Snapshot Artistry World: 2011 NAPP TweetUp Party

A photo I made and Erik and I together at the TweetUp Party

So, I did it. Drove to Orlando, checked into the Red Roof Inn dive of a hotel (gross! But I didn't know...I was busy running around! Drop luggage and run!) and start my Photoshop World Experience with some yummy sushi. Kathy asks me to meet at the Rosen and to bring my speedlights. Erik wants ME to help him with gear?!
I have to admit, I walked in and was instantly starstruck. You have to understand, I've been learning from a lot of these people over the past year and daily,weekly, pocasts, webs, etc...! KelbyTV has taught me a ton! I walk in and the whole crew and many others whom I've learned from are standing in the lobby. I'm not starstruck (gulp) I'm on a mission to get these speedlights to Erik.
Erik, as always the gentleman waves me over and I immediately get to work. Working with Krysten Marlette to get some gelled strobes working to make Erik's vision come alive. After some tweaking, the party is on and the photoshoot begins. Erik Valind is snapping away using modifiers from Westcott and everyone's having a great time! He's shooting tethered while Adobe Master David Rogers is working his magic getting them instantly uploaded to Flickr.
THEN, THEN I meet the one and only Robert Vanelli. This guy is a TRIP! He's a bundle of energy, really entertaining and friendly as heck!. Soon we're flexing muscles for the camera along with my good friend Kathy Porupski. Erik is making fun photos of us. It was hilarious!

Kathy Porupski, Robert Vanelli and I flexing our musculars!

Mingling with the others at the party, I meet a ton of new people and get a chance to talk to others whom I've learned from via our WWW and then hanging out with Andy, and Casie. It was awesome! I see my new friend Rick Sammon, whom I had met 2 days before. And am introduced to Rob Knight. Now, with Rob and Krysten and their tats, Rick runs upstairs to grab his 'tats'. And we get some fun snapshots of that. I then learn that Rick and Rob will be doing a workshop in Atlanta and another in Costa Rica. Oh how I'd love to go!

I photobombed...bad girl. Matt Kloskowski and RC Concepcion, host on KelbyTV and Instructor Extraordinaires!

So as the evening is moving right along, Erik is participating in a taping of DtownTV Everyone is having fun and Erik wants to make one more photo. I don't know how the idea came up but turns out, I'm going to be a part of that last photo he wants to make. I'm a cheerleading coach, we've got a pool, we've got strobes and modifiers...It's a splash shot. With Rob and Krysten acting as my bases, I finish the night getting tossed in the pool.
Frank Doorhof, a photographer and 1st year instructor at Photoshop World shot this video. It was fun!
Even if I don't get a pass to Photoshop World, this alone was awesome!