Photographers from around the world just made their annual spring trip out to Las Vegas for the WPPI Convention – and so I did, too. It’s hard to believe that I’ve been speaking at this convention for five years already – what on earth?!! And this year was set up to be a very interesting one – given the impact of some rather excellent online photography training, a lot of people wondered what turnout would really be like, but it was another packed show with about 12,000 people and all kinds of buzz. Turns out that as much as people love additional options for education, they really crave an opportunity to all come together. The photography community is huge and still rather tight-knit. I am grateful to my sponsors for making this possible! Huge thanks to WHCC, Artsy Couture, and Animoto – and also a big shout out to Kelby Training for providing some killer behind-the-scenes video footage to share in my new program. I had a lot of fun speaking in their booth while at the expo. ALSO – my favorite gear shop, Adorama, who disbursed nearly $1000 in cash giveaways between all the speaking engagements and my creativeLIVE appearance (more on that in the next post!) and yet STILL wish to give away another $100 in cash towards product here. How to win? Pretty easy. This post is a combination of my work and my life – of the work I love and the family I love, too. I know that I’m not alone in constantly trying to bring all that together in the most positive way possible. I’d love to know from you: what’s one thing you do to help make life and work all come together more smoothly? We’re going to pick one comment randomly – so it doesn’t matter terribly WHAT you say, good or blah – but sharing what works for you only helps all of us. The winning commenter will get $100 cash to spend however you’d like at Adorama! So – VEGAS! Sunday started bright and early, and I had great fun as a guest speaker at Roy Ashen’s talk about how TripleScoop Music has filled an incredible niche, bringing together independent music artists and photographers, cinematographers and more with royalty-free licensing (if you haven’t heard, they’ve recently teamed up with Animoto, and the music selection for creating videos there is now out of control). I was one of many cool guests, and it was a relaxed, fun talk: 
My Platform talk was only about an hour later. I walked in to this closed room and, as usual when I’m presenting to a big room, my heart skipped a beat. Always looks like an awful lot of chairs before they let people come in, and there’s two of those rows, gulp: 
And then it started. Remember those chairs? They fill up – if you see yourself here, hi and thank you so much for coming! And big thanks to Maggie Wendel and Sarah Coppola for grabbing these images: 
My program kicked off with the lovely Mindy Gledhill singing with her beautiful, buttercream voice (accompanied by the fabulous Ali Handal!), to a video of my latest work, which was a pretty melty experience: 
This was also the first time I officially spoke on behalf of Nikon, and I was lucky enough to do so more than once. This was spectacular for a few reasons: 1.) I love the gear 2.) I was way impressed with all the people I met at Nikon 3.) I didn’t fall off the stage once. Huge thanks to Mike Corrado, Maggie Wendel and Sarah Coppola for shooting these images AND sharing them with me: 
Speaking of Nikon, MANY of the photographs I shot were with my hybrid DSLR/point & shoot, the Nikon 1 J3. I shot a LOT more than I normally do at this event (and, basically, everywhere else I went) simply because of the ease of carrying and using it. It’s not a large, bulky DSLR, which is all I want for professional shoots, but not what I want to carry around everywhere with me, and it’s got way more technical sharpness, adapability, and flash capability than an iPhone camera, which is what I’d resorted to using instead. I’m a big fan of this powerful little thing. I also loved being included in Nikon’s Gallery Wall at WPPI – I had the great fortune of photographing this gorgeous little girl at the What If Conference in the Dominican Republic a couple months ago (heads up – there’s another one this summmer in Bali): 
I could keep adding photos here, since I was lucky enough to get a ton of fun social images from the week, too – but you can see lots more on my facebook album if you want! After the week wrapped, my family flew in, and we celebrated some R & R in Vegas, all shot with the Nikon 1 J3 (no, I’m not being paid any kickback to share that – just love the camera that much), including the black & whites below. Here are my girls expressing their shock and dismay at the all-male review. We all feel so badly that these poor men lost their shirts somewhere: 
The pool at The Signature has a cold pool and a pool-sized warm pool, so the kids just kept taking turns between the two: 
First time in my life I enjoyed Circus Circus – we all really had a surprisingly fun time here: 
Sophie’s biggest takeaway on Las Vegas? It just looks like it’s all been bedazzled! Yeah, that’s about right. 
