Blog

I turned 30 on Saturday. And I have to say, it was by far my favorite birthday. On Friday night, Mark (in cooperation with our studio manager Melissa Roth and friend Jenn Linke of The Decisive Moment) surprised me with a dinner at an Atlanta tapas restaurant.

The biggest surpise of all was how many people showed up, and how many people made an effort to be there despite hectic schedules. Chris and Katie Torres came straight over from the rehearsal dinner they were shooting, Nathan and Amber Holritz drove two hours from Chattanooga, our friends David and Sarah Hamilton drove over from Athens - all for little ol' 30-year-old me. Adam Linke of The Decisive Moment made this photo when we walked into the restaurant and saw all our friends smiling and clapping.

The night was capped off with roller skating (the old-fashioned kind with four wheels) at the Golden Glide in Decatur, where we all attempted to relearn a favorite childhood pastime. Nathan Holritz made this photo of Amber, Mark and me. This photo was made possible by Nathan's skillful panning technique, and the fact that we were hands-down the slowest skaters in the rink.

Sadly, Andrew and Rachel could not be there because they were shooting a wedding in Savannah. After the wedding Saturday, Andrew decided to brave karaoke for the first time. Thanks to our assistant Will's cell phone camcorder, we were able to experience this milestone in Andrew's life. I will try to add the video footage later!

On our workshop's last day on Thursday, we looked around as everyone said their goodbyes. People who just met four days prior were hugging, exchanging email addresses, clasping hands and saying that they hated to say goodbye. It warms our hearts to no end to be able to connect people like this. Our favorite part about hosting workshops is the amazing, new people we meet. We truly had a blast last week and can't wait to hear how everyone's businesses evolve over the next year. Below are photos from the last day.
Stuart Thurlkill gives an inspiring presentation. If you have not seen Stuart share his vision, you need to! He constantly inspires us with his selfless giving, enthusiastic optimism and pure passion for people.

Alice Gung and Terrell Clark say goodbye at the end of the workshop.

Lynn Townsend hugs Jenica Johnson.

Rebecca Kiger gives Livingston Jackson a hug.

Darlene Hildebrandt took this group photo of the LaCour team.

Andrew helps participants with lighting questions before the lighting demo.

Mark talks with participants about bounce flash. From left: Alice Gung, Rebecca Kiger, Jeff Calbom, Darlene Hildebrandt and Kady Dunlap.


Veronica King practices bounce flash.


Mark and I played bride and groom for the lighting demo at Biltmore Ballrooms.

Andrew and Rachel got in a dance of their own at the lighting demo.


The whole gang! Our assistant Will Godfrey made this group shot to demonstrate the Denis Reggie flash brackets, which we use to light group portraits at weddings.

It had never occurred to us to host our own workshop, until we gradually started receiving more emails from photographers asking how we light dark ballrooms. So the Business of Storytelling workshop devotes most of Tuesday to the fundamentals of lighting, spending the evening at the historic Biltmore Ballrooms practicing LaCour's signature lighting techniques.

The four of us, along with our longtime assistant Will Godfrey, enjoyed working one-on-one with the participants.

Wednesday will be devoted to everything that happens after the shoot - editing and post-production - as well as our fabulous dinner at Ecco in downtown Atlanta. Stay tuned for more updates!

The second edition of the LaCour workshop, The Business of Storytelling, has gotten off to a great start. We have been blessed yet again with an amazing group of photographers from all over the country (and Canada!) who have already inspired us in so many ways.

We first met up Sunday evening at the LaCour studio for a welcome party. The real work kicked off Monday, when we shared our marketing and sales strategies, and discussed how to build systems in your workflow for more efficient and consistent productivity.

We have lots of great stories to share about this group, so check back later this week!

Kristin Byrum, with her husband, Aaron, talks with Andrew & Rachel during the one-on-one consultations.


Mark talks with Alice Gung during the one-on-one consultations.


Terrell Clark listens during Andrew & Rachel's marketing discussion.


Jenna Walker contributes to the discussion during the sales presentation.

"Grow old along with me the best is yet to be, the last of life for which the first was made."
— Robert Browning

Meet Ed and Jo. They are in love. They are my amazing grandparents who just celebrated their 60th anniversary!

Rachel and I spent the weekend with Grandma and Granddad Niesen in St. Louis, my hometown. The party wasn't elaborate or grand. It was a simple celebration of love and loyalty. It was a perfect representation of my grandparents' commitment to each other.

Happy Anniversary Grandma and Granddad! Thank you for leaving us a legacy of love and loyalty!