Victor Sizemore announced a “mentor shoot” for WPPI and when I heard about it I KNEW I wanted to be a part of it.  As soon as I saw the advertisement of it- this amazing chandelier in the middle of a desert with a wedding dress and other cool things, it was a no brainer for this girl!

There were so many amazing aspects about this shoot that I loved!  Meeting about 55 other photographers, many of which I interact with online was cool!  Being able to get shots that I’ve been dreaming of for the last few years was pretty great too.  So here we go….as we rode the bus about 25-30 miles outside of Las Vegas, this is what greeted us

Beautiful right?  The big sky, mountains and isolation reminded me just a little bit of where I went to high school in Montana.  We were the only ones out there for miles and although it was a beautiful day, it was COLD!  I’m glad I brought a jacket!

Now the good part!  We split up into groups to photograph the models.  Here’s some of my favorites that I got in the brightest part of the day.

and now for some of the great details that made this shoot so awesome!  Thanks to Summer from Grey Likes Weddings for styling this shoot for everyone!

Lastly the light started fading at around 5pm, and Victor gave us some tips on getting some great color in the sky while our model was lit.  I can now firmly see why getting stuff “right ” in camera is so wonderful.  I hardly did anything to these next images as I was able to do everything right in camera  Thanks Victor!

and this is my VERY VERY favorite shot of the whole entire day!

Lastly here’s some behind the scenes shots…as I said before it was FRIGID outside.  I honestly don’t know how the model did it.  She was barefoot and sleeveless the whole time out there!  When I got back on the bus to go back to the hotel, my hands were numb AND my gear was cold for like 3 hours!

Shoot organized by Victor Sizemore Photography
Styling by Summer Watkins Grey Like’s Weddings
Jewelry by Historical Jewels
Make Up & Hair by Jill Guin of Darling Bride
Video by Elysium Productions

1.  Do I REALLY sound like that when I talk?  YIKES

2.  Can I say “UM” any more times?  HELLO?

3.  The yellow really isn’t working for me now is it?  Oh well…….

4.  as shallow as it sounds, “I HAVE GOT to hit the gym hard core” (which I have done by the way!  YAY!  and I feel better!)

and last of all, could I just catch my breath?  None of you can see though how I’m SHAKING up there HAHAHAA, but you can hear it in my voice.  This is one of the most amazing things I’ve done, but also one of the hardest!  I’m sure like a LOT of the other presenters have said, I can talk about anything most of the time.  BUT when you tell me I only have 5 minutes and that I have to stay with my slides that advance every 15 seconds, automatically, well, then it’s a whole different story!  When I got done and off the stage my whole body was shaking.  All that adrenaline I guess.  So without further adieu, here I am at WPPI for my very first time, presenting at IGNITE!  I hope to help out when they come to both Portland and Seattle, so maybe I’ll meet you there!

This will be my first year going and I don’t think I can GET anymore excited!  A friend and I were chatting last night and we were both saying that we were like young school girls again, all giddy with excitement!  There’s TONS of things that I can’t stop thinking about- my first trip to Las Vegas, my very first trip away with my husband in the almost 12 years that we’ve been married (EVER!), all the products I get to actually touch and see at the trade show, all of the photographers that I adore in practically the same place for me to socialize with….I could go on and on and on.  But one of the MOST exciting things for me about this trip is to be able to actually meet face to face with so many photographers that I’ve befriended or who have befriended me online!  What an amazing opportunity to connect with friends that I’ve been conversing with for almost 3 years on different forums, etc…..some from half way around the world!  SO exciting for me!

I thought I’d post my schedule for WPPI, so hopefully I’ll get to connect with anyone else who is going to be out there and at the same events.  There is literally SO much stuff going on that it was hard to pick and choose what I wanted to do, but since my awesome husband will be with me (this is my birthday present from January!!!) there’s stuff that we’re doing together that doesn’t have anything to do with the convention!  If you follow my blog and you’re going to be at WPPI, leave me a comment on where you’d like to meet up!  I’d LOVE to meet you!

