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Thursday, March 4, 2010
The countdown to WPPI 2010 has officially begun.  Stacey and I, along with a whole host of other Minneapolis wedding photographers, not to mention those from other parts of the country and world will soon be descending upon Las Vegas to partake in learning, friendship, and a wee bit of partying.  WPPI has become the biggest annual event for wedding and portrait photographers.  This year is a bit extra special for us, as I had a front row seat in the making of one of the major platform events during the convention.  Mike Colon and Jim Davis Hicks are presenting on Tuesday night in a platform titled The Marriage of Profit and Purpose.  They will be going over the Thirst Relief Benefit Shoot to Tanzania (to see some of my images, click HERE), and the impact it had emotionally.  In addition to how creating cause driven partnerships has been mutually beneficial.  Since, I recently gave a speech for the Association of Bridal Consultants, I was able to lend a hand with some of the information gathering.  I strongly encourage anyone at WPPI to come see this event.  It will certainly be memorable and informative.  For a trailer of what to expect, watch below!


Thirst Relief Promo Video for WPPI from ben harrison on Vimeo.



As a side project, all of us on the trip gave up some of our time to offer some advice on what we have earned from our time as photographers.  Some of it is business oriented and some of it is photography oriented.  I am so excited to see the whole thing because I know the quality of the people that were involved.  My guess is that there will be something for everyone to get out of this video.  I have also included a trailer for that below. 


Thirst Relief & Grace Ormonde Tanzania Benefit Shoot Instructional DVD from ben harrison on Vimeo.



For any photographers there, if you see either Stacey or I on the trade-show floor or at an event, please make sure to stop us and say hello.  We hope to see you there!



Contact Staja Studios | View The Portfolio of Staja Studios, Minneapolis Wedding Photographers


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Wow, what a fun way to start off this week.  We got notified from the fabulous Summer, from Grey Likes Weddings, that Laura and Brett's engagement session is featured on her blog.  This blog is a great resource for wedding trends, inspiration, and all things "grey likes"!  Considering she is on the west coast, we were very honored as Minneapolis wedding photographers to be featured!  Be sure to go check out a few of the highlights she posted here!

Minnesota Wedding Photographers - Grey Likes Weddings.jpg
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Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Stacey and I are so excited to announce our new website!  As time has moved on and we got our new blog designed, our old site just wasn't fitting the feel of Staja Studios anymore.  We needed something really clean with big images to match what our visitors are used to seeing here.  With that said, we would like to reveal our take on modern elegance and present the new stajastudios.com!  We hope you like it and would be thrilled if you passed this on to anyone you think might enjoy it.

Staja Studios - Minneapolis Wedding Photographers.jpg

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Your "awesome" assistant, Chelsea says:

Cutest puppy ever! I love this picture!!!

(02.24.10 @ 09:50 PM)
Tonia says:

Love this pic! Makes me wish I had my dog with me in Mexico!!!! Super Cute!

(02.26.10 @ 08:23 AM)
Laura Ivanova says:

I love the new site you guys!! It looks incredible :-)

(02.26.10 @ 11:49 PM)
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Monday, February 15, 2010

Get mentored by Jason

in the 2010 ThirstRelief Mentor Auction!

Click the images to open them in new windows.


Grow as a photographer while saving lives!

I'm participating in the 2010 ThirstRelief Mentor Auction. Our mission is to save lives by tapping into the incredible talent and generosity of the photo industry.

Did you know that every 15 seconds someone dies of a waterborne illness? That's 5,760 people every day! You can help. Bid on a mentoring session with your favorite photographer!

100% of the proceeds directly benefit Thirst Relief. Add to that the incredible wisdom and talent that is being shared in the one-on-one mentor sessions and you have better and more successful photographers! It's truly a win win for everyone involved!

About me and my mentor auction


'm Jason Thon, also known as the Ja in Staja Studios. Together with my wife, Stacey, we have built a wedding photography studio in Minneapolis, MN. Our focus is on providing a high quality experience for our clients. In addition, I have recently been inspired to begin helping educate and motivate others within the photography community and wedding industry. To date, the most memorable moment of my career was being invited to participate in the Grace Ormonde Thirst Relief Benefit Shoot in Tanzania, Africa. Although I don't have any new workshop, action set, or DVD to offer with this mentor session, what I do have is my experience and the valuable information I have learned and been taught along the way. I don't have any pre-determined agenda, but am available to talk about photography itself: technical skills, finding photography influences, and developing a style. More importantly I am open to the photography business: my thoughts on marketing, the "branding" process and working to develop an identity, and particularly the quirks and advantages/potential pitfalls of working with a business partner and/or spouse. I will be available at WPPI, in Minneapolis, or via telephone to hold this mentor session. I look forward to meeting and helping make your time as valuable as possible.


My mentor session can take place at WPPI 2010 (Las Vegas), in my hometown of Minneapolis, MN, USA OR on the phone.




For more information, please visit thirstrelief.shootq.com!


To bid on me, please go HERE!



I wanted to post this today and encourage everyone to please help spread the word about the Thirst Relief Mentor Auction.  This is my first year as a mentor and I am really excited and honored to be among the list of amazing photographers who are donating their time.  This is Thirst Relief's biggest fundraiser of the year and such an inspiring event.  90 different people have donated their time and are serving as mentors this year.  They each deserve a big round of applause for their selfless contributions.  As some of you may know, I was invited to go over to Tanzania and be part of a benefit shoot for Thirst Relief.  Through this trip, I got to see first hand what this money is going towards.  I can honestly say, that your help is needed.  The drinking water is a serious problem in underdeveloped parts of the world and Thirst Relief is doing it's part to help alleviate the situation.



I would be so honored if you would consider bidding on me as a mentor for this auction.  I will do what ever I can to provide as much knowledge as possible and try to help your business.  It is primarily for photographers but should another wedding professional be interested, I am all yours.  Thank you for the consideration, and your bid is deeply appreciated!

The auction is only live Feb 16th and 17th, so please bid early and bid often!  To bid on me, please go HERE!






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David Drufke, minneapolis says:

Very cool. It will be money well spend for the highest bidder!

(02.16.10 @ 10:54 AM)
David Drufke, minneapolis says:

Very cool. It will be money well spend for the highest bidder!

(02.16.10 @ 10:54 AM)
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Stacey and I (and the wee ones) wanted to take a moment out of our day and wish you all a Happy Valentines Day.  As you can see, we spent some time on the slopes sledding as a family.  It's too bad we didn't have the camera out for Lauren catching some serious air, but she is proud to report that she has now graduated to the "big hill".  We hope you were able to spend the day with your special loved one/ones! 

HappyValentines001.jpg

I forgot how tough it was going up, while Stacey forgot how tough it can be going down

HappyValentines002.jpg

We are going to have to watch Ian, he likes SPEED

HappyValentines003.jpg

"The Graduate"

HappyValentines004.jpg
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Kristen Drufke says:

I can not stand how CUTE Lauren is! Her look in the last photos is just to adorable for words!

(02.16.10 @ 11:04 AM)
Wanda Oleson says:

You guys are a beautiful family. Love you.

(02.16.10 @ 08:06 PM)
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