A lot of it is technical. I learned a lot of new things dealing with my camera as well as developing a workflow (which has SAVED me)… BUT the main thing I took away from Renew is FAR greater than I would’ve thought going into last March. It is essentially what is says – a Renewal.

REMEMBER – Ginny will be in Austin March 9-11th. Registration starts TOMORROW – Feb 1st. Get on it… it WILL sell out fast.

To give you a kind of synopsis for the weekend – I’m just going to tell you step by step what went on for myself.

First day we got there (late – whoops!), we had a little get together. We learned so much about each other… we all learned about each other and we just got to share our own story of how we came into photography and our business. This was really fun and actually really relaxing… just getting away. I still talk with some of these photographers daily through our Facebook group, which is FREE and you will get to be a part of after you attend.

Courtney of Courtney Moore Photography|Michael of JMHP… y’all both seriously rock!

Our second day was the meat and potatoes. There was a lot of info covered that I still have notes of.  I went back the week following and just digested it some more. You learn in the weeks to follow, not just ON that weekend… Ginny shares anything and everything. She is an open book and you will learn TONS! My favorite and most valuable piece of information I came away with was ActionRunner… seriously… where had it been all my life. I have developed a workflow that allows me to have FREEDOM in my business. I wouldn’t have learned how to develop a consistent and easy workflow if it hadn’t been for Ginny. We also learned about other great products that I would highly recommend. That same day we went to shoot with Ginny and that was a great experience in itself. Shooting and learning all as a group. It was so fun!

Sunday was really great. It was an optional day for attendees to attend a time of worship and prayer. I was SO tired that morning but Courtney and I made ourselves go. We were (are) both so glad we did. Ginny asked us our concerns and fears we were having in our business. She prayed over each of us individually. Through her prayers, God was showing me things under the surface. There was so much of me hidden and hiding… I don’t think Ginny knows how much of a moving and special experience that was for me… but it was well worth any amount of money the workshop costed. Am I perfect? No… am I learning? Yes. God taught me that. It’s a process, but a process I’m most definitely willing to take.

I’m so excited to be joining forces with Ginny this March (9-11th) for another RENEWAL here in AUSTIN. This year the costs are lower, and… there’s really no excuse. Will you join me? REMEMBER Registration is tomorrow! Hope to see you there!!!

I’m very excited that Ginny Corbett of Ginny Corbett Photography is making her way down to Austin this year for her Renew Workshop Tour! I was able to attend Renew Dallas last spring and to say that it changed my life this last year is an understatement. That’s why I’m also EXTRA excited that I get to help her plan the workshop here in Austin THIS year! Ginny – Austin’s excited you’re coming…

Ginny is actually giving away 5 free seats at her Renew Workshop Tour this year!! One seat at each location: Raleigh, Austin, Dallas, Nashville, and Lubbock. Here’s how you win…

1. “Like” the contest blog post.  Click here.
2. Tag yourself in the Renew Tour photo on her business page. Click here.
3. Leave a comment under the photo on facebook tell her which Renew Workshop you’d like to attend.
Yep…it’s that simple!!

Contest ends on Jan. 30th at 5 pm. Winners will be announced on Jan 31st (the day before registration).

THANKS Ginny!!!

I’ve been wanting to make my packaging my OWN and it turned out perfectly. I wanted to give my Bride & Groom something that LOOKS great with their finished product.

Who doesn’t love opening pretty presents?

These gorgeous boxes came from DNL Photo Packaging

a small sampling of my favorites from their big day

Their DVD/CD with a Millers Accordion Card

They even have an option to order CD “hubs” and I loved that!

a handwritten note

and

pretty ribbon

THIS Office Space…

YAY! I now have my very own space – and I LOVE IT! Before I had my own office, Derik and I shared an Office Space – and while I love him… I did not love the football and the gaming that was going on. I mean, I love me some football… But Derik is in 3 (THREE) Fantasy Football leagues – enough said.

We decided to move things around and decorate… there may or may not have been problems moving the desk – there was – and there may or may not have been any broken toes in the process – there was… but it’s finally finished!

I can finally have a photo of my HUSBAND and I – ON MY DESK – not piled under everything that became “Brittney’s Desk” – it’s really where everything got put!

There are tons of things in here that are new. I’ll definitely be blogging about each one individually… but for now… I just wanted to show you MY SPACE!

Hey there Tob!

“The best camera is the One That’s with You. Images aren’t about dynamic ranges and megapixels. They’re about stories and moments.”

~ Chase Jarvis

So, I thought I’d start a little something that I can do weekly… I love this quote and it has always reminded me to be in the moment. I may or may not always DO that – remember the stories and the moments – but I want to TRY and remember. I have SO many photos on my iPhone – in fact – right now I have well over 1100+ yikes! I just recently was able to get them on my computer and back them up. I honestly would be devastated if I lost all my photos on my iPhone. Seriously… there are a lot of memories there.

