I remember the first e-mail that I ever got asking me “how do you do that?” I laughed and thought…are you seriously asking me this? I responded promptly with an extensive explanation and then kindly thanked her for     thinking enough of my work to want to know “how I did that.” Soon enough those similar types of e-mails came more often. I always did my best to respond…I still do! But, as my business has continuously grown, I have found myself feeling guilty for not having the time to adequately respond to each e-mail. I wasn’t sure what to do about that because I never want people to think that I am being rude for not responding with a complete explanation. So, I started a “feeler” poll on my FB fan page regarding spend a day workshops. Were people genuinely interested in what this little ‘ole Southern Gal does? To my delight the repetitive answer was yes!

So, after careful consideration and several “you must” persuasive e-mails, I ultimately decided to create a one on one {Spend a Day} workshop for anyone interested in learning to do what I do. That said, I will be the first to say that I am…in no way…claiming to be anything that I am not! I am genuine, honest and upfront about how I got to where I am today. I am a self taught photographer driven by a fierce obsession to deliver the best images that I know how to my clients who have entrusted me with the most precious moments of their lives. I have a passion for photography and a steadfast determination to succeed. Those things coupled with incredibly hard work has gotten me where I am today. I will share with you things that I have learned…both the easy way and the hard way. However, this is not a workshop for everyone. This is a workshop for photographers who enjoy my personal style and would like to work one on one with me to see how I do what I do.

The outline for the day will consist of the following aspects, in no particular order…

• Initial meet and greet over lunch (my treat, of course) and for you traveling folks…some sweet tea!
• Q&A session for you to pick my brain about whatever it is that you would like to know about my style, workflow, business strategy, clients expectations and relations, experiences, weddings, blogging, shooting preferences…whatever you want to ask…my attention is 100% yours for the day!
• Shooting a complete session…either one of yourself or a stand in model…your choice. My choice, however, would be YOU!
• The why’s, how’s and strategy behind the process of the session start to finish including exposure, aperture, depth of field, composition, natural lighting and shooting RAW.
• Edit your session, step by step, right alongside me…from SOOC to print ready images.
• Take your 10 fully edited favorites (along with the additional unedited images) home on disk with you for your own website, Blog, Facebook.
• Last but not least, take home a super cool Vendor sponsored goodie bag! Believe me when I say you will LOVE this!!!

I am incredibly excited…and a little nervous… about this new journey. Almost as nervous as I was when I first started getting paid to shoot weddings…almost. ;-) But, I know that there is nothing to be gained in life by sitting back and waiting for things to happen! You must take risks and challenge yourself beyond your believed limits. Nothing holds us back but our own selves. So…self…move out the way! I refuse to block the path of my own success! I can’t wait to share my experiences and “my way” of shooting and post processing with many of you! If you decide that this is something that you would like to pursue you can Email me to request the detailed online registration form. I can’t wait to hear from you!

***If you find yourself “on the fence” about whether or not this is something that would be beneficial to you and your career, I invite you to be my guest on the ever awesome Phaunt forum. I am honored to tell you that I, Dawn McCarthy, have been asked by the Photoshop Guru herself, Mrs. Kylie Banks, to be the first official VIP SPEAKER of 2010! I can hardly contain my excitement! So, come on over…you can even log in for free (starting December 28th) for the entire month of January! You can sign up HERE. If I were a gamblin’ gal, I’d bet that by the time that February rolls around you will be so addicted to the community that you will find yourself unable to leave! Yes indeed, it is just that awesome! And I know that for a fact because not only am I January’s VIP Speaker, I am also a member.***

I made a vow to my boys to work less hours this year. That is easier said than done…especially when you work from home. I find myself justifying the time that I spend at my desk more often than not…“Well, at least I am at home. If they need me I am only steps away. I need to do this to pay for their college tuition in the years to come. I won’t work this coming weekend. I’ll log off at 7:00.” You get the picture. It is a vicious cycle for those of us with a home office. It’s just easier to “be here.”

Today was just an ordinary Monday until my little guy said “Mommy, ‘mon” which translates into “Mommy come on.” I promptly responded, “Okay baby in just a minute” as I have so many times before. He then proceeded to grab my hand and spin my office chair around…away from my desk…“Mommy ‘mon!” It made me laugh but at the same time realize that he did not want to wait for me to finish what I was doing. It was more important that I ‘mon now! He needed to show me something. Granted it was just his desire for a “nak” translated as “snack” but nonetheless, he wanted my attention now not in a minute.

We got his “nak” and headed outside for a little fresh air. I grabbed my camera and the beautiful fruit basket that my dear friend, Shannon Kelley, sent to me as a thank you for hosting her and her family for supper while she was in town attending Dane Sanders workshop. Shannon, you certainly didn’t have to do that but we have truly enjoyed these pears today! Yum! Thank you ‘mam. Ayden hit a few golf balls and then surprisingly said “Mommy, take baby’s picture.” With his face still displaying evidence of his peanut butter and jelly sandwich I snapped this precious picture of him and I playing ”I see you.” It is these little moments on an otherwise ordinary Monday that stop me in my tracks and make me grateful for all that I have and I am not referring to anything of a monetary value. It is the love of family that sustains us all at our core.

Happy Monday y’all!!!

When I met up with Angela and John last Sunday to shoot their engagement session I asked if I could use them as my guinea pigs for a fusion piece that I really wanted to create. To my delight they were all for it. I made them promise not to hold me to anything though as this is a new venture for me. I could not make any guarantees. However, I must admit that I am quite thrilled with the outcome. I mean…I am obviously not a videographer (nor do I want to be)…but I thought that this turned out pretty great for a first try. It makes me smile each time that I watch it. I hope that it will make y’all smile too.

