PHOTOGRAPHIC DISCLAIMER…. THESE IMAGES ARE ALL SHOT WITH A POINT AND SHOOT SMALL POCKET CAMERA, LOL SO EXCUSE THE NON-PROFESSIONAL QUALITY.

What an exciting time I had in Nashville, TN at Imaging USA 2010! The Opryland Resort and Convention Center is where the event took place. It was gorgeous! I didn’t unfortunately get many shots of the hotel itself, the week was packed with so much information and events that I didn’t have enough time to walk around and take alot of pictures. I did however get some pictures here and there of me and my roommate Kelly. She is awesome, we’ve roomed together before, and it was a great time! I am thankful for her being such a great listener cause boy did I talk her ear off! 🙂 She was supportive of me during my emotional moments as well! Thanks for that! This week was a roller coaster of emotions for me. Why you ask, it should be so awesome! Well it was on one hand, but on the other it was sort of a realization of where I want to be , and how I’m not there yet.

I of course, already knew I wasn’t there yet but its just this jealousy I guess that I’ve been doing this business on/off again for 6.5 years and I feel like I should be soaring but I’m crawling.. Its very painful to endure sometimes.  But I know that God has a plan for my life, I know KNOW i’m meant to be a photographer, and I know im good at it. I know i’m not perfect, and I know I have room to grow, ALOT of room but I know I love it and i’m not quitting!! So what do I do to get where I want to be? I have been going to Academy of Art University for almost 3 years, thats one thing I’m doing. Getting my Photography degree has always been a dream of mine, not a necessity I know to be a photographer but it helps me grow and learn so thats important for me.  Also I’ve been trying to learn as much as possible by going to local photographer get-togethers, workshops and conventions. That is exactly why I went to Imaging! It was basically in our backyard. Nashville is only about 4 hours away, and compared to other workshops that are in New York or California, this was SO close, I HAD to go! It started out being where I wanted to go just for one night and  be there for one day. Well after that I realized there was so many classes I wanted to attend and I would feel unsatisfied if I only attended the one day’s worth. I’m so glad we stayed for the majority of the conference. I got a chance to meet an awesome girl, she became our roommate too. She found me on the ppa forum and emailed me last minute that she needed a roommate. She was sweet. I also got to meet so many Photographers who’s work I really admire and love. I met photographers who’s attitude I loved, and who’s morals I try to emmulte as well.  Then I got to attend a insane awesome tradeshow which was honestly a bit overwhelming, but it was great! Basically anything and everything you could think of or not think of to use for your business was at this tradeshow. I saw so many hundreds of different kinds of albums, frames, website companies, software developers, etc. It was perfect! I can only imagine how awesome WPPI in Vegas is going to be since it is like that but on a much larger scale, God help me!

I’ll say that the most memorable speakers were, Dane Sanders, Jerry Ghionis, The Boudoir Divas, The Bebbs, and the Smith Family on Senior Portraits. They were all AMAZING! I am so glad I went! I guess I am just affraid I won’t actually get to make WPPI in Vegas so I’m so glad that I could at least go to something! But I am praying that I get to go!!!

Here’s the other pictures, theres TONS of pictures of me and kelly! 🙂

Heres some pictures of us at the Fast Track Photographer get together! It was awesome!

Group shot of the crowd at the Fast Track get together

Jared, Amanda, Nathan, Shaun, Kelly and I

Boudoir Divas Giving a demo!

This was just before the White House Photographers spoke, they had Bill Clinton and George Bush impersonators. Pretty funny!

I was REALLY wanting a picture with Jerry Ghionis, but he was not there, so I got his lovely assistant!

Then, the single coolest thing happened. I was walking around and had my computer bag on me, and it happened to have my “Fast Track Photographer” book by Dane Sanders, So I heard he was having a booth for the day so I thought i’d walk over, get it signed and be on my way! Well, that is not exactly what happened. I went over, and met the most incredible woman, Leila! She is a  sweeeeetheart! I had met her before online a year or so ago, but i left the forums so I haven’t talked to her in a long time, and I am not sure that she remembered me but she was so sweet, she listened to a little of my story and  she told me a little of hers, we both had a moment and started to cry, it was so neat! I was so blessed to meet another woman who loves God and wants to live and do this for him! Well, she told me to wait to get him to sign it and that I could get a picture taken with him which was so exciting cause I’ve been a fan of Dane’s and of his book/website etc for a couple years now. I never thought I’d get to really meet him or know him. You just don’t think you ever will get those sort of opportunities in life, with all that I’ve been through. But lo and behold,  I got to meet him, and I asked him if he remembered me, cause we had a short phone conversation last year about something that he had an idea about, I think it was some sort of mentoring, I am not sure my memory is seriously starting to fail me already! But anyway he said he did and I said well i’m sorry I hadn’t been able to come to any workshops yet, that I really have wanted to but we just haven’t been in a place financially where we could afford it! But now more then ever, the price is amazing ($675.00 through me) and how could I pass it up! I explained that I couldnt believe he’d be in Atlanta and I really wanted to go! He told me not to worry and that they’d work it out with me. So anyway the bottom line is, I started crying, he was sensitive to my sensitivity, and that meant alot… I know a lot of photographers that are where he is at in the industry would have laughed it off, made a stupid joke or whatever and basically pushed you off so they can get to the next person. I’m just thankful he did not do that. I felt that at that moment I knew that he was for real, and so was all he was teaching us. I could finally trust someone and not feel completely the opposite.

So, I signed up and I’m GOING! I’m praying God will make a way and I know he will! So please stay tuned and I’m going to be having some quick last minute specials all for this very cause, to get me to Dane’s class. If you know someone who wants to attend, please send this link to them,

http://store.fasttrackphotographer.com/products/workshop and go to Atlanta. Its coming up on March 31st – April 1st. Going to be freaking amazing!

I got to also see Becker speak, that was a good time, I was hoping to see him in person. Pretty good stuff..

This lady was SO adorable! WHCC had a contest and they were giving away like two 7D cameras a day at the tradeshow to someone wearing their shirts, so we all got free shirts and wore the heck out of them, well this woman she actually took it to a whole new level, she cut it up and made it into all kinds of cuteness! 🙂 See the following pictures, also men were like flocking to her to be in a picture with her! 🙂

(blurry I know..point and shoot like i said!:)

Thanks for watching! See you in Vegas at WPPI friends!