A lot has happened since my last post, internally and externally, and I have been waiting for the right way to express it. In some ways I have been procrastinating, and in others I have just been too "busy" to update. After all, why start something today that you can put off until tomorrow? :)
Enter: The New Mike.
First of all, WPPI was life changing. I was very nervous (highly out of my norm) at flying down to Vegas alone, staying with a complete stranger (Kip, you rock by the way, and are no longer a stranger but a friend), and being amongst over 10,000 photographers from around the world for 5 days. I didn't know anyone (other than a tiny thumbnail photo or similar representation of them online) and before I got there I assumed everyone would know everyone, and when I would walk into a room everything would stop and everyone would just stare at me... *cricket*... *cricket*... *tumbleweed rolling by*...
This was not the case. Everyone was welcoming, many said "Hi!" or "I recognize you from a tiny thumbnail photo or similar representation of you online!". And O' My God the classes I attended... it was enough that I was actually in the same room as these AMAZINGLY Uber Talented Photographers, but I was also hearing them speak about techniques, their passion, and everything that makes them tick! All of them taught me so much, my head was overflowing with knowledge and confidence, but one of them stood out... and out of all the things I experienced at WPPI (and there was a LOT), the two hours I sat and absorbed this guy's energy has been the time I have been reflecting on the most over the past few weeks...
Enter: Jesh De Rox.
Yes, that's his name. His name alone drives an emotion doesn't it? It almost needs "the 3rd" at the end, but it doesn't. As far as I know, he is the 1st Jesh De Rox. I can't go into much detail of what he spoke about at WPPI (for fear of messing it up), but in a nutshell I can tell you this: when everyone else (basically) was speaking at WPPI about shutter speeds and posing, Jesh spoke about life. Life. Emotion. What WE as individuals have to offer to the world. Knowledge? Love? Opinion? Yes, yes and yes... and most of all, our ears. If I lost you already, I am sorry, this summary really doesn't do Jesh justice. What I got from his 'talk' is that if we all just invest ourselves in other people, listening to what they have to say and offering our opinion (be it good or bad), but listening none the less, we will with no doubt heal, cleanse, and re-energize the world. Sounds simple right? It is. And with that, Jesh has created a movement (and I do mean movement) called Upward Spiral. Check it out, check him out, you will be a better person for it.
Now for his photos. If you have read this far without clicking the link to his website (his name further up the page), please do so now, and then come back here. I will wait. Seriously, go.
Do you not feel like a better person for seeing that? There is so much emotion in his photos, and every time I look at his images I get this feeling inside, a glimpse of what I ultimately am. That may sound like I want to copy his photos, let me reassure you that I don't. I mean to say that when I look at his images, it pulls the strings inside me that make me realize the photographer and person I can be. That I AM. I get so inspired that I can't wait to shoot my next wedding or portrait session, and I KNOW that my images are going to improve drastically now that I have been exposed to this! Now, normally you wouldn't see a photographer recommending another photographer unless they were already booked, but there is a part of me that strongly recommends to all of you to book Jesh as your photographer. This way, I will see more of his images and get more inspired for my own images (and life for that matter). The other part of me, of course, says to book ME *NOW* more than ever... :)
Finally, while we are still on the subject of taking this world (and ourselves) to higher places, I have a music recommendation. I have been onto this guy's vibes for almost a year now, and really, you have to hear him to know why.
Enter: Xavier Rudd.
Opinions of life, why we do the things we do, and how to give back to the planet that we are slowly becoming more and more ignorant of how precious it really is. Now weave that in with a plethora of didjeridoos, a slide guitar, a harmonica, and the coolest set of drums I've seen, and you have Mr. Rudd. I had the honor of seeing him live in February with my sister at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Vancouver... and as of today I also had the honor of finding him on iTunes. God Bless iTunes.
To summarize this post, I'm going to quote one of Xavier Rudd's songs:
"So, go but be kind
you have love, love on your side"
Namaste,
-MW-
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