Oh hey there! A post that’s NOT about my son! Slowly but surely folks, I’m getting my groove back! And on that note, I wanted to share with all of you a few recent features along with a few housekeeping items to know about:

Right before I had Dean, I was contacted by my good friend and photography mentor, Melissa Jill. Melissa asked if I’d be willing to be featured as part of her new series on alums of her workshop called “Where Are They Now?” OF COURSE I WOULD! I’ve told Melissa many times that her workshop changed my life (seriously, it did!) and I was happy to gush for her about what I learned but, most importantly, the INCREDIBLE relationships I fostered as a result of those two days in Arizona back in 2009. If you’re a photographer in your first year or two of business, I promise you Melissa’s workshop would be a wonderful investment for you in the new year! She is the real deal and a wonderful person who just so happens to be a talented photographer and savvy business woman. You can read my interview with her here:

After I shared Dean’s birth story, I was contacted by my Colorado friend and fellow photographer Dawn. She recently launched a new online venture called The Poppy Cat, dedicated to birth/newborn and family photography (and named as such after her DARLING daughter, Poppy). Her site also shares insights from mamas out there on the ups and downs of parenting, and Dawn asked if she could feature my birth story. I was honored! You can see that feature here:

It was also fun to see myself tagged on Twitter by the editor of Dwell Studio’s blog, Christiane Lemieux. Christiane and her blogging team had discovered me raving about the Dwell rug we picked up in styling Dean’s nursery (a rug I still adore every time I walk in that room!) and featured my nursery entry over on The Studio Blog. Thanks Dwell team! You can revisit that entry on her blog here:

And finally, the last “cherry on top” to my blog overall, a unique way to view my entries! Ryan from 2nd Street Creative has set it up so you can view the blog through the standard, linear view or the new awesome editorial view. To toggle between the two layouts, just point your browser to the area circled below:

Also, because some people have asked, you may have noticed that certain blog entries of mine (What I’m Loving and Wedding Stories, for example) no longer allow users to comment within the blog. I had to make a difficult decision to forgo comments on these features so I could add the unique, custom stylization to them. Given how much I love the new look of my blog, I know it’s worth the trade-off, but by all means, since I share all my blog entries on Facebook, I’d appreciate if you still kept leaving some love on these entries over there! Find me on Facebook if we’re not already friends — here is my personal page and my photography page.

I’m excited to share about my guest post over at the awesome Paperie Boutique. Photographers, if you’re unfamiliar with this Web site, it’s a GREAT resource for collecting ideas and vendor options for marketing material for your work. Robyn does an amazing job of making this site fun, fresh and relevant and it’s definitely one to bookmark/add to your RSS readers if you haven’t already!

For all of you who sent me emails or left me questions in my comments on my recent post about my marketing materials, this feature should have a lot of the answers you’re seeking. Thanks Robyn!

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

File this under the “Maybe it’s just me” category: But do you ever sit in traffic or get stuck in a line somewhere or listen to someone talk through an ENTIRE concert and think how this very scenario would be your response to the hypothetical person who asks “What’s your biggest peeve?”  TOTALLY embarrassing to admit I have a brain that contemplates mintuia of this magnitude but I’m ‘fessing up because I figure I can’t be the ONLY one who thinks these thoughts.

Okay, so where was I going with this? …. Right, right, my recent feature on The Bokeh Pot! See, along with that hypothetical pet peeve question, I’m always trying to think what I’d say if someone were to ask me “Name one thing you can’t live without.” Well, believe it or not, the Bokeh ladies asked. And are you ready for my response? I SAID CHAPSTICK.

Not Nick. Not my family. Not my dog. CHAPSTICK. And you know why? Because it’s totally one of those off-the-cuff things that every time I stand in the checkout line with a new tube, I think about how I can’t live without. Oh so trivial, I know … but please keep in mind this train of thought is usually contemplated AS I’m waiting for the woman in front of me to have the clerk run a price check on the candy she’s trying to buy. The candy she INSISTS is on sale but the pimply-faced kid behind the counter isn’t sure. So just to be safe A MANAGER IS BEING SUMMONED.

Oh Internet, I’m full of all sorts of random tonight. But I’d love it if you took a peek at the interview, where, in addition to admitting to my unhealthy addiction to chapstick, I offer up some insights into what got me into photography, where I find inspiration for the work I do and who would be my dream team to second shoot with (I’ll give you a hint – I’ve already done it :) )

Bokeh gals, thanks for letting me participate in this fun feature and for any new(ish) photogs out there who follow my blog, definitely pay attention to this site — it’s a great one for all of us still just out of the gates with our businesses!