Thirst Relief hosts a charity mentorship program that occurs at WPPI in Las Vegas. These mentorships are the probably the best way to get one-on-one contact with a photographer…all while supporting a good cause. It's a win-win!

Here's the exciting news:

This year I'll be one of the mentorships that are available! I'm so humbled and thrilled at this, not only because it's a chance to help such a worthy cause, but because the other photographers offering mentorships are some of the best in the industry.

Here's the breakdown…
*This Saturday-Tuesday, February 9-12, 2008 Thirst Relief hosts an online auction where people can bid for a date with a mentor.

*If you're the winning bidder, we'll arrange a 90-minute meeting in Las Vegas. Lunch is on me. If you can't make it Vegas this year, we'll arrange another time- via phone or ichat, or if you happen to be in the Pittsburgh neighborhood. We can discuss anything you'd like (marketing, branding, pricing structure, shooting, critique, lighting...whatever!). We'll cater our session to meet the needs of your business.

*The auctions end at different times, so please note when mine ends. Each mentoring auction has a different ending time.  However, when the auction is supposed to close, if there is a bidding war happening over my mentoring session, (fingers crossed) then the auction will stay open until the bidding war ends.  If this is the case, the auction ends when people stop bidding. (This is not like ebay, where an auction ends at a specific time, period.)

*The auctions will not be visible until they go live on February 9th at 10am EST.   All times listed through out the auction are based on Eastern Standard Time.

*Nearly 2 million people die annually because they lack access to clean drinking water. 90% of those are children under the age of 5. All of the proceeds of this auction go directly to Thirst Relief- an organization that provides clean drinking water to those in need around the world.

You need to register in order to place a bid on my mentoring session. If you'd like to go and pre-register, be sure to CLICK HERE, then click on the Thirst Relief banner.
 
This is such a great cause! Even if you don't want to mentor with me, check out the line up of other photographers and bid for one of them. There are an amazing group of photographers lined up, including Jessica Claire, Becker, LaCour, Mike Colon, and Jasmine Star.

Also, check out Thirst Relief's website and blog to learn more about their cause and consider becoming a monthly $5 donor.  Five dollars saves a life.  It would be an amazing gift and a visionary movement if every photographer helped save one life a month for one year.

So go mark your calendars and bid for a mentorship with me!

I'm soooo excited to announce my new 'boudoir' photography website. I'll be honest- I'm not a huge fan of the term 'boudoir' to describe these kinds of sessions, so I'm calling mine 'Femme Couture'. Think: high-fashion, tasteful, glamorous, sexy, artistic.

If you live in the Pittsburgh area and are looking for sexy, edgy photographs of yourself, check out my new website: Femme Couture Photography. (There is no nudity on the website, but it is probably still not safe for work, if you're wondering.)

Brides, a pillow book of images from these sessions make a great gift for your husband on your wedding night or first anniversary. Guys, this is a great gift for your wife or fiancee for Valentines Day.

If you'd like to book a session, send me an email or call the studio at 412.389.3669.

Here's a preview:

Ok, I finally booked my flight to Vegas. I'll be there for 10 days in March for the Anti-workshop, and then the WPPI convention, followed by a jaunt out to Red Rock canyon for a photo session with some of the industries coolest photographers. 10 days, 4 flights, 3 hotels, 2 industry parties, and not enough sleep in between.

This is exciting on a few levels- The Anti-workshop promises to be ultra-cool and chock full of boundary-pushing inspiration and motivation courtesy of John Michael Cooper (credited as the grand-daddy of the Trash the Dress trend in wedding photography) and the equally talented Boutwells.

*Incidentally, I'm currently free on the evening of Saturday the 15th (between the end of the workshop and the begining of WPPI). If you're getting married in Vegas on the 15th, drop me a line. I'd love to photograph your wedding!

The WPPI convention and trade show is the largest of its kind in the photography industry. This is the first year I'll be attending, and I'm stoked to check out the trade show. I'm a touchy-feely find of girl, so it's helpful to be able to see products firsthand before commiting to incorporating them into my studio or workflow.

The photography session at Red Rock Canyon is going to great- it's always interesting to shoot in new locations, and I love watching the way other photographers work. Plus, my friend Shannon is going to this also. She recently moved from Pittsburgh to Denver, so it will be fabulous to be able to hang out with her!

Fun fact:
This will be my second time in Vegas. The first time was part of a west coast roadtrip I took about 8 years ago with my best friend from college, Lyndsay. That time we had been driving for days, sleeping in the car, and eating protein bars as our meals. Lyndsay's aunt and uncle just happened to be in Vegas for a convention at the same time were were rolling in, and they were incredibly kind enough to let us crash with them while we were in town. It was the first real bed and shower we had seen in days, which felt like bliss! We didn't have much money, so we basically did some sight-seeing around the Strip and played the quarter slot machines. (Once each, I think. Neither of us won.)

What I remember most about Vegas from that trip: the heat, neon lights, and the flyers for nudie shows- someone was always handing you one, and they were scattered all over the sidewalks. I remember feeling like Las Vegas was pure sensory overload- and we were only there for one or two nights. I'm a little worried about being there for 10 days straight this time around: I think I'm going to need sensory detox when I get home to recover. I'm thinking dark room, silence, and clear liquids for a day or two.

Wait, did I just make Vegas sound like a migraine?

The rss feed for my new blog is http://www.kreedphotography.com/blog/atom.xml

If you're used to reading my blog from Google reader or similar programs, enter that address in and you're good to go!

Welcome to my new custom blog, courtesy of the fabulous folks at Into the Darkroom! Do you love it? A new blog for me is way overdue, considering the state of my old blog.

I'm in Louisville, Kentucky right now getting ready for the Flourish workshop, and I'm exhausted beyond measure, but I just got the email that my blog was finished, so I just had to poke around a little bit to get familiar with it, and make an inaugural post.