The Secret Workshop

Be Compassionate and other Friday ramblings

I can't believe that it is almost time for the California workshops! Is everyone getting so excited?
In other news, I have updated my email address as Cheryl had mentioned. I am going to recap all those that need a roommate, because  it seems I didn't get everyone's. Please send me a websized photo of yourself if possible and answer these pressing questions:
Paper or Plastic
Favorite Midnight Snack
Your Favorite Book
If you are looking for a roommate in San Francisco for just Friday night, please email me! I have just the roomie for you!
Totally off topic, I found this little "practice" on the Chinaberry  website. Chinaberry has a fantastic selection of great books for adults and children alike and some of the best reviews on them around. I LOVE when their catalog arrives in the mail. Anyway, this practice I felt was really important and reminded me so much of something Cheryl would tell me during a phone conversation if I was stressed, so I thought I'd share it here. Have a great weekend!
     A group of students studying with the Dalai Lama asked,"Do you think loving on the planet is increasing or staying the same?" His response: "My experience leads me to believe that love is increasing." He shared a simple practice that will increase loving and compassion in the world. He asked everyone in the group to share it with as many people as they can.

The Practice:

1. Spend 5 minutes at the beginning of each day remembering we all want the same things (to be happy and to be loved) and we are all connected to one another.
2. Spend 5 minutes - breathing in - cherishing yourself, and breathing out - cherishing others. If you think about people you have difficulty cherishing, extend your cherishing to them anyway.
3. During the day, extend that attitude to everyone you meet. Practice cherishing the "simplest" person (clerks, attendants, etc.), as well as the "important" people in your life; cherish the people you love and the people you dislike.
4. Continue this practice no matter what happens or what anyone does to you.

These thoughts are very simple, inspiring and helpful. The practice of cherishing can be taken very deep if done wordlessly, allowing yourself to feel the love and appreciation that already exists in your heart.

Need a Roomie?

Need a roommate? So do these awesome women. A great way to cut costs, attend the workshop, and meet a new friend!

San Francisco Roommates

Name: Dana Pugh
City you are attending: San Francisco
Paper or Plastic: neither--total environmentalist(live in North America's
first solar heated community)
Favorite Midnight Snack: cereal
If they did a movie of your life, what actress would play you?
ooohhh...that's hard. My friends would say Janine Garofalo(is that how you
spell her name?)--you know, the best friend in Reality Bites...now I'm
dating myself.
Phoenix
Maria Hays
San Diego
Adrian Hitt (looking for a roomie, who wants to look elsewhere than the W)
Austin
Katie Williams
stay at home mother of 3 boys!
Michigan
Melissa

Help Needed And Meet Jennifer Chaney (San Francisco)

NEEDED FOR UPCOMING BLOG ENTRIES....

• Is there anyone out there who is still looking for a roommate for ANY of the upcoming workshops? Friday will be "roomie" day on the blog. So if you are looking for one email me immediately!
• Also if you were one of the ORIGINAL secret workshop attendees, please email me right away. I need to hear from 4 of you ASAP.

Any of these items will be greatly appreciated and can be emailed to Isabel@thesecretphotographyworkshop.com
On another note, I messed up two days ago and posted a picture of Alex's sister rather than Alex herself. oops! I am going to change that right now. While I am doing that, you can meet another of our attendees who is so "secret" she didn't include a picture. Maybe you'll be able to pick her out in San Francisco just from her answers ;)
Name:  Jennifer Chaney
City and State you live in: Walnut Creek, CA
Workshop you are attending:  SF
Your website if you have one: jchaney.com
Your blog: haven't gotten there yet.  Plan to this year.
How long you've been taking photographs: 18 months
Married/Single:  Married
Kids (if yes, names and ages):  Ellia (3)  Reier (4 months)

The Secrets:
Your [secret] guilty pleasure: online shopping
Your [secret] wish:  to stop aging!  having little ones makes me realize how old I'm getting!
What you [secretly] want to know about photography: everything I possibly can. 
Your[secret] beauty product: photoshop!
Tell us a [secret] fact or tidbit about you: Oh wow,
The song you [secretly] sing to in the car:  "I think I love you"  yes, the partridge family. 
The Truths:
Your favorite place to shop:  Amazon
Your favorite piece of camera equipment or photography tool:Just ordered the 5d, so I'm sure that will be it.  Otherwise the 85mm
Your favorite subject to shoot (general age range or person) Honestly, I'm not sure.  Every time I have a shoot, I think, oh I like that age. I'm loving couples right now.  They actually stand where you ask them too!
Your favorite Restaurant:  mmm... not really sure.  I could tell you my favorite coffee house! Pacific Bay.
Your favorite vacation spot:  Any place near water - a lake or the ocean.
A photographer you find inspiring (we all know its cheryl, she's excluded): Sooo many.  But I'm really inspired by Carrie Sandoval.  I don't really do newborns, but I find her story inspiring.

Want to share?

Someone is looking for a roomie to split the hotel room in San Francisco.  Please email isabel@thesecretphotographyworkshop.com if you are interested and she'll hook you up!

Meet Aspen (Another Orlando looking for a roommate)

THE FACTS:
Name: Aspen Burke
City and State you live in: Bruchmuhlbach , Germany
(we're stationed here, my hubby's in the Air Force)
but I'm from North Pole, Alaska
 Workshop you are attending: Orlando
Your website if you have one: nope, no website...
yet
 Your blog: no blog
How long you've been taking photographs: I've always been the annoying one with the camera, but just in thelast couple of years considered it as a profession.
I 'm in my first year of interning.
 Married/Single: Married to my super hero... I'm a lucky gal :)
 Kids: Nope,  just our spoiled Golden Retriever ... Harley the Wonder Dog.

