A Girl Named Mikaela

You know, it's crazy. There's a thousand different ways to approach photography and start a business. There are those who claim they have the answer or can ridiculously deduce a person's success into 15 steps. I'm not one of those people. I'm simply a person who picked up a camera and took whatever I had and made it work. And I'm making it work.

Last March I spoke in Canada and randomly had lunch with a girl named Mikaela. We got along swimmingly well and I adored every ounce of her. I just wrote swimmingly. I sound like I hail from Pilgrim-laden Plymouth Rock. Somebody stop me! Moving on…three months later Mikaela attended my June 2010 Workshop. We got to know each other even better (she desperately wanted to move on from her full time job, but felt stuck) and talked a bit about branding and working hard.

Because, really, that's what it's all about. It simply boils down to one thing: Do The Work. Sure, you can find every reason to think or imagine how lucky someone else is, but the truth of the matter is, simply, she's working hard. Nobody successful is sitting on her booty. The most admired photographers/businessmen/entrepreneurs/doctors/scientists/lawyers are often the hardest working, so please know there is no such thing as luck. I once heard Luck is When Preparation Meets Opportunity. I couldn't agree more.

After the Workshop, Mikaela went home and worked. Hard. Along the way, she met Shane…and they fell in love. Almost a year ago to the date, Mikaela worried she'd never make it. She was overwhelmed with every reason why she couldn't…but she did. She worked hard and is now a successful full-time photographer in Canada.

I had the pleasure of shooting Mikaela and Shane's engagement session in Laguna Beach yesterday and it was a full-cirlcle moment. At the end of the night, we toasted to love, happiness, and hard work. I'm incredibly proud of her and believe everyone is equally capable of her success.

Happy Friday!