I’M A FULL TIME PHOTOGRAPHER! Woohoo! (Just in case you hadn’t heard!) I’m celebrating by attending a photography conference in Newport Beach, CA and I’m loving it! I love that I have a diploma, I love that I’m doing something new and on my own and I love meeting new friends and reuniting with the old ones! I could spend this post by explaining how much fun I having or about how much I love my roommate Courtney Reese. I could even tell you about how my blackberry didn’t change time zones and so my alarm went off at 6AM EST, which is 3AM Californian time and I started getting ready for the day! That’s a great story to tell!
However, though those are great stories, they will come with tomorrow’s post! What I want you to know today is how much I love my wedding photographer. Really. You’re probably rolling your eyes are shaking your head because you’ve heard it a million times. Well there is a reason that I and so many others sing her praises. She’s real, genuine and has a heart for bringing integrity and “Truf” into this crazy industry.
When I was leaving my first WPPI experience two years ago, I met a fellow photographer in the airport while waiting for security and she asked me who my favorite photographer was. I immediately shouted “Oh Jasmine Star!” because she was all I knew! I only followed her blog, no one else. I was such a newbie! That photographer quickly rolled her eyes and stated that Jstar was just a glorified sorority girl. What?! What does that even mean?! I have no clue, but I do know that I grew increasingly defensive as I argued with her. To be honest, I didn’t know anything about Jasmine. I knew that she was absolutely gorgeous, that her daddy was a preacher just like mine and that she had a large obsession with this little fur-ball named Polo. That’s it. And yet I defended her because I believed in what she was doing. There was something different about her and I loved it. Jasmine was changing this industry, one post at a time. Today we learned that the old model of photography industry doesn’t work anymore. In a social culture filled with social media, you HAVE to connect relationally and Jasmine has mastered this! She and many others are transforming this industry and it’s awesome!
Two years ago I started a daily habit of checking her blog. I fell in love with her classiness, her writing and her ability to make anyone laugh at their computer screen. She has a gift… an amazing gift. This gift allows her to engage and inspire young photographers like me and I couldn’t be more thankful or honored to have her as our photographer. Jasmine, keep touching lives and leading this industry with grace and humility.
Ps. Can I just say that Jasmine will seriously stop and talk to ANYONE and EVERYONE. I’ve only been with her a couple of times and she’s constantly swarmed with people that just want to talk to her. I almost feel guilty that Michael and I get her all day on 10.10.10!
Dane Sanders and Julie Kost!
When I’m scrolling on Instagram or looking through images after a shoot, some images just stand out and capture my attention more than others!
I don’t know if I have ever photographed a more gracious bride in the most horrendous heat! Seriously, Kelsey is a literal angel on earth. She brought her entire family to Virginia from South Dakota for this portrait session and was so incredibly kind even in the midst of 100 degree heat and humidity!
Lenses are NOT cheap, so when you invest, you want to make sure you’re choosing the best option!
If you think about a wedding day and the part that makes you cringe is having to interact and direct the groomsmen, I get it.
This was one of the most beautiful ceremonies I have ever seen, but the timeline didn’t quite pan out like we had planned.. The rings got lost, hair & makeup went long, storms were rolling in and there were some stressful moments!
You’re not going to believe this but this session was probably our easiest DC engagement session to date! We had glow, no crowed, a beautiful setting and the most wonderful couple!