The day that I got back from Tara and Will’s wedding in Punta de Mita, I had exactly two days to be out of the Broshot Garage.  My epic Alberta Street studio loft space of one-year.  The memories are fond and I do miss the two story glass roll-up bay door for my living room…sigh.

I’m in a better place now.  I’m reinvesting in my business in a sustainable way, in a way that I felt I was unable to do while at the Broshot Garage.  It’s not that the Broshot Garage was a bad place, a place like that will again be in my future.  I just felt like I was unable to take advantage of everything it had to offer me (location, space, wow-factor) because my business wasn’t optimized for that.  That’s what I’m retooling for now, setting myself up to make that next big push forward.

I think that it’s easy for people on the outside to look at me moving out of the Garage and see a step backwards being taken.  Right now I’m living with roommates in a north-Portland neighborhood called Kenton.  Moving out of the Garage was a step forward for me and here’s why I think that.

First, the Broshot Garage was a money-vacuum.  It sure made me look cool but it generated absolutely zero dollars in profit.  And that’s not to say that a place like that couldn’t be utilized in that way, I think it can.  In 1-2 years I will have a place like the Garage again and it will be optimized for my business, not just a super-hip bachelor pad.

Second, because I moved out I was able to attend WPPI for the first time in February. It’s the biggest wedding photography trade convention in the world, something like 20,000 attendees at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas for a week.  I only knew two other photographer friends that were going, Elizabeth Lloyd (my mentor) and Kirsten Lewis, but during that time I was able to meet, connect and become friends with a group of photographers who are awesome, warm and loving people.  It was one of the most special experiences of my life.  To go from feeling somewhat isolated in Portland, where I don’t really work with local vendors (because my focus is destination weddings), to a place where I now feel connected to a group of amazingly talented photographers who are recognized as being some of the best in the world.  I don’t take it for granted, but to feel accepted and loved by photographers I admire helps assure me when I’m sacrificing here at home every day, that there is a place at the highest level, meant for me, that I have to continue to work for.

Because I moved out of the Garage and went to WPPI, I found out about the Yin Yang Workshop mid-march in Dallas and put on by three of the top wedding photographers in the world.  I contacted Huy Nguyen, wedding industry visionary and one of the founders of Yin Yang.  On such short notice I thought it would be a long shot to get one of the twelve available slots.  Magically there was one place left.  I signed up and flew to Dallas two weeks later.  The focus of Yin-Yang was strictly business and there in Dallas I hung out for a week with similar like-minded and talented photographers, some of whom I had already met in that group at WPPI.  My roommate buddy for the week was the talented top-Texas photographer Kathryn Krueger!  Yee!

Ok…now, because Garage move-out, begot WPPI, begot Yin-Yang…This whole group I met sort of revolves around an intense documentary style workshop that happens once a year called Foundations. The impression that I got is that once you’re in Foundations you’re family.  So because A, B, and C I was able to register for one of the limited spots at Foundations 2013.

Why all of this?  I’m excited about what I do, I love to produce something that is valuable to my clients.  I want to both improve the quality of my images (the Foundations workshop) and the quality of my service to my clients, aka my friends! (Yin-yang workshop).  I want my clients to feel as excited as I am about their wedding experience!

In April I did not travel, period.  Ok, I lied, I did go on an epic one-week road trip down the Oregon and California coast where it rained and the oceans and rivers frothed at the mouth like a rabid dogs.  It was beautiful, we were wet the entire time.

But now my little travel break is coming to an end this Friday when I fly to Jamaica to photograph my first wedding there.  As I implement all of these creative and structural changes to my destination wedding photography business I’m excited to see how they all come together and I’m thrilled for all the new experiences I’m anticipating in the next two-thirds of this year.

Cynthia is a rockstar bride and her wedding invitations recently won a prestigious international design award from HOW magazine.  Thanks to the awesome art director of The Public Society design and branding firm in Brooklyn, Christian Fleming for putting together these beauties.  The wedding invitation envelopes are actual wood veneer! whoa!  Below are a few photos I shot of their wedding invitations last June at Villa Sol y Luna in Playa del Secreto, Mexico.

Congratulations Cynthia!  On another creative note, watch out for this girl on an upcoming book tour, comic fest, or other public speaking engagement near you.  She’s super talented!  You can check out the rest of Cynthia and Yves’ destination wedding photos here on my blog.

I shot Tara and Will’s wedding at the stunning Casa China Blanca in Punta de Mita.  The Dazzling Details design team did a phenomenal job complementing the elegant and minimal style of the all white and glass venue.  Look at that tree!  Big thanks to Ulises Guerrero for second shooting with me and capturing the sweet shot above.

One thing I really enjoyed about watching Tara and Will is that they are each their own individual person and personality.  Tara is goofy, vibrant, and intelligent, she’s the kind of person that will robot-walk through your frame while you’re taking pictures of something else.  Will is stoic and eloquent.  I think as a man it’s easy for someone to pass his personality off as unemotional.  But he’s not! It’s confidence.  Will is warm and inviting and cares very much about the comfort of those around him.

