Travel | Laurel McConnell Photography

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WPPI 2008: Vegas, Baby, Vegas!!!

March 22, 2008 – 6:07 pm

Wow.Â I never imagined that I would have this much fun.

Last week 10,000 photographers set out for the largest convention and trade show in our industry-Â WPPIÂ (Wedding and Portrait Photographers International for all you non photo folks). Â Speakers from all over the globe came to talk about their passions, strengths, and recount stories of past failures. Â Share new ideas, push the bar in the industry to keep us all shooting better, faster, more artistic. Â Me Ra KohÂ made me laugh,Â YervantÂ inspired me to watch old movies for cinematic inspiration, andÂ Joe Buissink’sÂ passion for what he loves made me cry (and about half the rest of the audience! Check out his new book documenting the lives of autistic families. Â It is so touching, raw, and unprompted). Â I got to have dinner with 20 fabulous photographers- fellow Seattle friends as well as celeb photographers likeÂ Matthew Jordan SmithÂ andÂ Robert Evans, swapped ideas with Santa Barbara boutique photogsÂ Katie MoosÂ andÂ The Halbergs, and ordered breakfast in bed (after a night of realizing that I AM NOT supposed to gamble…) with my pal and sometimes assistantÂ Victoria P.Â (why, oh why did two omelets cost $60?!?!!?)

Here are some of my favorite highlights:

-uber swanky suite thatÂ Dia RaoÂ hooked us up with at the Paris Hotel (we had a bidet. Â Not sure how to use it, but we had it!! Yuriy demo’ed it for us.)

-the late night parties sponsored by our vendors at super swank mansions and hotel suites (especiallyÂ Blu Domain’sÂ party at the famous guy’s mansion. Â there were fake tattoos, monopoly money gambling, a hypnotist, and at 2 am the bouncers called the police on the party because they wanted to go home!!! Talk about party poopers! Michael Fort saved the day by thinking ahead and planning for a bus to pick up his closest friends!). Â Erwin, where are the photobooth pictures?!?!?

-the fun night shoot that Ray & Andy (Fancy Fin Photography),Â Yuriy Manchik, and I did in front of the Bellagio and the Million Mile Mall

-one of my images being displayed in my canvas printer’s booth for EVERYONE too see

-the organized fashion shoot in the Red Rock Canyon with the folks fromÂ Trash The DressÂ andÂ Don’t Box Us InÂ withÂ Erwin Wijanto,Â Bill Cawley,Â Victoria P,Â Jenna and John Karwoski,Â Steve Smith and Larry, and my palsÂ Gerald and Airika Pope

I cannot wait until next year. Â Fellow friends mark your calendars- Feb 14-19 at the MGM. Â Let’s go earlier, stay longer, shoot more, and make some more awesome awesome memories.Â

By Laurel | Also posted in stuff in general | Tagged Las Vegas, wedding photography conference, WPPI | Comments (0)

Los Angeles, PartnerCon, and Hollywood!

September 16, 2007 – 3:20 pm

Today I’m back in Seattle, and nothing welcomes you back home from 95 degree days like pouring down rain! (hmm, how much are tickets… maybe I’ll just turn right back around and go back…).

It was a great trip- four jam packed days of visiting old friends, playing the tourist in a city I was born in, hearing world famous photographers speak about their inspiration and workflow at PartnerCon, and letting our hair down just a little bit.

For you photographers, we had the pleasure of listening to world famous and respected folks such as Mike Colon, Denis Reggie, David Jay, Davina Fear, Robert Evans, Jared Bauman, and so so many more.

I got to spend time with some friends from Seattle, as well as some new friends from all over the country. Here we tried desperately to fit as many people as possible into a photobooth… we fit me, Stephanie Cristalli, Kristin Hay, Tony Goiburn, Dia Rao, and Jared Bauman & Bronson Pate, there’s even room for a couple more!

For you non-photographers, I got to play tourist and FINALLY visit the Grauman’s Theatre (where all of the big Hollywood premiers are), the Walk of Fame, and the famous Hollywood sign, although someone forgot to turn the lights on for me, so it was pitch black up on the hill!

It’s so much fun to discover new places and be inspired by fantastic people in your field, but I am kinda glad to be back home!!

By Laurel | Comments (2)

My (little) Summer Vacation

August 30, 2007 – 11:04 am

My career is the most happening in the summer, on weekends, and on evenings. Most concerts, vacations, camping trips, parties, and festivals are also in the summer, on weekends, and on evenings. So this doesn’t really leave me all that much time for my own social life, UNLESS, we plan waaaay ahead and snatch up any spare weekend I’ve got for ourselves. Last year, we never got to go camping (because it took me a while to catch on to this “planning ahead” concept!), but this year we blocked out an entire weekend two or three months in advance for the First Annual Ocean Shores Campout. Jonny, Amber, Aileen, Ginger and I all headed out to Ocean City State Park for campfires, sand, sun, and smores.

What a weekend! The second day we were there, my trusty Subaru had it’s own interpretation of Old Faithful spewing out from under the hood, coolant shooting everywhere! So… while leaving my lovely little red at the town mechanic, we decided to explore, and ended up buying stunt kites and flying them in the warm sunshine!! The little town shop where we bought our kites is owned by none other than the chamion of stunt kite flying! There will be a few competitions between now and October- we may just drive back there for round two! Now, don’t think I’m a huge nerd here, but it’s so much fun! You can divebomb each other (and their kites) and do fun stunts-we can’t wait to fly them here in Seattle once it gets windier.

The third day we got caught in buckets of rain while beachcoming, and ended up sandy, cold, and absolutely drenched! We saw tons of creatures (jellyfish, sea ray, fish, a dog, and a pack of horses) and even found out what was making those little holes in the sand- shrimp!!! (shrimp on the barbie anyone??)

Now that we’re all back in town, safe and sound, cars running smoothly, and sand washed out of our hair, we can’t wait to go back next year!

By Laurel | Comments (3)

Hitched: DJ Kane & Natasha

May 3, 2007 – 4:54 pm

Peter and Natasha contacted me last year. They found me through a post on The Knot as Natasha was beginning to plan her wedding in sunny Tampa, Florida. She fell in love with some images from a recent wedding I had photographed that were posted in a fellow knottie’s bio, and she thought, “What the heck, I’ll email her to see if she’d travel across the country.” I’d be crazy not to go! So I did, with cameras, sunblock, and assistant in tow, and after months of planning it was wonderful to finally put faces to the voices I’ve been hearing over the phone. Natasha and Peter were so incredibly warm, we clicked right away. The chemistry between them was unbelievable, not to mention she’s gorgeous to boot!

After a 7 year long courtship, they finally got hitched at the gorgeous Palma Ceia United Methodist Church in Tampa, and then off to their reception at the breathtakingly elegant Rusty Pelican.

Peter is radio DJ “Kane,” formerly of 93.3FLZ in Tampa, and more recently at Hot99.5 of Washington DC. As you can imagine, I’ve gotten quite a bit of interest about this wedding from brides all over the country, since “Kane” is quite the radio celeb and the wedding is all that he’s been talking about for the last few months. Here are a few of my favorites until we’re finished with their website!