Vegas, Baby – WPPI
Don’t wait up. I’m headed to Vegas. Every year, there is a trade show and convention for wedding and portrait photographers. It’s called WPPI. I love being there and meeting other photographers doing great work and meeting with vendors that can help us make our business better and increase our service to our clients. This year, the keynote speaker is Gregory Heisler. This year, WPPI is legit.
Suitcases are packed. I just need to put them in the car, right after I make this post. Then, I’m hitting the road.
Update on the 30 Strangers. If you haven’t already put your name on the list, you have until midnight tonight. Tomorrow morning we’ll randomly select the participants and send an email to confirm the date we’d like to photograph you. Thanks to everyone that expressed an interest.
And now, Vegas, baby.
Bridal gowns – Alta Moda – This weekend
For brides that love beautiful things, there is Alta Moda. One of the finest places around for wedding gowns. This weekend, February 26th and 27th there are having their trunk show.
From their site:
You will not want to skip this event. We don’t even know you yet, but we know you’re out there, searching for something special, something to less run-of-the-mill, something sensational. If we’re lucky enough to meet you at the SUPER trunk show next weekend, we just know you’ll find the one.
When Brigham Young entered the Salt Lake valley for the first time, he said, “This is the Place.” My guess is, you just might say the same thing when you visit Alta Moda.
Ben’s Portrait – The Mandate Press
The Mandate Press in Salt Lake City, Utah, is fast becoming known as the finest place in the country for letterpress printing. That’s because they are the finest place in the country for letterpress printing.
Ben Webster runs the show over there and Process Magazine is writing an article about him. Then they called me because they need an accompanying portrait for the article.
I love going to Ben’s shop because they are always working on so many cool projects. It’s inspiring to see what they do and how many beautiful printed pieces they churn out on a daily basis, like business cards, wedding announcements, baby announcements, thank-you cards, birthday cards, holiday cards, and the like.
Let me just tell you that there is a mile-long list of photographers that get their business cards from Ben (like me!) including two wedding photographers I love, Max Wanger and Amelia Lyon.
If you want letterpress, it’s no secret that the Mandate Press is the place to go.
And now, Mister Ben Webster.
Seth Godin
Seth Godin spoke on Friday in Salt Lake. I loved it. He is funny and inspiring and brilliant. I saw my friend Janet Meiners there, too, and judging by the length of her blog post about it she took far better notes than I did.
Big thanks to Kelly King Anderson at the Startup Princess for lining this up.
Seth Godin
Some people are so nice
I love it when strangers (or anyone, really) take time from their busy day to write me. Here’s an email I received today from someone I’ve never met or spoken to.
Comments: I live in Québec Canada and I think your photography is so inspiring, I would actually travel to UT for a sitting with my two young daughters. That’s how drawn to your work I am. Thank you for doing what you do. Never stop!
Best wishes for 2010 and beyond!
P.
This made my day. Some people are so nice.
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Justin Hackworth Photography. We’re not just making pictures, we’re making history.
How to Get a Free Portrait Session for Someone You Love
My wife’s friend Molly has joined a great Christmas cause called The Giveaway Giveaway. Originating from Miggy, the idea is to offer you a giveaway that you give to someone else anonymously. So you nominate a worthy friend, sister, neighbor, teacher, general loved one, and that winner wins a free portrait session, plus 20 high res files.
See all the details at Molly’s site, A Good Grief, where she is hosting the giveaway. Leave your comments on her post to enter. While you’re there, check out her story of grief, loss, connection and healing. She is one strong girl.
Utah photographer in Idaho – BYU-Idaho Art Seminar
Thursday, October 22 at 6pm I’m giving a lecture at BYU-Idaho for their Art Seminar series. I’m going to be telling the story about the first time I kissed a girl (it was during the TV show Family Feud) and about the time a guy was walking around Rexburg without a coat when it was twenty below zero. (I’m going to leave the swear words out of that story. It still works without the swears. I mean, it’s not like I’m giving a lecture to pirates). I’ll also show some of my work and talk about how I got started in photography, why I do it, where it’s taken me, and the photographers that have made an impact on my craft. My goal is that listeners will be both entertained and inspired.
