Take a few minutes this season to hit that sweet spot of remaining humble yet grateful and full of wonder at what you’ve done this year. You—and me—have come a long way in 2011. It’s when we take a breather like this that such a realization comes full circle.

And without further ado, a resharing of some of my favorite images of 2011, in no particular order:Thank you to ALL my clients in 2011 who made this year such an incredible one! I appreciate your trust and faith in my work more than you could ever know!

See more of Gail’s work at www.gailwernerphoto.com. Become a fan of Gail’s work on Facebook. Follow Gail on Twitter.

When we got home Friday, there was my copy of the magazine, stuffed amidst a pile of junk mail and bills. Shrink-wrapped in gauzy cellophane, there was no denying that it was HERE. And it was BEAUTIFUL.

My friendship with Jasmine is dear to me. I don’t talk about it because, frankly, it’s not something to brag about. To the majority of you reading this, she is Jasmine The Photographer. But to me, she is not a name. Nor a “rock star.” She is Jasmine The Person. The same person I first bonded with last year not at some industry event but over a mutual (read: DEEP) love affair with the written word.

I was a writer before I became a photographer (and still am). I will cheer any person on whose dreams involve putting thoughts down on paper. Or picking up a camera. The fact Jasmine’s dreams melded those two aspirations together? That she happens to be phenomenal at both? Well… that was just kismet.

Flipping through this magazine, actually holding it in my hands and not just hearing Jasmine dream about it over conversation or copyediting segments of it online …. well, it made it all REAL. It also reminded me I happen to be friends with Jasmine The Most Ambitious Woman I’ve EVER Met. Truly.

Do yourself a favor and pick up a copy while they are still available. (My favorite story involves Jasmine’s friendship with one of her mentors, Mike Colon — what an incredible guy). I promise you, you’ll love it. Not to mention how great it’ll look tucked away on your coffee table.

Jasmine, I am so so SO proud of you! Tears-in-the-corner-of-my-eyes proud. YOU DID IT!!!! Go pop that bubbly now!

See more of Gail’s work at www.gailwernerphoto.com. Become a fan of Gail’s work on Facebook. Follow Gail on Twitter.

When I was out at WPPI earlier this year, I talked with a friend who told me about a nightmare scenario in which the mirror fell out of her 5D camera while shooting a wedding (I hear this referred to a lot as “blowing the shutter” but not exactly sure if they are one and the same….Anyone?). Her experience put the fear of God into me, so I asked the Canon representatives (who are EVERYWHERE at WPPI…bless their souls!) and was told, “Yeah, it’s basically not a matter of ‘if’, it’s a matter of ‘when’..and no, we cannot tell you when that when is going to be.”) (conveniently, this is the same thing the Apple Genius guy told me a year ago when I took my iMac in when a busted hard drive).

I was glad I heard this story and carried around that newly discovered knowledge if only because it prepared me for when that very “worst case scenario” happened to me. It was during a wedding last month and, as I pressed down on the shutter, I heard a sickening crunch and then all I saw was black. Uh-oh…it’s the mirror. It’s got to be the mirror, started playing through my mind on repeat.

Thankfully, this happened at a point in the day when I could quietly slip away, remove my 70-200 lens (which was on there pretty tight..I think it got “stuck” for a minute as a result of what happened), assess the damage (Yep, it was the mirror) and continue on with the rest of the night’s shoot with my back-up camera (which I’d already had out anyway) safely in hand, nobody any wiser as to what had just happened.

So, I guess the lesson here folks is kind of three-fold:

1) It’s going to happen to you at some point too: Whether it’s a blown shutter or a lens that falls out of a bag, every working photographer is going to encounter a scenario at some point in his or her career where they have a piece of equipment malfunction on them. Yes, everyone. (I’m picturing Annie Leibovitz blowing a shutter during a shoot for Vanity Fair and already feeling better about this very notion….)

2) Be prepared: If you are photographing ANY person’s wedding, you better have a back-up camera in hand (especially during the ceremony and parts of the day you cannot miss) or in your gear bag at the ready. (preferably of the same model so you’re not dealing with any confusion over settings or technical issues on top of the frustration of having something break on you). If you are a professional shooting more than 5-6 weddings a year, you should make it a priority to own a second back-up body (and a third if and when you can afford it). If you are an occasional wedding photographer and/or do not have the funds yet to own that second body, you best be renting that camera body at every paid shoot you are hired for. When I need a camera body or lens rental, I trust and turn to BorrowLens.com. Also, if you are a professional who is not yet  a member of your camera maker’s professional photographer service, DO IT ALREADY. I joined Canon Professional Service (gold status) and it has been a life-saver in increased turn-around time on fixes, free shipping and major discounts on repairs.

