St. Louis Photographer » A Journal by Holly McCaig

Ahhh, home sweet home. It’s always nice to get off the plane, get your luggage and come home to wagging butts of my doggies. I was away for a week. I loved every minute of my trip this time. It’s never enough either. When I leave, Audra and I always say, it’s just not enough time! This time though, I really suffered from my allergies and the dust that was blowing around a lot in the Phoenix area. It’s actually nice to get back to the humidity and rain for a little relief.

One of the purposes of my trip was the MJ2Day workshop for photographers hosted by Melissa Jill. She’s one of the most sought after wedding photographers in her area and was a wealth of information that will be invaluable to me for years to come. I came away with so much inspiration. It will totally set me apart from what other photographers are doing and I cannot wait to implement the ideas and my own revelations.

Read Melissa’s post today!

The first day together, Melissa hosted a mock engagement session. Seeing how she interacts with her couples is amazing. It flows so well and I love this shot of the couple. I didn’t shoot much because I really wanted to watch what she was doing.

Here’s some of the photographers that attended, getting in on the action!

I can’t say enough about these people that attended. I know that I was rewarded with an amazing group of friends that I’ll have for a long time. People that had the same thoughts and concerns about business, as I did. People that want the same things I want in my business. It’s a gift. On the last day, we all went to Gilbert to get headshots from Melissa and to photograph each other. I didn’t have enough time to get to everyone. We were having so much fun! Here’s a few!

This is the talented, Amanda Pair! She’s adorable. Got to see her at the airport this morning as I was waiting at the skycab!

This is the sweet, Anna Swarin – from CT! Love this chick and how she wanted to twirl for me…like I have my seniors do!

Robin first had me play with “the ball” but then we had her splash the water towards us! SO CUTE huh? Love this! And, Robin Watson below!

Bruce came all the way from Canada and was the only dude. But, his adorable wife came and joined us for dinner one night. They are so cute! Go Bruce Clarke!

Dallas was full of good info and very photogenic!

Jessica is the most excellent cook that fixed our dinner the second night. And, talk about a FUNNY lady! I truly enjoyed her!

Lucy was one of the carpool buddies with my group. I had fun talking to her about our thoughts about the workshop on the drives.

What can I say about Kelly? SO cute! She got in the fountain for us! She’s in Atlanta, and I sure hope to get to see her again since I will be down that way in a few weeks.

I didn’t get any of Denise, Janna, Courtney – I could have spent hours with these guys! I can’t say enough about how important it is to continue to educate yourself. Budget for the really rewarding workshops – you owe it to your business!

Now, back to the grind of work tomorrow!

I’ve been busy designing things for my own business and have made them available to other photographers through Pink Ink Studios. You can purchase these design templates to make your business more branded. Each product is designed for Adobe Photoshop use and has layered files that you can easily manipulate for your personal needs. As always, visit my personal store at Pink Ink Studios here.

Finally, many of the designers at Pink Ink Studios are hosting a Christmas in July sale this weekend! You’ll be able to purchase Christmas cards and more on sale! My Christmas cards are currently marked at 50% off the retail price and will go back up on Tuesday. Don’t miss out on this special offer!

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My mojo has been hiding. Last night, I forced myself to open up Illustrator and do some drawing. It’s been ages. I finally was motivated to draw a ton of cute, little baby icons and graphics/word art. So, I’m slowly creating some new baby resources for Pink Ink Studios store. This is the first of the release! I think it’s rather cute.

You get both a girl & a boy birth announcement template with these. As always, be sure to read the full description in the store before purchasing. Click here to make your purchase! P.S. I will add the only place you would need the actual font is on the back side where you type out the custom birth information. The front word art is included.

Hey professional photographers! Here’s your perfect opportunity to grab a lot of designer resource products from me for just $50! Click here to buy now!

For just three days only, when you purchase “THIS” item in the Pink Ink Studios store, you’ll be provided a download unique coupon code to use to buy everything in my store!

But, hurry! This special offer ends Sunday evening at 11:59 p.m. CST.

This is in honor of my fun, upcoming girls’ weekend in St. Louis with Amanda, Robin, Carrie and Amy!

I’m hosting a 50% off sale at Pink Ink Studios this weekend on all my products! Click here to visit my full store. All discounts are applied at checkout when you add items to your cart. This is EVERYTHING in my store! What a great opportunity to get some fabulous discounts on your photographer products. Visit www.pinkinkstudios.net and click on Holly McCaig in the designer section to see all the products I have to offer like: Business sets, card templates, actions and presets, and photographer business items like the popular Portrait Party Pack and more!