Education, Friendship, and a 12 Hour Delay | The Tales of ImagingUSA 2020
When it comes down to it, yes the education is important, and yes the degrees are exciting. But the friendships that being a part of the state and national organizations have brought me are so much more valuable. This little tribe I’ve come to call my own unlike any other. These girls bring out the best in me and inspire me to do my best every day. Although we are spread across the state of Nebraska, and I wish weren’t so far apart, it’s so nice to have someone to call up to bounce ideas off of, to get advice from, to love and support in all aspects of business and life, to laugh with and to grow with. Tonya, Amy, Alecia, Jes, Emily (and Brian and Derek) THANK YOU. Thank you for being my people, and for letting me be one of yours.
Back in January, I traveled to Nashville, Tennessee for a National Photography Conference called ImagingUSA. It’s a conference filled with educational classes, a huge expo with all the different vendors in the industry, a banquet honoring photographers who earned their degrees that year (Yay Amy!) networking, and so much fun. Thanks to the education, the friends, and especially insane travel delay, this trip was definitely an experience I won’t soon forget.
Sometimes I feel like I might be cursed. Wherever I go, whatever I do, it seems as though some form of chaos is sure to follow. So when I got a text at 10:30 pm from United Airlines that our 6:30 am flight was delayed until 11:30 am because the incoming crew was delayed due to weather elsewhere the day before, I shouldn’t have been surprised. Knowing that this delay meant we’d miss our 8:30 am connecting flight in Chicago, I decided I better call United Airlines to find out my options. Are you surprised that after being put on hold for an hour they told me there was nothing they could do other than maybe get us on a flight the following day? And when I asked if they could switch me to a different airline so we wouldn’t miss the first day of our conference she told me she couldn’t do that because her internet browser was locked from seeing competitors websites? Dumfounded, I hung up and attempted to get some sleep.
Anyways, fast forward to the morning. I check the app, and there is now a 3:00 connecting flight available. So I try to make the switch and they tell me that we can’t get on that flight because the available seats are first class, and we have basic economy tickets. (Note to self: don’t buy basic economy to save $35)
Frustrated and anxious about most likely getting stranded in the Chicago airport all night, Tonya and I went to the Lincoln airport to begin our journey to Nashville. We get checked in, we get through security, and we wait.
And we wait, and we wait, and we wait.
11:30 rolls around and there is no sign that boarding is about to begin. Finally around 11:45, there is an announcement that there is still no crew to fly our plane, but that they are on an incoming flight that is to arrive around 12:30, and our new boarding time would be 12:45.
12:45 comes and goes, and now they say it will be 1:30 because, you know, they still don’t have a crew, and they’re trying to get one. New boarding time: 3:00. (good thing we didn’t get that 3:00 connecting flight in Chicago)
3:00 rolls around. Do we board the plane? Nope, because now we have a pilot but no attendants. (Can’t I just serve the drinks and read everyone the safety manual?)
As Tonya and I sat in the Lincoln airport, stranded all damn day 15 minutes from my house, with only overpriced airport sandwiches and fruit cups to eat, we realized how thankful we were that at least we were together and making the most of it, and making new friends, too! (what else do you do when you’re stuck in close quarters for 9 hours?)
Finally at 3:45, we board the plane, and we headed for Chicago. We landed, found our gate, enjoyed some overpriced dinner, grabbed some hot tea, and it was time to board our 7:30 p.m. flight. We were so excited because we finally boarded on time, AND we each had our own row of seats. (miracles really do happen)
Just kidding. We sat on that plane for an hour waiting to take off. Why couldn’t we make our 58 minute flight from Chicago to Nashville you ask? Because the bathrooms were broken. The airplane plumber had to come try to fix it, and he opened the wrong one, and it smelled SO BAD that they finally deplaned us. THEN, after 20 more minutes, they switched us to an entirely different airplane. We had to wait another 45 minutes so they could stock the concessions. WE DON’T NEED SNACKS ON A 58 MINUTE FLIGHT!
In the end, we arrived at our hotel room at 12:30 am, approximately 12 hours later than we were supposed to. But finally, we were there and ready to soak it all in!
Day 1: Classes + Trade Show
What is super cool about the ImagingUSA conference is that there are so many classes to choose from, so no matter what level you’re on, or what you specialize in, or what you want to learn, there is a class for you. So this is where we all split up and went to learn what we needed to.