My WPPI Schedule

Sunday March 7:

• Arrive in Las Vegas around 10pm, hang out and get settled

Monday March 8:

• Trade show in the a.m. whenever we get up
• 1pm-4pm SHOOTSAC booth! Come say hi and check out the new covers and the new hip slip!
• 6:30-8:30 Jasmine Stars Platform Class
• 8:30-9:30 WPPI Pool Party
• 10:00 Super Secret [b]school night shoot! Can’t wait!

Tuesday March 9:  This is going to be ONE busy day!

• Probably more trade show in the morning
• 2:30-6:30 Victor Sizemores desert shoot (Seriously SO excited for this and all the people I “know” going!!!
• 10pm I’ll be stopping by the PIF (Pay It Forward) Party to say hi to my friend Emma who is running the party!!!
• 11pm-1am THE [b]school PARTY!!!! I’ve been looking forward to this ALL year and THE main event I wanted to attend- yes yes I’m geeky like that!

Wednesday March 10:

• Today is a free day with Nate, we plan on going shopping, going to the SPA for a couples massage and just hanging out and having fun. Maybe we’ll see you around?
• 6pm we’ll be going to the Tournament of Kings show at the Excalibur, it’s supposed to be pretty cool!
• 10:30pm Show with Nate at the Stratosphere (DATE NIGHT!)

Thursday March 11:

• 9am-11am Photographers Ignite! This is it friends, we’ll see if all my memorizing pays off and spend 2 hours hearing from other fabulous photographers via 5 minute presentations!  I can’t wait!!!
• After the presentation we’ll be heading back home to Seattle!

So there you have it…..that’s my schedule.  OH!  Some of the booths DEFINITELY on my list to check out at the trade show are:

Shootsac, Tave, Vision Art Book, Dream Albums, WHCC, Miller’s, Mpix Pro, GNP Frame, Kimbra Studios, Totally Rad Actions, ProDPI, Hill & Usher, Triple Scoop Music, Canon, Zenfolio, Moo, Album Exposure, ProSelect, Go BEE Bags, ProPhoto, Photobiz, The Photographers Toolkit, Drop It Modern, Not So Perfect Tins, Simply Canvas, Rice Studio Supply, The Knot, Borrowlenses.com and I’m sure many many others.  These are the vendors though I want to talk to  and get to know products better because most of them above I use in some form or another.

Well that’s about it.  I hope to meet and connect with as many people as I can!!!  If anything changes, I’ll update it here.  I’m looking at a few other shoots, but have to see.  Happy Friday!!!  Oh, and one last image from the Portland shoot….

Call to book yours or add it to your event coverage today!

Esperenza, is an enchanting, secluded resort with world class service and amenities, great accommodations, beautiful views, two private beaches, private swimming pools, one of the most beautiful spas I’ve ever seen, and just an ambience that oozes romantic, relaxing, and refreshing.  The only BAD thing was that Nathan wasn’t there with me!

So here’s a quick run down of the week before I get to some of my favorite images!  I arrived on Monday evening and settled in.  Tuesday we had a quick morning meeting with the event planners and then I spent the rest of the day on the beach.  Wednesday the work started!  We greeted the 35 couples attending the event, took their pictures and then quickly changed for the welcome dinner that night.  The dinner had an absolutely stunning set up, as you will see in the pictures below.  It was a “fire table” so they lit the tall center pieces when it got dark with fire.

Thursday, Friday and Saturday was full of activities for the couples.  Waverunning, Deep Sea Fishing, Cooking classes, Zip Lining, Golf, Spa Treatments, etc were all part of the choices.  I covered Waverunning and Sailing/Snorkeling.  They had their award dinner and then on Sunday we all left.  It was a lot of work!- think 4 all day weddings in a row, but it was fun, I learned a LOT of new things and it’s an experience I’ll never forget……makes me want to do more international jobs  Here’s some of my favorites from the week!

First the arch of Cabo San Lucas.  This is where the Sea of Cortez meets the Pacific Ocean.  I was lucky while I was on the boat to snap this picture as boats were moving out of the way.  Seriously on either side of this frame there are about 3-4 boats, lots of waverunners, etc.  It’s a popular spot  The other image is of “Lover’s Beach”.  You can only get to this beach by boat and it’s great for swimming.  Right through the rocks on the other side is “Widow’s Beach”  That side is the Pacific Ocean with big waves and a pretty bad undertow and swimming is not allowed there.  Isn’t the color of the water amazing?….and SO clear!  Not like our murky waters here in Washington, that’s for sure!