Caleb is not in this image because large furry people frighten him. He was hiding behind a large trash can behind me. Can’t really say that I blame him. 
… especially since this is what happened after the kids hopped up: 
Lots of hugs the whole time: 
A huge highlight from the week? Meeting Tony Robbins and his lovely wife. Such a BIG treat. 
But the life of the party, without a doubt, was my son’s Vegas Party Hat: 
And that was Vegas! Leave your comment below to get your $100 cash from Adorama – whether it’s a tiny little shift in your thinking or a huge change in your lifestyle, I’m interested to hear. We all are. Really look forward to hearing from you!!
Looks like a great time!
Maybe it’s cheesy but my kids write on the calendar when they need mommy time, daddy time and family time. Helping them feel like we will make time for them in our schedule makes me feel like I’m keeping it together. Sometimes we have emergency time needed but it eases all of our hearts for them to have it on the calendar. It’s also fun to look forward to. 😉
Learning to shut down the computer at a decent hour and spending time with my husband and puppy before its time to go to bed! Having schedules really helps with that! Oh and not checking email on my phone when we are at dinner or out and about on the weekend !
Wonderful account of your WPPI experience. I wish I could have made it this year, hoping to next year! I have learned a lot from your creativeLIVE courses. Thank you for sharing your experience and knowledge with everyone. You help to make our worldwide community of photogs a great big, HEALTHY, happy family!
It was so much fun seeing you in Vegas! I’ll be taking my girls to Circus Circus next month on our way to Disneyland – hope we have as much fun as you guys did!!
I decided years ago that my children came first and that I would work around them and not fit them around my job no matter what. I have been very fortunate to have a husband that supported this. I will have the rest of my life to work and can live without regret.
Hey Tamara. LOVED seeing you in Vegas. We have been a big fan since creativeLIVE and you have definitely brought about a shift in thinking for both my daughter/business partner and I. Thanks so much! Muuuuuuahhhhhh
I decide ahead of time on my priorities (especially with how I divide my time) and then stick to it!
Looks like you have a great time and I would love to win this. Love Love Love your creativeLIVE courses. You have a great gift and a beautiful family.
I involve my family in my love for photography and have taken both of my children with me on photo shoots, as they are both old enough to help.
making healthy lunches or smoothies for everyone before i leave makes me feel better (so that is something, right)
Great photos. Glad to hear you had a great time and didn’t fall off the stage!!!! As for what I do to promote life and work – well, besides photography (not sure if that is work or play), like Tamara, I promote a healthy lifestyle (healthy diet – not just what you should eat, but what you should avoid; exercise, the right supplements, etc.). I changed from an unhealthy diet to a healthy one at age 30, and it has made a huge difference in my health and well being. Even though I am getting back to photography from selling vitamins and health foods, I will still be sharing what I know about health. One last word – if you want your images to look their best, go to health!
I will admit that I am having a hard time with this………not going to sugar coat it. Late night editing, etc is what I have to do to survive, BUT with that being said I made a promise to myself that I would find unique ways to spend more quality time with my family in 2013. For instance, I am coaching my youngest son’s baseball team this year. This is a big obligation, but it forces me to make time for what matters most. His games and practices come first and I will schedule shoots, etc around my time with him. I am also doing a “make a difference” project with my oldest son this spring. We are spending a full day at the Peoria, Illinois Southside mission and will be photographing all of the families and employees as a way to give back to the community. This is one of many projects we are doing together this year. MY wife……DATE night once a week even if it’s something as simple as a country drive. Number ONE above all is taking a little bit of time out of EACH AND EVERY day to just talk with my family and see what’s going on in their lives. No matter how busy I am, this has become my most favorite time of the day and keeps us connected.
