5:00am came extra early this morning. Especially considering the fact that I didn’t close my eyes until 1:15am. Sleep deprived and all, I hopped out of bed a happy little camper this morning! I was off to Grand Rapids.

After a crazy “almost” landing in Baltimore…we were literally near the ground when all of the sudden SWOOP!!! We thrust  upwards and away from the runway…freaked me out! I was impatiently waiting for word from the pilot as to the reasoning for my near heart attack when finally he came across the speaker and announced that air traffic control had warned him that we were “too close” with another approaching aircraft. So, we were back up in the air and flying over some amazing mansions on the water. It amazes me how many incredibly wealthy people there are in this world. I’d like to experience that for just a moment in time. ;-)

Anyhow, I am so incredibly excited to be here in Grand Rapids today. I am in AMAZING company!!! The weather is gorgeous. The hotel is phenomenal. And I speak at The School Of Photography in 3 hours…so excited about that!!! I hope that anyone who is nearby will join me tonight at 6:30.

Happy Tuesday y’all! Quick view from my room…

This month I have had the pleasure of hosting two {Walk The Shot} workshops. I absolutely love getting to know these ladies and then being able to follow their success stories. As women, I think we all need a cheerleader in our corner and I am definitely cheering for Haley and ALL of my {Walk The Shot} gals!!!

Haley’s perspective…

“So I need to preface this with, normally I am the most prompt on top of things person there is, rather OCD to a fault….So that being said, this post should have come oh about 5 days ago. But I have been so sick it isn’t even funny – strep throat and I am 33 years old! I have slept the last three days pretty much all day, so a huge thank you to my husband who has essentially been Mr. mom for about a week straight now. Anyhoo, onto bigger and better things…

My time with Dawn was great – talk about a super personable, make you feel like you have known her for 20 years kind of person. I was so beat after our time, and have spent lots of time since (mostly in bed) digesting all that I learned. As Dawn’s post says, I am not in it for the money (really I have a great job, and I can assure you I will never quit (or get fired – I work for the Government – don’t laugh they pay a lot better than you think and the benefits are to die for)). Anyways, the big things I took away from my time with dawn – Composition and Catchlights – finding the sweet spot to get those killer eyes, indoor lighting (although we all know dawn is about 95% natural lighting) – she gave me a great and inexpensive set-up for newborns, shooting in manual to truly get the shots I want – I have a tendency to get nervous and swtich to Aperture Priority in a pinch, working to get the best shot SOOC – as time goes on, I know I will improve this, thus gaining confidence in my ability to present with less editing, and working to gain consistency in my work – I am so all over the place it scares me. But I love so many different styles, this is going to be a big long term goal for me…..And so much more!!! If my head were in a clearer state, I could probably ramble for days! Anyhoo, thank you Dawn for your time and thank you for inviting me into your beautiful Jacksonville home, where I am sure if I didn’t see you again for 20 more years, you would still be calling home (I can tell you love it that much)!

For anyone out there considering it, feel free to shoot me an email and I can get really longwinded with you if you like.

Take care all!”

This image just makes me smile. : ) Happy Thursday y’all.

It’s that time again…early mornings, school buses, lunch boxes and back packs. Oh my! Summer is almost over and school is back in session. Now, we all know how awesome our kids look each year in those fabulous school pictures…NOT! So, our local Smuggers and their mini smuggies joined me here at my home last night for JAX SMUG Back To Class. My first mistake was letting the kiddos see the treat table prior to the photo session. Duh Dawn! What kid is going to forget that sight? After all, my own boys had been begging for treats since Monday night. They all had candy on their mind and couldn’t wait to fill their little goody bags full of sugary sweetness. Your welcome parents. ;-)

We had three themed stations set up…a lemonade stand, an apple cart and a student work desk. Each of them were so cute and it was funny to watch each child do something different with the props at each station. Some kids ate the apples…or took a bite and added it back to the bowl. At the lemonade stand the older kids were juggling the lemons…my little one was hiding behind them. A few children sat on the encyclopedias while others actually read them…or pretended too. It really was a cute thing to watch how each child expressed their individual personalities. It’s really no different than how all of us photographers photograph the exact same thing yet exhibit completely unique visions.

As an addition to our “core member group” we welcomed a few new members last night and were so pleased to see returning faces from last month. JAX SMUG is a wonderful group to be a part of. Next month we will be back on schedule at the Mandarin Branch Library with a guest speaker providing some CS5 training. And I will be heading out next week as a guest speaker for the official launch of our Detroit SMUG! I am super excited. If you don’t have a SMUG in the city nearest you don’t hesitate to reach out and inquire about launching one. All photographers should be a part of a great local photography community and I am here to tell you that SMUG’s are the best!!!

Here are just a few of the faces I was able to capture. Such cuties!!!

I am on the verge of losing my mind thanks to our good Lord above finding it necessary to unleash pesky gnats into this world. And with the declaration of that random statement…here is another round of Random Facts.

• I had a birthmark in the perfect shape of dark red lips on my chest until I was 5…see below. : )

• I crave McDonald’s yogurt parfaits. Love ‘em!

• The Goonies is one of my all time favorite movies. “Hey you guys!”  ”Goonies never say die!” “Baby Ruth!”

• I once auditioned for The Next Food Network Star…I didn’t make it.

• I purchased a cute shirt for $5.00 off of the clearance rack that said “Team Werewolf.” I just thought it was cute and cheap. Then I saw the leader of “Team Werewolf” on Oprah and felt so stupid that I had worn a shirt that made a statement about something I knew nothing about. Duh! And no…I don’t read. And no…I haven’t seen the movie. But the shirt is still cute. ;-)

• I had a crush on Kirk Cameron when I was a pre-teen.

• At the same time I had a crush on Kirk Cameron, I thought I was uber cool because I had a shirt identical to one Alyssa Milano wore on Who’s The Boss. I think I might even have an old photo of me in that shirt.

• I was a competitor in the Miss Florida USA pageant in 1996…I didn’t win.

• I never once skipped school.

• I HATE, DETEST and LOATHE gnats!!!

Happy Friday y’all.

***I added a little photoshop “bikini top” over my parts as not to offend anyone. ;-) ***