and finally, just because I didn’t know this until it happened and I thought it might help others to know it too:

3) It’s covered up to 100,000 clicks: This is pretty specific to my situation, but if you (like me) own a Canon (specifically a 5D), there’s peace of mind knowing that Canon will cover the cost of repairing a busted mirror if your camera body has fewer than 100,000 clicks. I wasn’t sure how many clicks my camera had, so it was incredibly reassuring to get that email from Canon letting me know I was covered and the repair was underway! (Here’s a bit more from a Flickr thread on this subject too).

See more of Gail’s work at www.gailwernerphoto.com. Become a fan of Gail’s work on Facebook. Follow Gail on Twitter.

But then, as I looked at some images of late of me shooting (captured by my lovely assistant photographers), I couldn’t help but chuckle to myself. Because, well, there they were AGAIN. Turns out, I’m a squinter when I shoot. A BAD squinter. It’s so automatic that I’ve been doing it for years and never noticed it until I had photographic evidence in front of me.

Which leads me to the conclusion that maybe these fine lines aren’t just the product of laughter. They’re also the product of doing something I love. Laugh lines or love lines. Either way, I’ll take ‘em as signs of a life—so far, at least—that’s been well lived.

See more of Gail’s work at www.gailwernerphoto.com. Become a fan of Gail’s work on Facebook. Follow Gail on Twitter.

Tell me a bit more about yourself and Thread & Film?

I am a son, brother, husband, father, teacher, and filmmaker. I believe in Jesus Christ and am trying to learn what it means to follow Him with confidence, but with humility. I grew up on a dirt road with my 4 brothers, played basketball in high school and college, studied Business Education at Bethel College, and presently volunteer for Young Life. A few years back, I lucked out by snatching up this pretty gal named Jessica, and this summer weʼll be celebrating our 6th anniversary. We have two children, Evelyn Hazel (3 yrs.) and Gray Joshua (1 yr.), and we love them dearly.

Iʼve had the opportunity to teach various business courses at the high school level and work as a filmmaker. For the past several years, Iʼve been developing a business model focused on wedding cinematography. Last year, I pulled the trigger on Thread & Film.

Thread & Film creates wedding films and story experiences. We are a video production company located in Indiana offering High Definition cinematography, editorial, and creative services and weʼre thrilled to be introducing 12 exclusive offers that the wedding industry has never seen before. Thread & Film is available for travel nationwide.

On your website, you write “Videography”, followed by “Cinematography” and proclaim “We believe there is a difference.” Can you talk about what the differences are between the two?

Not only is “videography” a familiar word, itʼs the word that everybody in the wedding industry uses – market research companies, advertisers, other wedding professionals/service providers/vendors, and prospective customers/clients/couples alike. Throughout the past several years that weʼve been filming weddings, doing case studies, and researching the market, weʼve come to understand that differences between “videography” and “cinematography” are rapidly surfacing.

Jessica and I wrote an article titled “Videography vs. Cinematography” that Wedding Day magazine featured during the week of Valentineʼs Day, earlier this year. This article explains the major differences between the two and how understanding these differences are entirely changing not only how couples think about their wedding budget, but how they experience the most important day of their life. In the article we introduce and discuss the following differences between:

• Brand
• Intentionality
• Approach
• Style
• Tools and Technology
• Investment
• Response

Weʼre encouraged by the ground-breaking things that are happening for those joining the conversation. The discouraging thing? Hardly anybody knows that this conversation even exists in the first place.

Photo credit: John Burkett

How do you work with a wedding photographer on the big day?

This is a great question. Our approach in working with other wedding professionals is a relational one, balanced between friendly professionalism and communication. Going into the day of the wedding, we would have touched bases with the other key professionals involved at least once. In regards to working with a photographer, we believe that it revolves around healthy communication. If both attend the rehearsal dinner, this can be helpful, as it allows opportunities to talk though strategies for placement, movement, and shooting during the ceremony – before the wedding day even begins. During the big day, weʼre both in the mix trying to get a great shot for the bride and groom, but we donʼt think itʼs a competition. Based on our Filming Style and the techniques we use during Editorial, we have the freedom of flexibility, and we are constantly making necessary adjustments when needed because we believe a great shot isnʼt limited to one perspective. We understand that our couples consider their investment in both photography and cinematography to be valuable, and we do whatever we can to respect this and work as a team so that everything runs smoothly.

