The OC morning sun was warm and the wind rustled through the trees as Jasmine breezed toward us, welcoming us the The Workshop. Just inside was an array of fresh, organic fruits and pastries and a table of pretty, personalized packages for each of us 20 attendees. The room was buzzing as we said our good mornings and hellos and then Jasmine took the floor and The J* Workshop – the day we had all been anticipating – began.
Us attendees had been connecting over (what else?) Facebook for the past while but it was sssoooo great to put real faces to the names. Jasmine intentionally limits the number of attendees to encourage community and relationships, and I think I speak for everyone when I say those connections were made. The night before, many of us met for a pre-workshop mixer at this great restaurant, The Winery. The food was amazing, the wine equally so, but the conversations topped it all..despite the laughter at my Canadian accent! I forgive you, Dani :) Even Jasmine made it out, despite battling a nasty cold. I think that’s what cleared it up just in time for The Workshop!
Jasmine poured into us her knowledge, guidance and advice, in all her fabulousness. And JD was there too, of course, to support in any way….right down to lining up those water bottles in very orderly fashion ;) But seriously, it’s not every couple that works so well together as a team and it’s not every guy who works so hard alongside his wife, and does whatever he can to allow her to shine.
We covered a ton of ground in one day. From branding, to shooting and post-processing, I don’t think there was a topic left untouched. After lunch we had the opportunity to watch Jasmine in action and learn how she approaches the elements of a session including lighting, camera settings, and directing. She is dang good. As if her images don’t speak for themselves! She would turn the reigns over after walking us through and we’d all eagerly climb over each other to get the shot. Haha no claws came out, of course. The most stunning couple was our model bride and groom – Joe & Jihan Cerda. Thank you for facing the onslaught of twenty photographers with such style and grace!
The day was wrapped up over an incredible dinner of Italian and more great conversation and laughter. I’m so excited to have had the opportunity to connect with and learn from so many talented photographers! I can’t wait to meet up again and hopefully some of us will wind up at WPPI in Vegas next year :) Jasmine, JD….thank you for opening yourselves up and for sharing your passion with us. For your genuine hearts. For your friendship. It was so good to see you again and I very much look forward to next time :)
Did I mention she’s funny, too?
Oh if only I could shoot in this weather, with this lighting, ALL THE TIME!
The beautiful bouquet of black calla lilies was created by JL Designs.
Loooove. See how smitten Joe is by his wife? He couldn’t take his eyes off her…but who can blame him?!
The oh-so-fabulous makeup was done by Vivian of All Made Up.
Gorgeous couple, gorgeous location…
Jasmine encouraged us to think about the image we wanted, the one that represented our brand, and to create it. This was mine – and I think the one on the right is my fav from our shoot.
Of course this one is pretty great too – check out Jasmine’s blog for her workshop review!
Cheers to a wonderful day and wonderful new friends…
Kim and I met at Image Quest in Richmond and by luck, we found ourselves in the same Workshop! Kim rocks her amazing photography skills in Victoria, BC.
I’ll end with some of the funnest shots of the day. You guys make me smile :)
nigne says
thans for great sharing
Jasmine* says
HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! LOVE…love….love this post!!! :)
I can’t wait to see you again…hopefully in Seattle!
xoxo
kelsey says
Looks like you had a fantastic time, Mikaela! I like the new way of showcasing your photos. Looks great!
Kim Spears says
Mikaela I loved your post !! You hit this nail on the head with everything. You just summed it up so perfectly :) Thank you for your lovely words. It was truly my pleasure to meet you again and I can’t wait to see you again, hopefully, SOON !!
Trudy says
I LOVE it, I love seeing the workshop through anothers eyes.
My favorite image is how you used the elbows flying to frame Joe and Jihan
Rose Dykstra says
What a great posting! I bet it was so much great info overload! Looks like it was all so much fun!
Cat Mayer says
Love your photos from the workshop and hope we can meet up again!
Dani says
Awww! Mikaela! I was laughing at your Canadian accent! I think it’s cute! I had an incredible time getting to know you and the rest of the girls! Hope to see you again!!
Colleen Sawatsky says
…great job!
Karina Crouch says
Right on Girl! These shots are awesome!
It was great to meet you and I hope we shoot together one day :)
~Karina
binita patel says
what a great post… love hearing about the details from your point of view!!!
Janna says
I just went to Jasmine’s workshop in February!!! It was awesome!!! SO nice to see another Canadian made it down to the OC……..I love the California light and your work….I am a new fan!
Denise Saucedo says
Wow wow wow! Did I say just how much I adore you???!!!!! I can’t wait to meet up again some day! I truly enjoyed the time we spent together getting to know one another… although wish we had more time! This post is to die for!!! I love it!!! xoxo
Liz Kausteklis says
Mikaela, like Kim said, you totally summed up everything perfectly! It was so great to meet you, and I’m glad we have a good story to tell about me getting us lost :) Your pictures are wonderful, and maybe we’ll meet up again soon….WPPI perhaps! xo
Shannon Ott says
I loved your post and your photos are gorgeous!! I had so much fun getting to know you and sitting by you at dinner! You rock girl! Can’t wait to see more!
Mikaela says
I’m blown away by all your comments! Almost as much as I was by the workshop ;) Workshop girls, J* included, if I haven’t said it enough already…you all rock and I sincerely hope we can meet up again!! Much love!
life with kaishon says
It was so much fun to read this! I smile with happiness for you that you had this amazing opportunity! Your shots are lovely!
McCall Ryan says
AWESOME BLOG POST! I love the picture when Jasmine’s tongue is showing hahahaha
Edith Levandoski says
Thank you so much for writing this blog post! I’m attending her workshop this August and it’s so nice to see how inspired and motivated you came out from it! I hope your business has been doing wonderful since!