I would sincerely like to say thanks for your inspiration. I know it sounds like I’m trying to kiss ass, but it’s true. I started following you a few years ago, and I have ALWAYS admired your commitment to family. You have influenced me and my decision making when it comes to photography more than you realize. Total respect for you and your family Tamara!
We just started this… the kids and I are walking to Disneyland. Everyday (hopefully) we take a walk and then log our mileage on a chart. We have determined that there are 379 miles from our house to Disneyland once we walk 379 miles we are going there. So far only 376.5 more to go wooo hoo!
The one biggest thing for me? Perspective. Knowing that whatever stressful stuff that’s going on at the moment… it’s only temporary. And it doesn’t define me. “This too shall pass…” My legacy is the love I have for my family, and keeping that in mind (or trying REALLY really hard to, anyway, haha) is what helps make things click for me.
No pun intended. Ahem. 🙂
One thing I do to try to make my life and work come together more smoothly is to just be myself. I no longer try to impress people by pretending to be something I’m not. And I don’t let myself get overly impressed with others to the point of feeling insecure or inadequate. It allows me to simply give and get respect equally and makes life much less stressful and more honest and meaningful.
It was awesome hearing you speak in Vegas, and LOVED your creative live class!! I have been trying to find that sweet spot between a healthy business, healthy family, and healthy self….still working on it. One thing I do is refuse to work on Friday. My kids( 4yr old and 2yr old) are out of school every Friday so that we can spend ALL day together. I know this is going to change once my daughter starts kindergarden, but for now it is awesome. As for my lovely husband, we honor our date nights, and fully believe in kid free vacations 🙂 I am trying to keep Sunday’s free for the family, but it hasn’t been completely successful yet. Also, I am apart of a women’s work out group called Kaia F.I.T. Oakland, and pushes and supports me to workout daily. Often I feel like I am doing a juggling act, but there are those blissful moments when everything comes together in blissful harmony.
I just realized that you asked for “ONE” thing and I wrote a small book. Sorry bout that. Since this is random maybe two entries will help my chances! ;-)~
It was my first ever WPPI. I was saving and planning for almost 4 years because every year I wanted to go, something came up or didn´t have enough money and I couldn´t go.
I was way more of what I expected in every way. Just to be surrounded by thousands of photogs from all over the world was a whole experience, plus you got to learn from the best of the best, the photography rock stars. And it was amazing to see in person all of them (like you Tamara) who you follow, watch in webinars and look for inspiration everytime you are about to go out to work.
I felt like a teenage girl in a One direction concert!!! I’m 46 BTW :-/
The only down side of it was that I took my girlfriend with me since she was my second camera and we broke up the 2nd day so the rest of the trip was not perfect. I tried to focus on what I went to do, learn, network and buy gear (Of course, to have fun to) but it was hard and kind of sad.
I’m going next year for sure and this time, I´ll go by myself, hahahaha!!
You could see it everywhere, and I adopted it: I heart WPPI!!
what’s one thing you do to help make life and work all come together more smoothly? – I try and make it a weekly thing that both of my children get my undivided attention out of the house at some point so there is no work to distract me. I completly focus on them.
I always put the family first. It’s constantly evolving as life gets busier. Being flexible is key for me!
Everyday I count my blessings in all things and be truly grateful for them, my love, my children, my health, my love of my work, my gifts. They are not a perfect balance – but when stress creeps in, I remind myself how blessed I am, and other things seem less significant. xox
I have a 6.5 ( going on 15?!) year old son, and a husband whose schedule keeps him away for a couple weeks at a time. I have had my son join me on shoots that are my own personal projects. He helps me carry gear, and is learning how to take photos and edit with my phone. I show him how I play with pictures in post, and he is ALWAYS willing participant when I get the bug to make a fun video. He has been a big help, because when dad is away at work we kinda form our own team 🙂 Loved seeing you at TSM! 😀
Focus on what’s important, because you can’t do it all
I do calendar planning w my husband 2 months out. We talk about his travel schedule, weekends and when we are going on that next romantic getaway weekend. 🙂
Focus.
