If you've been following me on Twitter since Wednesday, you know I've been deep in the cold of Breckenridge, Colorado.  I've had the pure joy of working on an dreamy winter shoot with my clients Jeff Holt and Kyle Barnes as well as the one-of-a-kind incredible Shannon Sewell and up-and-coming hot shot Jesse Ryan. I'm sitting here on the plane back to North Carolina with Jeff and am so overwhelmed with what transpired in the last 5 days.


This shoot started out as a tiny crazy idea that Jeff Holt brought to me one day.  I like crazy ideas because they are fueled with passion and --when harnessed correctly-- a clear vision.  I was headed out to visit my brother in Denver for the weekend, Jeff had overflowing passion about this shoot vision and so we decided to run with it.  In less than 3 weeks we pulled together one of the best teams I've ever worked with: Jennifer from I Do Weddings Vail, Emily from Events by Emily, Andrea Haydon and so many more that I will share soon.  My iPhone pics shown here don't even do an ounce of justice to the awesome you will experience in the professional shots.  Full feature posts with details coming on Southern Weddings shortly.


Jeff and Kyle completely rocked it out.  Seriously, some of the best stuff I've ever seen them shoot.  This was a significant trip for both of them professionally for a very simple key reason that I think is vital to growth:  they produced images they genuinely feel proud of.  It didn't happen by accident.  They had a clear vision and went full-force with it.  I feel so blessed to have witnessed them doing what they love, gaining confidence and a portfolio to match.   Such an inspiring week in the snow!

Amidst all this shoot fun and spending time with my brother, heavy on my heart was choosing a winner for the Making Things Happen™ Scholarship spot.  I had hoped to announce the scholarship winner on Wednesday night and, after reading the 60 phenomenal entries, I just couldn't make a decision.  Note to self: do not hold another contest where I have to choose between 60 equally amazing stories.  I simply couldn't make a choice that felt right... every entry pulled at my heart-strings.  So, I did this....


Honestly, I wanted to be Oprah and just say "OK, everyone wins!"  But, the only way to make this workshop work in the way I want it to is to keep it small. I did a lot of praying and enlisted the help of the people I trust to pick the winners- Emily, Katharine and others.  Trust me, I hated to announce just twelve winners even though it's a lot and totally unexpected.  I want to spend time with each and every person who shared their story.  So, if you entered and didn't win, please email me if you are still able to come.  I have a little surprise for you too.  If you are one of the twelve, congrats and I'll see you on the 21st!  I will email you your workshop pass asap.  If you need help with travel plans, let me know.  Thank you again to everyone who took the time to share their story with me this week and for all of the very very kind words.  Doing these workshops will be the fulfillment of so many dreams I've had.  I can't wait to meet everyone and get to know more about your dreams and passions, too.  Counting the days till Watercolor!

Because I'm taking the twelve scholarship spots, I've opened the workshop up to 30. There are still a few slots left, but I imagine shortly after I post this, they will be gone.  Click here to register. I will be announcing other cities after the new year, so if you have a suggestion, please leave a comment here and let me know!  My first confirmed next stops are Austin and Dallas in January.  Details to come.

OK, a few more winners to announce! The winners of the Outliers and Tribes giveaway (randomly selected from the 78 amazing comments left on this post) are Catie Ronquillo, Josh Ulmer, Jessica Lynn and Kari Crowe. Email me your mailing address and I'll get you your books asap! Congrats and thanks to everyone who commented for the encouragement and support. I'm so overwhelmed with gratitude!

Making things happen,

lc