Bobby and I leave bright and early tomorrow morning for a business trip in New York City.  As I get ready to "sail off" to New York for the week, many things are holding me back. 

The search for my assistant has taken some exciting turns and I can't wait to investigate it further. 

My workload for edits + processing has become sky high...chock full of really fun stuff that I can't wait to churn out. 

My brother finally bought a house in Fort Worth and is having it inspected this week.  The big sister in me desperately wants to be there to help him out, but it was not meant to be. 

Most of all, I can't believe that I will be leaving this little face behind for the second week in a row.  Millie has grown seventeen inches and sprouted even more sass (the good kind) since I left for San Francisco last week.  I've been soaking up her declarations of making her dreams of being a vet and doggie fashion designer realized ever since I set foot back on Texas soil.  Well, that and her new-found hobby of writing us letters saying how much she loves us.  Sigh.

As I scurried around tonight making sure every loose end was tied, I noticed the red sun setting and how it beamed onto the wall near my office.  Freshly scrubbed and in her new peace sign nightgown, I snapped a frame of Mills in the glow for me to put in my memory bank during my travels.  She is definitely a delight.  My delight.

I'm looking for an part-time assistant who can fill in the blanks for me on:
data entry
customer service
packing/shipping
assisting me at weddings by 2nd shooting & holding lights (around 10 Saturdays a year)

I would LOVE for you to be:
FUN
reliable
agreeable
organized
excited to learn
a lover of the arts
able to go with the flow
not interested in owning your own photography business!

It would be killer if you had experience with:
using a digital SLR camera
graphic design/Lightroom/Photoshop
using Mac computers

If you are thinking that this would be a good fit for you:
know that I will pay well if you "bring it"
I am open to giving you even cooler responsibilities as time goes on
give me a shout at katemefford@me.com and let's set up an interview!

Pay will be based on cumulative work experience + education + strengths.

Mwah!

Hi all!  I just wanted to let everyone know that I will be heading out to San Francisco today to attend a photography workshop and won't be returning till Thursday night.  I will have limited access to email, so if you need me, go ahead and send me a message, but know that I might not return it immediately...but I still love ya.

Until I return, enjoy this image (one of my favorites...ever) from Ashley + Bob's wedding, featuring Ashley's sisters and grandma.  After I return, I'll show ya the whole shebang!

So, most of you know that I am involved in a community of photographers who specialize in documentary style photography for weddings and portraits, called the Foundation Workshop Forum.  Each year, the Foundation Workshop teaches around 30 students how to "see" when they are shooting.  Students are given random assignments to local establishments and are asked to photograph there for two days.  (You may remember my work on the McKinney Senior Recreational Center and you just got a glimpse of my work with Vivero Boxing Gym last week.)  Each night, the students bring back their work to their team leaders, mentors, and other team members and are critiqued.  Technical aspects, story-telling, creative shooting, earning trust from your subjects and much more are covered at this workshop.  Most who attend say it is life changing, so if that applies, I've had my life changed TWICE.  =)  I went back in 2008 and again in 2009, and was asked to be the official staff photographer this year.  My job was to document everything from the day spent in the classroom to photography technique building activities to students at their assignments and getting critiqued.  It was a nonstop job that I would do again in a heartbeat.

To say that I love my Foundation Workshop friends is the biggest understatement.  Outside of my family, these people are the ones who are most in tune with my world.  Because I am a business of one, I don't have staff meetings or watercooler time.  I get the support, friendship, and camaraderie from the members of FW, and can't imagine doing this business without them.  I even have formed such great friendships with my homegirls:  Kathryn Krueger, Olivia Brown, Kirsten Lewis, Erin Chrisman, Jenny Jimenez, & Morgan Lynn Razi.  It's such a cool feeling to have buddies to discuss cameras one second and Louboutins the next.  I also have my surrogate "brothers", Ed Atrero, Ryan Jones, & Jan Garcia to say "That's What She Said" jokes with.  Double score for me.

So, if you are a photographer and are serious about getting your ass into gear, check out Foundation Workshop Forum, the Foundation Workshop, and Foundation Conference (at which I am speaking next November!).  The majority of American Photo Magazine's top 10 wedding photographers in the world from last year are members...as well as several Pulitzer Prize winners.  Need a visual aid?  Here is a schmorgasboard of images that I took at Foundation Workshop 9 in Austin as the staff photog.  Feast your eyes, my friends!

If you have any questions about the workshop or forum, give me a shout!