As I mentioned the other day (and a few days before that) I have a new job which I am totally pumped about. As a project coordinator for Benfield Photography I get to mix my love for blogs, social media, to-do lists, photography, pretty things, and hilarious/ cool people all in one crazycool bundle.
Who/ what is Benfield Photography, you ask? Only the coolest photographers in the US!! They specialize in weddings but they do everything from kids and their families to fashion to the classiest boudoir shots you have ever seen. They even do photography workshops and photo tips!!! (Seriously, take a break from reading right now and check out the linkage awesome-ness. I'll be here when you get back.)
{hard at work... with my fabulous new Lily and Laura bracelets from RiffRaff}
Step 1- Dream big!
I literally remember telling my younger brother, "Look at these people's pictures!! Wouldn't it rock to work for them?!?!" As I remember, his reply went something like, "Ha. Good luck with that," (not his most encouraging moment) but it was a start.
Step 2- Be a non-crazy non-creeper life-stalker.
After I got to know their work, I wanted to keep up with what they were doing... in the most non-creepy professional way possible. Subscribing to their blog, "liking" them on Facebook (you should too!), & following them on Twitter meant that I could follow along as pretty things happened in NWA, even though I hadn't even moved yet!
Northwest Arkansas Fashion Week was happening? They were my (virtual) VIP ticket. Wedding inspiration? Oh yeah (yep, that's my venue!!). The most gorgeous baby in the state was turning six months old? Yep, I was there.
All this social media stuff came in handy when the next step happened.
Step 3- Switch it up and do something actually (a little) crazy.
This is where I went off book. It was pretty late one night and I saw that Dale had sent out a tweet asking the universe for a clone. Maybe it was delirium from grad school overload or maybe I thought "I've got nothing to lose," but I quickly sent him a message that basically told him that though I was not a clone I was a grad student looking for a part time job.
Crazy? Maybe. Weird? Yes. But it worked...
We were emailing back within a few days and I got the job the day after I got engaged.
Step 4- Don't back down.
Currently I am working on a huge project. I mentioned workshops earlier but one of Dale's specialities is what he calls the Shoot Your Kids Workshop. This is an awesome opportunity for mom's to learn how to better use their cameras, lighting, Photoshop, and (most of all) their kid's own personalities to take some really amazing images. He's given this workshop several times in our area (where it has always sold out) and now he's taking it to the streets... er... the whole United States! True story, I'm in charge of making sure that 20 moms in ten cities (lucky ladies!!) have the opportunity to take part in this workshop. And I'm pumped because it's a challenge that I've never dealt with before (Coordinate 200+ people all in one area in one day? yes. Coordinate 200+ people in ten cities over a month time span? Nope) but I'm excited to make happen.
Whew!!! Just that re-cap was exhausting so here's what you can to do help. If you are, or know someone who is a blogger who is a mom, in or around the following cities let me know:
Little Rock, AR
New Orleans, LA
Houston, TX
Dallas, TX
Cincinnati, OH
Cleveland, OH
Albany, NY
Las Vegas, NV
Las Angeles, CA
Visalia, CA
San Fransisco, CA
As a blogger, I totally get the importance of having awesome shots of everyday life and I would think that importance would automatically triple when kids come into the picture. Mom bloggers who would be willing to help out with this grand adventure that Benfield Photography is going on would definitely be appreciated and potentially rewarded. Sound intriguing? Shoot me an email using the button at the top right of the page or leave me a comment. I'm super pumped to hear back from you.
p.s. Not a blogger but just a mom/ grandmother/ awesome aunt interested in the workshop? Our website should be up soon but until then I'd love to hear from you too!