The photography blog of Carissa Uribe, an international wedding photographer based out of Park City, Utah and Conroe, Texas.

WPPI Shoot Out with Justin & Mary Marantz

I saw them on Monday, the day before the Shoot Out, walking through the hallway of the MGM Grand. Mary was carrying a cup of Starbucks. They were both wearing big smiles. And I panicked. I had one of those Oh-my-gosh-there-they-are-in-the-flesh-I-should-say-hello-but-oh-no-my-tongue-is-dry-and-what-if-I-have-something-in-my-teeth-well-too-late-there-they-go moments.

I had told myself over and over again that I wouldn’t get starstruck. Yeah, obviously that didn’t happen! Fortunately though, just as I expected, Justin and Mary are incredibly kind and humble, and after the first 10 minutes of the Shoot Out Tuesday morning, they made me feel completely comfortable. And it. was. AMAZING. I feel so blessed to have been a part of the Shoot Out. I learned so much more than I thought I could in just the span of a few hours, and I left feeling so inspired! My only regret was not getting to know the other 19 photographs a little better. If you’re one of them, I’m sorry! My introverted-ness got the best of me. Hopefully I’ll get to know you all a little better in the future : ) Alright, onto the Shoot Out!

Mary started out by showing us 5 go-to poses when we’re in a creative rut or a time crunch.

J&M, please don’t hate me for posting these : ) (And don’t worry internet, these were not included in the 5 poses. Haha.)

But this? This is them, through and through. So in love and full of joy.

We were fortunate enough to have Lens Pro To Go bring some fun toys for us to play with! Along with a few other lenses (50mm 1.2 *drool*), I got to test out a tilt-shift lens for the first time, and it was just as awesome as I had imagined.

Clearly, I need a little more practice with it. But let’s just say my Christmas list for next year got a little bigger… Lol. Sorry Jake ; )

Enough about lenses, let’s get to the shoot! Meet our fantastic models, Ashley (who just happens to be an incredible photographer herself) and Jeremy!

They were the perfect models. Seriously. Thank you so much you two, for being willing to get up early and give your time for us to learn!

I mean really, how cute are they!?

Lurrve.

Their wardrobe? Fab in my book!

One of my favorites : )

It was a really interesting experience, shooting at the same time as 19 other photographers! I feel like I learned so much just from watching them, how they posed Ashley and Jeremy and worked different camera angles.

Sigh.

And sigh.

Work it Jeremy!

And Ashley? No words. Just gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous.

This might be my favorite of Ashley and Jeremy.

But I’ll finish with my favorite photo of the day : )

Justin and Mary, thank you sooo much for this opportunity! Thank you for giving up your morning (earrrrrly, I might add lol), and for taking the time to teach us so freely, without expecting anything in return. I just can’t say thank you enough. I could go on and on, but I’ll save that for an email ; ) I took so much away from this experience, and I’ll be forever grateful.

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David Terry - March 1, 2011 - 8:52 am

Looks like you had an awesome good time. Thanks for sharing. :)

Mary Marantz - March 1, 2011 - 9:42 am

Oooh girl, if I’d known you’d seen us and not come up you would’ve heard all about it! :) But I’m just glad we got that whole morning to hang out with you! xoxo

M:)

Ashley Barnett - March 8, 2011 - 9:58 pm

LOVE THEM! You were such a sweetheart and thank you for making us feel totally comfortable :) How can I get copies from you?? They are fantastic! <3

Carissa - March 11, 2011 - 7:22 pm

Oh Ashley I just saw your comment! I’ll email you shortly : )

What Happens in Vegas…

First, thanks sooo much for all the birthday wishes!! It was better than I ever thought it could be : )

Second, a really big huge thank you to everyone who sent their condolences. I appreciate every single kind word. Truly.

I’m currently at the Vegas airport, getting ready to head to Minnesota for my Grandpa’s funeral. I’ll be there until Sunday, spending much needed time with family, so I won’t be responding to any emails until Monday. Thanks for your understanding!

I didn’t want to leave you without a picture, though. Here’s a sneak peek from the Shootout this morning with Justin and Mary Marantz : )

There will be plenty more where that came from! What happened in Vegas is not going to stay in Vegas this time : )

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Ashley Barnett - February 22, 2011 - 11:41 pm

Aw thank you so much Carissa! I am so sorry to hear about your loss and hope that WPPI helped you to take your mind off of it a little. And happy belated birthday! :)

Carissa - February 23, 2011 - 12:28 am

No Ashley, thank YOU! You and Jeremy were wonderful!! Couldn’t have asked for a better couple : )

Peace through the Sorrow

It’s my birthday today.

