Posted by Dave:

This weekend, we made plans to head to the CA State Fair, an annual tradition for all Nor Cal residents. I’ve been there every year for ages, and I’m not about to quit now! We packed up the kids, and went to the store to finish off our Official State Fair Survival Pack… This consists of snacks, water, sweatshirts, first aid, sunscreen, etc. Yeah, we’re those parents. And proud of it!

I heard a noise from the car while leaving the store, and thought I’d stop by the house to investigate. When I did, the car never started back up. Is that a sign or what?!?! It was time to look death in the eye and say “Death, we have another car. So there.” And off we went, cheating imminent death. Well at least thats MY version.

We pulled into our secret parking spot ( to avoid paying for parking.. its 8 bucks!) and headed out… you know you’re almost there when you catch a whiff of the sweet smell of Livestock. MMMmmmmmmm. We stopped for a photo opp at the interesting row of trees.

I havent been to the fair as a photographer, so it was like going for the first time in a way…you see things differently sometimes. We met up with some friends, and walked the fair all day, enjoying the hypnotist show like we always do… one guy even had his makeup done, and was doing fake sign language, all upon the hypnotists command. I was laughing so hard, I almost spit Maui Wowee through my nose! We got some big ol hats to keep us cool… worked like a charm.

My fake Mustache was a real crowd pleaser!

Once it got dark, it was time for the rides. Kaitlyn has finally reached 48″ tall ( about two years sooner than her friends will) so she was able to ride the big kid rides. This was a big moment for her, since she’s been anticipating stte fair awesomeness for a solid year. We hopped on a big kid ride, and spun around like crazy! She started out having fun, then started looking, well, concerned. I kept telling her “Look at me, look at me” to hel keep her from getting sick. From the looks of things, that ride ended at just the right time. She may be as tall as bigger kids, but she’s still little. Naturally, she embraced her familiar favorites from last year. Man, whoever invented charging people to ride down a slide on a potato sack was a genius! It was like 3 bucks per ride!!! Thats almost as much as one Single-Floated-Venti-Hazelnut-White-Mocha-Frappucino-with-blended-whip-and-cinnamon-dolce-sprinkes!!!!

My Girls on the Golden Bear

Cotton Candy in hand, we went through more rides until our tickets were gone, sat down to enjoy Funnel cakes and fireworks, and ended the night with the Traditional Golden Bear photo. Might have to go back for the demolition derby though…. more to come.

I love talking about cameras, pictures, and weddings, and any combination of the three. Suffice to say, its jibberish to most people. Not tonight. Tonight, I was able to speak my native tongue and not get one look like what-the-heck-are-you-talking-about-you-camera-geek… Tonight, we had our first meeting of what is to become the premier Wedding Photographer Club for the Sac area….

At The Free to Succeed Tour last week, I met a photographer named Ken, and while we were both standing by (pretending to look interested in something so we could score a free neck strap for our cameras.. I love schwag), we struck up a conversation and decided to meet up to talk shop, and so I could show Ken some details about Bludomain sites and compare this to the Showit Sites we saw that night. Well, of course I invited Rob, and I remembered that Jessica and I wanted to get together, so we all agreed to meet up at a coffee shop ( cliche…. SO?) … The one question I have after this… why didnt we do this earlier?

I had an awesome time, got to share ideas and inspiration. We’re all at different levels in our business, so there was lots to share! I was going to have everyone get some fresh headshots for our respective sites/blogs, but it was just too easy to keep chatting and worry about that some other time. I DID get some shots of Jessica, but I promised her I wouldn’t post them if they werent cute… well thats kind of subjective Jess, but I made sure your requirements were met
I’m already looking forward to our next meeting, and I’ve got some cool ideas for our agenda!

She is sooo gonna hate me for this, but I think its so you Jess!

While driving back home, I saw a photo opp, and had to stop. This happens regularly =)

See you guys next month!!!!

Posted by Dave@ DNRPhoto

So I need to catch up on some blogging cause I’ve been completely lagging… I bet I have like 3 people who read regularly, so sorry you guys =)

Last Monday, I went sans-Rob to SF to attend the Free to Succeed tour, hosted by David Jay and featuring Jasmine Star as the guest speaker. I tried to get Rob to go, but hey, when you don’t feel good, you dont feel good. I suppose its for the best because it totally let me geek out a bit over meeting Jasmine without having to hear some snarky comment from Rob about me being engaged. Besides, everyone knows the other woman in my life is my camera =)

If you are a photographer or aspire to be, you should def check them out!!! The tour has left CA, but if you’re willing to travel, you can still catch a seminar in a different city… check out the site here . The seminar was informative, useful, and entertaining, and even though David jay has created some products that make a photographers life easier, he wasn’t there to push them, and brought them up for maybe 30 mins out of 4 hours. I loved it, and I recommend attending. It’s also one of the more affordable seminars, at only $99.

I got there about an hour before the Seminar started so I could meet up for coffee with a talented Sacramento Photographer and new friend of mine, Jessica Moores. I was supposed to be there like 2 hours early, but I got caught up with life, and from what I understand, life caught up with Jessica too, and we didnt get a chance to meet up. No worries I thought, cause I LOVE this city, and I can kill an hour walking around the streets.

After doing some wandering, I walk back towards the Sheraton and realize I’m walking right by the tour bus that DJ and J* were in… and the door opens, and out they come!

And this is when the stalking begins. I didnt realize it until I was leaving, but I accidentally turned into a weirdo stalker!!! Read on to find out why.

Without even breaking stride, I catch up with Jasmine, make some conversation, and walk over towards the seminar area. It was like I subconsciously planned my walk so I would just end up walking right next to her…Stalker move #1.

I read her blog religiously, so I know she loves post-it notes even more than I do, and I produce 3 sweet post-its, a green circle, yellow triangle, and red octagon… Traffic control post-its! I give these to her, and I beam with pride. Stalker move #2.

I go sit down on some steps outside of the conference room, and Jasmine comes out and is starting at one end, introducing herself to each person. She’s just cool like that. I’m sitting in the middle, and after meeting her ten minutes prior, I look like I made sure to sit there so I could see her again. Stalker move #3

When the seminar starts, I immediately go straight to the front row. This is to make sure I dont miss anything, and I have a clean view of the speakers to help keep me engaged. I realize that I’m sitting DIRECTLY in front of where Jasmine stood for her presentation, and was as close as humanly possible.

Camera Phone-Stalker move #4.

During the intermission, I get Jessica to snap a picture of me with Jasmine. Not *quite* stalker-ish…..

but going back for another one so I could use bounce flash… stalker move #5

Jessica asks her for her business card, and when Jasmine says she doesnt have one, I announce ” I have her website and blog memorized, so dont worry!” Man, I was out of control at this point. What the heck was my deal? Stalker move #6

After the seminar, people are making conversation, asking questions, etc, and realizing that I’ve probably done enough, I dont immediately run to her to ask her more questions about her awesomeness. I wait for other people to get a chance to say hi, chat, etc. As I’m standing there, essentially watching her have a conversation with someone else, I gain enlightenment and realize what I’ve done. All six stalker moves add up in my mind, and I step aside and walk to my car. Almost earned #7 right there.

Thanks to Jessica for taking my Jasmine photos and putting up with my giddyness! My fiance suggested I not email Jasmine for at least 6 months. Sorry babe, I commented her blog like 2 days later… You didnt say commenting counted!

Oh yeah, David jay was cool too! Actually, his software rocks, and so does his philosophy. Thanks for an awesome seminar DJ and J*!!!