Now onto the hotel.  I posted some images on my Facebook of my room and a few others.  This first beach one was part of those.  The hotel had two private beaches, this was one of them, and it was just so relaxing.  QUITE  a difference from Cabo.  When I was at the main beach there, waiting for the waverunners to come back from their tour, there were 3 cruise ships in port and the beach was packed with people and vendors!  I think I had the same 10 vendors ask me like 2,000 times if I wanted different products.  NO, NO, NO…..no tengo dinero (I do know a little spanish), but you can’t blame them for asking, that’s how they make a living….  Anyway, here’s some more shots of around the hotel, everything is outdoor, the lobby, the 3 restraunts, everything, and I loved it!

They had the coolest statues and artwork around the hotel, and the main infinity pool was so gorgeous!  The other two pools were pretty fabulous too.

You can partially see the other beach here.  This is where I spent Tuesday!  They had these beds under palapa roofs and let me tell you friends, I was in Heaven.  You can’t see them in this picture, they’re just around the corner, but  I would lounge out on the chair and when I got too hot, I would go dip in the ocean and then nap under the roofs on the bed. Whenever I bring Nathan back, we’re spending a FEW days like that, just us, the waves, the beach, the sun and the breeze.  OH!  and of course a few frosty drinks from the mexican cabana boys  We each had a concierge to take care of us, mine was Caesar and I think there MUST be a criteria of being super good looking, and SUPER nice to get that position.  Caesar was BOTH and Danae I did snap a shot of him for you! ….I’ll share with you privately!

I got to see and hear a real Mexican Mariachi band.  They played as the guests were arriving.  They have some GREAT singers and it was very lively!…made me want to get up and dance right then and there, but I restrained myself folks!  In my heart and mind though I had the clackers and I was dancing my heart out!

I didn’t see the spa until Saturday, the last day.  An unfortunately I found out that day that IF you are a guest at the hotel, you can spend time at the spa in their water area for FREE!  Steam caves, hot and cold water pools, and lounge areas are part of the free services.  Of course they have all outdoor treatment rooms for men and women where the magic happens.  Massages and all kinds of other treatments happen here, and it was beautiful!

As I said in the beginning, the welcome dinner consisted of a fire table and of course we got to see fire dancers!  They were pretty cool with the drums, the dancing and the fire.  The table was truly a work of art!

Lastly I got to actually go out on one of the activities and it was SO fun!  A lot of the water activities were done in Santa Maria Bay (I think that’s what it was called).  The two wave runner groups went there, as well as the snorkelers.  I went with the group that was sailing/snorkeling.  The water was just crystal clear and this beautiful aqua color.  I guess one of these houses is Michael Jordan’s (I found out later).

Ok, time to fess up!  I have a sort of phobia about swimming in large bodies of water.  I don’t know where I got it from, as I didn’t swim in too many when I was younger- a few lakes and oceans every now and then.  But my phobia is that fish will eat my toes.  Yes, yes, go ahead and laugh, but as I was watching and photographing the snorkelers my worst fears were manifesting themselves!  The snorkelers all had bags of tortilla and bread, and the fish are so domesticated that they just swarm, and I am NOT overstating that!  I think I would have freaked just a little if I was actually in the water!  This trip was a last minute one and I didn’t wear my swimsuit.  The Captain of the boat kept saying I could get in with my clothes on, they would dry by the time we got back to the marina.  ”Thank you very much, but NO THANKS!”  I said.  I just KNEW those fish would eat my toes!!!  After hearing the stories though I think it’s something I MAY try with Nathan……maybe!

Also, while we were waiting for the waverunners to return, one of the event staff was having a hard time choosing what purse to buy from the vendor.  Have you heard of these?  They make these purses out of candy wrappers!  The detail and quality that this man and his family put into the purses was evident, compared to some of the other guys selling these purses.  I can’t imagine the time it takes to fold each wrapper the same to create the patterns he had, but her $80 for 3 purses was well spent and I’m sure he and his family were grateful for the sale that day…..isn’t the beach gorgeous?  The bad thing was, it was a slow day for tourists on the beach so as other vendors saw all these purses laid out, they kind of swarmed us trying to entice us to buy their product too.  I got my kids 3 Mexican Wrestling masks, you know, like Nacho Libre?  I’ll post pictures of those later, they LOVED them!

All in all it was a great job to be on, even if I did get a little sick, ok actually a LOT sick and I’m still getting over it, but I didn’t drink the water!  I DID however learn that you should bring cash, because your credit/debit cards will not always work, and that’s it’s normal for the room staff to put all your toiletries away for you, and put your shoes back in the closet if you leave them out, and I DID learn that I love a turn down service where they put jazz music on and a warm bath after a long days work…hmmmm MAAAYBE I can teach Nate to do that for me…..my own personal turn down service in Silverdale Washington?……we’ll have to have that talk when he returns!  Happy Thursday!

♥ ~Katie

It’s very humbling see how opportunities arise and circumstances happen throughout our lives!  In short, I’ve truly been blessed and avenues have opened up for me through a forum that I joined almost two years ago.   At FIRST, I was going to leave the forum.   I was faced with people telling me I “can’t” and “shouldn’t”.   Me being the proud person I am, decided that, well…..I “CAN”! and I “WILL”!   I can’t begin to explain how hard I’ve worked over the past 2 years!  Definitely, there’s room for growth in any walk of life, and I’m the first to admit I still have a long way to go, but by sticking to my beliefs of helping other’s as I’ve been helped and guided along the way,  seeking out information and continually learning,  I’ve had opportunities come my way that I couldn’t even dream of just 2 years ago.

If you had asked me even 6 months ago if I would ever shoot a fashion show or have the opportunity to work with some very talented photographer’s and industry professionals, I would have laughed.  Like spit out my milk, laugh….and then ask someone if they were joking.  ME?   Shoot a fashion show?  But that’s exactly what I had the opportunity to do on Sunday in Portland.

A great photographer contacted me and asked me to be a part of this awesome day and OF COURSE I said YES!  Have you read my “about me”?  I love fashion!  Thanks to Christi and her team from 58UP Productions for pulling this fabulous event together. We had amazing models, a beautiful venue, The Queen Anne Victorian Mansion, excellent hair and make up teams, HOT clothing from local designers, and of course I got to work with 4 other very talented photographers! The goal was to photograph models in the morning around the grounds and inside the mansion. At 5pm the venue opened to the general public for socializing and seating and the fashion show started at 8pm. There was a vintage car show, great food, and cool music to set the mood. Vintage vendors set up product tables inside the mansion and in all it was just a dream to be one of the photographer’s there.  To top it all off it was a beautifully sunny day, not too hot and not too warm.   Don’t forget to check out all the links at the end to all who helped make this event such a success!

Ok, so on to the good stuff. Here’s some totally rad models from the morning shoot!  We each got to have time with the models and shoot them wherever we wanted on the grounds or in the house.  Since I love natural light, I chose two main locations outside…..the gorgeous little gazebo with  chandelier and all, and then the back porch and door.  Isn’t the color in that door to DIE for!  That with the stained glass just made a great backdrop for seriously beautiful models!  Don’t forget the slideshow at the end!

and finally a little board of just a few of the looks from the show THERE WERE TOO MANY TO CHOOSE!  But here’s 16 of my favorites!

Special thanks to all the people and businesses that made this such a great event!

Boutiques and Designers:

AlexSandra’s Vintage Emporium, Beauty and the Bead Jewelery, Hattie’s Vintage Boutique, Avalon, Fringe Vintage, Urchin Re-Design, Rina’s Rarities

Flowers and Cake:

Beaverton Bakery, Lubliner Florist

Music:

The Tracy Kim Trio

Make-up/Hair:

M’chel Bauxal

Food:

The Queen Anne Victorian Mansion

Photographer’s:

Rosecity Photography

Nigel Jourdain

Enko

Brandon Perron

Heather Jones

and of course ME!