Viva Las Vegas!

I am home and trying to recover from all of the excitement at WPPI! I packed in so much learning, met so many new friends, connected with old friends and had a total blast. How did I cram so much in just a few days? I think my combined total of sleeping hours was the equivalent of a single night's sleep.

Here are some highlights from my Vegas experience...


I ran around the strip with some old and new photography friends on Sunday night: (from left) Nate Williams, Barrie Fisher, John Williams, Michael Riddell, moi, Robin Langsdorf and Kevin Focht.

Robin, Barrie and me in front of the Eiffel Tower at our hotel, Paris.

Did you ever think that shopping at Dolce & Gabbana could be this much fun?

Barrie wore the spikiest high-heeled shoes and somehow managed to walk for hours in them. She made me try them on and I lasted about 2 minutes. ouch!

Here's that sassy Barrie in those shoes outside her favorite store.

Robin in Armani.

More fun on Monday night with Robin, John and Mike.



On Tuesday night I attended the Becker's [B]Party at The Hotel at Mandalay Bay. I've never been in such a small space packed with so much talent (and so much heat)and I was very honored to be there.

Here's me and my pals Mike Colon and Ray Santana having some fun and wishing Terry Clark were with us!


Here is the [b]est host in the universe! Thanks for the fun and the red vines,
Becker!

I was thrilled to meet the uber creative Jules Bianchi and her equally adorable twin sister, Joy.

One of the coolest couples I met were the talented Nick and Signe Adams from Utah.

Here is the famous Pepper Nix and the genius behind the Simple Photo Minute Dane Sanders at the Pictage Party.

Here I am with my new sister Tabitha Sherrell at the Pictage party. Someone had just told me I look like the actress Catherine Keener and a second later I met Tabitha who I think looks even more like her.
Here is a photo of the real Catherine Keener. Do you think there's a little similarity there??

Me Ra Koh is amazing! I am impressed with her ability to gracefully juggle a booming career with motherhood and life so well. Here she is presenting with the very famous David Jay at the Pictage lounge.

I saw many wonderful speakers, but was the most inspired by Matthew Jordan Smith . His presentation was full of energy and I was buzzing for hours afterwards. Definitely check out his work!

I had a mentor session with the one of my favorite photographers on the planet Jessica Claire and learned a ton! I was so thrilled to have the opportunity to learn from this super sweet and amazingly talented gal.

Amanda Harris is an up-and-coming photographer and I'll be photographing her cousin's fabulous wedding this summer.

I was so excited to meet Anne Ruthmann! She is one of my inspirations in the field and super-duper sweet too!

Joe Buissink is one of the world's greatest wedding photographers and one of the world's nicest guys. I adore him!

Yeah baby, yeah!

Hey everyone!

This is just a quick update to let you know I'm on my way to Las Vegas tomorrow before the sun comes up for the Weddings & Portrait Photographers International (WPPI) convention and trade show.

I'll be learning and hanging out with some of the best photographers in the world.
When I return on Thursday I'll post a bunch of snapshots from my trip.

I've got to run off and catch a few z's.

Toodles!
~daria

This One's For You, Steve!

Hi everyone!

In case you are wondering why in the world I would have such a goofy photo of myself here, it’s for my friend, Steve Mease, in response to a comment he left on my blog a few days ago….

“I see life is good for the Bishops. A little too good I'd say from my envious perch here at work. You have way too much fun. At least I can live vicariously.... I'm waiting for the photo series on the pile of dishes, unfolded laundry and dust bunnies under your bed that must accumulate while you, the hubby and kids are out having a blast! Either that or please take some nice portraits of the people who cook and clean your house, they deserve it.
Steve :)”



See Steve, we even have fun when we’re cleaning house, and here is a photo to prove it!

....Yeah right!

But the truth of it is, no one would really want to know about the days I’m stressed out of my mind or grouchy.

Although, there is a blog that I’ve heard is quite popular called: the dullest blog in the world.

Go figure!

Now excuse me while I go tend to my laundry and dust bunnies...

Vermont's fringe benefit

The best way to cure the winter blues is to get outside and play in the snow! The bummer is, sometimes there's not enough snow and sometimes there is snow, but it's just too darned cold for this California girl. Lately, we've had plenty of snow and the sun has been smiling on us nearly every day. Perfection!!

Thanks to Andy, I've been able to snap a few photos while out and about with my handy and adorable Canon Digital Elph. Only trouble is, I can’t find the strap, so it’s nerve-wracking to take photos on a ski lift, 20 feet above ground, while the wind is blowing! Yikes!!

So, Andy and I finally got out for a ski together on a fun weekend away thanks to my photography pal Karen Pike!! I photographed her daughter Emma’s Bat Mitzvah last summer and she blew me away with a gift certificate to the Inn at Baldwin Creek in Bristol including a fabulous dinner and breakfast AND she took the kids for the weekend! Karen and her family are THE BEST!!

Here we are at Ole’s Cross Country Ski Center in Warren on our weekend away.
We bumped into at least a dozen old friends from the Waitsfield/ Warren area of Vermont. It was a total bonus!
Our good old friends from our mountain biking days: Marilyn and her husband Adam! Click on her name to see how fabulous she is!

We arrived to pick up the kids from a block party in Karen's neighborhood and Baxter, who had never before been ice skating was playing hockey with the boys! We were so proud!!
Andy snatched up the camera when he and some friends traveled to Maine a couple weekends ago to ski in the Rangeley Lakes 50km Loppet (a.k.a. a super long cross-country ski race, through deep snow, with a broken ski pole.) The super heroes pictured from left: Karen, Mike C., Jesus, Andy, Paul, Mike R. (also an awesome photog), Audrey and Phil. Doesn't it look like an ad for L.L. Bean?
Last weekend we utilized our ski passes at Bolton Valley Resort and met up with a bunch of neighbors for some fun family skiing.
Good thing Andy has long arms or we wouldn't have all fit in the photo taken high up on the chair lift.
Summer, Mia and Patty.
Here is most of our group...
and here is the other part...

The results are in!

I entered the WPJA's winter photo contest and I just learned that 4 of my images placed in the top 20!!
I am so thankful and honored to be a WPJA member and to have the opportunity to compete in an international field of amazingly talented photographers.
But most of all, I would like to take this opportunity to thank my beautiful brides and grooms who put their ultimate trust in me to document their weddings and allow me to use my creative talent to capture priceless moments like these. Thank you!!