Portrait House: Mockingbird

Have you ever shown up somewhere and wondered "what am I doing here?" - I'm sure its a familiar feeling to someone out there. I've talked a lot about my feelings and thoughts on WPPI in recent posts. And if you will recall, I mentioned that I went to a workshop with Laura Marchbanks. Walking through the doors that day into this beautiful country club, I remember thinking two distinct things. One, I couldnt help but be green with envy of the location. I wanted this location for every wedding. Okay, not every wedding but seriously, this was amazing. Two, I wondered, what in the world I was doing at a shoot that A. I knew nothing about and B. I wasnt even sure what to do, I mean did I just take out my camera and wander around or did I wait for people to direct me? Did I have rights to all my photos? Did I have to turn in my work at the end of the day to the teacher and cross my fingers for a gold star?

So, the Photoshoot Phor Phamilies...no, I'm not a horrid speller, well, actually I am but that was on purpose!

Dwell in Possibility...
Cassie

Sneak Peak: Shannon and David

I feel incredibly defeated today. I think it's because I finally cleared my desk off. And instead of feeling a sense of accomplishment, I feel like the paperwork, bills, to do lists, inspiration boards, mail, calendars, taxes, mailers, and full memory cards have beaten me senseless, chewed me up and spit me out. But I remind myself, I won. Muahaha!

I thought I'd take a break for a moment and show you a sneak peak of our wedding we had on Saturday! Hopefully Shannon and David are enjoying the light breeze and sun on their skin aboard a boat somewhere or enjoying a beer in the sand.



Dwell in Possibility...
Cassie

There's No Place Like Home

Finally! I'm home. You know, I've only been gone for about two weeks, but it feels like forever. I would not recommend moving into a house one week, having your husband going out of town two weeks later, and then joining him out of town two weeks after that. My advice, stay home, situate your house, get settled, then jump into everything.

However, I never take my own advice and I never do anything in order. Seriously, ask my mom, she used to say to me, "Cassie, you've got to slow down, do one thing at a time, you dont have to do it all at once"...um, do I ever listen to that? Nope.

But now I am home. I have my email, I have my dog, I have my house, I have my kitchen...yes, the world can move on as it wishes.

Dwell in Possibility...
Cassie

Sarah: Mockingbird

I call them Mockingbirds because its so much more attractive than Mock Sessions. I mean, who wants to get a call and hear "hey, wanna shoot a mock session?" that's just no fun. So, Mockingbirds!

Late one night at a sleepover {yes, dont judge, I still attend them when my husband goes out of town for work}, I think it was close to 2:30am when I shouted "I'm so gonna do that!" Let me back track a bit. A group of friends and I were online clicking about through Facebook, blogs, and fashion sites eating these amazing brownies. We were supposed to go to bed close to midnight, but seeing as I mentioned that it was 2:30, it is obvious that we didnt go to bed as planned. We kept finding these amazing themed shoots and I was jealous. I wanted to go on a shoot that was themed, high details, crazy and fun. That night I started brainstorming on planned shoots. I'd seen them on various blogs and magazines but it never occurred to me to set one up for myself.

Sarah was one of the girls at that sleepover who just happened to fit perfectly into my wedding dress. Yes folks, this is my wedding dress in this shoot. After the shoot and seeing how gorgeous she is in it, I will admit, I totally went home and tried it on to see if I looked as good as she did in it. I was honestly surprised I fit in it!

Anyways, after this shoot, I'm definitely going to plan more of these mockingbird shoots. I think next time I'm going to do a themed engagement style shoot...I think. I just want to play around more with photography. I want to have exciting crazy new shoots that you wouldnt usually see. I want time to try out new lenses, new angles, new techniques. We will see. So, without further ado, I present: Sarah: Mockingbird!

Dwell in Possibility...
Cassie

Completely Honest...Almost.

It may shock you to know that I've re-written this post about four times now. I'll type, save, and then delete. I'll come back and try again and save it...then I'll walk away and come back and delete it. I cant decide how honest to be. Being honest seems like an easy decision. I just dont know how much honesty to share. So...this being my fifth attempt at this blog post, I'm going to just lay it all out there, be completely honest...almost.

So, as photographers around the world are returning home via flights and road trips, everyone's blogs, twitters and facebooks are beginning to show reflections of WPPI. I was definitely one of them. Somewhere between Houston and Ohio, high up in the lightning filled skies, my brain exploded. I typed up my thoughts for a good two hours and had to force myself to stop.

And, in keeping with my attempt at being completely honest, here are my thoughts on WPPI. It was a whirlwind...I felt overwhelmed and out of place. I'm never going to another WPPI without my husband. You see, there's a secret to Andrew and I. I need him. I know there is a train of thought that women should be dependent on their husband and be able to blahblahblah without him. But for me, I cant handle things without him. Sure, I try, to the world I'll look fine. I wont freak out, I wont cry in public, I will on the outside appear normal. But wondering through WPPI without him, trying to grasp hold of why we started this business, of why we love it...was hard without him. He holds my heart in his hand...he keeps me feeling safe and secure. In a world of mass confusion, of thousands of photographer vendors, of photographers that seem to have it all figured out, he creates a buffer. He braces himself against the onslaught of the world and tells me that I'm confident, that I'm creative, that I'm loved, that I'm safe, and that I can do anything. I'm not going to another photography convention without him...