The first day of the conference was my absolute favorite in the educational sense. The first speaker I listened to, Makayla Jade, gave me so much inspiration and affirmation in the way I view photography and the power and value of a printed photograph. I walked out of her class with a vision for where I want to take my business and little steps I can take to get there. Seriously you guys, I am so excited to start implementing what I learned from her. After her class, we all met up for the Keynote speaker, Jim Kwik, who is a master of brain power. Raise your hand if you find yourself losing and misplacing things often. Is your hand up? This guy is for you! Seriously, check out his podcast, Kwik Brain! After the keynote I went into the trade show and stopped by all my favorite vendors, and some new ones too, to get updates on their products and pick some new things to add to my lineup this year! And also to get super stoked over one of my favorite Professional Labs, ACI, using one of my albums for display! The afternoon was filled with a couple more classes on branding and creating an amazing senior experience, followed by a truly southern dinner experience at a local restaurant. The Moonshine Bloody Mary and the Shrimp were to die for! So. Good. To end the night, we hung out and danced and had a few drinks at the welcome party!
Day 2: Classes + Trade Show + Amy Gets her Master’s Degree + Night on the Town
The second day of classes was equally as great, but my absolute favorite was Vanessa Joy’s Lighting class. Now I know the secret to getting that golden hour look at any time of day. SENIORS ARE YOU READY FOR THIS!? I seriously could have learned just this and gone home satisfied. After her class, I went back to the trade show and made some big decisions. Like new packaging! I don’t know about you, but making things look pretty makes my heart so happy. The afternoon was spent in our hotel room, learning from each other, munching on pizza, and getting ready to celebrate Amy. This woman, I swear, is the most giving, the most kind, the most intelligent, and the strongest woman I know. She has been through so much this past year recovering from a very serious brain trauma, and yet she still powered through and earned her Master of Photography Degree. Amy, I am so proud of you. You are truly an inspiration and I am better because I know you. After getting all fancy and attending the award ceremony, we celebrating by hopping around the iconic Broadway Street!
Day 3: Classes + Naps + a Late Flight Home
The last day of the conference, we slept in a little, and then went to the best photoshop class I’ve probably ever been to. I learned so many little things that are making my life so much easier, it’s unbelievable! After that, Tonya and I said farewell to our friends, packed up our train wreck of a hotel room, and made our way back over to the conference center for one last class before we had to catch our flight. We were an hour early for the class and I was in need of a nap… so I found a quiet place and passed out for hot minute. I guess thank you for documenting that moment, Tonya. I’ll forever know how tired I was! The final class gave me some great ways to serve far away clients, so even though I was exhausted, I am so glad I sucked it up and went to one more class before hitting the road. Now I’m sure you’ll be surprised, but our flight home was flawless. It was a late night. but not a single delay. Except when we landed in Omaha and it was freezing rain/snow and our Lyft driver to Lincoln drove 55 the entire way because the roads were so icy and it took almost 2 hours for a 50 minute drive. Let’s just say the next day was filled with lots of naps.
When it comes down to it, yes the education is important, and yes the degrees are exciting. But the friendships that being a part of the state and national organizations have brought me are so much more valuable. This little tribe I’ve come to call my own unlike any other. These girls bring out the best in me and inspire me to do my best every day. Although we are spread across the state of Nebraska, and I wish weren’t so far apart, it’s so nice to have someone to call up to bounce ideas off of, to get advice from, to love and support in all aspects of business and life, to laugh with and to grow with. Tonya, Amy, Alecia, Jes, Emily (and Brian and Derek) THANK YOU. Thank you for being my people, and for letting me be one of yours.
Project Senior | Rachel L. | Lincoln Southwest
“Looking at my pictures together afterwards made me realize that that really was me! I really did that. Finding confidence was hard at first, but by the end of it and looking back on the photos, I don’t know if i’ve ever felt more confident.”
Meet Rachel.
Rachel’s story is so unique, and it all began in Ukraine with the name Yelena Ivanova Verbitskya! At 9 months old, she was adopted, and from there she grew up in Albuquerkue, New Mexico as Rachel Marie Lemen. She spent 16 years there before her and her mom moved to Lincoln! While in New Mexico, Rachel went to a high school called Eldorado where she was a cheerleader for two years. Her past two years in Lincoln she has attended Lincoln Southwest, where she is now a senior! As you can imagine, the move was a little scary, but she says it really helped her step out of her comfort zone! Upon moving to Nebraska, Rachel got into Rodeo and it also brought her one of her most cherished friends, Cash, a 17 hands high quarter horse. You’ll see this beautiful horse in many of Rachel’s senior pictures! The bond between them is so so sweet.
