If I weren’t completely worn out from an amazing day at the La Fleur Weddings workshop, I’d write a really long post about everything we learned and absorbed today. But I am oh so sleepy, and need to get to bed, so my mind is alert and ready for another full day of learning. I will say that we heard from some AMAZING vendors today, including Jill La Fleur of La Fleur Weddings & Events, the crew from Pacific Weddings, Abby from Style Me Pretty, Angela from Richard Photo Lab, and of course, the amazing Jose Villa of Jose Villa Photography. After the sessions were over, we were on to a stylized shoot with Jose Villa. I can’t post any of the photos from that shoot right now, but I can tell you it was an amazing experience, mostly attributed not to shooting a beautiful location, couple, and styling (although all of that was INCREDIBLE!), but mostly attributed to the fact that I got to shoot medium format film for the first time ever. And on top of that, Jose Villa loaned me his Contax to use for this special occasion, and Joel Serrato of Joel Serrato Films was the one that taught me how to use it. I had no idea what to do with it, but simply looking through the viewfinder was like looking into a dream…a piece of art. I felt like a little girl getting giddy with stars in my eyes. I was in 7th heaven learning to use this, and having someone like Joel show me how to use the camera and even change out the film (not as easy as you think!)…..wow, I felt so blessed. A big thank you to Joel for being so generous with his time, and so willing to teach me. I could go on and on about this, but for now, I’ll just post a couple of snap shots of me using the Contax for the first time, and Joel showing me how. A-mazing.
Joel coaching me on how to use the manual focus on my first shot with the Contax.
Shooting with the group.
Joel showing me how to change out film….quite the process.
January 25, 2012 - 11:52 amDebra Eby - Ahh, I'm so jealous. Love that you got to shoot with Joel and Jose. How is it shooting with the Contax? I'm dabbling in film right now, but only my 35 mm. I'm way to scared to jump into medium format. Something I'd love to do though.
Another amazing day in Maui has gone by. Today Wes and I got up at 4:30am to head out to a sunrise whale watching cruise. We saw so many whales, it was truly amazing.
From there we went back up to the blowhole. Don’t know why, but we are also fascinated by this part of the island. The wind was crazy, but we still climbed across rocks and sands and mountainsides. It was all amazing.
To end the day, we finally started our workshop headed up by Jill LaFleur. We were treated to so many amazing drinks and foods tonight. And the entertainment was incredible. The dancing and singing were just magical for me, and I couldn’t help but snap a few pics of it.
Tomorrow we have a full day of learning in store. I can’t wait!
View from our sunrise whale-watching cruise.
These creatures fascinate me.
Blowhole. Crazy cool.
The wind was crazy today, and the waves were crashing.
I was quite mesmerized by this guy’s singing. Beautiful voice!
Here’s a little snapshot of our day. We just took it easy today, and mainly sat back and enjoyed watching windsurfers and whales and sea turtles. It was awesome. And then tonight, a few of us who got here early for the workshop, got together at Cafe des Amis and had a fantastic time getting to know one another. Can’t wait to get things started tomorrow.
All kinds of surfers were out at Ho’okipa Beach.
Hawaiian Airlines descends.
Wes and I LOVE seeing wildlife in action. Can you believe you can see humpback whales just standing on nearby land?! Amazing.
Okay, so this is a horrible iPhone pic, but these are a few of the workshop attendees. We all hung out at Cafe des Amis tonight. SO fun!
Today marked day 2 of our time in Maui. It also marked my 34th birthday. A year ago, we were holding our babies in Ethiopia. Today we took the road to Hana. This is about a two hour drive over 54 miles IF you don’t stop. It took Wes and I just over 4 hours. There are approximately 600 turns on this road and 54 bridges. Yes, it is quite the windy road, but with some magnificent views. But to be honest, our favorite part came after we got out of the car at the 7 sacred pools. We took a 4 mile hike to the Waimoku Falls, which fall 400-feet down a sheer lava rock wall. The pictures don’t even do it justice, but it is absolutely beautiful, and quite breath-taking. And let me just say that those Zumba classes have paid off! The hike was mostly all uphill, but it didn’t seem too bad. Hmmm…I must be getting in shape.
So needless to say, once again we got to see more of Maui’s beauty. Can’t wait to see what the days to come have in store for us!
Stopped at this little stand for some vegan coconut ice cream. And yes, the spoon was a piece of the coconut shell.
January 21, 2012 - 9:21 amDianna Rucker - Love these photos. I've Never been to Hawaii but this sure makes me think about it a little more. Gorgeous, especially when I'm looking out my window and seeing a frozen tundra right now!
Well, it’s true. We are in Hawaii. Maui, to be exact. And let’s be honest…it’s not too shabby. We are here for an amazing workshop that starts on Sunday, put on by Jill LaFleur ofLaFleur Weddings. I’ll talk about that more later…for now I’ll just say that we will get to shoot with Jose Villa. ummmm…yeah…amazing!
