Courtney and Marc

Usually, when I'm at the Lincoln Theatre in downtown Raleigh, I have a beer in my hand and my ears are ringing. When I saw Dinosaur Jr. there a year ago, it was one of the loudest shows I had ever heard. Great, but loud.

A couple of weeks ago, I saw GNR tribute band Appetite for Destruction there. It was a great show. I was sad, though... because it reminded me that I never started my own GNR tribute, Fat Axl. But I digress.

So, it was cool to hang out with Courtney and Marc this afternoon. I'll be shooting their wedding next month.

More contest wins

There's a relatively new group of wedding photographers I joined a couple of months ago called the International Society of Professional Wedding Photographers or ISPWP. The ISPWP has a rigorous approval process. You need to be sponsored to gain entrance. I was sponsored by one of my favorite photographers in the world, Sergio Lopez. If you've never seen his work, grab a box of tissues and check out his website.

The organization holds quarterly contests for members. It's another very competitive contests with photographers from all over the world.

I placed 14th overall for the quarter. You can see the photos below.

My workshop - I love Charleston.

There are defining moments in everyone's lives. Usually, they are centered around a big event. Others come along quietly and when least expected. When Juliet Elizabeth offered her family's beach house as a location for a workshop, I took a leap of faith and just answered immediately, "Sure." Fast forward a couple of months and you would have found me losing a lot of sleep during the days leading up to the workshop.

A dozen different artists invested time, money and faith in me. I didn't take it lightly and truly tried to pour my heart and soul into the workshop.

It went beautifully. People were enthusiastic and excited to learn. Punam Bean really evened things out talking about her style of blog marketing. I spent a great deal of time discussing my belief that the real value of a wedding photographer should be found in the pictures, not just the stuff we sell. I think I made my case.

Then we moved on to shoot at two gorgeous locations. I really wanted the attendees to get outside of the box and have fun with the shoots... trying things they may not normally try. We had some spectacular results. As you'll see below.

Here's me, flapping my gums. Thanks for the photos, Juliet:





The incredible Punam Bean teaching us how to crack the destination wedding market:



And my good friend Joe Bunn, who talked about vendor relations:



Some of the pics I took at Lowndes Grove Plantation and The American Theater in downtown Charleston:











From The American Theater









I will post student photos soon!

Here's my great crew of attendees:

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