friday five :: greensboro photographer

This week's Friday Five is completely random and dedicated to a few things that are making me a whole lot happier this week:​

1. WINNING - Last week, before we left for Jamaica, I got an email saying that I had won a sweet camera backpack from ONA Bags via SLR Lounge, and I received it in the mail on Tuesday. This company's bags are super fab and some of the highest quality camera bags I've ever seen. So excited to try it out at this weekend's wedding!
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​2.​ eMeals - Y'all, I have a confession. I'm a sucker for a Groupon ... I'm just the type of impulsive buyer that businesses are looking for when they decide to promote their products on that site. I'd heard of eMeals a couple of years ago and for such a great price, decided to give it a try. We've been using it for about a month now, and I'm completely sold. You choose a meal plan (right now, we're on the paleo plan, but you can select a more traditional one, low-fat, clean eating, etc.), and each week, they send you dinner menus and a shopping list. AND they even have an app for that.

3. Things that make my job easier - Who doesn't love something that makes life easier on them? Before our trip last week, we decided to invest in a circular polarizer for my 50mm lens just to try it out. Let me tell you... for you camera lovers out there... this thing is AWESOME. It has the same effect as wearing a pair of polarized sunglasses. Ever take a picture at the beach only to have the color turn out dull and washed out? Not with this baby. This is with NO EDITING, folks. Straight out of camera...

4. Travel - Traveling is one of my favorite things ever, and this spring, we're doing alot of it, which makes me one happy girl. We just got back from Jamaica (which was AMAZING), and I'll be headed to Kansas City followed by Nashville next weekend. Then, Josh and I will be going to Chicago in June, with possibly a couple of short weekend trips between now and then. Not much makes me happier than being on a plane or a road trip. Well, except, when the flight has those delicious little cookies as a snack instead of the peanuts and pretzels.

5. ​Ben & Jerry's - Cinnamon Buns Ice Cream. Go buy a pint now. And eat the entire thing. SO. STINKIN'. GOOD.

​Do yourself a favor and go have an adventure this weekend!

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reunited and it feels so good :: high point photographer

This past weekend was one I had been anticipating for months... months, people. Each year or so, a group of my girlfriends from Belmont University and I try to plan a girls weekend, and finally, after nearly two years since our last ​reunion in the Outer Banks, we were all together once again at my house here in North Carolina.

​It's crazy how much our lives have changed in just four years... Christina is engaged and officially a doctor, Claire will be married and graduated from P.A. school by the end of the year, Megan has already been through grad school and is an academic advisor at a university half way across the country, and Kaley owns her own business and is an aspiring country artist. We all have different dreams and we're each in different places in life and geographically, but somehow, we always manage to pick things up right where we left off. It's a rare find to have a group of people who are invested in each other's lives for the long haul (like always having an encouraging word... or a lecture dragged out over the course of three days :) ... to give you the kick in the pants you need), and I thank my lucky stars to have such an amazing group of women to call my friends.

​The weekend was filled with cupcakes, Riesling and margaritas, some incredibly amusing wedding dress shopping experiences, sleep deprivation, road trip sing-a-longs, and mostly laughing so hard that I thought I legitimately might die. ​And finally, we got a group photo...

I can't wait to see what the next year brings for everyone, and I'm already looking forward to the next reunion!!
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​See more from our girls weekend here. To keep up with the latest news and photos from Glessner Photography, like us on Facebook.​

wppi and what brings you joy :: greensboro wedding photographer

To say that last week was a whirlwind would be putting it mildly. Thanks to an invitation from the fabulous Dana Laymon (a fellow MTH alum), I got to experience the WPPI Conference and Las Vegas for the first time ever.

As I learned from WPPI U in Atlanta a couple of years ago, it takes time to absorb and digest all the information you intake at these sorts of events, and I'm still working on that part. But one thing I do know for sure is it fires me up and fills my heart to the brim to be surrounded by people who are so passionate about their work and about helping others create great businesses and lives, and I strive every day to be one of those people who inspires those around me to live out their dreams, whatever they may be. I had the opportunity to learn from some of the most incredible photographers and just generally amazing people (among them, Jesh de Rox, Elizabeth Messina, Matthew Jordan Smith, and the list goes on)​, make new friends and see old ones, and possibly most importantly, step away from a desk and computer and relax. 

Sometimes, that word - relax - seems like a dirty word amongst entrepreneurs. If you're not working constantly, how can you be successful?! We love being classified as workaholics (oh come on, you know you like it), because that makes us seem like we're being productive, even if we're not providing our clients the best version of ourselves and our work. 

One of the biggest things that I took away from this experience is that creativity and great ideas don't happen in an office. And they don't happen when your ultimate goal is only to make more money. They happen when you step away from what you're supposed to do and step into what brings you joy. That doesn't mean that business and joy are mutually exclusive... in fact, I think it's quite the opposite. When you do what excites you, the business follows. ​I began my business with that philosophy when I quit my 8-to-5 to follow my passion for photography, and somehow, in the process of turning that love into a business, I began to forget the joy part. In a way, I've come full circle, and I'm looking forward to getting back to all the things I love about holding a camera and creating something beautiful that also brings other people joy.

Above are a few of my favorite Instagram highlights from my trip, and I love that the things I loved the most about this trip are equal parts work and play. Reminder and note to self: WORK DOESN'T HAVE TO FEEL LIKE WORK. ​I'm going to be disguising more of my work as play a little more often, and I look forward to updated you all on the amazing things that come from it.

So my question for you is: What brings you joy and how can you incorporate it into your work?​

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