Emilie and J

I love this photo of Emilie Sommer and J Sandifer I made last night at the Pictage party. They are both wonderful people, good friends and completely in love with each other. J will be at the liveBooks booth today all throughout the tradeshow at WPPI, so stop by and tell him you saw him and Emilie all googly in love with each other.

LaCour at WPPI

WPPI has been fantastic so far. Andrew & Rachel were featured presenters at WPPI's Business Institute on Saturday. Over 400 people were in attendance and the response we've received from the presentation has been so positive. Thank you to everyone who has come up to us and given us feedback. We appreciate it! After the presentation, the LaCour crew, along with some friends went out to celebrate Mark's birthday! We had a swanky ride in a limo over to Mandalay Bay where we had dinner at the Russian restaurant Red Square, which featured a special sub-zero room with over 200 premium vodkas from around the world. We all donned fur coats (Note: For animal lovers out there, I was told they were not real fur) and sipped some pomegranate vodka in the freezing temperature. Fun!

Afterwards, we hung out at Mix Lounge at the top of Mandalay Bay, which provided an amazing view of the Las Vegas strip. Then, we all went to see Cirque du Soleil's O at the Bellagio. Absolutely Stunning.

On Monday, Mark spoke at the liveBooks booth. We also attended some great talks, including one by our good friend, Greg Gibson and then went to dinner with Greg and some other great friends. Thanks to Matt Mendelsohn for organizing the fun photojournalism lovefest/dinner at Mon Ami Gabi! We ended the night by heading over to The Palms hotel and going to a party at the KingPin Suite, which was absolutely amazing. In case you're wondering... Mark threw plenty of gutter balls.

**Click Here to see more photos.

And of course we're here at WPPI until Thursday, so look for more updates soon!

Introducing ShootQ

After three years of development, we are excited for you to meet ShootQ, an innovative web-based studio management tool designed to free photographers from the tedious tasks of office work!

ShootQ will streamline your studio -- easily organize and track job inquiries, instantly share leads with your colleagues through your online "Q-Club" community.

What will you be doing while ShootQ is working for you?

Take a video tour of ShootQ:

http://www.shootq.com

Don't be Afraid of the Dark!

With the right techniques, you can master lighting in dark spaces!

We're proud to announce the debut of our instructional DVD!

LaCour collaborated with Kevin Swan and the talented team at New School to create an instructional DVD featuring LaCour's signature lighting techniques. The DVD will empower you to use your flash (both on and off camera) to create flattering, beautiful light in even the darkest ballrooms!

Learn specific techniques for:

• Bounce Flash
• Direct Flash
• Remote Flash
• Available Light

www.kevinswan.com/
www.newschoolphoto.com/
www.newschoolphoto.com/blogme/the-fabulous-four/
**Click Here to purchase the DVD or the download!

What Happens in Vegas...

LaCour's WPPI Schedule

Saturday 3/24:
3:30pm: Speaking at WPPI's Business Institute

Sunday 3/25:
6:15 pm: WPPI Welcome Reception
8pm: Dinner with the Livebooks crew
Late Evening OSP get-together at Napoleon's

Monday 3/26:
12:45 pm: LaCour speaking at Livebooks tradeshow booth.
Dinner Commitment

Tuesday 3/27:
3-4pm: LiveBooks VIP Lounge (upstairs suite, for those interested in learning more about Livebooks sites. Come to the tradeshow booth for more info)
6 pm: PICTAGE Party
8 pm: [b] party
11 pm: Foundation Workshop get-together

Wednesday 3/28:
Lunch Commitment
12:45 pm: Speaking at LiveBooks tradeshow booth
6:15 pm: WPPI Awards Night Reception

LaCour in Rangefinder

We are proud to be featured in this month's Rangefinder, among an inspirational group of friends and colleagues such as Huy Nguyen, Mike Colón, Mike Larson, Bob and Dawn Davis of laStoria Photo, Gene Higa and many others! The March edition of Rangefinder is the largest issue of the magazine ever published. We'd especially like to thank talented writer CharMaine Beleele for crafting such a fantastic feature about LaCour! We look forward to seeing everyone next week at WPPI in Las Vegas.

CLICK HERE to read the article.

Hidden in Red Rock Country!

Howdy from Arizona! The LaCour team is hidden away in Red Rock Country, in an undisclosed location, engaging in strategic planning sessions. Don't worry, we have managed to set aside time to relax in the nearby hot tub, enjoy some great meals and gorgeous hiking trails! Stay tuned for updates from our trip out West. In the meantime, check out these hilarious head shots.



Anybody seen Mark?

Customizing Your Blogger Header - Update

Two months ago I explained how to add your own custom header to a new blogger blog. A few people still had some trouble and I just wanted to share a great resource. There is a more extensive article on this blog. And it also has a lot of other great resources for those of you who use blogger.

Check out the Testing Blogger Beta (now New Blogger) blog.

My Friends Are My Estate

One of my favorite quotes from poet Emily Dickinson is

"My friends are my estate."

I am incredibly grateful because I am surrounded by friends who remind me what it truly means to be rich! Two of our newest photographer friends, Delaney Holliman and Tammy Chambers, assisted us at a wedding this weekend and they reminded us how lucky we are to have giving, talented people in our lives! Thanks guys for everything you did to make our visit in Macon smooth and fun! And thanks for introducing us to The Tic Toc Room. We enjoyed a late-night bottle of wine and tapas after a busy day of shooting!

Photo Studio Time Lapse

Last weekend, Erin and I photographed the wedding of our good friends, Jen Sens and Eric Larson. Eric and Jen photographed our wedding in August. Check our their wedding photography website.

