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!

Check back tomorrow for more Escalate images!