What kinds of questions do you think brides should be asking when they are looking for someone to capture their wedding, be it through photography, videography, or cinematography?

• What type of equipment (photography, video, audio, lighting, etc.) do you use?
• How do payments work?
• Do you expect the final payment of my investment on the day of my wedding, or after my Package is actually complete?
• Do you carry insurance?
• Do you offer Edit Sessions so we have the option to provide creative input for our wedding films?
• How are you different from others?
• What will my experience be like working with you?
• Will we be able to view our wedding films on the technology of the future?
• What are some ways that we can help you during the filmmaking process?

What is your response and/or advice to people curious about the changing technology behind documenting a wedding by video?

The technology of today’s photographic and cinematographic equipment is changing rapidly. Our advice for those who are considering investing in wedding “videography” or “cinematography”? Just because there have been dramatic advances in technology doesn’t mean that you should trust anyone with a high-end camera or an expensive-looking piece of equipment to capture the most important day of your life on film. Thereʼs much, much more that goes into what youʼll experience on your wedding day, and what youʼll be receiving afterwards.

Do you look for trends in cinematography to follow? Or is your filmmaking style more classic?

We think it’s important to have a solid foundation based on traditional film, lighting, audio, and color theory. This allows us to better understand and express discernment in making decisions about which tools, technology, and trends we should embrace today. Therefore, our style is based on timeless, traditional theory, yet grins with modern, experimental subtleties. Our posture is to maintain a contemporary, fresh outlook, executing philosophically and technically sound decisions, all the while bleeding with hopeful creativity.

Speaking of trends, what are some you’re observing in the industry right now?

If we were engaged right now, we would be super excited about the innovation, creativity, and trends that are emerging and presently available in the industry today. Here are some of the prominent trends that weʼre seeing right now. Some of them include:

• High-Definition
• Wedding Cinematography (itself)
• HDSLR Cameras (using high-end still photography cameras to shoot video)
• Trailers (sneak peaks or teasers of a short film or Feature Film)
• Feature Film (editing footage from the entire wedding day into a 15-30 minute film)
• Vintage (studios offering films shot on retro analog formats such as 8mm)
• Same-Day Edits (editing footage shot earlier in the day into a short film that plays during the reception)
• Save the Date (and other engagement-type short films)
• Fusion (films combining still photography and video)

What’s your favorite thing about shooting weddings?

The relational aspects of working with others – we love getting to know our couples, and the opportunity to tell their stories through film. Also, we just love it when we get to blend the technical and the creative, and weddings are perfect for this!

See more of Gail’s work at www.gailwernerphoto.com. Become a fan of Gail’s work on Facebook. Follow Gail on Twitter.

This has got me to thinking a LOT lately about how I need a spring cleaning of my MIND. I am thankful that I do not have an addictive personality—not with food or exercise or alcohol or cigarettes. Though, more and more as of late, I’ve been feeling like my my tendency to constantly check up on social media has become a detriment to my life. I’m pretty sure I don’t indulge in this any more than the rest of society (and by “rest” I mean those of us privileged enough to have constant access to the Internet) but, to me, that’s an acknowledgment we ALL could do with a bit less of that “I-must-check-my-Twitter-feed-N-O-W” urgency we’ve allowed to seep into our brains. I may be off base here, but at least 20 times in the past 2 weeks, I’ve asked myself the following questions:

“What did we all do WITHOUT Facebook? And Twitter? Because we were all doing something before it…was that “something” more constructive?”

“Is it possible I may NOT be able stop following my social media feeds?”

And so, I’ve decided now is as good a time as any to test myself—my “Web willpower” if you will. I am going Facebook- and Twitter-free for the next week*. I think this is going to be EXTREMELY hard for me. Matter, of fact, I think it’d be extremely hard for ANY of you reading this. And that’s why I’m challenging anybody up to the task to join me. It’s going to be like detox, I think, because the act of logging in to these sites (particularly Twitter) is, for me, totally automatic. So already I’m curious to see how many times I’ll catch myself in the act of going into auto-pilot. I hope every time I do, or every time I think, “Huh, I should tweet that,” I’m reminded of the very reason I’m taking this break in the first place.

I’m also going to take a week-long break from the blog. I need this time to recharge my batteries, mentally and emotionally, because lately I feel as though my writing has been in a bit of a slump. I know this is going to change pretty soon, that it’s just that (a slump) and that, as I start posting sessions, things will pick back up again but for now, I want a week where—like Ross and Rachel—the Internet and I can just be, you know, ON A BREAK. I think it’s going to do wonders for this Web-weary soul of mine. I will still be checking and responding to email, so clients, no worries there!

