It’s Monday, so of course it’s time for Coffee Talk Monday. But as I sat down to write this post, I realized that it was more like a Confessions of a Dreamer post. SO you are are getting a twofer today :) Today I’m focusing on one of the highlights of my week (ok, I’ll be honest…MY LIFE). I like to call it “When you wish upon a Star…”

Let me start by giving you some context. I’m a wedding photographer (okay, so most of you already know that). But as a wedding photographer, I am constantly looking to be inspired, encouraged and challenged by other photographers in the industry. While I admire the work of MANY, there are just a FEW that stand out above the rest. I would dare to say that there is one person in the industry that has earned the love and respect of fellow photogs more than any other: Jasmine Star. She is like the Michael Jordan of wedding photography! Her work is amazing, no doubt, but it’s her “keep it real” personality, her “i did it wrong, but look where I am” story that really allows other photographers to relate to her.

I have been following Jasmine’s blog for years. I can’t tell you the number of times I have read something she wrote or watched one of her videos and ended up in tears. Tears of “i CAN do it.”. Tears of “i’m glad I’m not the ONLY one”. So when we headed out to WPPI last February, I told Joe that there was one class that we were not going to miss. Jasmine’s of course! We filed into the theatre amongst hundreds of other photographers to hear from this amazing woman. The title of her presentation was called “Untold Stories”. She focused on the concept of ‘writing your own story’. (check out her awesome intro video HERE.) This presentation was a turing point for Joe + I as a photography team. It was that push we needed to take our business to the next level; to take risks; to lay it all out on the table. And for that I am SO thankful.

The rest of WPPI was a whirlwind of excitement. We met amazing people who inspired us like never before. It was the morning of February 23rd, our last day at WPPI.  I had heard that Jasmine would be doing a Q+A for 20 photographers late Wednesday morning which was going to be taking place just a couple rooms down from ours. The tickets had sold out almost immediately which was no surprise to me. As we packed up our things and got ready for our 5 hour drive back to Phoenix, I casually joked to Joe about trying to “sneak in the back”. That’s when Joe looked at me and said “Baby, if you want to meet Jasmine, let’s go meet Jasmine. It’s time to start writing your own story.” Ummm what? Did that really just come out of my husband’s mouth??? I told you her presentation was a turing point! So you know what? We did! We waited in the hallway with the other photographers awaiting her arrival and 10 minutes later we were sitting in the back of the suite hanging on her every word. After the Q+A, we met Jasmine face-to-face for the first time. Fast forward through a few email exchanges and a couple months and we found ourselves hanging in the OC having nachos and a margarita with Jasmine. I know, you’re all probably like….wait, how did that happen? The truth is, I’m still kinda like…wait, how did that happen??? LOL! Last week we had the pleasure of being J*’s models for her May 2011 workshop. In a word, it was: AMAZE-TASTIC!

1. I got to be a ‘bride’ again.

2. I met 20 amazing photographers from around the world

3. We had the chance to learn how Jasmine + JD run their amazing business together

4. We got to be in front of J*’s camera, duh!

5. I no longer feel as creepy when I frequently read Jasmine’s blog now that she actually knows who I am ;).

Overall, it was a BLAST and I am so beyond grateful that we had this amazing opportunity. Thank you Jasmine, for everything :) xoxo stacy kokes

Here’s to writing your own story :)

To see the full post, visit Jasmine’s blog HERE