When Rachel’s not spending time with her horse, she’s busy with spreading love and connecting with people through her YouTube Channel, The Pack. Be sure to check it out! She also loves traveling to the Disney Parks (her very favorite place to go!) as well as London and Paris.
After high school, Rachel plans on attending Southeast Community College here in Lincoln. She’s not 100% sure what she wants to go into because there are so many possibilities, but she really loves business and horses, so if she could do something that combined those two worlds, she would have a career she truly loves!
What I love the most about Rachel is how much she joy she finds in making other people smile and feel loved. She is inspired by all of the empowering women in her life. She has so much wisdom and truly has a beautiful view of life. She understands that life is short and it’s important to spread love instead of hate. If we can learn one thing from this inspiring girl, it’s that we can all be better about letting others know they are loved and appreciated.
Rachel, I am so thankful I got to meet your pasta, watermelon, and wolf loving self! You are so inspiring, and I am so excited to see where life takes you. Between your kindness and the love you spread and your ambition to make a difference, I know you will do great things!
Rachel’s Experience with Sonnenblume
“My experience with Sonnenblume Studios was so much fun! Before the session i was feeling a bit nervous because I didn’t know how the shoot was going to go. However, as soon as the photoshoot started, Gabby me feel really comfortable and confident! She started to make me laugh, she asked about my family, and make it feel more like i was a friend and she was taking photos for me! I had never had an experience like that before, so when Gabby would encourage me and make me laugh, it made me more confident! One of the main things I really enjoyed about was that she got to know me on a personal level. It wasn’t just someone saying “smile” then taking a picture. Gabby got to know me and it make the experience so meaningful and so much more fun!
After the Photoshoot was done, seeing the photos was incredible! My jaw dropped! When looking at photos, I really liked how her organization worked. There was a Yes, No, and Maybe category to help narrow down to our favorites. That truly helped a lot! Looking at my pictures together afterwards made me realize that that really was me! I really did that. Finding confidence was hard at first, but by the end of it and looking back on the photos, I don’t know if i’ve ever felt more confident. I really enjoyed my experience with Sonnenblume and hope to do more things with her soon! I totally recommend to everyone!
Senior year is an exciting time in life. You are in the stages of of defining who you are, deciding what you want to be, and where you want to go in life. You've got personality, and dreams, and so much potential. Your world will change so much in the next year, so as you get ready to move on to the next big thing in life, it is important to commemorate who you are right now.
This year, I’m looking to put together a model team! I’m searching for current juniors who will be graduation in the Class of 2020 who have souls that are full of adventure, and hearts full of happiness! Being a Sonnenblume Senior Model is all about sharing who you are, spreading your story and your message for the world, earning some cash and having fun while you do it!
What being a Senior Model entails:
Be Famous! You will become the face of Sonnenblume Senior Marketing!
Two Free Sessions! - One in March, and one in June or July
Share your favorite pictures with your friends and get their opinions - Collect Names!
Meet with me weekly to share your results
Hand out session offers to your friends!
Earn $5 Print Credit for every name you collect
Earn $15 Cash for every referral who books a senior session with Sonnenblume!
Fun Styled Shoots throughout the year
Fun get togethers with the model team throughout the summer!
Senior Model with the most referrals will win a Grand Prize: FREE Limousine Service and professional pictures for your Senior Prom!
Runner up will win $50 towards professional hair or a tux rental for your Senior Prom!
Ready to Join the Team?
Follow Along
Project Senior | MaryClaire H. | Lincoln Southwest
“I had so much fun. By the end of the day it felt like I was a princess.”
Meet MaryClaire.
MaryClaire is a senior at Lincoln Southwest High School and she is a truly special soul. Her favorite color is pink, loves anything spicy, and she enjoys playing with her dogs and taking vacations with her family. She’s constantly cracking jokes and telling it like it is. When you’re the youngest of 6 kids, you’d have to have some wit to and spunk to hold your own!
