You can read the entire Washington Post article HERE.
CreativeLIVE : April 2012
02.10.12
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olllllllla! I didn't know of another way to start this post, so I figured that's as good as any. I'm incredibly excited to announce I'm headed back to Seattle for my third creativeLIVE online photography course, entitled The Making + Marketing on an Editorial Wedding. Words can't express how honored I am to be able to teach again and connect with so many amazing people on the web.
Six lucky people will be joining us live for the three-day course all for free! If you'd like to put your name in the running to snag a seat, check out the video for submission guidelines and a breakdown what the class with entail...
So here's the wrap up...
The course will be in Seattle on Friday, April 27, 2012-Sunday, April 29, 2012.
If you watch online, it'll be broadcasted FREE!
If you'd like to enter for your chance to join us in-person, here's what you need to do:
1. Make a 60-second video explaining why you want to join creativeLIVE for this course.
2. Post the video on YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook, or your blog
3. Tweet us at @ creativelive @JasmineStar with the link to the video using the hashtag #jasmineLIVE
That's it! The deadline to submit your video is Monday, April 2, 2012, but don't wait that long because the more time you give us, the more time we can really understand who you are and why you're the best fit for the course!
If you'd like to join us online, be sure to register HERE and I look forward to connecting soon!
A Boxer's Opponent.
02.09.12
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here are moments when the day becomes too much. When I furiously rub my face, then slap my cheeks like I'm a boxer getting into the ring. But I'm no boxer. I'm a girl planted in front of a computer with a to-do list that makes Santa's gift list look like child's play. And, boom. Now I'm getting coal for Christmas.
There are moments, however, when I'm laying on the office floor and Polo will growl at me, daring me to leave the boxing ring. And play. To leave the world of to-do's and run like a wild banshee from room to room. I owe him for it. I owe him for the break from the Urgent, to focus on the Important: creating moments I'll remember for the rest of my life.
FAQ : Photographing a Wedding Rehearsal Dinner
02.08.12
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'm often asked by wedding photographers if I shoot rehearsal dinners and the answer is: rarely. They're not a part of my wedding collections, but I did have the opportunity to shoot Nicole and Matt's rehearsal dinner a few months ago, designed by the uber fab Beth Helmstetter. It was a great learning experience because it forced me to rethink how I approach photographing a wedding event, that's not a wedding at all.
Nicole and Matt host their wedding at Hummingbird Nest Ranch, so they also opted to host their rehearsal dinner there as well, on a different part of the vast property. We arrived a bit early to ensure we photographed details (our basic rule of thumb is photograph anything the bride might want to remember 10 years from now), then reprogramed our minds...
All wedding detail photos were taken with the 50mm, 1.2 lens.
JD and I hung back in the shadows and took a completely hands-off approach to our photography...instead of guiding (which sometimes happens on a wedding day due to tight scheduling), we simply waited until we were spoken to, opting to candidly photograph the event unless asked otherwise.
This process--waiting and watching--taught me a great deal about patience and watching for the private moments to happen. There's a beauty in being still and I appreciated the exercise of being quiet and patient.
I'll on this note...Nicole and Matt greeted guests as they walked up a long driveway, but every so often, they managed to sneak in a private moment for a kiss or two along the way...
If your photography style is photojournalistic in nature, I salute you (wait, can I salute someone if I've never been in the armed forces?!). It's a refined art to be patient, quiet, and observant and I'm working on honing these skills photographically (JD would also like this to be applied at home as well). I'm sure loving parenthesis today.
A few tips I might add to those photographing a rehearsal dinner would be:
1. Smile. Because I was practicing being more observant of the situation, I needed to ensure I didn't give off the impression I was aloof, or didn't want to be there. I needed to let my clients and their guests know I was there to be document anything they wanted without using words and a smile achieves this perfectly.
2. Arrive early. It goes without saying, but guests will arrive early and begin to place their coats, purses, and other items on the tables and it's difficult to remove clutter from a table when I'm trying to photograph the details. I immediately start photographing the tables and JD immediately starts with the drink station...he begins there because once the glasses get removed and the drinks begin to drip, it can make for messy photos.
3. Anticipate emotion. Generally speaking, the rehearsal dinner is when the bride and groom are seeing their closest friends and family. We want to make sure we're documenting these moments of elation and joy as they're happening, not after. This means we're staying on our toes and watching for new scenes unfolding, like someone seeing a friend's baby for the first time, or lighting of a cigar with friends, or a deep embrace from a cousin. These little moments are often the biggest in retrospect.
Hope this helps and I hope you're having a beautiful Wednesday!
Clicking In + Not Giving Up on Me
02.07.12
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ast week I bought a pair of cycle shoes. I've been cycling indoors in my running shoes for seven years, but last week a group of the Regulars talked up their superior rides thanks to their cycle shoes. And then I was all, not-uh, no way...I want to be the fastest in this class of stationary bikes! So I bought cycle shoes. I woke up yesterday morning singing the I-have-new-cycle-shoes-yea-yea-yea song and left to the gym.
Then a funny thing happened: I couldn't get the shoes to clip into the bike pedal. I tried to make it look like I wasn't trying, but I sat in the front row just sliding my feet up and down the pedal, like I was trying to Moon Walk on a bike.
Must be the pedals, the girl behind me said and offered to switch bikes with me. AND NOW I'M BEING MORE NOTICED. After a few more failed attempts, the girl next to me offers to help. No, no, I say, I'm just gonna wear my running shoes instead. She gets off her bike and grabs my foot to help get it clipped in. Then the instructor puts on her wireless mic and asks if everything's alright with my new shoes. Just.what.I.wanted. I whisper to my Cycle Shoe Helper, ...it's okay...please, stop...lemme just switch my shoes... but she ignores me. Apparently she's the valedictorian of shoe helpers and will not give up unless she gets an A+.
I'm mortified because CSH is thumping my foot into the pedal (and all I could think was how I wish I shaved my legs) and the instructor isn't starting class until all is well with my adventures in cycle shoes...when...click! They're in. I thanked CSH profusely and started on my purportly superior ride.
Sitting at home, I can't help but think CSH did me right. And not just because she helped me, but, rather, because she didn't give up helping me. I literally asked her to stop because I was embarrassed of admitting: 1. I didn't know what I was doing; and 2. I needed help. I wanted to go back to what I knew, what was comfortable because it didn't require change or assistance.
I'm glad she didn't give up. She taught me a lesson and if my family, friends, or fellow photographers tell me they're going to go back to what they know, back to what's comfortable instead of changing for the better, I won't let them. Because once they're clicked in, they'll be riding toward their goals.