Lovely work and beautiful family! I was so glad that I got the chance to travel from Mexico to the WPPI and be able to be in one of your classes at the Nikon booth. You have a personality that make me laugh and enjoy every second of what are you saying. I watched you in creativelive talking about children’s photography and the best part is when you make funny noises while you’re working hahaha. Thanks you for the inspiration! -Albany
It looks like you had an amazing time in Las Vegas. I’m so sad I missed seeing you speak in person!!! Nikon is my favorate camera brand as well. 🙂 Anyways, we have family game night once a week, so I make sure that I do not book anything around that. We also always have a sit down meal together at least 5 nights a week. My daughter is my assistant on a lot of my shoots, and she loves doing it (she is 13 yo on Sunday!).
I would manage my time better between business and personal life.
My kids have four legs, so getting to have them with me when I work is great for both of us. They love to spend time curled up on my lap or next to my desk.
One strategy I will be working on to bring work and family together is my “downtown” project. I will be shooting many of my sessions this year at the best downtowns in New Jersey. You know, the cute little main streets with restaurants and cafes? After each shoot, I hope to have the family meet me at the location so we can enjoy each town ourselves. . I may just get some shots of them. 🙂
This used to be so easy….When my kids were little they loved to help and model….And family dinners always happened. We were the family that didn’t have tv (cable that is) – we could do movies – and the kids didn’t have phones – they used to read BOOKS a lot! Now we are into the teen years and they both got phones (I did hold out till 8th grade on both and recommend longer to anyone out there deciding). They are 13.5 and 15.5 and are in the it’s all about “me” years….The phones/computers are their new life – ‘go away mom, I’m studying’ – so now, I actually, believe it or not have more time – and secretly, I love it. I still wish I had 10 more hours in a day. Now my kids (while they pretend to not like being photographed) enjoy the memories of all the pictures from trips and holiday cards and when my son went to his first winter formal and I said we’re taking pics at a car wash – he played cool, but he couldn’t wait to get them on his phone to show off! So in all this we still try to have family dinners (between lacrosse/dance/and homework) and have the no phone policy in effect around mealtimes and at restaurants (RANT) – in our case as both my husband and I work out of the home – it’s quantity – not always quality, so the secret is to take them out and away and then we reconnect – and when home to just be present – so when they want to share, you are there! (And getting off the computer more myself – jeez I’m as addicted to Pinterest as they are to some of their games…And I must learn to be more a yes mom too. Thanks for the topic. Hugs!
Thank you very much, Tamara, for describing WPPI with your photography. I couldn’t attend being far away, but now have an idea wha it was all about. I heard there was a competition, but couldn’t find this information. Who was announced to be the best photographer of the year? Good luck with everything, really like your All in One Life series. Thank you, Adorama, for sponsoring CreativeLIVE!
This was my first WPPI and it was great, not only for the education but also for the aha moment I discovered while I was there. Sometimes you gotta get your priorities in line. Not easy to do in this line of work. Thanks for sharing.
I remind my self that I do my business for my family, not family for my business. It is an often needed reminder, but it helps a lot!
Also, I work from home, but I have a rule that when I am editing photos or creating marketing materials or answering emails, If my kids need to come talk to me, I have an open door policy. After school, they can come into my office and I put the computer down and look at them. They need my undivided attention for a few minutes and then I get back to work. Without this, my long hours exhaust us all. Since I do meet with clients on some evenings and weekends, this is an allowance I give to tell my children that I DO love them and they are more important than my work. It has made a huge difference in calmness in our home.
Hi Tamara,
I assisted to your conference at WPPI 2013 and it was soooooo refreshing.
You really inspired me and opened my mind.
Love your work and your passion shows in every picture you take.
Catherine Landry 🙂
Oh Boy, this is a bit of a sensitive area for me to comment on. Wrapping my work and life as a single mama with 2 small children is rather easy I suppose. Easy because, I am completely dedicated/devoted to them, but I am also inspired by them TO work. However, the last 4 years of building my business have proven incredibly difficult in the area where I live (western MA). Folks around here simply don’t place value on photography of family…at least not the kind of work I produce. It’s super frustrating, but still I push on. I am just thankful for my children, their love and inspiration. Thank you Tamara for all that you do to inspire!
Getting enough sleep is probably the biggest thing I do to keep myself balanced. When I don’t get enough due to stress or for whatever reason, the diminishing returns show up really fast.
I’m also working on improving my diet food lifestyle choices and adding more strength training to my workouts. I really enjoyed and learned a lot from your Health & Energy Creative LIVE workshop. Pretty sure I’ve seen all of yours thus far actually. 🙂 Thank you for putting health first!
Tamara!
You are great photographer. I personally learned a lot from you. Keep going
Yoga is my secret to balancing work and family… now our kids are teenagers and it’s a whole new experience with new challenges. Yoga keeps me sane and lets me take time to appreciate all the blessings I have! (and prevents me from being a workaholic!)
That drunken newlywed mickey and minnie were terrifying! On another note, I’m going to try so hard to finally get to WPPI next year! Hate missing out on all the fun 🙂
I enjoy your work and loved watching your video’s on Scott Kelby Training, I learned so much. You have such a wonderful positive energy. For A suggestion to living and working better…try not to hold on the the things that burden you down. Think positively and focus on the good. Try to get outdoors more and enjoy what is around you. Yes, bad things happen to all of us, but we should try to deal with them then move on.
It is so tough as photographers to set up standard “working hours”, but I have found that it is absolutely necessary. So, come 3pm my computer is off, I let calls go to voicemail and most e-mails will wait until tomorrow. I pick up my kiddos from school and then I am teacher, chauffeur, chef, hug giver, boo boo kisser,and MOMMY. It really is what it is all about.
I began sending my 2 year old to “school” three mornings per week so I could focus on work while he was learning new social skills. Then when he’s home, I make sure to really be with him – knowing he won’t be little forever and that there will be plenty of time to work when he’s older. I also feel great knowing that not every client is for me since it directly affects the time I have with my little family…pretty sure I learned that from you 🙂
As a full-time single mom, the flexibility of my job allows me to spend lots of time with my son doing things that I may not otherwise be allowed to do. I wake up early every day (between 5 and 6) to start my day off early and get him off to school. After, I spend quality time for myself – doing a yoga class, going for a walk. Afternoons are hectic with lessons and practices and games, but we always try to have a nice dinner together and talk about the day, week and month ahead. I get tons of sleep too! It is all a gentle balance and communication amongst the group is key!
I think if we all took a little time to do more selfless acts for others, it would make life that much better.
For me, it’s little things like keeping a schedule, having set jobs around the house, and drinking wine on the weekends.
Looks like a memorable experience for everyone. You have a beautiful family. Thanks for sharing.
I do a monthly project with my kids that mostly involves them in woodworking. They plan it and we build it and they love this idea. It gives me a time out from photography and everything that goes with it except for a snapshot of the final project. Most days, I do not work after they get home from school unless we are out shooting together….both of my kids 7 and almost 6 have their own pocket camera and love to use it.
I consider myself more of a hobbyist as I just started photography a couple years ago and have so much more to learn. I find myself getting so absorbed in editing and learning online that sometimes I feel guilty for not doing my normal everyday duties around the house and spending time with my family. What I have started doing is setting my timer so I can do my editing or online education without the “guilt” feelings and then i have time for all the other great things in my life 🙂
sure wished I would have been there would have learned loads of info
After many years of reading and studying other photographers I have finally learned that to be creative, you must develop your own style. Thank you Tamara and the many other photographers I have and still am listening to. 🙂
I always take time for myself daily, even if it is only for a short time. Meditation early in the morning helps me get through my daily routine. It keeps my life balanced.
Great pics of the kids, what camera did you use for the street shoot?
Looks like you had a really great time! I’d love to attend in the future. 🙂
I schedule a project a week, no matter how small, so that I keep my brain going. Customers want my time and energy, but I need to do something for ME, to keep my art intact. This is how I make it happen, and what smooths out all the edges.
The biggest thing you can do is to always be prepared. You never know when shots will come up so keeping a camera on you allows you to bring life and work together at a moments notice.
I’m a tech “renaissance man” type from Georgetown, Guyana, South America. I got into photography years ago when my great uncle handed me his old Konica Minolta X700 with a 50mm f1.7 lens. It took some pretty great shots and still does even though the focusing screen is all blurry. I got into Digital SLRs when I finally saved up enough to buy an entry level Canon but got to spend the savings on a few good lenses when my parents decided to reward my efforts by buying the camera for me. An example of how work and passion comes together for me is in my websites. I do website development and may well be on the verge of something I can really turn into a small company (hopefully, fingers crossed and pots of coffee bewed) and those moments when I step away take a walk and just shoot with my camera is my therapy, however some of those very same shots that were taken just for the hell of it have turned out to be so useful as content for some of my clients :D. Photography is an art, the art of capturing light and for me capturing something that captured me (my attention) for however brief a moment of time that it did. Hopefully at some point in the future I can catch one of your talks at WPPI so please do make it a sixth and seventh year speaking too. Thanks for letting me share a bit of my two cents.
My wife and I schedule our time together and do most leisure things with each other.
Thanks for all your insight! Have you shot any video with the J3, or just stills? As a photographer, I love the idea of having a smaller camera on my person at all times that I can rely on. But as a new father, I’m leaning towards something that will also capture video as well as my DSLR can.
Keep up the awesome work!
I write EVERYTHING down. I use a planner to keep everything organized. Knowing what I have to do and keeping it organized makes my life soo much easier. Then if something pops up its easier to reschedule if needed. 🙂
Learn the power of saying “no”.
I just make sure I keep everything in balance. Work some, play some, be sure to be grateful for all your opportunities!
Wow this is hard. As I still have your “Work Life Balance” waiting for me to watch in its entirety on CreativeLive, I am a “work in progress.” My girls are not in school full time yet (my oldest is in half days 5 days a week & my youngest goes to a 3 year old program 3 days a week for 2 hours), so I don’t have 9am-2pm to work or any such set hours. Lately, I have found that I am scheduling more time with my girls. Despite how behind I am (or feel I am)….I don’t check my phone at the park (unless their dad is texting me), I enjoy lunch & talk with them. I am reading more again (which as a former teacher I know is SO important) & I am scheduling playdates so that they don’t sit inside all day watching TV while I work…..Taking 2 online classes since January has made it even harder. I only shoot 3 days a week (normally) & I take off most Sundays where I do NO work at all & just focus on the family. At night, I work until 8pm (at the latest) then spend time with the hubby….if I am truly behind I work more after he’s gone to bed. I am just know trying to add exercise as a priority in there as well, so I am working on letting go of the things that I couldn’t get done today. Whether it is laundry is delayed a day, or a gallery takes a week & a half instead of a few days to finish….(my contract says 2 weeks) I am doing my best to balance….though I feel as if I am standing on one foot, balancing on a ball while holding a stack of plates in one hand & juggling with the other…..which may mean I am not doing a good job. The girls are fed, told I love them often & even though I may not play Barbies, babies or Ponies as often as they would like, we do things together…..& I get to continue doing photography…
I just try to involve my wife and son in what I’m doing. Simply sharing your successes and trials involves the whole family unit. My son is only 3, so for it’s mostly seeing/touching my cameras and being comfortable with getting his picture taken, but I try to meld everything together as much as possible, while still always trying to leave time for relaxation and play together.
How to make work and life come together smoothly–
I find it’s good to have a schedule and be fanatical about sticking to that schedule. I plan on a certain amount of time for retouching each night, an hour of marketing/networking per day and that still leaves me two hours to spend with my girlfriend. I occasionally have time to sleep too!
Balancing work and life:
Me and the wife have shared Google calendars: I have all of my work in one, my hobbies (read: sports) in another, and we combine our personal stuff (kids’ appointments, etc) into another. All shared and all with read/write access, so we can never say “I didn’t see that on the calendar!”
Helps a lot to have everything planned together.
What a great week you and your family had! I really enjoyed listening to you on the Nikon Stage. One day (hopefully soon) I’ll upgrade from my Olympus to the D800 or do I dare dream the D4! Living here in Las Vegas, I sometimes forget the fun you can have being a tourist. I know what I’m doing this weekend!
Thanks for the inspiration.
Awesome Tamara thanks for sharing, looks like you hd a total blast. Packed house 🙂 I just watched your contemporary Child photography course on Kelby Training, really great stuff I learned alot from it. Keep it going and bring us newbies more information and training so we can one day be as good as you 🙂
We try to have family dinners together every night. We go around the table and share what our favorite part of the day was. It’s a good time for us to catch up, talk about upcoming events during the week and just spend time together.
Lately (and thanks to the new perspective you gave me on grocery shopping with kids in tow during the cL Health class), I have given each kid a task at the grocery store. All of this juicing is causing more frequent trips to the market (!), so I find it helpful to keep them focused while I’m trying to pick out just the right kale. 😉
Finally, I have declared Sundays a no-work day. One day a month I will schedule photo sessions on this day, but I try my hardest to not do any work/check emails/edit/meet with clients, etc. at all on Sundays. It helps to know there is one day a week that is totally devoted to family.
I love the way you have balanced your work and family in these photos. I am still searching for the job that lets that happen for me. In my photographic life I have found it more satisfying to hand my daughter a camera and have her come along with me and shoot her own things while I shoot mine. It’s been nice bonding over the years.
Looked like a great time in Vegas. It was great to have the family along for the fun. You really seem to enjoy your work. It is reflective in the photos you have shared with us. I wish had children to share that with. Your photos, especially of the girls, are very vibrant in color. I love my Nikon DSLR a lot. My wife and I are going to a international conference that she is speaking at in San Diego in mid-June. Looking forward to capturing some great photos of Mission Bay and some of Southern California for the first time in my life. Thank you for sharing your busy schedule and photos with us!!!! God Bless.
I am not currently working as a photographer, but if I do manage to make a career out of my photography, I know that I must never allow my work to come before my family, no matter what.
Wow, that looks like a lot of fun. I wasn’t previously familiar with the event, but Twitter has brought me to it.
Very nice article. Love the mix of work, vacation and family time all wrapped up into one. Great images of your family mixed in with great examples of professional work too. It’s great to see someone who enjoys what they do so much and is fortunate enough to have the opportunity to have everything blend together so nicely. Oh………..to be so lucky.
Love your work Tamara!
Tamara, you exude positivity. Thanks for being such a great mentor and role model!
We did a random comment pick and Tyler Rippel won the $100 Adorama Gift Card – thanks so much for all the wonderful feedback!
Being able to say no! Especially starting off. I think we want to get as much work/experience as possible at first so our family/personal life gets shoved to the backburner some times. That’s not fair to anyone! So making sure when you have family time scheduled you don’t interfere with that.
Looks like y’all had a great time in Vegas! I was honored to meet you!
[…] imagery-related – plus much more. Â We’ve done this gift card giveaway multiple times in the past on this blog, and I love it when the winner emails me :Â “Wow! Â That was just like a free […]
[…] addition, I’ve been able to speak on their behalf at a variety of shows, including several WPPI programs, in Las Vegas and a few at Photo Plus Expo, in New York. They also championed the idea of […]
Can’t say that I’ve figured it out, how to make it all come together. That’s why I’m reading all the great posts above 🙂