Wedding photography season in Denver

Wow! as a starting out wedding photographer in denver the wedding season is here. The last seven days I went to three workshops with several more in the next coming weeks.

It seems like everyone is having a workshop lately. The running joke being- shoot 5 weddings, then go on a national tour with a workshop.

Here's an overview of the ones I went to and what I thought about them.

Start the week off was David Ziser's Digital Wakeup Call. This to me was your typical dog & pony show. It was priced at $79 if you couldn't find the $20 off discount code. There was a dozen sponsors supplying all the door prizes.

I knew going in it would be a "Wow them, then sales pitch them" event, based on the price and heavy advertising. David truly takes great images and is one good salesman. It seems all I need is a good camera, a flash on a pole, an amazing studio and the brides will be beating down my door. Oh, and to make my life extremely easy he has several software programs (for several hundred dollars) I can buy from him to make my album design & prints look better & easier to make.

I left there feeling like I watched a four hour infomercial. Plus over the past week I've been subjected to spam from the vendors that promoted the show. Thanks but no thanks!



Next was Becker's Party of Five. Kim Nordurft hosted this event for Five photogs to spend six hours with one of Orange County's leading wedding photographers.

The day was very casual and quite enjoyable. Granted there was only six people (Kim Nodurft,
Christina Gressianu, Jackie Blair, Ash Marie, Mark Hayes, & me) plus [b]ecker. But his style & humor plus his openness to share everything was unbelievable. [b]ecker really pushed sharing information & helping other photogs out. That's what made his career blow up. It wasn't the old way of thinking that "if I share, I'll be out of business". He states most referrals come from previous brides or other photogs that are booked already.

We stopped for an hour to shoot a couple for an engagement session and then an hour for workflow. There was No sponsors. No my software promotions. No my way or the highway. Granted I paid a hell of lot more money for this workshop but I walked out of there with the confidence I can shoot a wedding and make the experience enjoyable.

If you want to learn more about [b]ecker check out his blog or go to thebschool.com for a great community [b]ecker is building.

This brings us to the third workshop I went to in a week. It was put on by the Mile High Photographers club. A local club getting together to help local photographers. They brought in Stephanie Peters with >Premier Bride Magazine of Colorado. She explained their publication and how it's different from other mags. Then let everyone there know that they want to help local photogs grow so they're taking photo submissions of Colorado weddings for their next edition.

Then Jessica the host for MHP introduced Russ & Kammi Bothwell from Elegant-Image. They gave a wonderful demonstration of how they handle shooting over 50 weddings a year plus shoot portraits & seniors. They keep it all extremely organized.

They explained their workflow & the companies they have used and why they continue to use them. It wasn't a sales pitch either it was honest business. Since I slammed David for it I have to mention it here -They did give away some discounts for the online print company they use. However, it was sincerely hoping to help other photogs out.

Mile High Photographers meet up once a month to discuss different aspects & styles of photography in the Rocky Mountain area. With this one being my first, I met some great people and am truly planning on making the next meetings.

DIY: Chimera Frame

After taking Andrew Clark's workshops I realized it'd be good to buy a reflector to help bounce the light back in for fill or as a quick backdrop for a head shot. I couldn't find black on one side and white on the other that I liked until I came across the 42 inch Chimera black and white panel reflector. So I bought a panel with NO FRAME....

Then I remembered David Tejada used one of these Chimera panels for a soft box/window in his Small Strobes Big Results workshop. It turned his SB-800 into a giant soft light modifier. After FaceBooking with him about it and if the frame was really necessary. I picked up the 42 inch Chimera 1/2 grid cloth too with NO FRAME.

There I was set..... but since neither one comes with a frame . You have to buy it separate and its over $100. So for just under $15 I made my own collapsible frame out of lite weight PVC pipe wrapped in black gaffers tape. I even made a video of me making it.
(watch me make a fool out of myself)













These were shot with one SB-800 through the 42" Chimera cloth about and hour after sunset. (we rode dirtbikes for to long)






















I thought it needed something extra, so I shot this with the same SB-800 through the 42" Chimera cloth and added one SB-26 on camera right. One stop hotter.












(this is the set up of the Chimera Frame, just imagine the SB-26 just out of frame)

The moment it all changes....

Six years,

Really? it's been six years since that one split second, that instant in time that changed everything in my life.

We had plans, we talked about buying a house, Athena finishing school, us both having careers, traveling the world, spending the rest of our lives on the bright side of life.

I remember it was a beautiful Colorado day. Sunny and warm we went out to the ranch so Athena could ride her horse.

I went in to read as she rode with her dad.... Moments later, I was confused as to why her dad was screaming for me. I ran outside to the disaster of the situation. My beautiful wife had been kick in the face by her horse. She was in severe pain and blood, bone, and teeth were everywhere.

I won't go into the nasty details of that day or years of chaos, the fighting with doctors or insurance companies or the fact that she looks nothing like her former self. What I will try to do is write about the gift I've been given since then and the things that I've noticed.

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In this crazy fast paced society with work, school, politics, FaceBook, CNN, Twitter, stock market crashes, etc. You can loose sight of the basic important things in life. The ones you love. The ones that really make the difference in everyday of your life.

So here it is six years later and we're starting the day off at a hospital again. I have so many memories of seeing my wife in a hospital bed it's a bit disturbing. However, the beeping of these machines are like an alarm clock. Waking me up everytime to what's important.



Sadly, the most frightening thing is, that in the sound of one of those beeps, this can all change. It can all be taken away.

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Thankfully, things went good this morning. So now we're thinking of going to fill our bellies with donuts and celebrate life today together. There is not much of a donut selection at 1pm but we still managed to have more then we should of.


Then home to watch movies and let the anesthesia wear off.


I finally convinced Athena that we should go out to eat and get whatever she wanted. Coconut shrimp it was, so off to Red Lobster we went. Finishing it all off with a giant chocolate chip cookie with ice cream on top. It was great seeing her bouncing around enjoying these simple pleasures.






Sometimes it seems there isn't enough time in the day. Surprisingly there is 24 hours, that's 1,440 minutes, or 86,400 seconds in every day. But many times we get cought up in it all and we forget to stop and relish in that moment. Smell the flowers. Listen. Praise God for the gifts of joy that he has given us.

I can hear Pastor Andy asking "So then, what does God want us to do with each of those seconds?"

Love, - love each other! In every moment.

So on this day of celebration in Athena & my life. I want to fill every hour, minute, second with love for my wife. Because Athena is still here with me today! Through all the hell of this accident, all the fighting with doctors and insurance companies, all the hurt of looking in the mirror and seeing someone else. All her wonder of how I can still be standing here with her through this everyday?

To which, the only answer I can give her each time she asks is. "We love each other and together we'll make it though all this misery." Because Rob Bell had it right-Love Wins!

She captured my heart so many years ago and I love having her in my life. God willing, I'm looking forward to the next sixty years together.