So, the recap. Day one in Vegas: I promised myself that I was going to make the most of everything I was presented with. I wanted to do it all, see it all, experience it all and get out there. Day two in Vegas: the initial shock of Vegas had set in and I was overwhelmed, jet lagged and wasnt sure how I felt about anything. I attended a shoot by Laura Marchbanks {I'll talk about that in a later post} and I posted some pictures from the shoot that I was a part of on Day One. Jamie Delaine, Kristen Leigh, Ally Michele, and Allyson Neely. I felt out of place as I sat in my hotel room but I rested in the images...in editing them, because it made me feel sane.

This is Allyson...I could seriously have taken photos of her all day long. She was so joyful and energetic in front of the camera. And she just has this look about her that's carefree and breezy. I only had a chance to talk to Allyson for an evening but she was definitely one of those peoples I could pour out my life story with and talk for hours.

Hello Ally! Ally was hysterical! She was working the ShootSac booth on the convention floor and is one of those people who is their own sun. I dont think I ever once saw her frown or be irritated or upset. She drew me in and when I was taking photos of her, I just could help but laugh right along with her.

And my other roomie, Kristen. Kristen and I not only shared a room but we fought over the covers every night. :0) Kristen and Jamie are pretty much best friends and they were so funny to watch together. If I hadnt known any better, I would have thought they were sisters. They argued, they laughed, they finished each others sentences. Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants anyone?

Things got exceedingly more difficult after this day. But the two shining lights during my time at WPPI, Justin & Mary Marantz and Jasmine Star. I had heard Justin and Mary speak before and I just wanted to listen to them again. They are one of the few photographers that I've ever encountered that make me feel like I can do anything, that I can have an amazing business, that I can succeed far beyond any box anyone could ever put me in. Justin and Mary were a breath of fresh air for me. I did not want to leave the room from their presentation. In their presentation room I was safe. I was safe from the chaos of the photography world outside the doors. And Jasmine's presentation...to be completely honest, I was shocked that I was going to be able to hear Jasmine speak. I have a list of things that I want to accomplish in the next two years with our photography business and one of them was to hear Jasmine Star speak or to attend one of her workshops. So, on Monday night when I had a chance to sit in on her two hour presentation, I was pretty much in awe. Jasmine was real, inspiring, and funny. But after finishing her talk, I left the conference room still feeling overwhelmed. But at the same time, I felt hopeful. Jasmine rose up from a no one who could take a very good photo, to this amazing photography who has won all these awards and is known by just about everyone in the industry. I could make the changes I wanted, I could be an amazing me just as well as she can be an amazing her. There's a quote in Disney's Aladdin that summed up how I felt/feel from that talk. Alladin is trying his best to be someone better, someone he thinks is would be worthy of a princess. But that's not who Aladdin is, and to be honest, he made a crummy fake prince. At one point along the journey, Genie tries to send Aladdin a warning: "Beeeeeee yourself!". I'm kinda shocked at my similarities to Aladdin at this point. And I want to beeeeeee myself!

Jamie Delaine

So you know those things in life that you're not sure if you'd ever really believe even if they happened? Well I'm totally living one of those moments this week.

I'm incredibly tired. I dont quite feel like myself...which is why this blog is really short...I'm talking way too much {sorry Kristen and Jamie} and I'm becoming creatively overwhelmed. But I'm enjoying every moment of this.

Dwell in Possibility...
Cassie

What Happens in Vegas

I always hated that line..."what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas"...but this trip I'm giving it my own meaning: "making the most of what happens in Vegas" {yes I know, a bit corny, but give me a break, I've had a whopping total of 3.5 hours of sleep.} For those of you that really dont want to listen to me talking about my daily goings on in Vegas, stop reading the blog until Thursday. :0) For those of you who get a kick out of my ramblings, please continue.

So, as some of you may know from my Facebook and Twitter that I'm in Vegas for the WPPI Convention. First timer and all that I am, I wanted to be sure to make the most of everything. I have zero expectations coming into this, which is due in part to the fact that I didnt have time to mentally get in gear to be here. One day I wasnt going, and the next, I was booking a plane ticket, making a payment on a hotel room, and packing a bag. Being here was completely something that God had His fingerprints all over. I didnt think we had the finances to go, and then they were there. I didnt have a roommate and wasnt looking for one, and then, completely out of the blue, I got an email from a special someone asking if I'd be the third roommate. Our house closed on time, my puppy has a puppysitter, yadda yadda...and now I'm in Vegas.

Tada! My hotel. I havent really ventured out much just yet. To be honest, I'm still a tiny bit star struck at the moment by A. having an incredible roommate that I never in a million years would have imagined I would have B. a bonus roommate who is equally awesome and C. having the prospect of listening to Jasmine Star on Monday night. *insert heavenly awe sound here*

Two things are very official at the moment. I love getting to know everyone here and just taking it all in, and two, I miss my husband and my puppy...a lot.

Dwell in Possibility...
Cassie