I may even work in the following quote from the book No More Secondhand Art:
The greatness of a poem or a painting is not that it portrays the thing observed or experienced, but that it portrays the artist’s or the poet’s vision cued off by his encounter with reality. Hence the poem or the painting is unique, original, never to be duplicated.
Maybe I’ll see you there.
Smith Building – Room 240 – 6pm
Mother/daughter portraits – Utah
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Justin Hackworth photographs happy families, beautiful events, and he wants to photograph you. And now, this time of year, is such a great time for such things. The colors in Provo canyon are already changing. They won’t stay like that forever. We should talk.
Painting of a photographer
I kept seeing this guy outside my office. He was always painting. So one day on my way home I approached him and asked what he was doing and he told me his name was Steven Waggoner. He explained his cool paining project called “Hour Provo” and then he asked me if he could paint me. Who, me? Fun!
Thanks, Steven. I love it.
In the above picture, it sort of likes like I might be peeing my pants or that I’m sitting on bologna, but I’m not. Seriously. I’m not. I have no explanation for that expression. Awkwardness, I guess.
Photos taken by Ashley.
Internship now available
Our 2009 Fall intership position is now available. This is designed for college students (art and photography majors, design, advertising and marketing majors are all a good fit) who are interested in learning more about the business of photography. All the details regarding who we’re looking for and what is required can be found here. Please, please, please–for the love of all things holy–read the full description before contacting us.
Thanks!
Mother/Daughter portraits – Provo Utah
Senior Portraits – Highland Utah
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Justin Hackworth photographs seniors in high school, seniors in college, and seniors in a retirement community. Getting married? We do that too. Book a session today.
Provo Mayor?
Steve Clark is running for the mayor of Provo this fall. Earlier this week he announced his candidacy and today he came by my studio to be photographed. I was really happy to hear about his vision for downtown Provo, especially since my office is in downtown Provo. My favorite part is when he said there would be jet packs for everyone by the year 2015. (Just kidding. He didn’t say anything like that).
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Justin Hackworth photographs successful politicians and he wants to photograph you.
How To Be A Portrait Photographer
Watch this 30 second slideshow and you’ll know what it’s sometimes like to be a family portrait photographer. You’ve got to work fast.
Portrait Of An Art Curator – Jason Metcalf
About Jason Metcalf, here’s what Ryan Neely said in Square Magazine:
Jason Metcalf has turned Provo inside out, by curating monthly exhibits that stun, impress, and stupefy. Whether it’s giant amorphous structures, bulletproof beer cozies, or thousands of books forming a giant wall, the exhibits at the Sego are always intriguing and backed up with scholarship from some of the best art minds in Utah.
Jason is the director of the Sego Art Center in downtown Provo, where these portraits were taken.
Six ways to be a better photographer
I wrote a short article called “Six Ways To Be A Better Photographer – Right Now” and it’s now posted on one of my favorite blogs: Stephmodo.com. Here’s the link:
http://www.stephmodo.com/2009/01/six-ways-to-be-better-photographer.html
New Picture Every Day – 2008
Since 2003 I have been sending out via email a picture a day to family and friends. Well, it’s mostly every day. For example, this year, I sent 214 pictures. It’s a mix of old and new pictures and almost all of them are different than what shows up on the blog. I send out travel, personal work, family pictures, wedding pictures and a few out takes slip in there as well.
I’ve made a three minute slideshow of every picture I sent out from 2008. (They go by quick). Take a look. And if you’d like to be added to the email list, email me and let me know. It would be great to include you in 2009. This will be my sixth year sending out the pictures.
http://justinhackworth.com/slideshow/20081231/
Party This Friday!
This Friday, December 5th, we’re having an anniversary party at the studio. Although I’ve been in business for ten years or so, we’ve only been at this location for one year. We’d love to have you come say hi. If you’ve been reading the blog now and again and we’ve never met face to face, now’s the time.
The Gatsby’s will be playing and we’ll be giving away some gift certificates from some of our favorite locations in Utah County, including the Pizzeria 712–a place I wish I could dine every day.
Partygoers, do you believe in the power of sweets? Then you’ll be so glad to meet The Sweet Tooth Fairy and her cupcakes. Available in January at their retail location; available Friday at our party.
All the info can be found right here. We’d sure love to see you.