The Secrets:
Your [secret] guilty pleasure: red vines and blogs
  Your [secret] wish: no secret... but just to have a happy, healthy life with my hubby and kiddos someday
What you [secretly] want to know about photography:EVERYTHING!! I'm so new to it all, I just want to
learn all that I can.  Truth be told I'm actually nervous! ;)
Your[secret] beauty product: exercise, happiness, and Estee Lauder future perfect
Tell us a [secret] fact about you:It wouldn't be a secret then
The song you [secretly] sing to in the car:Whatever's on the radio... but I LOVE 80's
The Truths:
Your favorite place to shop: H&M, Zara,  American Eagle and Road Runner's
 Your favorite piece of camera equipment or photography tool: Still learning it all,so I can't say I have a favorite.... yet
Your favorite subject to shoot : definitely my hubby... I like to show the different sides of him, but pretty much anyone.
Your favorite Restaurant: It's so hard... we've been away from the states for so long that it's hard to
narrow it down to just one. Over here in Europe though it's got to be a wonderful little family owned
ristorante on the Amalfi Coast in Italy called, Open Gate. Yummy!
Your favorite vacation spot: Ireland, Italy and England can't decide
 A photographer you find inspiring (we all know its cheryl, she's excluded): Shannon Sewell, Lauren
Clark, Brianna Graham, Nate and Jaclyn at the Image is Found.

Need an Orlando Roomate? Meet Mandy

Meet Mandy...I love that she admits to drinking soda for breakfast, because I do too (although only for a few more days, I am giving it up on January 1). I also love that Mandy is a private investigator, that means she can find out ALL of our secrets!


THE FACTS:
Name: Mandy (mk)
City and State you live in: Snowy St. Paul, MN
Workshop you are attending: Orlando
Your website if you have one: only flickr for right now http://flickr.com/photos/iammk
How long you've been taking photographs:  Around four years
Married/Single: married
Kids (if yes, names and ages): kitties but no kids

The Secrets:
Your [secret] guilty pleasure: Diet Wild Cherry Pepsi for breakfast
Your [secret] wish: To quit my dayjob and be a photographer!
What you [secretly] want to know about photography: Just everything. But I'd like to
become better at interacting with subjects and seeing creatively.
Your[secret] beauty product: deodorant. No one wants to be around a stinker.
Tell us a [secret] fact or tidbit about you: I'm a licensed private investigator.
The song you [secretly] sing to in the car: Baby Got Back

The Truths:
Your favorite place to shop: Target. I'm not a fancy gal.
Your favorite piece of camera equipment or photography tool:This week it's the Canon 85mm 1.8. I'm a fickle lover, though.
Your favorite subject to shoot: Kids...any age.
Your favorite vacation spot: Anywhere that's not work!
A photographer you find inspiring (we all know its cheryl, she's excluded): I'm so
inspired by so many folks with many different styles and who shoots lots of different
subjects that I can't pick just one. But I'll say that the moms who are raising kids and
running successful businesses never fail to impress me...I can barely get my own act
together so doing that just boggles my mind.

Looking for a San Diego roommate? Meet Jodi!

Meet Jodi, who is loking for a roomate at the beautiful W hotel in San Diego! I lover her self portrait. As soon as I saw it, I immediately regretted the two heaping spoonfuls of cookie dough I just ate! So, without further ado meet Jodi. The second photo is one of her recent favorites!



The Facts
Name: Jodi Renée Thompson
City and State you live in: Oakville, Ontario - CANADA!!!
Workshop you are attending: San Diego, CA
Your website if you have one: www.jodirenee.com       
Your blog: oh the Blog needs updates (yikes!) www.jodirenee.blogspot.com
How long you've been taking photographs: long time as a hobby...just a few years as a full time career
Married/Single: not married but living with the same guy for 5 years (so married with one giant kid!?) lol

The Secrets:
Your [secret] guilty pleasure: red wine and dark chocolate - yes! Together!
Your [secret] wish: wishes don't come true if you tell everyone...!!! Okay,I wish for a brilliant studio!
What you [secretly] want to know about photography: everything and anything...dynamic lighting in tough locations, working with challenging clients...thinking outside the box, keeping motivated and inspired!
Your[secret] beauty product: exercise! Circulation and de-stressing -sooooooo good for you!
Tell us a [secret] fact or tidbit about you: used to be a personal trainer
The song you [secretly] sing to in the car: I usually no every song on the radio - I can sing'em all!

The Truths:
Your favorite place to shop: Sherway Gardens (they have ALL the stores I
need...except Sephora!)
Your favorite piece of camera equipment or photography toolLove the wide angle - 17-40...also the 24-70
Your favorite subject to shoot  couples,kids...babies
Your favorite Restaurant: Stoney's! (Oakville...they have the BEST salads and pizza!)
Your favorite vacation spot: of most recent - Los Cabos! Anywhere where there is sand and sun.
A photographer you find inspiring Barb Uil, Natasha Cuevas, Carrie Sandoval, Audrey Woulard, Jesh de Rox, Jenna Walker, Fred Egan, Nick Onken...this could take a while...lol