Something I love about MaryClaire is how important her family is to her. When I asked her to tell me about her, she proceeded to tell me all about the wonderful people gets to call family. Her dad is a vet, and her mom is blessed with being a stay at home mom and she volunteers at catholic social services. Both are such caring and loving parents who inspire MaryClaire to share her kindness with those around her. Then she told me about her siblings, who each inspire her in a different way. Her oldest sister is in the Army Reserves and recently was diploid in Kuwait, teaching her about sacrifice. Her next sister is married and expecting her first baby, and MaryClaire is so excited to be an aunt! The third sister is in college and then wants to go to law school, teaching MaryClaire about hard work! Then there’s her brothers. One is in mortuary school, a career that takes a lot of compassion, and the other is teaching her that it’s okay to be patient and figure things out as you go. They each have their own path, and that’s the beauty of siblings!
What I love about MaryClaire is how much she looks up to all her siblings, yet still has her own favorite hobbies and her own dreams. MaryClaire has a rare genetic disorder called Prader-Willi syndrome, but she doesn’t let that hold her back. She participates in Special Olympic Swimming and has won several medals! She also cheers at Cheer Express and even travels for competitions! She loves being involved in both of these things because the she gets to spend time with even more people that make her feel loved. These kind people, along with her family, are the ones who inspire her to follow her dreams. And what is her dream? It’s to be a pre-school teacher!
MaryClaire, thank you for sharing your kindness with me this year. I am so excited to see where life takes you! I know you’ll do great things!
MaryClaire’s Experience with Sonnenblume
My experience with Sonnenblume studios was spectacularly awesome. … I emailed Sonnenblume studios and Gabby emailed me back and I talked to her and told her that I had a disability and I said that some of the time I can be insecure about my self because of my illness and people making fun of me and I said I wanted to have the best experience of my lifetime so I told my mom that we had to go to a coffee shop before we could continue with our grad photo investment. After we met with Gabby my mother said to me, “is this what you want to do?” and I told her “yes.” When It was time for pictures we got a couple of clothes and we were off on a hot summers day. First I had to get ready so we had an appointment with Kate and Nicolby at Tangerine Salon for a day of getting pampered with hair and makeup. We thought we wouldn't make it because we got lost but we made safe and sound. I got pampered and then Gabby came in to check on me and how I was doing. Our first location was down in the Haymarket. Everywhere we went, Gabby said that I looked so cute and I had awesome pictures. She was incredibly ecstatic with the idea to go down by where I go to practice for my special needs cheerleading competition team and take pictures by my gym. Our last location was in a park there we took pictures of one of my greatest accomplishments: my three gold medals that I won at the special olympics! We took a lot of sassy pics with those, but also other photos there without my medals.
MaryClaire, this next part makes me giggle, because it’s the perfect example of you just telling it like it is - “Even though me and my mom were getting sick of Gabby because it was like a trillion degrees out that day and we went to like a trillion locations and it felt like we kept going and going and it wouldn't stop, I had so much fun. By the end of the day it felt like I was a princess.” You and your mom were such troopers in the heat!
I knew I had made the right decision when it got to the day of the sneak peek. The nice kind words that Gabby said on the post made me feel that it was even more of a special experience. So overall, my experience was superb. And I could also see how much dedication and hard work you put into your products and what we received was of incredible quality and was a lot more than what I had imagined. So thank you for giving me the time of my life and giving me a time to remember and thank you for just being awesome!
Senior year is an exciting time in life. You are in the stages of of defining who you are, deciding what you want to be, and where you want to go in life. You've got personality, and dreams, and so much potential. Your world will change so much in the next year, so as you get ready to move on to the next big thing in life, it is important to commemorate who you are right now.
This year, I’m looking to put together a model team! I’m searching for current juniors who will be graduation in the Class of 2020 who have souls that are full of adventure, and hearts full of happiness! Being a Sonnenblume Senior Model is all about sharing who you are, spreading your story and your message for the world, earning some cash and having fun while you do it!
What being a Senior Model entails:
Be Famous! You will become the face of Sonnenblume Senior Marketing!
Two Free Sessions! - One in March, and one in June or July
Share your favorite pictures with your friends and get their opinions - Collect Names!
Meet with me weekly to share your results
Hand out session offers to your friends!
Earn $5 Print Credit for every name you collect
Earn $15 Cash for every referral who books a senior session with Sonnenblume!
Fun Styled Shoots throughout the year
Fun get togethers with the model team throughout the summer!
Senior Model with the most referrals will win a Grand Prize: FREE Limousine Service and professional pictures for your Senior Prom!
Runner up will win $50 towards professional hair or a tux rental for your Senior Prom!
