decisions (on everything from shampoo to mascara... to 401(k) investment options), and tends to diminish our overall satisfaction (regardless of the outcome) if/when we finally do make some sort of decision.

When I stumbled across some of this research, I was actually... thrilled. I had been feeling like our society's tendency towards an over abundance of choice was bordering on burdensome rather than liberating for quite some time... and felt avenged to know I wasn't nuts... that there were other people who felt this way, along with research to back it up.

Of course, that's not to say that no choice would be any better. Somewhere out there is a middle ground... but we seem to have lost sight of it in blind pursuit of limitless options.

Over the past two years, with this gut feeling (and now solid research in mind), I've made several very conscious choices in the way that I run my business to ensure that it's easy for my clients to have a great experience and feel completely satisfied with the end result, all in record time.

The only real choice they have to make, is to hire me in the first place. From there, the rest is easy. You can read all about it in my recently released ebook, "A Guide to a Wickedly Fast Wedding Workflow." In fact, you can even download a sample chapter if you'd like. (PLUS--> now through Sunday Feb. 27th, you can save 20% with the discount code: WICKEDFAST)

With my workflow and business philosophy completely redefined, I'm proud to say that all of my 2010 wedding clients received their wedding photo proofs and album designs within one week of their wedding.

Less fuss, more satisfaction and time to enjoy it. :)

Down the Aisle: Amy + Adam

Yesterday, as the snow fell outside, Adam and Amy became a new family. Their celebration included Adam with his guitar, and a song he wrote for the occasion.

Yes, they really are this adorable. :)

I couldn't get enough of their girls' combination of aqua and red... so retro/classic/hip! LOVE!

Naturally, the shoes had me swooning...

Adam's ring is entirely made of wood! I'm told he loves it so much, he was wearing it even before the wedding... (isn't that cute?)

A graphic designer, Adam was heavily involved in creating many of the countless and adorable details that helped make their day so special... including (but not limited to) these cute bird-seed bags for their grand exit.

The reception was a smorgasbord of eye-candy (in addition to the actual dessert table). Guests were treated to several art installations including a full-sized scrabble board, a humorous take on Amy's alphabetical advancement (her maiden name starts with 'Z,' and now, she's moving to a last name that starts with 'A'), and framed 'What I Love About You' posters... all made and designed by the bride and groom themselves.

Even their guest sign-in board was a work of art!

More yummy/gorgeous details including alliteration place cards (designed and illustrated by Adam), name cards, word puzzles (love the school teacher touch of the custom engraved pencils!), cupcakes, cheesecake, cookies and... DOT POPS! Have you seen these? They're little round cakes on a stick... like a lollipop!

After all the dessert table fun... it was time to party!

So much love... such great people!

xoxo