Well, much to my surprise, the Ridgewood, NJ workshop sold out within days of opening for registration. (Don’t worry…we still have other dates in Texas, California, and Washington with some openings left. Along with tentative fall dates set for Perth and New Castle Australia!).

I would still like to keep with my plan, however, of featuring each of the hostesses for the upcoming workshops on my blog, so let’s go ahead and start with my dear friend Lena with Live Love Laugh Photography in Ridgewood, NJ (Follow her on Facebook):

I am Lena Antaramian, an award-winning Bergen County, New Jersey children and family photographer and owner of Live Love Laugh Photos. I am a mom to very different but equally amazing twin girls and a wife to a smart and funny man. I love dogs, books and sunny spring days. I love all types of food, dessert in particular; cooking it is a different story though. I love bags and believe you can never have too many. I am a world traveler and after visiting many countries, living in a few and meeting people from all over the place I truly believe that the world is a wonderful place and people at their core are good. I get teary-eyed when I witness emotional connections and moments – a hug between a mother and a daughter that shows more love that can ever be described with words, pure joy that is a belly laugh of a toddler, happiness on kids and parents’ faces when they are being silly together. And I feel very privileged to capture and help preserve them for my clients.

1. What makes your photography business unique to you?  Do I sound like I have a huge head if I say that ‘I’ make my business unique?  There are other photographers who have a similar processing style and technical skills but there is only one ME.  My clients get my unique artistic vision when it comes to their images and setting them up in their homes.  They have great time at their sessions because I make them fun for everyone.  They get gifts and personal gestures along the way that make them feel appreciated and cared for.  They get unbeatable customer service from me every step of the way.  And all of that contributes to the amazing experience they have whenever they book a session with Live Love Photos.
2. Best thing about being a photographer? This sounds cliché, but I truly believe that the best part of being a photographer is being able to preserve memories for our clients.  It is pretty amazing that we, as photographers, have the power to freeze time!
3. Toughest thing?  I see shots I want to capture pretty much everywhere I go and sometimes it is hard for me to stop taking pictures and just be in the moment because I always want to preserve the moment by capturing it.
4. If you could photograph anyone/anything in the world (dead or alive) who would it be and why?  All of my grandparents. Three of my grandparents passed away before I became a photographer and I never really photographed them.  I wish I could capture the wisdom and love in their eyes.  I do have one Grandfather (the older you get, the more amazing it feels to be someone’s granddaughter) and I did make it a point to photograph him.  I am thrilled that I have portraits of him that I love.
5. Why does Ridgewood, NJ ROCK for serving as a host town for a workshop? Well, for one thing, my town has the best Nutella crepes West of Paris!  [Michele: I can attest to that!] It has a lot of charm and personality: cute boutiques, amazing restaurants (NYC quality food at New Jersey prices), plenty of urban and park like settings for photo shoots.  And it is only 25 miles away from NYC!
6. If you could describe your business in 3 words prior to the Pinkle Toes workshop, what would they be? Style not clearly defined, middle-of-the-road in terms of success
7. And what about after?  Consistent (in terms of style and processing), successful, high-end.
8. Best part of your Pinkle Toes Workshop experience? I’ve learned A TON from Michele and 3 years later I still use what I’ve learned but if I had to pick just one part (and it is not easy!) it will be gaining more confidence. I attended the Pinkle Toes Workshop 3 years ago – at that time I’d had my business for two years and felt relatively confident in my work, business practices and pricing.  But after attending the workshop, and having one-on-one with Michele really helped raise my confidence level.
9. Most challenging part?  Lack of sleep:)  We were learning morning till night and while I would not change that for anything, I had to sacrifice  on sleep:)
10. Advice to anyone who attends the workshop you’re hosting?  Be ready to learn from an amazing photographer and business woman, eat yummy food, spend time with awesome people and have a great time all around!

And here is just a sample of Lena’s FABULOUS photography: