PHOTOFUSION
[foh-toh] fyoo-zhuh
n – (noun) – A new team-building experience hosted by Kristen Weaver
You wanna hear something cool? I LOVE what I do!
Want to hear something else cool? I want to share it with you!
Look – plain and simple… hate in the photography industry is ramppid. It’s sick, hurtful and honestly, pretty ridiculous.
I’ve been sitting on this idea for a few weeks, and was really excited to share it with everyone.
Then, I had dinner with Scarlett Lillian last night. Although I could tell she had a love and passion for her craft, she seemed somewhat… off (I found out later that it was from a lot of personal attacks on her and Stephen in an industry blog). In this happy time of her new engagement, a blossoming business and a coast-to-coast schedule – you would think she’d have the world in the palm of her hands. I knew her as most do, I suspect. I had never met her, but have heard of her and her “rockstar” status (I kid). I wanted to see what she was all about, so we met.
The thing that we often forget is that our words are powerful things. They can be hurtful, hateful and unnecessary. We forget that these are real people, with real feelings and real families. They’re not robots. No one is perfect, and I’m saddened at how easy it is for others to point out our flaws. The price we pay for success? Maybe. Does it make it right? Absolutely not.
One thing I can tell you about Scarlett is this – I have never met anyone who has given so much of themselves to help others. Love her or hate her, most of us couldn’t handle half of the criticism she gets, and I applaud her for maintaining her composure and professionalism through it all. If nothing else, we can all take a cue from her on that.
One of my Miami shoots with the amazing 14 yr. old Wilhelmina model, Quinn (discovered in Omaha, NE by Christian Behr!)
So let’s move on to ME!
Who am I? Meh, I don’t even know sometimes! But here’s what I do know –
I love to shoot fashion. And I want to share that with everyone I know. Let me be clear – I’m not technically trained… and if you’re planning to come and learn lots of technical “stuff” – don’t bother. Go take a few classes, and save me the boredom. What I love is the energy! How often do you get to shoot in an amazing studio, in Miami, with an incredible team for a published editorial in a NY fashion magazine?
If your answer is “never” – then you want to come shoot with me. Because I just did it last week – and I feel like you need to come do it, too.
I’m drawn to the creative outlet. The music, the fashion, the lights and the heart. Let’s get together, eat dinner, shoot and laugh, dance and create. Fusion. You and me. Let’s go.
Here’s what I’m saying:
One on One PhotoFusion in Miami (with me, Kristen!)
I’ll even pay for your hotel (I’m not kidding) for 2 nights in Miami, Florida!
I’m covering the models, stylists, studio, music (nothing but the absolute BEST in the industry)
Bring yourself, and your camera, and a lot of energy. (oh, you also need to cover your travel to/in Miami and food)
And if you’re a wedding photographer, and not in to fashion – let’s shoot some killer Couture bridal shots!
We shoot, eat, shoot some more. We can talk about whatever you want (business, marketing, blogging….) – then, we’ll edit together (I’ve never, EVER, released my editing techniques – but just for you, I’ll make an exception!).
Want to get published? I’ll submit it and we’ll SHARE credit (no guarantee someone will pick it up – but hey, that’s fashion!)
You wanna know what else? I have some amazing companies in the business that I use who have offered to help me sponsor this amazing opportunity!
Collages.net will be giving my contest winner a WHOLE YEAR of online proofing PLUS $100 print credit!
OneWed.com is giving away 3 months of PLATINUM advertising (valued at $315!)
MCP Actions is giving away 2 of my absolute favorite action sets and I’ll show you how to use them to perfection!
Shootsac has a special little prize for you, too!
Jennifer Frances Retouching will professionally edit our images for submission (and you get them for your website, blog, portfolio, etc – SHARED credit is a beautiful thing!)
But let’s get real…. this is a contest folks!
How to enter:
Write a short blog post about why you want to come FUSE with me in Miami!
Keep it quick, people. One paragraph (about 4 sentences) and include an awesome photo that helps explain your reason
You’re welcome to make it a video blog if you prefer!
You must include a link back to this blog post so I know you entered.
I’ll post recaps in a blog post and everyone gets to vote for the one they think should win!
Deadline for entry – April 10th!
**Voting will take place starting April 15th until April 30th. Winner will be selected based on number of legitimate votes (no multiple or spam votes will count). Photofusion session will be scheduled for a date that’s mutually agreeable with both of our schedules. You’re welcome to bring a spouse, but the winner is the only photographer that may shoot and share editorial credit. There’s a whole bunch of other legal stuff that you would have to agree to by accepting the grand prize (winner’s contract, basically), like that I don’t guarantee you’ll actually learn anything valuable.
Yep, I said it. If you have questions, please contact me directly – or just don’t enter the contest. :) I’m happy to send the contract in advance of you entering, but I can’t guarantee I’ll get it to you before the deadline. I think I just added a disclaimer to my disclaimer? Fun!
