Meeting the elegant Grace Ormonde and inspiring Jasmine Star all in the same week has left my head spinning! As I try to wrap my mind around last week’s events, I can’t help but feel extremely blessed to be part of an industry with so many talented and motivating individuals.

When I first heard about The Fix and realized it was coming to Miami (about a 4 hour drive from Tampa), I knew I had to make it happen. My favorite city + my favorite writer? Yes, please! I have been following Jasmine’s blog since 2009 and I know I’m not alone when I say she is an incredible inspiration. She’s a wonderful wedding photographer but beyond her lovely images, her words talk to my soul. She motivates me to find my online voice and gives me hope that I’ll be able to share with my readers my unique thoughts and aspirations in a way that will make a difference.

I came across Jasmine’s blog through Showit. Khaled and I have been using Showit since shortly after opening our business a few years ago and have seen the community continue to grow and inspire. I still remember when Showit had only 6 other pages ‘liked’ under their Facebook page- Kismis Ink‘s page was among those…yes, I felt really special. :P

When Khaled and I arrived at Awarehouse for The Fix, the first person we ran into was Andrew. We had met Andrew at the PASS tour in Orlando last summer and it was great to see him again. His smile is contagious and he’s always so much fun! After Khaled left, (I think he just secretly wanted to eat up all the Cuban pasteles at the hotel and practice his Spanish while I was away) I connected with other attendees while we waited for the doors to open. The evening was incredible. I met many Facebook friends, including Ashley Goodwin. She’s seriously the sweetest gal and I’ll have to find a way to hang out with her again! You may remember her from Jasmine’s CreativeLive workshop. Ashley is helping with The Fix tour and doing a great job-she’s a pro on stage! I also met another FB friend, Jillian Tree. She’s adorably kind and graciously offered to snap a photo of JD and I after I sorta-maybe jumped into his convo with a few other attendees! It was a ‘now or never’ moment for me and I’m glad I did. JD is as kind as can be and after a few minutes of chatting with him (mostly about yummy food), we were instant friends!

Ashley got the event started by going over the details of how the night would unravel. It was great to hear that the attendees would have several opportunities to ask questions and discuss the struggles they face in their business. Jasmine’s presentation was on point. She gave incredible advice, shared her experiences, and talked about the struggles she has overcome.

I have many, but my biggest take-away from The Fix is to EMBRACE change. As Jasmine explained, it’s the one thing that’s constant in our businesses.

I plan to print this quote that Jasmine shared and hang it in my office as a constant reminder:

“Action is a great restorer and builder of confidence. Inaction is not only the result, but the cause, of fear. Perhaps the action you take will be successful; perhaps different action or adjustments will have to follow. But any action is better than no action at all.” – Peale

As silly as it may seem, over the years I often wondered what it would be like to finally meet Jasmine in person. Where would it be? Would it be in Vegas among thousands of photographers at WPPI or a chance run-in during a break in the halls? I have yet to attend WPPI and I never imagined we’d meet in Miami, the city that my soul considers home. My parents moved from California (where I was born) to Miami when I was two years old and it doesn’t matter where I travel or reside, Miami will always be home. So what better place to meet Jasmine than where I grew up and share so many fond memories (almost all including delicious Cuban food)?

I’ve never considered myself to be the kind of person that gets ‘starstruck’ (actually, I’ve never been before) but I must admit that I looked up the definition and yes, I am super starstruck when it comes to Jasmine. I had all the symptoms as she walked over towards me at the photo booth after her presentation. Shaky hands, forgetting what to say, heart pounding…I felt like a teenager meeting a celebrity. I can’t believe I just wrote that, but it’s true. After a few seconds of taking in that Jasmine was standing inches away and conversing with me, I was finally able to relax a bit. She was beyond generous with her time and even signed my copy of her Exposed magazine. Watching Jasmine give her undivided and genuine attention to each of us there that evening was incredible. I’m grateful for Jasmine’s efforts, for everything she does to inspire this industry and I look forward to seeing her continued success. A HUGE thank you to her team and the wonderful supportive individuals around her that helped make this tour possible.

If you have an opportunity to attend The Fix at any of the upcoming cities, do so. I’m sure it will be an unforgettable evening.  Be sure to give Jasmine and the crew a big hug from me too!

2012 has been full of blessings! Lots of amazing opportunities, changes, and new beginnings happening at Kismis Ink and we can’t wait to share them with all with you!

At the end of January, The Special Event came to Tampa. I had never attended before and had just returned from a conference (ISS Mexico) when I heard of it so I didn’t sign up for any presentations or attend any of the additional events. It was convenient that it was here in my home town, so I got myself over to the event a few times that week. I visited the Exhibit Hall, connected with some really talented wedding pros in our industry and had an opportunity to enjoy the event at a more relaxed and laid back manner. Overall, it was a great experience!

Meet Gigi, made up of an array of colorful flowers from FiftyFlowers.com. She was a celebrity at the Exhibit Hall with the paparazzi swarming around her constantly.

Concept Bait and AFR Event Furnishings did a stellar job with their booth. Loved the Moroccan vibe!

These glittery chocolates by Bedazzle my BonBons were yummylicious! Thanks to Caroline of Caroline & Evan Photography I purchased two boxes of one in every color to take home with me!

It was such a pleasure to meet these three ladies! Saundra Hadley of Planning Forever, Kelly McWilliams of Weddingtidbits, and Kelly Spalding of Perfectly Placed are outrageously fun and left me wishing that we had had more time to hang out.

There are many reasons I love attending conferences. One of the them is the way serendipity has a way of creeping in when you least expect it. That’s the only way I can describe meeting Tara Guérard. She was sitting at her book signing area at a time when I was waiting for WOW Mom session to begin. We greeted each other and a few minutes later we were chatting about Tara’s love of film photography, Elizabeth Messina, our families and how our businesses began. I’m so glad I got to meet her as I have since looked over and fallen in love with her work. Looking forward to opportunities to connect with her again in the future.

I was delighted when Stacie founder of Inspire Smart Success asked me to take a few snapshots of her speaking at the WowMom presentation. The speakers had great insight and a couple of my favorite parts included the slideshow of these talented women’s children describing what they loved about their moms’ businesses and Ruth Moyte‘s top 10 tips for mom survival in the industry!

Love these two ladies! xoxo!

I didn’t bring my camera the next day, but as the saying goes: “The best camera is the one that’s with you.” Here’s a few iPad snapshots (just for Kelly, lol) of the inspiring presentations at the Exhibit Hall:

A huge thanks to Eileen from Diva with a Fork for snapping this pic of me at The Party Goddess booth. Tweeting this pic won me a 3-month membership for the Bullpen Coaching Session with Marley Majcher!

The night before the Exhibit Hall opened at The Special Event, we had an ISS alumni meetup at Miguels (If you’re in Tampa and like Mexican food, you must try this delicious restaurant). It was great catching up with other alumni and meeting some new faces. A huge thanks to Eileen of Diva with a Fork  for choosing a great place and Sandie (Stacie’s wonderful mom) for putting this fun meetup together!
(Photo credit: Stacie & Kelly’s phone pics)

Another opportunity to connect with some awesome wedding pros was the TSE Tweetup at Champions Sport Bar (at the Marriott). Thanks to Melissa of Masterpiece Weddings and Lauren of Every Last Detail for setting this up. I was able to meet many new faces and finally meet some long-time twitter friends in-the-flesh, including the lovely Michelle Loretta from Sage Wedding Pros. You can see a few pics of the tweetup here and here.

It was a week of catching up with some industry friends, making new friendships, getting inspired and besides sharing knowledge and experience, sharing some great laughs!

Oh, Cancun. I left my heart there. Also my voice, ability to walk and thanks to your amazingness, I’m working today in my comfy pj’s. Covering the unbelievably gorgeous events at Inspire Smart Success Experience over three days could easily equal to covering 6 weddings in the same time frame! I can’t wait to share all the details and images of the last four days!

I met a fabulous group of talented and super-inspiring individuals that have become friends I will treasure forever! Many of the things I was able to do were beyond my imagination, such as ignoring my fear of heights and climbing a wobbly wooden tower with a stunning view of the Caribbean Sea to shoot with Mike Colon- only to almost push him off, accidentally of course. Oh, and lets not forget eating apples with lime-cajun spices (Thanks Lisi), and much, much more! Expect a jam-packed blog post with all the details, beautiful images, and my thoughts on this unforgettable experience!

