We could probably write a book about our experience at the bread winners workshop with Jeremy and Ashley Parsons. Instead of doing that on our wee little blog, we’re planning to pour that energy into a big old thank you note to these guys because – when you feel like someone has given you the world – you don’t run out of words to say thank you.

We’ve been shooting weddings since 2006 and had yet to go to a conference or workshop before… quite honestly, we’ve been waiting and waiting for someone to step it up a notch and get a bit deeper than just how to use your camera or maybe even how to market yourself or become famous. Here’s the truth – there have been points in the last few years where those things were the highest priority for us, but there has been a lot of learning that has taken place over the years, so we have been left wanting more.

Jeremy and Ash are giants in our lives – people we have looked up to (from a “we only know about them online” distance) for awhile. But they willingly opened their home to us, total strangers, jumped down off the pedestal we had placed them on and related to us and accepted us as friends. I mean, when the icebreaker of choice is Dance Central 2, how can you not immediately love everyone in the room? And we did… we’re soo, so thankful for the new friendships we formed with the other incredible couples who shared this experience with us. (We miss all of you!)

Jer and Ash have an unbelievable ability to open their lives up to people and share the deepest parts of their hearts through their words. We were captivated by their love for each other and their energy and excitement for what they do. Do you want to know the secret to how they’re so amazing at what they do? It maybe has nothing to do with their camera settings… it’s because they know how to love people reallllly, really well.

Just know that it’s a massive understatement when I say this, know that I’m not at all exaggerating — these guys blew our expectations out of the water. Anything you may know of them online is even better in person. I don’t think one person who attended made it through the three days at the Parsons without shedding a tear (ok, lots of tears.) We’re changed people.

We’re still digesting the hundreds of thoughts written down in our notebooks and are still asking ourselves hard questions that will help us make changes to better reflect why we do what we do… so, at this point, it’s kind of hard to write out more of what we learned. But we will leave you with a few quotes that have helped us to process “why“ as well as a few images from our time at the Parsons that make us smile.

“Have you lost your sense of wonder?”
“We sometimes take ourselves too seriously and the people we shoot not seriously enough.”
“Happy photos are different than meaningful photos.”
“WHY… ? Ask yourself that question about everything.”
“Find joy where you are.”

p.s. I don’t know how we didn’t just steal baby Zion to bring him home with us – cutest kid ever. For real…

p.s.s If you want to experience even more of what it felt like to be at the bread winners workshop, go look at these beautiful documentations on Kevin + Heidi’s blog and Steve + Bernadette’s blog.