As I mentioned I spent last week in Charlotte learning ALOT from Justin & Mary Marantz! I traveled with my friend, and fellow photographer, Rebecca Walker, and we had such a good time! Monday, we attended the Spread the Love workshop, which wasn’t as much about photography, but about running your business successfully AND still having a life!! I have really really struggled with this as of late, so it was just what I needed to hear. While I absolutely love being busy, I haven’t been scheduling much time for my own family. I quit my other job so that I could focus on photography, but also to be more available for my children and husband. In reality, I have been exactly the opposite! Spread the Love was packed full of information, and I’m pretty sure I have 20 pages of notes, along with 30 or so action items! I have already started making some changes, but more are definitely on the way!
Tuesday, we had the day off from workshops, so Rebecca and I made our first ever trip to IKEA. It was just a wee bit overwhelming!! I hear everyone rave about how awesome it is, and I’m always so jealous of their cute little finds from there! We spent a few hours walking around there, both walking out spending less than $30! After IKEA, we went to our hotel room and played with our flashes! I just realized how totally geeky this makes me..ha!! I have some awesome pictures of Rebecca beautifully lit with rim lights, but I’m pretty sure she’d defriend me if I posted one :)! Tuesday night, we joined some of the other photographers that would be attending the Walk Through a Wedding on Wednesday for dinner and drinks. Sitting here today freezing my bootie off, it’s hard to believe that we sat outside and enjoyed a gorgeous Charlotte sunset! We were lucky enough to sit right next to Justin & Mary during dinner!
Wednesday was a long, long day! We started at 9:30 am in their hotel suite discussing the Why…Why they do what they do..loved this! After a few hours going over pre-wedding “stuff,” we went over how to shoot the bride’s details, getting ready, etc. What I learned during this about directional light was invaluable and so so simple now that I see it! Then it was off to the dark, dark church! Justin taught us about how using a super simple off camera lighting set up during the ceremony can add a much needed pop. I am hoping to try this at my upcoming weddings! After some faulty directions, we finally made it to the reception site. Julia had worked hard planning out all of the little details, and despite the crazy strong winds, they were still super cute. Most of the photos I am posting are from this part of the day.
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The theme of the wedding was “American Honey,” hence the bees!
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Our bride, Leslie, is such a classic beauty.
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Our maid of honor and best man, Samantha & Graham, our a real life couple who will be tying the knot very soon! I got more time with them than I did the bride and groom, and they were just so cute together. Graham was quite the ham, which makes for really fun pictures. I am sure their wedding day photos will be amazing! I love it when the guys are into it too!.jpg "web9")
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This was such a wonderful, much needed experience for me. While it was pure torture hearing my daughter cry whenever I called, I know that what I got out of it was so worth it. Justin & Mary are not only amazing photographers, but they are great teachers as well. I was surprised by how soft spoken they were, and how when you asked Mary a question, she wasn’t quick to answer. She took her time, and would ask you even more questions trying to pull out who YOU are. I LOVED that! I also was so pumped to meet Katelyn James! I totally blog stalk her, so it was fun to meet her in real life! She’s just as bubbly and outgoing as she is on her blog – so fun!! Watching her process her images on Wednesday night was a bit unbelievable! She is SOOOOO fast!! There were so many other fabulous photographers there too! It was nice to walk away with some new friends as an added bonus! If you are considering going to one of J&M’s workshops, I would say wait no more! You will not regret this investment in your business & yourself!!!
Great meeting you Chesley!!!
Had such a great time with you Chesley! I am missing our nightly talk out sessions 🙂 And we are totally not geeky for playing with our lights. We are photographers! We love lighting and want to understand the ins and outs (but I definitely will not allow those pictures to be found anywhere, and if they are not deleted NOW I am coming over…). Can’t wait for Saturday!
Hey Chesley,
I hope you got our contract. I have tried sending you two emails but they won’t send! It says there is an error with your email. I was wondering if you got your son’s sports schedule and which day you had decided on for the shoot. Either day is still good for us.
If you need to call, my number is 568-0515.
Thanks,
Alison
Wonderful images chelsey! I missed the Charlotte workshop but am headed to Boston so it’s great to hear your experiences & thoughts on the workshop & to see the images you got – makes me even more excited to go! Lovely work 😉