There were about 50 pro photographers at their wedding - which is always a challenge to shoot, because you feel like everyone is watching what you're doing to see if you're getting the best shot/angle. But it was fun to have so many talented photographers there. The coverage of their wedding should be nothing short of spectacular!

I wanted to share an awesome movie clip that Eric put together and emailed everyone. You HAVE TO SEE THIS! It's hilarious. Cy Cyr set up a photo studio with a remote trigger for the guests to shoot pictures of themselves. As you can imagine, we didn't have to shoot very many group pictures ourselves, we just sent them to the photo studio! The resulting movie clip is a time lapse of all the pictures taken at the photo studio. 1300 images at 10 frames per second.

**Click Here to watch the clip!

Thank You & Congratulations!

Thanks to everyone who participated in the Thirst Relief Benefit Auction! We look forward to meeting the winning bidder, "KCarter," in Las Vegas and/or at our Business of Storytelling workshop in April! The LaCour team is honored and humbled that you invested in a mentoring session with us, and we truly believe that we all can learn from each other -- that's why this industry is so wonderful! It's all about creative collaboration. So, "KCarter," email us anytime at info@lacourphoto.com because we can't wait to get to know you!

LaCour Ups the Ante

So here's the deal. To contribute to the competitive spirit of the Thirst Relief Auction, Mark has decided to announce that if LaCour receives the highest bid in the Thirst Relief Auction, then the lucky winner will get the distinct honor of shaving Mark's beard at WPPI! Or if you prefer, we'll find us a barber to come and clip it all off - maybe on the WPPI tradeshow floor?? He's been growing his beard for over 13 years and is ready to part with it for a noble cause. Help us save lives! And have some fun along the way!

So this will only happen if the auction ends with LaCour receiving the highest bid. Remember that the winner of our auction will also get a free seat to our Business of Storytelling workshop, which is worth $1,695! So if somebody bid's $1,000 for us, you're still saving money and the money you are spending is saving lives and then Mark gets a new 'do!

Oh, we've had a lot of inquiries from people who can't attend our April workshop, so we'd be happy to let the winner attend one of our other dates, which will be announced soon.

So stop reading and start bidding. If you want to come to our workshop, then what a screaming deal. Somebody's getting such an awesome value for under $400 right now! That could be you. And if you're daring and want to help Mark look more respectable, then start bidding!

Last Chance: Thirst Relief Auction!

The Thirst Relief Benefit Auction closes in a few hours! Bid now and you could win a free seat at LaCour's "Business of Storytelling" workshop! This is a great opportunity to save lives and share knowledge with fellow photographers through mentoring sessions.

**CLICK HERE TO BID NOW**

Foundation Workshop Recap

I just wanted to share a little bit more about the Foundation Workshop. My involvement was such a rewarding experience, which I hope to be able to be a part of again.

On the first day of the workshop I gave a short presentation on how to blend into the scene. As documentary photographers who strive to make storytelling images, our goal is to record reality, not reality as it is affected by our presence. I shared some practical examples of ways to build a trusting relationship with subjects so that they would open up their lives to us as photographers and let us make storytelling images. One of the best ways to do this is to first simply sit down and talk with your subject and share stories, all the while looking for common interests. We feel comfortable with people whom we share common interests with, so the sooner you can establish a bond, the easier it is for them to open up and allow you to document their lives.

A highlight for me was Anna Kuperberg's presentation. She shared some photographs from an ongoing project she's been working on where she has been documenting a neighborhood in St. Louis. Her dedication to this long-term project was inspiring and the photographs she has made show how much her subjects trust her and have let her into their lives. See some of her photos on her fine art website.

My primary responsibility with the workshop was to be a mentor, so I went out into the field every day with some of the workshop attendees and gave them one-on-one feedback and guidance to help them improve their seeing, shooting and storytelling. I saw overnight transformations in how the attendees improved their photography. The workshop was such a powerful experience which focused on growth for everyone involved.

The dates for next year's workshop have recently been announced: February 25-28, 2008. Check out the Foundation Workshop website for more info. And to register, email Huy Nguyen: huy@fworkshop.com.

Electro-Shock Therapy

I developed this strange ringing in the ears around Christmas time that would simply not go away. After a thorough analysis by leading experts we've thankfully determined that it is nothing more than that. I have tinnitus, which produces a mild ringing in my ears that is really just a bit of a nuisance.

The doctor thought it best to "nip this in the bud" while I'm relatively young so it doesn't become a chronic problem.

So I have six treatment 90-minute appointments over the next two weeks that involve hooking electrodes up to my ears and giving me low-grade electric shocks and exposure to infrared-radiation to make the ringing go away.

Thanks to an open wireless network somewhere in this medical building, I can sit here and work — or play on Apple's Photobooth!

UPDATE: Thirst Relief Benefit Auction

LaCour is offering a free seat ($1,695 value) at our April workshop, The Business of Storytelling, to the Thirst Relief auction winner!

You don't have to attend WPPI to bid. If you cannot meet with us in Las Vegas, the mentoring session can be conducted in Atlanta during the workshop dates.

**CLICK HERE TO BID NOW**

Thanks for joining the effort to help Thirst Relief bring water to families around the world! Together, we can make a difference.

Rules: The winner is responsible for lodging, meals and travel-related expenses. The winner must get one single-occupancy room at Twelve, the hotel that is hosting the workshop ($195/night over 4 nights.) New enrollees only. Must win LaCour's mentorship at Thirst Benefit Mentor Auction.