Angela and John, you know that I adore you both! I appreciate you letting me test out my vision. I hope that you will enjoy the end result. XOXO

Awww yeah!!! I am RIDICULOUSLY EXCITED to bring you this announcement…SMUG is coming!!! Did you hear me??? SMUG is launching here in Jacksonville Florida. And yours truly is beyond honored to have been appointed the JAX SMUG LEADER!!! I have barely been able to contain my excitement but I wanted to wait until everything was official and we could invite you to join us for our launch party on March 24th.

WHAT??? Did you say that you haven’t heard of SMUG MUG? Seriously? All of the cool kids are SMUG members…but no worries…you are about to lather on your own coat of coolness as you join our JAX SMUG group. Hear more about what my personal favorite photographer and SMUG Leader, Jasmine Star, has to say about Smug. She is the Orange County Leader. If you are in her area you should definitely make a point to attend one of her meetings.

I have actually been a member of Smug Mug for several years and I have sang their praises from the very beginning. They are a company delivering Rolls-Royce caliber customer service. I am not kidding you! Long before I was ever thought of as being a SMUG Leader I was a SMUG client. The Smug Mug “heros” aka…customer advisors…ROCK!!! I develop loyalty to certain companies for different reasons and my loyalty to Smug is a direct result of their impeccable and admirable customer service interaction. I am telling you…if you don’t already…you need to know Smug Mug!

I have no doubt that if you are a Jacksonville (or surrounding area) resident that you will make the smart decision to join JAX SMUG!!! This is a group destined for greatness! We are on a mission to bring Jacksonville Florida to the forefront of the national photographic community. We are worthy of being recognized! Yeah, it’s okay to admit it. ;-) Let me hear ya Jacksonville. Louder!!!

We will learn together. Grow with each other. Set Jacksonville on fire. We are JAX SMUG! And I would like to proudly welcome Smug Mug into our beautiful city. So locals, what are you waiting for? Be one of the first to join JAX SMUG now! Clear your calendar. Tell your friends. I can’t wait to see you all on March 24th!

My excitement abounds!!! Yeah Heather!!! I am so anxious for our day. Please join me in welcoming my very first {Spend A Day} attendee.

Heather Jaeger from Jacksonville, Florida (Saint Johns County)

Experience in photography: I’ve loved the camera since I was a little girl and have always had a passion for photography. When my daughter was born in 2008, I made it a personal goal to expand my knowledge and improve my skills so that I could capture and preserve those special moments and memories that families will pass down from one generation to the next.

Why I chose to book a {Spend A Day}: Just looking at the images Dawn captures answers this question but in addition to that I really admire Dawn’s overall talent and drive. Not many photographers would take the time to answer your questions let alone be willing to {Spend A Day} with you and openly share their knowledge so that you can improve and grow. I’m really excited about this opportunity and am very thankful to be able to be a part of it.

Find Heather on Facebook.

Some fun and random facts about Heather…

1.      Are you an early bird or a night owl? Definitely a night owl. Not that I think there is really any truth to this theory (sorry mom) but growing up my mom would tell me that I’m a night owl because I was her only baby (out of 4) who insisted on being born in the evening…lol.
2.      Coffee…blonde or brunette? Blonde.
3.      What is one thing that people would be surprised to know about you? I enjoy fishing. For some reason this has always taken people I’ve met by surprise.
4.      What’s your favorite smell? Gardenia’s (brings back wonderful childhood memories).
5.      Sit and watch or get up and dance? I’m a get up and dance kind of girl.
6.      If you were granted an all expenses paid trip to anywhere in the world where would you go? Hmm…I’ve always wanted to go to Hawaii and Ireland. If I had to pick between the two I would say Ireland. I would love to stay in one of the castles.
7.      Do you clip coupons? Sometimes – the only problem is we never seem to have the coupon with us when we need it but the intent is there though.
8.      If you were going to be a contestant on Survivor what would be your one must have item? Since there is no way to charge a camera or an ipod….I’m going to have to say shampoo.
9.      Sweet or sour? What, no spicy option? Just kidding – Sweet!
10.  Do you shop at Wal-Mart? And…it’s okay to answer yes. Wal-Mart is my favorite store! This may be due to the odd times we tend to go shopping but I always dread going to Walmart and dealing with the checkout lines and having to dodge all the stock pallets in the aisles. However, I do love a good bargain so my final answer is yes. ;)
11.  What was your favorite cartoon as a child? This is a tough one since I loved so many but I will have to say the Smurfs since I watched them the longest.
12.  Do you play the lottery? Not really but I use to enjoy picking up a scratch off ticket every once in awhile.
13.  What is one thing that you splurge on? Got to have my “Spa” days.
14.  Did you ever skip school? Yes, and I enjoyed every minute of it!
15.  Are you willing to admit that you loved Ice Ice Baby when it first came out? Of course but it’s funny I can only remember the Ice Ice Baby lyrics and I know the song went on and on – lol.
16.  Waffle cone or regular? Waffle cone.
17.  Do you push boundaries in life or do you prefer to play it safe? I’m a Gemini so I tend to get bored easily (lol) so I prefer to push boundaries. It helps to keep things more interesting and challenging too.
18.  Would you rather travel by car or plane? Although I do love a good road trip I’m going to have to say plane.
19.  What chore do you dread the most? Cleaning the bathroom. Yuck!
20.  Is your purse well organized or a hot mess? I would say well organized before I had my daughter but now it’s a catch all for everything and anything that will fit.