Andrew Niesen

I returned late Thursday night from attending the 1st ever Bebbinar. I've been in awe of Jennifer and Stephen Bebb's amazing photography for quite a while and when I saw them on Dane's Photo Minute, I knew that I wanted to meet them. And sure enough, they completely blew away my expectations.



Genuine Inspiration: I am completely inspired and energized after meeting Jennifer and Stephen Bebb. They exude such a rare passion for life and you can see it in everything they do. they're not just two of the best photographers in the world, they're two of the best people in the world. Both of them have a magnetic personality and a true desire to help others. Their seminar is about "defining your own style, building and living your unique brand, and providing your clients with an amazing and consistent experience from start to finish." They're living proof of how this works and they'll show you how to do it. Get on their waiting list for their next seminar.

Strategy Avenue: I met Laura Novak at the Salt Lake City airport waiting for our flight to Vancouver. We ended up sitting next to each other on the flight up to the Bebbinar and we talked the entire time - a lot about business, but also about our dogs. Look at Laura's cutie-pie, Art! Laura was a featured guest speaker at the Bebbinar and she guided the class through a day-long presentation on how to optimize your photography business. Laura really challenged me to think hard about my own goals and helped me figure out some solutions to help me achieve the goals that I want. If you're struggling with how to grow your business, or what direction you need to go, or how to take your business to the next level, call Laura right now! She offers resources for photographers ranging from workshops to DVDs. So check out Laura's Strategy Avenue.

My Mom grinned at me yesterday when I told her my current favorite book is WIKINOMICS. She knows that I used to avoid business books like the plague. I majored in Art History and my bookshelves are crammed full of artist's monographs and art theory books. So, it's funny to see my business books and my art books sharing shelves side-by-side these days!

Here is the newest quote on my wall, posted alongside the art and business books:

Business art is the step that comes after Art. I started as a commercial artist, and I want to finish as a business artist. Being good in business is the most fascinating kind of art. During the hippie era people put down the idea of business - they'd say 'Money is bad,' and 'Working is bad,' but making money is art and working is art and good business is the best art.

Our good friend, Emilie Sommer, sent me the link to the article in my previous post about the photographer who aided law enforcement officials in apprehending a criminal and I wanted to share with everyone something very cool that Emilie has created. She's founded the Roots Workshop, which is aimed at helping wedding photographers (or any photographer, really) improve their craft of storytelling with documentary photography

This workshop is going to be a one-of-a-kind experience. All the workshop staff and students will be staying at a sweet house on the coast in Cape Cod for the week of July 13-17, 2008. She has lined up some great faculty for this workshop, including Greg Gibson, Tyler Wirken and Jennifer Domenick, all who I've personally learned a lot from.

Go check out the Roots Workshop Website and see what you can learn to improve your craft of documentary storytelling!

Especially when crazy things like this happen to you as a photographer: Fugitive Caught in Flash

Andrew and I celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary in Seattle this weekend. I have always loved Seattle's character and wanted to share it with Andrew, since he had never visited. He loved it! So, we now have two favorite cities: Berlin and Seattle. We would love to build homes in both cities.

Last night, Me Ra and Brian welcomed us and Jen and Stephen Bebb into their home for a fun evening of dinner and fellowship. It was hilarious to watch the dynamic between the 3 couples! I laughed so hard and didn't want to leave, even at 1 AM as the candles finally burned out! Thanks guys for a fantastic finish to our anniversary weekend!