Rainy day in L.A. - so watched wedding photographer Jasmine Star interviewed by Chase Jarvis (http://blog.chasejarvis.com/blog/2010/09/chasejarvislive-repost-jasmine-star/) - great interview, lots of great info, but one thing I think was left out was her FABULOUS personality. Interview was 1hr 43min and I found it difficult to take a break. Couldn't wait to hear what was next and enjoy her laughter.

If you are a photographer just starting out, check out Jasmine's blog and FaceBook pages - she offers lots of very helpful information. Also, feel free to ask me anything - if I can help in any way, I will be happy to! If you are planning to get married, check out her blog, too, and also her website. And in the near future, please check mine, too. My early New Year's resolution is to be doing wedding photography again in 2012.

Afterwards, heard the sad news of Steve Jobs, and read these two quotes, which perhaps will make a difference in someone's life:

“.. almost everything – all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.”

“Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

I don't want to go into too much detail here, but do want to mention that besides over 30 years of experience in photography, I have over 20 years experience in vitamins, supplements, and nutrition, with a masters degree in Holistic Nutrition. I mention this because I cannot overstate the importance of good health, especially as related to good photography. If you feel your absolute best, your pictures will look their absolute best (assuming you have a good photographer, who also feels his/her best). The more variables you can eliminate (and health is one of those), the more likely you will improve your results in photography.

This brings me to one more of my favorite quotes (not sure of exact quote, but this is the gist of it): "He who has health, has hope, and who has hope, has everything."

In future posts I will be talking about anything from photography to health, recipes, and many other things. Hope you will find it of interest. Oh - and adding pictures, of course.