Whew, Finally home from the West Coast!

Wow, and what a trip it was! It is so good to be back however! I've been spending the day catching up on email, life, editing photos, and enjoying the sight of trees and grass. But read till the end... you'll be rewarded with a LOT... seriously... a LOT of photos.

This trip marked a milestone for me... to go along with a few others from this month....
1) Malta became my 14th country to visit (I've been to the UK numerous times)
2 & 3) California and Nevada marked states no. 26 & 27 that I've visited.... BUT, it also marked the first time I've been west of Denver... EVER!

Needless to say, I did play complete tourist on the plane. My flight out West was on an amazingly clear day and I was able to see everything from the Ohio River, to the Rockies, to the Grand Canyon, etc.... amazing!

I thoroughly enjoyed my time in California but I couldn't believe how amazing WPPI was. This being my first time to go I was amazed at how eye opening and inspiring it is. I had the chance to listen to some of the most brilliant minds in the industry... of wedding photography. Some highlights were:
-Doug Gordon who was very inspiring to me as we share extremely similar methods to shooting a wedding.
- Jesh De Rox who is always inspiring. He shared a new project he's starting as well as really motivated all of us in so many ways that go beyond photography. He has an incredible passion and that has taken him incredibly far! Check out his work, it's very different from my own, but you will see a glimpse of that passion. At the very least you will also get to hear an incredible new artist, Amy Sealey.
- Matthew Jordan Smith who you may recognize from some photo shoots done on America's Next Top Model. Being such a fan of the show it was so cool to hang out for a few minutes with him. I unfortunately missed his talk to go to the airport, however, When I ran into him at a booth in the trade show he was awesome, cool, and humble.
- Jared Bauman of Bauman Photographers in San Diego gave a kick in the butt business seminar. He's one year older than I am and already has a studio with associate photographers and the works... I've got one year.... not to open a full studio... but to get to be the success I want to be.
There were so many more... but I need to hurry up to photos!

I also have to give a shout out to Anne Ruthmann who I shot a wedding with in DC a few months ago. She helped throw a sweet party that was so much fun! I even won a prize! Now, I'll have a spiffy online album viewer for all my bride's and groom's viewing pleasure! Thanks for everything Anne, it was awesome to see you and have you kick me in my butt to get certain things done ASAP... :-) I'm working on it, I promise!

Alright... well, are you ready for pictures!? I hope so!

These first photos were taken at a photo shoot at the Neon Boneyard in Vegas. This is where all the old Neon Signs retire to. The next is from a shoot in Nelson... a small ghost town a little over an hour away from vegas... I'll also toss a few more of Sarah's shoot in Sacramento at the end.

Please enjoy!





























































Last, but not least, a big shout out to my amazing roomies this weekend! I had such a blast finally meeting all of you and hanging out! Here's all of us: myself, Amy, Aubrey, and Samantha in the photo booth at my favorite company and album provider, ever.... KISS

Hello from Sacramento!

Well, here I am now in Sacramento. I'm still enjoying my time in Cali which is quickly coming to an end. All too soon to say the least. Today I was able to get out and take portraits of Sarah out in Old Town Sacramento as well as the State Capital Park. It is definitely spring here in California and the flowers are blooming and gorgeous! So was Sarah however and while I may not have all my editing tools, I still wanted to throw you a few. Tomorrow it's off to WPPI in VEGAS!

Hello from Sunny California!

Yes, I know. I'm sorry. I've been leaving your hanging!

My last post mentions what I was about to to in the UK... well, since I've written that post I've done all those things, made it back to the US AND finished all my editing. All while playing with our new Kitty, Renoir.

Let me try and catch you up!

Malta was amazing! Absolutely amazing! I very much wish we had more time there, or could have seen more... but we did see a lot! The co-cathedral of St. John was amazing! A must see if in Valletta. St. Julian's bay, beautiful! Sliema, another great city! We saw a bit more but gosh, breathtaking! Our room faced the water and we had an amazing porch to sit on and enjoy the view. If you are ever there don't be afraid to order the table wine, it's always GOOD! Some people have asked me where Malta is... it's in the Mediterranean in between Africa and Sicily. I could go on and on about the wonders of Malta, their food, people, language, history... if you have ever seen Popeye or The Count of Monte Cristo they were filmed in Malta. Also lot's of greek mythology happened in "Malta." Much of the Odyssey and Iliad revolve around "Malta." I also heard just last night that someone thought they heard Malta was known as a possible site of the "Garden of Eden." I'll have to look that up but it's definitely a country worth checking out!

After returning from Malta my trip flew by too fast. I really wasn't ready to come back, I would live in London if I could. But, I did need to return, eventually ;-)

After a lot of "getting done" in Va Beach I flew out to San Francisco where I met my friend, her husband, and unborn child. They are such an adorable family and I can't wait to see their little daughter! I could have spent so much time in San Francisco but I came to Modesto to see another friend of mine from university. This is my first time out West! I've been to 27 states and 14 countries, but this is my first time west of Denver! I'm really enjoying my time in Cali! I love the no-humidity and in general it almost feels more like home in Texas than in Virginia. It's up to Sacramento tomorrow for some bridals in most likely a Vineyard and taking advantage of California's landscape, I'm very excited!

Saturday morning I fly to Vegas which is one of the "main" parts of this trip. WPPI, aka, Wedding and Portrait Photographers International!

I am so excited to be able to attend WPPI this year. I'm going to get to meet and learn from some of the most brilliant minds in wedding photography! On top of that, I get to hang out with 10,000 other photographers and finally meet so many of the people that I talk with on a daily basis online in forums and groups I'm a part of. AND on top of that, I even will get to see, touch, and learn about any product I could possibly offer you! Amazing

I'll probably just put together a huge slide show for you to see all of my trip to Europe, Cali, and Vegas... otherwise that post would be a mile long!