Anyways, today was our first full day in Maui, and we spent almost the entire day driving around the island, discovering all the beauty it has to offer. We swam and snorkeled. We drove with the top down. We trod carefully around a dangerous blowhole. We saw a whale taking beautiful leaps out of the water. And we took lots of pictures. This is just a sampling, but we’ll have more to come in the days that follow. Enjoy!
It was one year ago, today, that we held our children in our arms for the first time. We had just travelled thousands of miles the day before, starting in Kentucky, and ending up in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Our hearts were racing. We were nervous. We were numb. We were happy. We were scared. Name the emotion, and we were probably feeling it. We drove a bumpy road at 9 in the morning, and after about 15 nervous minutes, we arrived at the orphanage where our twins lived. Our friend and fantastic photographer, Cara Dee of Cara Dee Photography, was with us to document this momentous moment in our lives. We had seen their pictures over the last 4 months, and now we were standing in a small courtyard, waiting to finally hold the children we had been waiting for, for so long.
I haven’t watched that video in a while. Wow. It gets me every time.
In November, we had Amy Campbell of Feather Whimsey Photography capture our first official family pics.
We are so grateful for what God has given us in this life. And these two children….twins and best friends…our son and daughter….they are 2 of the greatest gifts we could have ever asked for. They are our blessings and our family. We love you, Alexander Mikiyas & Eliana Tizita!
January 16, 2012 - 2:37 pmLaurie Kjernald - Nina, my husband watched the video with me and said that you looked radiant as you were meeting your precious ones. I thought that was one a the best compliments to give.
We miss your musings!
Blessings,
Laurie
January 22, 2012 - 8:27 pmSarah - What a great video! I didn't see this the first time around and was teary-eyed watching it now.
Oh what can I say about this family? There just aren’t enough words! Lauren was my first college roommate. I’ll never forget the day we met in our little dorm room, and all the years of friendship that have followed.
That was over 15 years ago that we met, and today she is a wife and mother, and an all around awesome woman. She married Jeremy a few years ago (a wedding we were lucky enough to photograph!), and almost immediately they were off to trot the globe.
Since they have been married they have lived in places like Israel, Afghanistan, Hawaii, and soon they will be headed to China. They are an amazing couple, with two amazing children. I am always so sad to say good bye when they come for a visit, but I am so happy they know where they are supposed to be.
We are thankful we got to capture a few family photos for them, and hope they can decorate their walls in China with all their family memories.
We love you guys!
This is her cute little pose.
This is Lauren giving her some direction. Love it.
About once a year, my entire family gets together. It’s always a little chaotic, but this year we added four one-year-old children to the mix, and the chaos just got a little bigger. Luckily, my parents live about a 2 minute walk away from our house, so we can spread the chaos between two houses.
There are 17 of us. My brother Erik, his wife, Jeanne-Ann, and their four children (all from Oregon). My brother Rune, his wife, Kerrie, and their three boys (all from New York). Wes and I, and our two little ones, and finally the ones who began it all, Bob & Ia, a.k.a. Mamma & Pappa, a.k.a. Bestemor & Bestefar. Yup, we’re a big crew.
So since we don’t get together too often, I thought it would be nice to get some family pics this year. It’s always a little more challenging to shoot your family, because it’s always a little harder to keep control of individuals who look at you as Tante (Aunt) Nina, or the little sister. But all in all, I must say everyone did a fantastic job, and I’m so happy to have caught these memories for our family.
Older boy cousins.
Love this of my oldest brother and his wife.
Little Haakon. LOVE the hat!
Oh sweet Nyah.
Okay, so maybe I had to put this pic of our sweet boy in here. He’s just WAY too cute!
All the older cousins.
Look at that big tear.
This shot cracks me up because none of the kids seem to know what’s going on. Classic.
My brothers think they are studs.
Teen and tween. Don’t they just look like an Abercrombie kids ad?
All 9 grandkids together!
Erik at twilight.
Great father-son pose.
All three siblings together in a photo at last. Yup, I’m the only girl, and the youngest. Luck-eeee….
There is nothing better than good laughter, especially laughter between a couple in love. Spending time with Julia and Charl yesterday was a blast! There were so many sweet smiles and laughter between the two of them. It truly made for a fantastic engagement session. Julia is from Lexington and is finishing up her studies, while Charl is a professional hunter and taxidermist from South Africa (doesn’t that sound crazy cool?!). In just a couple of weeks Julia will be joining Charl in South Africa, where they will spend the years to come on their farm in Grahamstown, South Africa. In June they will make their way back to Lexington for an amazing wedding. We couldn’t be more excited!
We are so happy for both of you, and can’t wait to be there with you on your big day!
December 13, 2011 - 2:33 pmAimee - Nice job. I hope they'll get to incorporate the South African themes in their wedding! It'll make for some great pics ;)
December 14, 2011 - 11:08 amMarí le Roux - BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!
Yesterday we got to capture Isaac’s senior pics. Once again we were out in the winter cold, and Isaac was a trooper and braved the icy winds. We started downtown, and then moved on to Manchester Rd. to get a couple of industrial shots. We had a great time even got to capture a couple with his sweet girlfriend.
Caught a couple of shots with his girlfriend. So sweet.
It’s always a good sign when you can make each other laugh.
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