Normally that would look more like: It’s my BIRTHDAY TODAY!!!!! But I’ve got mixed emotions today. Some of you might already know this (via twitter), but my grandpa passed away on Friday. He’d been in and out of the hospital for the past month, and it was becoming apparent that he wouldn’t be with us much longer. When I got the news that afternoon, though, it still hit me hard. Hard like when the piano falls on Wiley Coyote as he chases the Roadrunner. And it’s amazing how you can feel so high and so low all in one day. I woke up being thrilled about leaving for Vegas, and then sadness washed over me with the force of a hurricane, all in a matter of minutes. The initial shock is starting to wear off, but it’s still going to take a long time to process.

So here I am, sitting in my hotel room in Vegas, on my birthday, trying to balance the grief with the fun, and it’s hard. If I’m being honest, part of me feels guilty for enjoying myself. Like I’m ignoring the fact that my grandpa is gone, or even worse, not caring, and that I’m simply continuing on my merry way. Obviously that’s not true, but sometimes it feels like it.

But here’s the thing. My grandpa is in Heaven. With Jesus. Which means he is no longer in pain. I will get to see him again, and I know he would want me to be having a wonderful time today. He is. And all of that? It gives me peace. Which is the best birthday present I could ask for this year.

I love you, Grandpa. Thank you for everything. Can’t wait to be with you again.

I’m off to see the Wizard!

By wizard I mean thousands of awesome photographers. Which makes the Land of Oz none other than good ole’ Las Vegas!! I’m off to Vegas for 5 days stuffed with photography, good food, meeting new people, learning a ton and walking around like crazy… Also known as WPPI. Oh, I forgot fun in that list! And did I mention food? Yes, to say I’m excited is quite an understatement. This is my first year going to WPPI, and it’s going to be like nothing I’ve ever experienced before.

I’m actually quite familiar with Vegas. My family goes almost every summer to relax by the pool, hit up all the best buffets (coughTheWynncough), do a little shopping, see some shows, and mainly just relax. Funny enough, I was even there last year during the time the WPPI was happening. I just wasn’t there for WPPI. (It was a quick vacay during my spring break, mostly to take pictures for my Senior Show.)

This time is going to be quite different, though. I’m going by myself. Let me repeat that. BY MYSELF. My family isn’t coming. Jake won’t even be there. For an introvert like myself, that is a big deal. Like, ginormous. If you’re going and you happen to see me, please say hi! I’ll be the one standing awkwardly in the corner, smiling really big and goofy because I’m excited to be there but totally clueless as to what I should be doing. Hence standing in the corner. So really, come say hi. I’ll love you forever lol.

Well, I’m off to finish packing. (Procrastinator much?) But I can’t wait for what’s in store this week : ) How excited am I? Let’s put it this way. I painted my nails. And I never paint my nails. Nails painted = rare occasion for Carissa. So yes, I’m excited.

Yellow because I’m excited for spring : )

Happy weekend!!!

Winter Wildness 2011

My dad is a pastor. He has been since before I was born. So yes, I grew up as a PK. And I loved every minute of it. I loved that I saw my dad every day. I loved that he never missed any of my basketball games. And I loved that growing up I practically owned the church. Yeah, I definitely milked being a PK for what it was worth. (i.e. Going into the offices and other places kids weren’t normally allowed, getting to participate in youth group events when I wasn’t technically old enough yet, etc.) Gotta love perks! Seriously, though, I’m very thankful to have grown up as a PK. I never felt any pressure from my parents to follow Christ. It just came naturally. And I attribute part of that to my youth group.

I lurrved going to youth group events, on mission trips and retreats. I have some amazing memories from those times that I wouldn’t trade for anything, and I will always be grateful to the youth leaders who dedicated their time and invested in me as I grew. Not only up but also in my relationship with Christ.

Now that I’ve graduated from college and I’m back in Park City permanently, I’m soo excited that I have the opportunity to do the same thing! To be for the kids now what those leaders were for me then. I started hanging out with the middle school youth group in the fall, and I love them all. It’s funny, but a lot of the times I feel like they teach me more than I teach them… And they definitely keep you on your toes : ) If you follow me on Twitter, you might have seen me mention going on a retreat last weekend. I was able to go on a retreat with the middle school that my church does every year, called Winter Wildness (very appropriately named). I went to Winter Wildness pretty much every year I could when I was in the youth group, and not much has changed… It’s basically a big weekend of skiing, sledding, games, devotionals, and junk food. Haha. The only difference is that now I get to sleep in one of the beds instead of a sleeping bag on the floor ; ) Perks, I tell ya!

In a nutshell (33 pictures to be exact), here’s what my weekend consisted of.