I really hope to keep this up because really… “The best camera is the One That’s with You…”

 
Brittney Melton Photography & Design is now WeddingWire Rated for 2011! Thanks to all my past Brides and Grooms for all their support!

Austin, TX – 7/5/11 – WeddingWire, the nation’s leading wedding technology company, is pleased to announce that Brittney Melton Photography & Design is WeddingWire Rated 2011 for Photography. WeddingWire Rated is an annual award program that distinguishes wedding vendors across the country for their excellence. Based on hundreds of thousands of recent wedding reviews, WeddingWire Rated is the most recognized and trusted brand among engaged couples looking to find the best local businesses for their wedding.

Brittney Melton Photography & Design has 4 reviews on WeddingWire. Reviews by our newlywed clients include detailed ratings and insightful descriptions about their experiences working with our business and staff. Our reviews provide transparency for potential clients, assisting them in making the most informed decisions for their big day.

“We are delighted to unveil the 5th annual WeddingWire Rated program,” said Timothy Chi, CEO, WeddingWire, Inc. “{Enter Your Business Name} has made a commitment to capturing their clients experiences on the nation’s leading wedding review site.”

As the largest site for wedding reviews, WeddingWire empowers engaged couples with the most comprehensive and trusted review system available. The WeddingWire Rated program provides {Enter Your Business Name} with a simple platform to capture customer feedback from their wedding planning experience. Newly engaged couples can easily access all of the reviews for {Enter Your Business Name} on WeddingWire.com. We would like to thank our newlyweds for our WeddingWire Rated 2011 recognition.

For more information, please visit Brittney Melton Photography & Design on WeddingWire

For more information on WeddingWire Rated 2011, please visit www.WeddingWire.com.

About WeddingWire, Inc.
WeddingWire, the nation’s leading technology company serving the $70 billion wedding industry, is the only online wedding planning resource designed to empower both engaged couples and wedding professionals. For engaged couples, WeddingWire offers the ability to search, compare and book over 200,000 local wedding vendors, from wedding venues to wedding photographers to wedding cakes. WeddingWire also offers an online community and a suite of cutting-edge planning tools for weddings, including wedding websites and wedding checklists, all at no charge. For wedding professionals, WeddingWire provides free online management tools creating the only market opportunity that gives local businesses control over their clients, reviews, leads and performance. Businesses that join the WeddingWire Network appear on WeddingWire.com and other leading sites, including ProjectWedding.com, MarthaStewartWeddings.com (NYSE: MSO), Weddingbee.com, and Celebrations.com (part of the 1-800-Flowers family of brands, NASDAQ: FLWS).

So, let me know if you would like an “invite” – feel free to email me … or you can request your own invite… but I heard that it takes a while? I think this got bigger quicker than they were thinking!

Pinterest is basically a “pin” board where you can keep and save ideas. They also have a handy dandy Pin It button you can add to your shortcut bar of your browser (ie, Safari, Firefox). Honestly, this would’ve been PERFECT for planning a wedding. So, Brides – take notice! I don’t know how many times I’ve emailed myself a link to go back to and read or look at – and I NEVER go back to it… this is a great way to keep everything in one place! So – check out some of my favorites…

Decor I Love:

Food I Love: YUM!

Sayings I Love:

Ideas I Love: things I would LOVE to do someday!

YOU can create your own boards of any kind… I’m kind of in love with it!

And Jessica – I love my Shootsac!

What can I say… I LOVED this workshop. It was so fun and SO needed! I learned a lot but went away with TRUTH!

Ginny Corbett, thank you so much for all you do! You rock!

On Saturday, we started out at the most awesome ALoft Hotel!

I’m so glad I got to go with one of my best friends… Courtney of Courtney Moore Photography|Michael… it was so great to meet you!

and you too Shelby!

Then we headed to Arbor Hills Nature Preserve for a little bit of shooting!

Dara was the most AWESOME bride… thanks for modeling for us girl!

Shari Henson – you and your little one are SO cute!

Ginny Corbett & Andrea Crosswhite (YES, I got to photograph MY wedding photographer – how cool!)

YOU ARE GORGEOUS!

Umm… go girl!

It was like paparazzi

More of this adorable guy

Ginny I can’t thank you enough for all the valuable resources and all of the laughs… mostly I can’t wait to see what God has in store for me!

Can’t wait to share with you!

There are some amazing workshops out there. Some far, some close… but never really worked out for my schedule and budget. I’ve always wanted to go to the For the Love Workshop. They had one this last November. It was in Oregon… but with work schedules and weddings to come, it wasn’t possibly for me to go. SOME day… I will hopefully make it to this one!

In the meantime… Ginny Corbett  of Ginny Corbett Photography has put on MANY amazing workshops and I am SO excited that this one is in DALLAS, TX. It’s The Dallas Renew Workshop and seems like it would be just perfect. It’s close, it’s not too long… I wouldn’t have to necessarily take off work. PERFECT!

Me and my good photographer friend are already planning how we can make this work. It would be so amazing to win and such a blessing!

Ginny – you ROCK!!!