How can two people who appear so different on the outside, and operate completely independent of each other come so far together?  Tara’s bridesmaid Jourdan told me at the rehearsal dinner that Tara and Will above anything share a completely in-tune psychic connection.  I really admire that.  Will and Tara are humble and I imagine that they would be the first to admit that it’s not easy, but it’s really cool as an unmarried person (me!) to see the depth of their feelings right alongside the independent space they both yield to the other.

Congratulations Tara and Will.  I had such a great time hanging out with you and your closest friends and family.  Thanks for being awesome role models and friends.

Breon and Gaired’s Sayulita destination wedding photography was recently featured on the Style Me Pretty destination blog!  I’m a proud papa Broshot to see my client’s and friend’s love story shared in such a prominent place.  Breon and Gaired are awesome and they totally deserve it.  Below are some of my favorite photos from their wedding as well as Breon and Gaired’s write-up from SMP.  Many thanks to my sangria buddy Yazmin and her wedding design and planning company, Sea of Dreams.  Without all of her beautifully designed details the SMP post would never have been possible.

From the Bride… Our story began at a triathlon in Rocky Point, Mexico. We met at the awards ceremony, where the man I would later marry was celebrating his team’s victory by parading around in Speedo goggles and a half-burned sombrero. I was instantly drawn to his fun-loving, adventurous spirit. Lucky for me, our chance meeting in Rocky Point was just the beginning of an amazing life together. Six years and 10 countries later (yes, his sense of adventure wore off on me), we were tying the knot in Sayulita, Mexico. Needless to say, we’d gotten to know each other pretty intimately over the course of several nail-biting excursions, and it was clear there was no other person I’d rather share all of life’s ups and downs with.

We’d visited Sayulita for the first time a year before. From the moment our feet hit the sand, we knew it was the perfect spot for our wedding. It was quaint, charming and vibrant with a cozy, modern feel. The ideal mix for the less-experienced travelers in our family. Everything fell into place from there, thanks to our incredible wedding planner, Yazmin of Sea of Dreams.

From the Groom… We knew that we wanted a small, intimate villa wedding. What we got was a week-long experience where our friends became family and everyone left with a collection of memorable stories and adventures. The day of the wedding was special for us. As the groom I had three responsibilities – be on time, look good, and hire the photographer. This trifecta aligned perfectly with Nate Broshot. Nate was awesome! His style complemented ours, and by the end of the day, he not only knew everyone’s name but also how we knew them. Nate made my job easy, which left me plenty of time to work the DIY element into our wedding. I first ventured down this path with our save-the-dates. Since we met at a triathlon, we focused on a bicycle theme and rode with it. The save-the-dates, invitations and guest bags all had a bicycle element. For the wedding I also created Papel Picado guest cards. Each card was hand cut, and then lovingly inked by each of our guests. Some drew pictures, others words of wisdom but all were truly unique. Some even tried to take them home… Blue is our favorite color, so from blue on the save-the-dates to cobalt blue Mexican glassware, the touch was everywhere. Our wedding planner had a knack for bringing together every last detail. On the whole, this stunning day in Sayulita turned out to be a perfect expression of our relationship.

Congratulations Erinn and Mike!

photo by Conner Jay


photo by Conner Jay

photo by Conner Jay

Of course none of this was known when we talked just a few days before our departures south, anxiously eyeing the swirling mass in the Caribbean.  When the cancelation plans arrived Jen and Patrick took the opportunity to throw a Hurricane Wedding Bash at home in Dallas, complete with super “classy” thrift store wedding gear.  That night the phrase, “Life is a beach, and then there’s Rina” was born.  And in spite of Rina every single guest was able to make it to the rescheduled weekend in January.

I’m lucky enough to have had the opportunity to hang out with the incredibly supportive and committed bunch.  The fact they all made it to the new date, I think says loads about every one of them as good friends and family.  It was a great pleasure to be a part of that energy and photograph it all.

The first time I video Skyped with Manisha and Innes about their destination wedding at Las Caletas they had just returned home from their  volleyball game and I felt like we instantly clicked.  It was all laughs, smiles, and hardly any business discussed.  What we did talk about were the countless ways year-after-year one could rename a rec volleyball team based on a play on the word balls.  See how awesome they are!!!

Innes’ family flew in from as far away as Scotland to attend their destination wedding in Mexico.  And no matter where the guests came from Vancouver, Houston, Scotland…everyone was smiling…the entire time.  There were no tears, just big, happy, explosive, contagious laughter.

Jet and Kyle are my one Oregon wedding of 2012, they are an honest and joyful pair, loving parents to their one-year-old son, Oliver, who we all agree looks a lot like dad.

Thanks for giving me the opportunity to share the day with you, witness your love for each other and shoot your engagement photography!

Puerto Morelos is easily my most favorite city to stay in when I’m on the Mayan Riviera and I was super pumped to shoot my first trash-the-dress there in town.  I love Puerto Morelos because I think it is the last town on that 100+ miles stretch of coast line that has still maintained a rustic mexico beach charm.  Puerto Morelos is entirely walkable and everything is based around the town plaza, the brightly painted houses, and the dock! Oh man the dock…with the clear blue water, makes for some amazing trash-the-dress photos.  I brought Suzanne and Derek up to Puerto Morelos from Akumal and we spent the late afternoon walking through town and around the beach taking pictures and hanging out.