ImagingUSA!

We just got back from a fantastic weekend in Nashville, Tennessee! The last time we went away for a weekend was a disaster; what was supposed to be a romantic getaway turned horrid when Ken and I both became violently ill (I'll spare you the details!) within an hour of arriving. That was over a year ago, so it was time for another get-away! In this case, we combined it with a photography convention/trade show. That might not sound romantic to you, but we LOVE this stuff! We had plenty of time for just the two of us, and lots of time to talk and dream.  Although Ken is not typically a man of many words, he gets really chatty when it comes to anything photography-related; we didn't once turn on the radio on the four-hour drive up there or back. Instead, we just talked. My husband is my best friend -- but with knee-weakening kisses. ;)When all the icy weather and school closings happened last week, I was hoping it wouldn't prevent us from going -- and it didn't, but it almost did! Just before we left, with the car already loaded and everything, I slipped and fell on the ice in my mom's driveway. I didn't get bruised, but I twisted so much in trying not to fall that I sort of pulled a couple of muscles. For just a few moments, I actually thought I'd broken something or ripped a tendon or something in my leg because it hurt so bad and I couldn't move it at all. The first thing that went through my head was that we wouldn't get to go on our trip, which would be very disappointing and a waste of money. The second thing that went through my head is how expensive a visit to the ER would be. Everything ended up okay, though, and I am praising God for that! (For a few days, Advil was my friend, and I did walk a bit like an old lady!)

The drive was icy, though. Once we were out of our neighborhood, which still had some very icy patches, we had no problems with ice on the road, but we saw a good bit of snow, frozen lakes, and ice that looked like small waterfalls on the rocks by the highway in Tennessee. It was beautiful!There was no shortage of photographers at the conference, so we asked someone to snap a photo of us. I've recently realized that there are very few photos of the two of us together, so I'm trying to work on that! (Love that dog photo on the sign!) For all the non-photographers reading this, ImagingUSA is a ginormous trade show and a whole bunch of great training classes by many of the leaders of the photography industry. It is hosted by PPA (Professional Photographers of America) and sponsored by some fantastic vendors. We were like kids in a candy story at the trade show, but we resisted the temptation of buying everything in sight. I did love getting to see and touch and feel some of the products I've been eye-balling online. We made one purchase, but that was a product we'd already planned to buy, and I knew they were going to offering a special price during the conference. So, hurray for good deals!

**For those of you who are new to the photography business and have never been to a convention like this, let me share a few thoughts now that we've attended our first. In my opinion...

Do NOT go to one of these shows if: you are brand new; if you don't know much about equipment (or get overwhelmed at technical talk); and especially do not go until you have at least started developing your own individual style and have something of a vision for what you want your art and your business to be. If I had gone two years ago, I would have been completely overwhelmed.

DO go to one of these shows if: you want encouragement/inspiration, as well as some practical business ideas; to touch and see products at the trade show; and to network with other photographers.

One of the highlights for me was meeting some wonderful Christian photographers in a group called UNITE, which is described on the facebook page as "A group of photographers uniting for the glory of God." How cool is that!? We sat and chatted and prayed with these great folks, ranging from relatively new photographers to well-known leaders of the industry. Awesome. One of the group took the photo above with their iPhone. (We're in the back, near the left.)

We are so excited about 2010! We have already been blessed with some fantastic weddings booked for this year, and we are looking forward to seeing what God has planned for our business and for every other aspect of our lives!