Inspired Photo Blog

While in Seattle, I had the opportunity to visit my friend Mat Hayward. A talented photographer who shoots weddings, sports (Seahawks), contributes to a stock agency, volunteers at the zoo, manages McGrath’s Fish House, in addition to raising two daughters and being married to a beautiful woman.
(you may remember her sister) He’s a very busy man!

We were discussing how fortunate we felt to earn a living doing something that we enjoyed so passionately. I laughed and asked him to define earning a living. I was humbled that he could do so much with his life and manage his time. He shared his dream of becoming a photographer full-time—that it was the hardest way to make an easy living. This made me think… is living your dream only for a select few or can we all realize our dreams? I’d like to think that we can all live our dream. Here’s six tips to help you live yours.

1. Create a Great Purpose - The greater the reason you have to live your dream the greater your motivation. Think of those who have achieved greatly in their lives. Their purpose wasn’t limited by a personal agenda but by a purpose which was far greater than themselves. A few years ago I had the honor to musically lead Sir Bob Geldof into a conference. During his keynote speech he spoke about how Live Aid began. He said, our goal was to raise $75,000 to help feed people in Africa. Now millions and millions of dollars later we’re still doing it. Create a great purpose for your dream - world abundance, world peace, feed the world, make poverty history or whatever resonates deep within you, almost as if you were born for this purpose to be realized.

2. Explore Your Dreams - What are your talents and gifts? What are you deeply passionate about? What do you love? Everyone has talents and gifts. Everyone has unique contributions to make to our world. However, if we just follow everyone elses lead hoping to be liked and approved of, we may miss our calling. Ask yourself, what do you truly love doing? Do you lose track of time when you’re doing this? Would you do it even if you never got paid?

3. Create a Vision - Get a blank sheet of paper. Now imagine anything is possible. Draw a vision for your ultimate dream, one that feels absolutely fantastic! It’s the feelings that will energize your vision into reality, so let them soar! Put that vision somewhere you will see it daily and reconnect with those feelings as if your dream is already true.

4. Take guided action - There is an intelligence within the universe that keeps the planets in their orbits, ensures the sun rises daily and can also manifest your dreams. What do you need to do? Let go of the need to figure how your dream will happen, trust the infinite intelligence of the universe and watch for opportunites that arise. These opportunities may come to you, or your intuition may urge you to take guided action. Whichever way they show up, gently seize these opportunies!

5. Give Thanks - A thirteenth century philosopher, Meister Eckhart once said if the only prayer we ever said in our lives was thank you, it would be enough. Never cease to feel gratitude for the manifestion of your dreams. Your feelings of gratitude are the energy which fuel the magical manifestation of your dreams. No matter how slow or fast the progress, celebrate every step of the way!

6. Your Greatest Gift - Finally and most importantly remember that even if your dream doesn’t come true, be forever grateful for the greatest gift of all, the gift of your precious and unique life. And know that this world is a better place because you have dared to live your dream!

posted with permission by Sean M Kelly B.Sc Dip (Appl.Sc) Mast NLP

May your most fulfilling dreams come true…

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Teresa and Mark met at church and were friends long before they ever thought they would be walking down the aisle together. A beautiful setting in the country seemed like a great idea, so it was an easy decision to pick Brooks Hill Historic Church for their intimate ceremony.

Not having met them until their wedding day, I was a bit nervous about what I was walking into. Within minutes, I was drawn to their passion and wonderful sense of fun. It was a brilliant, sunny day with no shade in sight. Next to the church, in a dusty field was a barn. One side was painted red and offered a small area of shade and this is where I asked them to let me photograph their formal portraits. They never hesitated.

Mark shared a funny story about when he proposed to Teresa. He took her on a sailboat dinner cruise. As he fell to one knee to propose, Teresa thought he was falling off the boat. That’s the way these two are together. Always smiling, laughing and glowing with love. All day, Teresa was having the time of her life. Walking across a dusty field with her dress gathered in her hands, jumping up on a rotten stump, leaning against the side of a dirty shed.

Congratulations to the family and friends of Teresa and Mark. Thank you for making me feel like a part of your family, it was wonderful meeting all of you. Teresa shared that as they were leaving in the limo, she leaned over and whispered, the day could not have been any better. Teresa and Mark…best wishes for a lifetime of happiness together!

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If you’ve been following my blog at all, then you know how much I enjoy reading other people’s work. I find inspiration all around me. Today I was humbled by this simple, yet powerful video from photographer Dane Sanders. His podscasting site called Cut Frame TV is dedicated to the community of wedding photographers. His passion for photography and sharing is a gift to the community. Rock on Dane!

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Wedding day means different things to different people. For Kristy and David, it was a day of quiet elegance surrounded by an intimate gathering of friends and family. The setting was the Fairgate Inn, a Colonial Greek mansion in Camas, Washington.

Although the Fairgate Inn is situated on two acres of land, it’s nestled in a residential neighborhood, so events are limited in time to keep the neighbors happy. Kristy and David added a second photographer to their coverage to help facilitate the limited amount of time and ensure we captured the story of their day. I was fortunate to commission the services of Rob McNary, a local photographer who’s vision and photojournalistic skills are nothing short of gifted. Also in attendance was local Portland radio DJ, Tim Taylor who enjoys entertaining a few weddings each year. And last, but certainly not least is the super talented Kristen, who’s been working with me for the past two wedding seasons. There were a lot of images to sort through from this wedding!

I must confess that I never posted any images from Kristy and David’s engagement session. We had an amazing session along the Vancouver waterfront in March. It was right before I left for a photography convention and it slipped between the cracks. I liked the shoot so much, that I featured two full page spreads in my new Italian coffee table album from that session. I knew they would be wonderful to photograph on their wedding day.

Congratulations to the newly married couple, their family and friends. And a special nod to Kristy (a personal trainer by day) who is a contributing writer to a new web site called Make You Happen. Be sure to sign up for the official launch and get yourself in shape. Yes, wedding season is officially over and I’ll return to my workout routine as soon as I finish posting all my weddings. Best wishes Kristy and David for a lifetime of happiness and health!

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