Portait of Jonathan Canlas
I knew when I woke up yesterday that it would be another great day. Turns out, I was right.
Jon Canlas is a pretty big deal. He’s sponsored by Fuji, he publishes his weddings in all the finest wedding publications, and he photographs weddings all over the world. And the amazing thing, is that he’s only 16 years old. Just kidding. He’s older than that.
Yesterday he came to my office and we had a great time talking about why we shoot weddings and what moves us to be photographers. He told me about his process and I told him about mine. (One thing that’s becoming increasing unique about Jon’s route is that he shoots all film). And we talked about the photographers we admire both in the wedding industry and in the commercial world.
I’ve admired Jon’s work for some time now, so it made me so happy to be able to spend a couple hours talking about the craft with someone I respect. Thanks, Jon. I want to have more days like that.
Jonathan Canlas – Photographed in Provo Utah by Justin Hackworth
Portait of Design Mom, Gabrielle Blair
Everyone loves her wildly popular blog, DesignMom, but the real fun is being around her. Gabrielle is funny, bright, lively, and spirited. No wonder moms find so much joy from her site.
Gabrielle: Thanks so much for your time. It was a real pleasure meeting you. I hope our paths cross again soon.
Photographed at Zermatt Resort, Midway, Utah.
Photography put to good use
Have you seen this? And, do you ever see something that is the sort of thing you would have thought of if you were smarter or putting forth a little bit more effort (or, at least that’s the way it feels)? Well, that’s how I feel about The Human Calendar. I love it. I think it’s so cool. And I wish I would have thought of it. And then the other thing I wonder, is, if this is old news and mentioning it here is like getting an email from a dopey friend that wants to tell you all about this new thing on the internet called MySpace.
Family pictures – The Roach Family
It won’t be long before these guys are moving to Germany. So they came to town to say goodbye to family and friends. While they were in Provo, I think they did something very smart. They made an appointment to get family pictures taken. (I love smart people). Claire found me on Stephanie’s blog. (I love Stephanie’s blog).
Here’s a slideshow of more of their family pictures. (I love taking family pictures).
We only have ten available portrait sessions left for the month of November. Interested in getting something for Christmas? Time is running out. Call me.
Clark Family Pictures – Provo Utah
I love these guys. Chris and Lisa have five kids and can you believe they are somehow able to fit all of them in a Corolla? Just kidding. They have a mini-van.
See a two minute slideshow here.
Idaho wedding – Jason and Jenna
If you drive an hour north of Sun Valley in the central mountains of Idaho, you’ll pass Dooley Creek and climb Galena pass, then level off at 7,000 feet about five miles before you get to Stanley. Now, turn off Highway 75 and head west to Red Fish Lake. If you ask the local folks at the lodge about the weather they’ll tell you it can snow up there any day of the year.
So when you leave your cabin at 5:55am on September 1st for a sunrise wedding, that’s when you notice you’ll be shooting in a blizzard.
But that’s not where the story begins. The story starts when Jason and Jenna are in high school. Back when Jason and his buddy thought it would be funny to sneak into Jenna’s house and put on her clothes while she was sleeping. Imagine how that looked when Jenna’s mother came in. That’s the first time she had ever met Jason. Oh, sure, they laugh about it now…
A few years later, he was living in San Fransisco and she was living in Boise. Their folks both say it was the Lord that got them back together. The engagement was speedy, and on September 1st, 2008, in the Central Mountains of Idaho, Jenna and Jason got married in a snow storm. It was, on all accounts, beautiful.
You can see a three minute slide show of their wedding here.
Photography Lesson
By a long shot, the person most responsible for my development as a photographer is Kent Miles. Here’s something great I learned from Kent.
“You can never see what’s behind you by looking twice as hard at what’s in front of you”.
In other words, move around. Look past the obvious. And the best picture might be right behind you.
Salt Lake Wedding – Lindsay + Whitney
Wow. Good times, Lindsay and Whitney. Let me just say, the Conley family knows how to throw a party. My, my. To see a three minute slide show, click here.
Wedding: Salt Lake Temple
Reception: McCune Mansion in Salt Lake City
Cake: Dippidee
Flowers: Planted Earth Floral
Dress: Alta Moda
Hair and Makeup: Enizio
Mood: Bliss
Fun Level: Off the charts
Class: High
Jack
Almost two, already cool–here’s Jack.
