Archive for 'Workshops'
Dazzling, sparkling, and, INSPIRING. That pretty much sums up the ISS experience in Mexico. The luxurious event, held in Cancun, Mexico, was filled to the brim with exquisite details, expert speakers and an electrifying atmosphere. It was absolutely amazing to shoot and participate in such a creative, fun-filled environment. I can’t thank Stacie, founder of Inspire Smart Success, enough for trusting me with such a huge endeavor. Each day was filled with so many unforgettable details and experiences. It’s hard to pick a favorite from the event, but shooting the fire-dancers during the Blanco Party was definitely a thrill! Everyone at the event was warm and welcoming and we built an instant bond. I can’t begin to describe and count the immense talent behind this event. The gorgeous paper products created by Tifany of Gourmet Invitations, the beautiful cinematography of Ryan and Eric of Epic Motion, the unparalleled service by the staff of Now Sapphire resort, just to name a few.
Last summer I had the privilege of attending ISS-Orlando as a guest and it was an incredible experience but it could never have prepared me for what I experienced in ISS-Mexico. I must admit that shooting this event was not an easy task, especially without my amazing second-shooter (aka: my hubby) but I couldn’t have done it without the help of Karl & Nanette of Luminaire Foto. We had a blast together (you’ll see a bit of the fun in their photobooth at the end of this post) and it was a blessing meeting both of them.
Besides making new friends and sharing unbelievable experiences together, here are some mentionable highlights of my time in Mexico:
-Almost (accidentally) throwing Mike Colon off a lifeguard tower, this one to be exact. (Thanks Austin for the snapshot, priceless memory and thank you Ana, our talented model)
-Preston Bailey complimenting our work and autographing his book with, “Mariana & Khaled, you both have an amazing eye.” Yes, right at that moment life couldn’t get much better.
-Rooming with Krystyn of Bridal Beauty Chicago. I had never met her before and instantly felt like she was family.
-Christopher Confero and Clayton Gray. LOVE them both to the moon and back.
-Opening my dinner invitation on Day 2 to find that it was with Sonny Ganguly…you know, the guy that created Sony. (I guess it’s a bit of an inside joke).
-Working closely with Sandie (Stacie’s mom), Rachel, The Jens and the rest of the crew. They did a phenomenal job and it was such a pleasure.
-Getting to know Ceci Johnson. I met Ceci before in Miami last year and I’m thankful I had the opportunity to chat more with her in Mexico. She’s a big inspiration and I absolutely love her work.
-Tajin Seasoning. Lisi Korn, although we didn’t get to hang out as much as I would have loved, a big thank you for introducing me to the delicious seasoning. I finally found it in Tampa and use it on everything!
-It was hilarious and fun to spend time with Dana Larue and her hubby, Hunter. The monkey showing his ‘affection’ to Hunter was probably one of my favorite memories.
-Riding the van from the airport to the resort with Youngsong Martin and getting to know her and her hubby was a great experience.
-Traveling with my airport pals ❤ Petronella, Eddy and Marilyn, Eileen and her hubby, Brad.
-Meeting Kathy Romero. I can’t describe what a wonderful and inspiring woman she truly is. It’s no wonder why her beautiful face is gracing the cover of the first issue of ISS Magazine. I might even have to create a blog post to feature her and how she’s motivated me in many ways. Kathy…We’re.On.Fire.
There are just too many memories to list, but I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to work with and share amazing memories with such a wonderful group of top-industry professionals. Wishing 2012 is full of much success and happiness for each of you!
If you haven’t attended yet, I highly recommend you check out and register for one of the upcoming ISS events!
Wanna Lounge
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
When I’m looking forward to something, my imagination paints a picture about what it will feel like, taste, smell, play out. Now, mind you, I have a very hyperactive imagination, but the Inspire Smart Success Experience was beyond anything I could have ever imagined! My talented friend, Lauren Harper Grove of Every Last Detail and new friend (thanks to Lauren and ISSE), Caroline Smith of CSE Photography decided to car pool and room together for this event. Let’s just say that it was an unforgettable adventure, right ladies? We stayed at the Waldorf Astoria, where the ISSE event was held. Brides, this gorgeous hotel is a beautiful setting for an elegant and artsy wedding and we had a great experience on our stay. The evening of our arrival was the welcome party and what gal doesn’t like to get dolled up and mingle?! I met some amazing women, had fabulous conversations, and had my first inspire-tini! Delish! I have to thank Staci Francombe (founder of ISSE) for so much, but especially for creating the opportunity to finally meet two of my favorite online peeps, the fabulous wedding planner/coordinator, April Dorsey of The D-Tales and the super-talented photographer, Garrett Frandsen, along with all the other talented individuals at this event! The Get Published and Get on TV ISS panel consisted of Diann Valentine, Tiffany Cook, exectutive producer-Dave Francombe, Leigh Duncan-editor of Orlando Weddings Magazine, Karlena Wallace-editor of Stiletto Woman Media, and Lauren Harper Grove-editor of the online blog, Every Last Detail. The knowledge, advice, and experience that Stacie and the panel provided was beyond overwhelming! To say that I left ISSE inspired is an understatement! I loved how approachable everyone was, how interactive the talks were, and the smooth flow of the day! Add in the mix the vivid and alluring colors, amazing details, yummy delicacies, the best vendors working together and a fun-filled atmosphere-you have one heck of a party!
I seriously wish I could attend every ISS experience! I recommend all entrepreneurs attend and experience this for themselves. Stacie also offers mentoring sessions, so contact her for more information!
A HUGE thank you to everyone involved in this amazing experience and to Stacie, for this wonderful opportunity!
Update: You can watch a recap film created by Key Moments Productions here.
Vendors:
The D-Tales
Diann Valentine
Waldorf Weddings
Every Last Detail
Orlando Wedding
Wrapped Couture
DJ Carl Entertainment
Over the Top Rental Linens
Cupcake Jubilee
Bottle Your Brand
Flourish Floral Productions – Event, Wedding and Floral Design
Sweet Maralyn’s Chocolates
Amy Raith Artistry
The Paper Shop, Inc.
A Chair Affair, Inc.
Our DJ Rocks
Natural Impression Design
Key Moments Productions
Christopher Confero
