the smack attack

Any time Darth Vader makes an appearance, you know it was a fantastic day, am I right?Today was my Smack Attack workshop, and you guys? I HAD SO MUCH FUN! Seriously, this was a total blast. I was so fortunate to have *amazing* students, delicious snacks and a wonderful space (Co Exhibitions, for the win). The six hours just flew by and not only did I feel like I was able to teach a TON of material, but I learned a lot as well since the students shot on everything from Nikon to Canon to Sony. It was also fun to hear about everyone's workflows and what systems people like and why. It was truly fascinating.In the afternoon, I had some kids come in to play dress up for an hour, and the workshop attendees used the stuff I taught in the morning to shoot photos of these kids playing (in the most amazing light ever). While they focused on their images, I did pick up my camera once or twice and managed 10 photos between coaching and questions and talking to the kids. But I did grab that photo up there.What's so funny is my dear friend Courtnay is dressed up as Darth Vader and her son was helping her to adjust her helmet (although I like to imagine he's saying, "These are not the droids you are looking for.").But enough about the shot I fired off, let's talk about my favorite shots from some of the participants!! I was so impressed, and this was just so dang fun! Check them out below!Taken by the lovely Nicole Frost.Taken by Jen Hauschildt, who has her own daily photo blog!Taken by the wonderful Claire Hargrove who mastered the sun flare and also makes Jamie's favorite carrot cake in the entire world.Taken by Brendon Schrader -- how amazingly sweet is this moment!? What a fantastic candid.And another wonderful candid shot by Melissa Walker.For your internet share of the day, I'm sending you over to one of my VERY FAVORITE (like, top 3 of all time) photographer's year-in-review post. I talked a lot in class today about the importance of staying inspired and always keeping your eye out for amazing work, and this work does two things for me. 1) It makes me feel like a fake and a phony because I'm not nearly as talented as he is and maybe I should be flipping burgers for a living but b) it also makes me want to shoot five times as often and push through boundaries and get better. So there you have it. Enjoy!Oh! And check back early Sunday morning! I'm debuting something new on the blog and I think you're gonna love it :)