A forty second slide show is here, and if you want photographs like this for you or someone you love, give me a call.
45 Second Experiment
What sort of Sherrif do you think he’d be?
I’m scanning some negatives from around 1997 – 2000. He’s an image from way back then. An oldie, but a goodie.
Here’s where I’ll be on Saturday
Come by and say hello. I’ll be here with Amy.
Utah Wedding Party – Isabella and Elledge
And here’s a short slideshow.
Family portrait
One of the world’s great bloggers is also one of the world’s great moms. I was so impressed with how Stephanie and her husband were with their kids. Truth is, I was impressed with a lot about this family, but the way they were with their kids really stood out. What a great time I had with these folks. Thanks, Stephanie. Being with you and your family was a real joy.
For more images, you can see a short slide show here.
30 Strangers – Day Three
Evelyn
Goodbye Beautiful Lucy
Goodbye beautiful Lucy Jackson. We love you.
1999
I’m scanning some negatives from some things I photographed in 1999. Here are two gems I came across.
WPPI
WPPI was really, really great/exhausting. There was so much info packed into three days. For me, hearing Denis Reggie speak was the most valuable part of WPPI this year. He was, by a long shot, the most inspiring speaker and the one with the most valuable and well thought out content. He was bright, informative, clever and very gracious with his time. I’d go hear him speak again in a heart beat.
Amy came with me and our main purpose for attending was to check out album companies. We’ve been using GraphiStudio and we’ll continue to use their Italian-made albums. We spent some time at the Cypress booth and fell in love with their stuff. We are excited to begin offering Cypress albums. With a world class brand that is Justin Hackworth Photography, only the finest albums will do.
While we were there, I was able to introduce Amy to the fabulous photographer and all around fantastic fellow Jose Villa. He introduced us to his cinematographer friend, Joel Serrato, whose work I really enjoy. We ended up talking to Jose for about 30 minutes.
We also ran into a couple great photographers from Provo and I finally got to meet Justin Lyon. Justin and his wife Amelia are photographers in Southern California but Justin is from my home town of Rexburg, Idaho. He knew me, and I knew him, but we’d never met face to face. We finally met and I think he’s great. So listen, if you’re getting married in Southern California, of course the first thing you’ll want to do is to call me. If I’m booked, however, I think you’d be wise to call them.
The convention
Jose Villa
Dena, the owner of Cypress (in the white shirt).
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It just so happens that Amy and I had our 8 year wedding anniversary while we were in Vegas. We had a great time there and are looking forward to WPPI next year.
Great photography will always be in demand
Once I had dinner with a friend of mine. She made one of the best meals I’ve ever eaten. So satisfying. The next day she gave me a ride to the airport and while she drove, I snapped a few pictures of her. She saw the camera and said, “Wow. I bet that takes really good pictures.” I almost said yes, but thought about it for a few seconds, and told her that I was so grateful for the food she made last night. I told her it was so good, and said, “You must have some really good pans”. She laughed a little (thank goodness) and I think she got the point. Just because you’ve got a nice skillet doesn’t mean you’re a chef. Just because you have a piano, that doesn’t mean you’re a musician. And yet, for some reason, lots of people think that if you’ve got a good camera, you are a good photographer.
Earlier this week, I met with a wedding coordinator. He said he is seeing that more and more people are not hiring professional photographers to shoot their wedding because they have a friend or an uncle with a nice digital camera. Luckily, that trend is only seen at the bottom end of the market.
The truth is, great photography is not made in the camera, but rather, like any art form, in the heart and in the head.
The truth is, great photography will always be expensive.
The truth is, great photography will always always be in demand.
Well this sure is great news
Photo District News (PDN) is an award-winning monthly magazine for the professional, commercial and advertising photographer. Each year they devote one issue to wedding photography and hold a contest called Top Knots and publish the winning entries. I sent three images to them. They accepted one of them. The issue will be published in April. How cool is that? I’m going to be in Photo District News with this image!
Our brand new, re-designed site
The newly re-designed justinhackworth.com is up and running. Check it out. Thanks to Jeffrey Whitehead who did all the heavy lifting on this. Great job.
