Last week I held a photography workshop for photographers who are interested in Destination Wedding Photography.  Travel + Weddings + Photography.  Three passions in one! 

After the lecture we went to Topanga beach to do a shoot.

Thanks to everyone who came out, and thank you Apryl for sending me some of these photos!  I really enjoy doing these workshops.  They are a great way to learn and connect with other photographers!

P.S. To see photos that were taken of our lovely models, click here.

I had the pleasure of photographing a cocktail party hosted by Flannel and Elisabeth Rohm, with proceeds benefitting Shine On Sierra Leone.

I went to Sierra Leone last year with SOSL and it was one of the most incredible experiences of my life!  You can see photos from the trip here.

Flannel is an Australian based clothing company that just opened it’s new shop on Abbott Kinney in Venice Beach.  I LOVE EVERYTHING IN THAT STORE!  I didn’t get a chance to try anything on that night, but I will be making my way back there soon to get some new dresses, fo sho.

So many people dream about getting paid to travel the world.  YOU CAN MAKE THAT HAPPEN!  In this workshop I will share some of the things I did to get people to start hiring me to travel to exotic places such as Thailand, Indonesia, & Bora Bora.  I won’t lie, I kinda love my job.

Space is limited to a small number of attendees.  More info and to sign up here:  http://christinechangdestinationwedding.eventbrite.com/

A quick breakdown of the workshop:

Lecture: Becoming A Destination Wedding Photographer

4:00pm – 5:15pm

Learn some steps you can take to become a successful destination wedding photographer!

Destination Wedding / Engagement Shoot at Topanga State Beach

6:00pm – 7:00pm

Bring your cameras.  It’s going to look tropical, and it will be a great opportunity to get new photos for your portfolio!

Thanks to everyone who came out to my San Francisco Bay Area workshop!  Information for future workshops can be found on my website.  Announcements are also made via Facebook. 

Thanks for these photos, Christine Chen!

Our lovely models.  More photos from their shoot here.

Lecture + cupcakes.    Thanks for the photo collage Sarah!

Hello San Francisco Bay Area Photographers!  I will be coming your way to do a workshop next month!  This workshop will be intimate, casual, informative, affordable, awesome, and of course, FUN.    Details below:

3:00pm – 4:15pm Outdoor engagement shoot

See how I photograph a couple!  Bring your cameras.  It will be a great opportunity to get new photos for your portfolio!

4:30pm – 5:30pm Lecture: How to build a successful photography business that you love!

I will share what I did to build an authentic brand and get to where I am today.

5:30pm-6:00pm Open Q&A

Ask me anything! 

For this series of small intimate workshops, space is limited.  For more info and to register:  http://christinechangbayareaworkshop.eventbrite.com

Below are some photos from last week’s fundraiser dinner benefiting Shine On Sierra Leone & WellBody Alliance.  I had the privilege of traveling to Sierra Leone last year with these two organizations.  You can see photos from that trip here. 

It was a LOVELY evening filled with smiling faces, ginormous hearts, and yummy lasagna (thanks for cooking Mama Dawson!).

I will be hosting my next photography workshop in LA with Jana Williams on February 17th, 2013!  It will be an all day workshop.  Jana is a rock star when it comes to branding and social media.  I am excited to be teaching with her!  More details will be released soon. 

Afraid you won’t have time to take holiday photos this year?  We’ll take care of you, quick and easy! 

I am teaming up with Jana Williams to take holiday portraits in Downtown LA this Saturday, December 1st, 2012.

Space is limited.  Send us an email to reserve your spot!

And in case anyone is curious, the backdrop will look exactly as it does in the photos above – white with sparkly lights.  SPAAAAARKLYYYYY! 

Two things that consistently excite the hell out of me year after year:  Christmas, and AwesomenessFest (yes, it’s that great)!

So what is Afest?  It’s a gathering of 200 bright, game-changing, conscious individuals from all over the world.  There are seminars during the day from best selling authors and coaches, topics ranging from health to business to relationships.  After that there are excursions and parties at night for networking and having some good old fashioned debauchery.

Things that attendees have in common: they all have a strong desire to be there, they love life, consistently work on personal growth, are doing BIG things in this world, are compassionate, open minded, and have that magnetic twinkle in their eye.    Does that sound like you?  You can visit the Afest website to get more info for future events!

Here are some of my favorite in between moments from this year’s AwesomenessFest at the Paradisus La Esmeralda Resort in Playa del Carmen, Mexico!

Peter (one of my favorite people of all time) sharing the exciting news that he just proposed to his girlfriend!!!

The Tulum ruins.

AwesomenessFest reminds me that you don’t have to wait for a special occasion to bond with people and have special moments.  YOU SHOULD HAVE THEM EVERYDAY!  Look at people when you talk to them, smile and say hi to a stranger, give a compliment, say what’s on your mind, and have an impact on other people’s lives…

The Engage Wedding Business conference was in Las Vegas this year.  For wedding vendors looking to grow and network in the luxury market, this is in my opinion, the best conference to attend.  It attracts the tip top professionals in the industry!  Visit their site for more info about the program, speakers, and future events.

The conference is 3 days and on the last night they always put on a Gala for the attendees.  My favorite photos are from that night because seriously, you could NOT wipe the smile off everyone’s face!  Thanks to Readyluck Photographers and Scott Clark for doing an amazing job capturing the night (all the pictures here are taken by them.  My camera and I took a rest)!

Note: I realize that posting these pictures might imply that no one in the wedding industry actually works.  Haha. Quite the opposite!  I think this is why everyone had such a good time…we all live similar lifestyles and it was a great RELEASE of stress!  Cheers.

I wore my favorite black dress.  Tassels and dancing go hand-in-hand. 

West Coast Music provided the entertainment. Their bands are AMAZING and they come highly recommended if anyone is looking for live music.  They KNOW how to get everyone on the dance floor!

Our special treat for the evening?  A 90′s cover boy band!!  Boyz II Men, NKOTB, BSB, N’Sync . . .

We all just about fainted.

Guess what song they are singing here.  Just guess . . .

Most of us couldn’t walk right the next morning.  Painful, but sign of a good time!

Thank you to Kathryn Arce and Rebecca Grinnals for making this all possible.  I look forward to the next one!!

I’m still on the road catching up with work, applying new concepts to my business (thanks to the inspiration from Engage!), and preparing for my next weddings toward the end of the month.  Gosh, is summer here already?  It sure is, and THAT GETS ME EXCITED.