Ready to Join the Team?
Follow Along
Project Senior | Katelyn S. | Pius X
“Even though it was like a million degrees out that day I had so much fun. By the end of the day it felt like we were all pals and I loved it.”
Meet Katelyn.
Katelyn is a music loving, book reading, beautiful and inspiring senior at Piux X High School in Lincoln, where she lives with her Mom, Dad, and two younger siblings. At school, she is involved in band and choir. She has played French Horn for about eight years, the Mellophone and piano for about four years, and most recently, has picked up the violin. Music is something that Katelyn just can’t get enough of, so when she goes to the University of Nebraska Lincoln this fall, she is going to audition for the marching band!
I whole-heartedly believe that Katelyn’s love for music will be a part of her for the rest of her life. I can totally see her rocking her dream job of being in a composers orchestra!
When I asked Katelyn what inspires her, she had a lot of answers. The general consensus though was that it’s people who inspire her. People like famous composers because they can do the things with music that she dreams of doing. People like her parents and her teachers because they are kind, and selfless, and encouraging, and hard working; all the things that make great role models. People like her boyfriend and friends because they each teach her a little something about life. Things like speaking your mind even when its hard, working hard but still finding the time to enjoy life, always trying your best, and standing up for what you believe.
If we can all take one lesson from Katelyn, I think it’s the importance of surrounding yourself with people who inspire you, teach you something by the way they live, and build you up. How lucky is this girl to have so many inspiring people in her life! I think we can also learn a little something about how Katelyn wants to help change the world. It’s not some grand plan to cure a disease. It’s better than that. It’s all about spreading love. “I know I may not be the type of person to make a difference that will be apparent world or nation wide. However, I do want to make a difference in my everyday life by making those around me smile and helping them when they need someone by their side most. Whoever, whenever someone needs me I plan to be there. I want to make a difference in any little way I can and hopefully those little things will add up.” Day by day, one smile at a time, you will absolutely change the world, Katelyn!
I am so excited to see where Katelyn’s life journey will take her. Ten years from now, she hopes to be married and maybe even have a couple of little ones. She hopes to have found a career where she is able to do something she loves and do it every day. Despite the inevitable struggles, she knows she will be able to take them and not give up no matter what. While her dreams may change over the course of her life, she is so ready achieve each one as she goes! Most importantly, Katelyn just wants to be joyful in her everyday life. Now, if that’s not something to strive for, I don’t know what is. You’re one inspiring girl, Katelyn!
Kately’n Experience with Sonnenblume
My experience with Sonnenblume Studios was awesome. I am quite indecisive so I thought it was incredibly helpful when I told you some of my ideas and you were able to come up with locations, but how you also let me share what I thought would be good idea as well. Even though it was like a million degrees out that day I had so much fun. By the end of the day it felt like we were all pals and I loved it. I also thought it was super cool when you had an idea you wanted to try so you asked me if I would be open to trying it out with you. That is where we got the parachute pictures and they were awesome. So overall my experience was amazing. And I could also see how much hard work you put into your products and what we received was of incredible quality and was a lot more than what I was expecting. So thank you for being awesome!
Senior year is an exciting time in life. You are in the stages of of defining who you are, deciding what you want to be, and where you want to go in life. You've got personality, and dreams, and so much potential. Your world will change so much in the next year, so as you get ready to move on to the next big thing in life, it is important to commemorate who you are right now.
This year, I’m looking to put together a model team! I’m searching for current juniors who will be graduation in the Class of 2020 who have souls that are full of adventure, and hearts full of happiness! Being a Sonnenblume Senior Model is all about sharing who you are, spreading your story and your message for the world, earning some cash and having fun while you do it!
What being a Senior Model entails:
Be Famous! You will become the face of Sonnenblume Senior Marketing!
Two Free Sessions! - One in March, and one in June or July
Share your favorite pictures with your friends and get their opinions - Collect Names!
Meet with me weekly to share your results
Hand out session offers to your friends!
Earn $5 Print Credit for every name you collect
Earn $15 Cash for every referral who books a senior session with Sonnenblume!
Fun Styled Shoots throughout the year
Fun get togethers with the model team throughout the summer!
Senior Model with the most referrals will win a Grand Prize: FREE Limousine Service and professional pictures for your Senior Prom!
Runner up will win $50 towards professional hair or a tux rental for your Senior Prom!
Ready to Join the Team?
Follow Along