A HUGE thank you to Stacie Ivers Francombe, Rachel Saito, Jennifer Warwick-Lewis, Jennifer Fisher, Christina Springfield, Shay Bell, Tifany Wunschl, Karl Rouwhorst, Nanette Dorbeck, Ryan Koral, the wonderful staff at Now Sapphire Riviera Cancun and everyone that helped make ISSE happen!

For now, enjoy this little preview brought to you by Epic Motion!

Inspire Smart Success Experience {ISSE} Cancun, Mexico from Epic Motion on Vimeo.

Last week was a hectic blur of busy-ness (not sure if that even makes sense, but that’s what came to mind when I recall last week’s events and preparing for our travel to Mexico!) In a whirlwind of emails, I found an email in my inbox from Thirst Relief. It was my first time hearing about this organization and the email explained that I had been nominated to participate in this year’s Mentor Auction. (A warm thank you to the person(s) that did so.)

I researched more about Thirst Relief and I became anxious to help when I read about their mission and last year’s mentor sessions:

“Last year the sponsors and 90 mentors who participated in the Mentor Auction raised more than $40,700 which directly provided 8,147 people with clean water! 100% of the proceeds directly benefit Thirst Relief International, who provides at least 25 years of clean drinking water to the more that 1 billion people who don’t have it! Add to that the incredible wisdom and talent that is being shared in the one-on-one mentor sessions and you have better and more successful photographers/business owners! So, not only are lives being saved, but the lives of many business owners are being made better! It’s truly a win win for everyone involved!”

Thirst Relief is a non-profit that has set out to “overcome death and disease resulting from the consumption of contaminated water by providing safe, clean drinking water to those in need around the world.”  They have provided a way for all of us to HELP by sharing our knowledge, experience, and time. To accomplish this goal they’ve asked some of the best and brightest in the industry to donate 90 minutes of mentorship time and anything else they feel like giving to be auctioned off to a winning bidder!

The Mentor Auction will start tonight, the 14th at 11pm EST and go through the 17th 11pm EST. You will be able to bid on a 90 minute session with a mentor of your choice/field and the highest bidder wins the session.

Here are the details about my mentor auction:
90 minutes of mentorship time by phone, Skype, Google Hangout, or in person (if in person, includes lunch at one of my favorite restaurants!). The sky is the limit on what we can discuss- fashion, the latest Dexter episode, your latest adventures and any topics of photography and business including social media, connecting & working with your clients to get the most relaxed and natural poses, marketing, shooting destination weddings, shooting & submitting stylized editorials/weddings for print and online submission. Your session will be catered to meet the needs of your business. If you aren’t a photographer or just getting started, you can still bid- this mentorship is open to everyone and includes a hug!
Also included: A goodie bag that includes our exclusive studio resource guide & much more valuable information. A follow-up 30 minute phone call with Mariana three months following your initial mentorship session to revisit areas of discussion.

I am thrilled to be a small part of the 2012 Mentor Auction! If my involvement impacts at least ONE life, it’ll be worth it to me. Please, take the time today and bid, spread the word and impact lives.

You can also help by:

• Donating your FaceBook status to say: Mentor Auction is happening right now! Save some lives today: http://bit.ly/sX1dwN PLS RT
• Donating your Twitter status to say: Mentor Auction is happening right now! Save some lives today: http://bit.ly/sX1dwN
• Blogging about the Thirst Relief Mentor Auction: http://bit.ly/owO063

I admit it. Receiving UPS packages and snail mail MAKES.MY.DAY. Since I was a teen one of my favorite times of the day was when the mailman came. It ignites a ‘Christmas morning’ feeling in me, every time. I even fantasized about becoming a mail-person…or an elf. So, you can imagine how much I love this part of my job. But, what I never expected was to open up the packages and fall even more in love with our clients’ wedding albums.

To see their unique wedding story spilled across the beautiful pages and hold these memories in my hand makes me all sorts of happy. Delivering wedding images on a disc could never give me that same feeling. Never. Clients trust us and hire us for our artful eye. Our visual interpretation of their special day. A day full of dedication, love, happiness, and endless hours of preparation.

These gorgeous books allow us to pull everything together and complete our vision. Albums are the tangible reward of all the efforts, love, happiness, and endless hours of preparation that are part of the wedding story.

Thank you Graphistudio for your amazing customer service, your quality, and your dedication to making sure we have the best to offer and our clients are happy. A huge thank you to all our clients for trusting our vision for one of the most important days of their lives.

Here are a few images of Yomi & Matt‘s lovely wedding albums.