Oh, and I’d love to hear what you think about your OWN social media habits in the comments. Do you feel like you’re addicted too? If you decide to join me in this week-long break (which, if you’re hyperventilating at just the idea of it, well, isn’t that saying something?) then let me know in the comments—and if you blog about it, share the link here too!

Wish me luck……I’m pulling the plug in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1………

*In the interest of full disclosure, I do have to access both of these platforms for my day job, but I’ll be limiting my time spent there only to the posts I have to make for the university. Not my personal accounts!

See more of Gail’s work at www.gailwernerphoto.com. Become a fan of Gail’s work on Facebook. Follow Gail on Twitter.

So in an effort to stay more on top of this quest of mine—and to share a great new book that I really, really hope a lot of you think about picking up because it is just SO good!—here is my review of the business book I read in April, “Today We Are Rich” by Tim Sanders.

You know how, when Oprah really loves something, she wants to give it to everybody? (“And YOU get a car and YOU get a car and YOU get a car…”) That’s kind of how I feel about this book. If I could afford it, I’d buy a case of copies of “Today We are Rich” and seek out all the people in my life who I think need or would want to read its wisdoms. And in my mind, that number is many.

It’s not that Tim Sanders writes in this book about any earth-shatteringly new concepts in business/self-empowerment. It’s just that he is the kind of author who excels tremendously at pulling together those ideas and morales that we should think more about (instead of checking our Facebook feeds for the 20th time in a day). And, in particular here, those ideas would be the principles of confidence.

In a nutshell, they include:

• Feeding your mind good stuff: Filter out the negative thoughts and people in your life, feed your mind the right kind of “mind food” (more gospel and good books, less cable news commentary).
• Moving the conversation forward: Don’t let doubts hold you back; facing up to your own worst-case scenario and realize you could still survive it.
• Exercise your gratitude muscle: Express your gratitude and start each day grateful (this chapter is what finally motivated to get serious about starting a gratitude journal).
• Give to be rich: When we give to others, we boost our way out of feeling burned out (Sanders’ talks a lot about giving to causes that mean a lot to you—this has prompted me to think more seriously about finding causes related to literacy because the older I get the more I understand how important books and reading are to my life).
• Prepare yourself: Get smart about whatever issues you’re facing; read, read and read some more (“Carry books with you wherever you go” Sanders writes; I’m on it! )
• Balance your confidence: “Total confidence requires a belief in yourself, other people in your life, and in something greater than yourself.”
• Promises made should be promises kept: “If you finish what you start and what you say you’ll do, anything is possible.”

You may think I’ve “given away” what this book is about, so no need to read it. But I say you should DEFINITELY still pick a copy up!! Sanders is a great writer (who is easy to read in his conversational tone) and you’ll want to read more about the stories he shares on how each one of these principles has been taught to him through his relationship with his grandmother Billye. Who, I might add, tuly sounds like one hell of a woman ….

A few more gems of thought I loved:

• “Gratitude is a capability built up through exercise and focus. It’s an ability to perceive, receive and produce the position emotion of gratefulness.”
• “Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.”
• You always have a gift to give. ALWAYS.
• “Show me someone who lights up a room, commands respect, and charms everyone, and I’ll point out the underlying energy that makes it all possible: confidence.”

See more of Gail’s work at www.gailwernerphoto.com. Become a fan of Gail’s work on Facebook. Follow Gail on Twitter.

So, with that in mind, and looking past January’s book review of Seth Godin’s “Linchpin” and February’s review of Rollo May’s “The Courage to Create,” here’s my take on Ben McConnell and Jackie Huba’s “Creating Customer Evangelists” (which, if you want to purchase, click here).

In a nutshell, I feel the concept of this well-written and popular business book can be summed up in this paragraph from its first chapter:

“We’re drowning in a sea of media and information overload. In a world with so much choice, how do people make decisions? By relying on trusted friends, colleagues, or family members. In the new world of marketing, evangelists act as key influencers on future customers. The ideal scenario is when a customer has been made on your behalf well before they hand over their credit card.”

Being a part of an industry as over-saturated as photography, the push to market one’s self can be difficult — but I’m a big believer in the power of word of mouth marketing. Creating loyalty with clients — and, in many cases, turning them into friends — has been a big factor to growing my business (and I know the same is true of other hard-working photographers out there).

