Jan. Recap… We are Storytellers:

As per usual, we take January, being our ‘slower’ month, for a little R&R…

Deb took a few days to South Padre Island with some friends and I went down to one of my favorite places, Nashville!  My trip however was paired with a little education…

I attended the ImagingUSA photography convention/seminar~ and I loved every second of it!  Having attended several other similar conventions over the last 15  years, I had obvious expectations and each and every one of them was far surpassed.  It was a great few days of classes, live shoots, testing new equipment, seminars and networking parties and I am beyond excited to implement some of the new things I gathered during my time there.

Of course, I was able to send a few days ‘playing’ in downtown Nashville and had a great time wondering the streets filled with music and taking in all that the city has to offer.  Made my first trip to the Frist Art Museum as well, which was fantastic~ I recommend it if you find yourself in TN.  Took in some amazing live shows and enjoyed that lovely Southern hospitality around every corner.

Our biggest highlight was watching the people of TN totally FREAKING OUT about the fact that is snowed (and by snowed, I mean, a few flurries were on the ground) twice while we were down there.  I watched kids ‘playing’ in the snow and adults scraping on their windshields with anything and everything that was not an ice scraper.  Even watched a man pouring hot water on his car and looking at it perplexed when it simply froze right back over again… ha!  It was a good laugh, for sure.

Deb and I both had a heck of time attempting to return home from our trips, with basically all of the Southern state’s airports all but closed, due to ice.  Deb and the girls basically took part in a roll of ‘Planes, Trains and Automobiles,’ driving from one place to another to catch a flight to do the same and on and on, just to get back.  I basically spent an entire day in the Nashville airport awaiting our flight, a flight, any flight, to take off! Ugh… the joys of travel…. I did get to catch up with several other photographers from the Midwest, also waiting on a flight out, while there, so we did manage to pass the time.

All and all, it was a great week and I can not believe that the Holidays are over, January has almost come and gone and here we sit, almost a month into 2018.  After one of the classes I sat through, I just couldn’t help but reflect on what we are really doing here as photographers… preserving memories for others and in reality, giving them a gift that will be treasured for years to come.  This particular speaker was attempting to remind everyone why we do what we do. Why we have dedicated our lives work to photography. To art. To others.  That really stuck with me.  As a photographer, we are storytellers.  We are all storytellers and I am dedicating 2018 to all of those who have a story to be told.  THAT is why I became a photographer…

So here is to all of you, fellow storytellers~ May you tell your stories in and of 2018 with pride, joy and a smile!  May we all remember to not only share our stories, but to listen with open minds and full hearts, as well. I can’t wait to hear yours…

Happy 2018 & happy storytelling!  -Ash 🙂