BLOGSHOP VIDEO

Jenny and I got the opportunity to attend Blogshop Video during our trip to California last weekend. We spent the entire day Monday learning how to shoot and edit video with the lovely Blogshop ladies; Bri and Angela. Incorporating video into our business and blogs was a huge goal for us this year and this was one of the first steps towards making that a reality.

I took a narrative video production class in college and even tried my hand at final cut pro, but I never really got into the video making mindset. To me, it always seemed like a huge production, with tons of planning time, storyboarding and editing in order to produce something remotely of any good quality. After not continuing my learning of video production I slowly lost the skill and didn't know where to even begin once Jenny and I started discussing the potential of incorporating video into our blogs. We even spent a whole Saturday recording on my Macbook to try and put something together, but the quality was poor and we just weren't happy with the final result.

In comes Blogshop Video. If you are addicted to Photoshop like I am, you might be aware that the new Photoshop CS6 includes video editing capabilities. WHAT?! I was so excited too! I usually spend up to 25 hours or more every week in Photoshop with design work so I'm very familiar with the program and how to make it do what I want. When I found out I could apply that knowledge to editing videos I was SOLD. The workshop was about eight hours long, it included tips and tricks on editing video in Photoshop, examples of beautifully shot videos around the web, helpful exercises along the way, tips on lighting and shooting footage and time to shoot our own mini videos with a full table of props and a beautiful location. It was such an exciting class, I found myself grabbing Jenny a couple times and shaking her with excitement or giving her that "I have a great idea" look. ;)

We both left feeling completely empowered to shot and edit videos in Photoshop. We are so excited about turning some of our visions and ideas for 2013 into a tangible reality. I LOVED taking this class, and would very highly reccomend it to anyone interested in video.

We ended up having a little bit of a camera issues with our SLR so we hurried and shot about 10 minutes worth of footage in order to put something together for our class project. Below is the video Jenny put together. I love how she combined the fun music and footage!



I can't wait to start putting more videos together! I love how something as simple as a 1 minute video can say so much! Aside from producing videos to incorporated in my post series I'm planning on putting together more video "scrapbooks" to capture life and fun happenings.

I'm so glad I got to share my experience with you! Be sure to check out the Blogshop website to see dates and locations for their upcoming workshops! Have a wonderful weekend!

CAPTURED: CALIFORNIA ADVENTURES

Hello!! I took a little blogging break to travel across the country and visit sunny California! Jenny and I have been planning this trip for a couple months and we were so excited to leave Friday morning and spend an extended weekend across the country. This trip was a "kill two birds with one stone" trip for us. We really wanted to visit one of our closest friends, Anica, while she is attended school in Pasadena and we also wanted to turn this into a mini business trip and attend Blogshop video so we could gain some new and excited knowledge for Maiedae!

On Friday, we spent most of the day settling in. We arrived around noon, grabbed a late lunch at In and Out and toured around Anica's school. This was Jenny's first time in CA, so she loved seeing the sights and the palm trees that were as tall as some four story buildings. ;) Saturday was spent touring around the city. We went out to eat, went on the WB Studios tour (so awesome), got to see the set of The Ellen show, took pictures at the Hollywood sign, ate a delicious dinner in Burbank, and went to bed early for a full day of Disney on Sunday! I love Disney. So much! We got there right after it opened and stayed for nearly twelve hours. We rode everything we hoped to, got to take pictures with some of our favorite characters and ate a fancy dinner in the park. It was a blast. Our favorite ride was definitely Space Mountain. This was the first ride we went on and all three of us were laughing hysterically and screaming the entire time.

Monday was a full day of workshop goodness by Bri and Angela. After interning with them in Atlanta for Blogshop, Jenny and I decided to take their video class to learn the ins and outs of shooting and editing. It was a fantastic class that I highly recommend it. I'll be sharing more about what I learned in an upcoming post!

The next morning, Jenny and I had a short coffee date with Anica and then caught our plane back to Atlanta. It was a fantastic trip, and I can't wait until we get to got on our next trip for Maiedae. Matter of fact, we will be leaving on February 1st to attend The Makers Summit in Greenville, SC! So ready for some awesome inspiration and craft party goodness with the ladies from Indie Craft Parade. Please let me know if you are coming! I'd love to connect up with you!

And there you have it! A little brief wrap-up of our trip. Be on the lookout for more details on Blogshop and lots of great posts for the rest of the month!

SNAPSHOTS: BLOGSHOP ATLANTA

Last weekend I got the opportunity to intern with Bri and Angela at their Atlanta Blogshop. It was such an exciting time to help prepare everything beforehand, arrive early in the morning to help set up before the students got there, and assist throughout the weekend. Just to go off on a quick tangent: Bri and Angela have got it going on. It was such an inspiration to see them in their element and hear about their experiences and passions.

On Saturday morning, I got to Big Studio and met up with some amazingly talented folks who helped put the entire event together. There was "cute Bobby" as he was later nicknamed, who ran the studio and helped us out with our many requests. There was also the seriously talented florist//designer, Tami, who put together all of the floral arrangements. I also got to meet local blogger, Anna, who runs In Honor of Design. She put together the decorations for the room and was adorable beyond words. :) I think one of my favorite parts about the whole experience was having the opportunity to meet other creative people in the area. Atlanta is such a small blogging ground, so meeting fellow bloggers is so special.

During Blogshop, I also got to work with Gina. She was also interning and we worked closely together over the two days. We put together swag bags, helped set-up, assisted students with their Photoshop questions, and helped however we could. I immediately connected with Gina when I realized our similar passions for blogging, photography, health, and StrengthsFinder. She and her husband reside in Saint Simons Island, run a photography business, have a bee hive, and keep chickens. I love it! I hope we can cross paths again in the near future. In the meantime, I'll be musing over her blog, Hello There Home. :)

We got the opportunity to spend more time with Angela and Bri over dinner. I loved hearing about their careers, lives, and getting to know such a creative and boss group of women. I loved my experience there and I feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to meet new people, show people around Photoshop, and learn new things. If you are a blogger looking to learn Photoshop to better your blog, I highly recommend taking Blogshop. Seriously.

Jenny and I talked after my experience there and decided that we wanted to invest in attending their Blogshop Video class dedicated to teaching how to shoot and edit video for your blog. We booked our tickets and are going to LA in January! We might even be taking a detour to visit our best friend in Pasadena AND go to Disney...maybe. ;)

PS - We took some way fun Smilebooth pictures that I'll have to share later. ;)