For “Creating Customer Evangelists”, McConnell and Huba outline a set of key concepts they believe serves as the perfect equation for gaining these customer evangelists. Those concepts in summary (adding them here will be a great point of reference for me in the future as I want to work on making each applicable to my own biz):

• Customer Plus-Delta: Continuously understanding what customers love about you and what they’d like to see improved.
• Napsterizing your knowledge: Sharing your intellectual capital in ways easily passed on to others.
• Build the buzz: Using natural networks that exist to get people talking.
• Create community: Finding ways to create a sense of belonging among your customers.
• Bite-sized chunks: Developing easily digestible pieces for new evangelists.
• Create a cause: Rallying customers around something bigger than you.

Throughout the text, the authors share case studies of successful companies known for having a strong contingent of customer evangelists (and, at the end of each chapter about them, hit on the touch points of how their businesses specifically tackle those concepts above, which makes for a great way of reenforcing the book’s key messages). I loved reading the chapter about Mark Cuban and his out-of-the-box thinking regarding his ownership of the Dallas Mavericks. And while I may scoff at the ridiculous of helping my niece build one of her bears in the store, Maxine Clark, CEO of Build-A-Bear, made for a fascinating profile too.

Great read for biz book lovers, marketing junkies and those who are self-employed.

And while I’m on this topic of creating customer evangelists, I have to give a HUGEEEE shout-out to Kelly Moore and her Kelly Moore Bag enterprise. I purchased a Kelly Moore Hobo bag while I was out in Vegas at WPPI in February and fell hard for its buttery softness. It was love at first sight! So, I took the bag with me on my trip in March to New York City. I blame my own stupidity for what happened next: I crammed FAR too much equipment into the bag, got impatient when I found myself in a situation where I didn’t have time to rearrange the contents, and then tugged WAY too hard on the zipper.

You can guess what happened next, right? It broke. I cried. Well, I didn’t CRY, but my inner voice might have yelled at myself a few times (It went something like “HOWCOULDYOUBESODUMB?!!“) After asking 2 or 3 foreign women I found at hole-in-the-wall New York dry cleaner-tailors if they fixed zippers (and getting rejected), I broke down and emailed the company, asking if they had a repairs department to fix it (fully expecting to pay for something that was my fault).

Hearing back from their sales staff within an hour’s time, I was told to share a photo of the damage, which I quickly did with my trusty iPhone. Later that day, a second email and a promise to REPLACE THE BAG!!!!! If my tiny little hotel room would have been big enough, I probably would have attempted a cartwheel right then and there. Two weeks after I got back, there was the FedEx box with my Hobo 2.0, good as new!

Now, here I am, building buzz about how incredible not only the bag is but how AMAZING Kelly’s customer service department is! I love that I had such an awesome experience with a company in a month where I read a book all about this very concept. So, THANK YOU KELLY MOORE, and you better believe you have a customer evangelist now in me!

See more of Gail’s work at www.gailwernerphoto.com. Become a fan of Gail’s work on Facebook. Follow Gail on Twitter.

Mark was sweet and quiet and he sat next to me for the two days of the workshop (that’s him pictured in the middle in the photo above). When we had to do a timed exercise uploading photos into Lightroom and I was having problems with Dane’s instructions and starting to panic, Mark patiently guided me through what I needed to do and was so sweet about the whole thing. On the last day of the workshop, during an exercise in which Dane challenged us all to make a declaration to make big changes in our lives, he “took a risk” with Mark (and if you’ve met Dane or attended one of his workshops, you know this is one of his inspirational phrases). Mark, who was obese, was challenged by Dane to lose weight. The rest of us in the room sat in stunned silence. We couldn’t believe Dane had been bold enough to put that question out there to Mark. But it was this amazing conversation we all got to witness, one in which Mark committed to the goal in a way that, as he would later share, he had never before.

As I told people this story back home, some people were shocked that a conversation so frank would play out in front of an audience like that. But that’s when I tried to explain the community we’d built around Mark. How all of us who’d been there and so many others were cheering him on as members of Dane’s Fast Track Photographers forum. His motto and our motto? For Each Other. And for 15 months, we’ve joined in the process of cheering Mark on as he’s whittled away at that weight loss pound by pound. Last week, he created a video that he and Dane shared on Facebook and I watched it with my mouth hanging agape. I was SO proud of Mark!!! To see not only a physical transformation in him, but to see how confident he is here, well, I wish we lived closer ’cause I’d give him a big ‘ol hug and take him out for a salad!!! I asked Mark if he would mind me sharing his story with you all (and the video) and he said “Go for it”. So, here you guys go…I wanted you to witness it and be as inspired by him as I’ve been. It’s pretty incredible: