I just love when people take a passion, & turn it into something that benefits others.  It is inspiring just to hear them talk about it.  You know what I am talking about, right?  So I wanted to do a post about a couple of friends who are really going for it, and putting themselves out there with products that mean a lot to them!

First is Maile in the field of Photography.  I remember when she first talked about creating a camera bag that was geared-towards women, and had some STYLE to it.  Nobody was doing that!  She had a long journey, but it was well worth it.  My bag arrived yesterday (just in time for WPPI in Vegas tomorrow!) and I was blown-away by how lovely and sturdy this bag is!  Check it out here… http://www.epiphaniebags.com

Next is my friend Natalie in the field of Wellness.  She has always been passionate about staying healthy, but it is so much more than that.  She wants people to be healthy both physically AND mentally, and has started her own branch of Cafe Gratitude here in Kansas City.  These gorgeous bottles are for sale, with hand-etched glass!  They come in various colors, and many uplifting words to encourage you to feel better and drink more water.  Love it!  I got the purple one…of course!

Speaking of WPPI, I wanted to purchase new business cards for this shindig.  I knew that I wanted to try letterpress cards this time around, and after some searching found a local shop downtown named Hammerpress.  I worked with Jenn from A to Z and she was amazing!  Incredible service, and when I picked the cards up last night (during First Fridays in the Art District) I could not have been happier.  They are stunning…thanks Jenn!

I leave bright and early in the morning for the largest photography trade-show and convention in the country — I have butterflies just thinking about it.  Follow me on Twitter if you want to see what I am up to!  Have a great week everyone, and if I can blog I will!

I have to apologize for the blog hiatus!  I traveled to Jamaica to shoot a wedding, and then confined myself to the office to get some new marketing materials together and plan beautiful new packaging (I am such a geek for that stuff).  After spending so much time in this “new” office — almost 4 months — I decided it was time for a face lift.  The room was formerly a little boys’ room, so it was time to make it my own!  Here is a “before” or “during” image of Dave prepping the room for paint.  The fish was killed with some Kilz finally.  Can you believe I have been staring at him for so long??

I have six sessions this week before I leave town again for WPPI, so things are going to get super-busy again!

If you haven’t heard of Kansas City’s premiere video-blogger, you need to go check him out right away!
http://ramseymohsen.com/

His name is Ramsey Mohsen, and he has some great articles over on his blog.  You can also follow him on Twitter here.  I am so lucky to call him a friend, and not too long ago we decided to get together and have an evening of information-swapping!  We talked everything from photography and Photoshop, technology, social media, lighting, video-strategy and Final Cut.  Yes, it was a total geek-out!

So I decided to put him in front of the camera for a couple of images, when I was explaining the way I enjoy to use lighting/flash.  Now Ramsey is a super outgoing and funny guy — so these images are kinda serious for his personality.  But it was all in good fun, so I thought I would post my two faves!

**EDITED TO ADD:  We have a winner — Stacie spotted that it was his ear, and his EYES…liquified to make his irises/pupils bigger!***

A free RPetersPhotography t-shirt (scroll to bottom of that post for t-shirt image) goes out to the first person to comment on what two things we Liquified in the second shot!!

I know that several of you have seen my public calendar, and were wondering why I was not on vacation!  Well, the trip for the Photogirls 2010 was going to be to the Dominican Republic.  As you know, DR shares the island of Haiti, so we decided it would be better to postpone our trip.  So I have been trying to take a “mini-vacay” this week at home.  And that’s the 411!

My month off is almost over…here comes January!

Well it is that time of year again — I have ended weddings/portraits for 2009 (except for a handful of Baby’s First Year members that have a milestone in December)  and it has been an incredible year.  I will be taking tomorrow through Sunday off work to enjoy some much-needed relaxation and time with my wonderful family.  Everyone have a wonderful Thanksgiving, and leave some comment-love about what YOU are thankful for!!

On deck when I return is:
Avery 1-Year | L-Family | Carter Newborn | H-Family | Ashley + Steve | Griffin 4-mo | J-Boudoir | Brooke + Family | Riley Newborn | Vanessa + Chris Wedding | S Family | Rosa + Andy

Also a MAJOR shipping day is coming up, so if you placed a Print or Holiday Card order, they will be coming soon!