BlogFest + IDEAWorld 2016 Recap

In case you missed the onslaught on Instagram, we were in L.A. last week for BlogFest and IDEAWorld. It was four (plus our extra 2.5 of prep and break down) amazing and exhausting days full of Sweat Pink squad bonding, sweating, blogging learning, and booth babing. It’s a time of inspiration and motivation and of being surrounded by hundreds of likeminded, sweaty people.

Here are some highlights!

FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY SESSION

One of our local Portland bloggers is an amazing food blogger! Brooke from Chocolate + Marrow joined us at BlogFest to give us some of her tips and tricks for taking better food photos. I love that she takes most of her pictures on her iPhone and filters only slightly and usually within Instagram. Most of her tips were about taking the best picture from the beginning rather than relying on filters.

• Use diffused, natural light from the side (our PNW foggy days are the best!)
• Play with overhead, 45-degree, and side angles for various scenes and plates
• Rock the imperfect! Prepping ingredients, crumbs, fallen napkins…
• Play with mixed textures and varying heights
• Rule of thirds is still the golden rule
• Play with composition: fill the frame, circular framing, negative space, cropped dish
• Don’t shy away from taking pictures in restaurants

 

JENNA WOLFE

This amazing woman was our keynote speaker this year! She was so inspiring and real! It was great hearing her speak again after her IDEAWorld keynote speech last year. She didn’t pretend she had it all figured out, but instead spoke from the heart while making you want to hang out with her!

• “Forget what hurt you, don’t forget what it taught you.”
• Don’t put parentheses around your dreams!
• “Safety never challenged anyone. Push yourself out of your comfort zone and do something that terrifies you.”
• “It’s either now or too late. You don’t get the same chance twice in this life.”
• The courage to say, “I don’t know if it was the right decision.”
• “We all work off two lists: must do and should do.”
• “This isn’t a dress rehearsal. This is your life. Your life is happening. You get one body. Do something with it!”
• “Change is what’s required to get healthy.”
• “From the day we’re born to the day we die, we are all a work in progress.”
• Why we fail: the all or nothing mentality.
• “If you have a chance, take it! They never said it’d be easy, they did say it’d be worth it!”
• “The best workout you can do is whatever gets you to work out!”

BOOTH 215 SHENANIGANS

We had SO much fun rocking out the Sweat Pink booth! New Sweat Pink gear (including the most adorable onesie ever), a new photobooth backdrop, a twister game, handstands, and candy!

 

 

 

 

BLOG DESIGN AND PEER REVIEW SESSIONS

It was so helpful to come together with other bloggers to discuss blog design, branding, monetization, graphics, and to objectively review each other’s blogs! I loved meeting with Coach Debbie Runs, Tamarathoner, and other amazing bloggers to pick their brains on tips! Current blog goals: having blog blurbs on my home page rather than full-sized posts to scroll through, updating my author profile, having an “about me” section with a flushed out bio, and finishing transferring all of my content from my Blogger page. So much to do!

What do you guys think? Anything that I can do to make my blog better?

DTLA

We were able to go out on some runs to explore the area this year!

We found a great city park…

… amazing street art…

… and Philz!

We even got some rooftop pool time while we had a sushi lunch break. So L.A.!

ALL THE WORKOUTS

 

Who doesn’t love getting sweaty?! It was so fun getting to workout with Gunnar Peterson and Beachbody! My glutes and legs were SO sore for the next few days!

 

ALL THE FUN WITH MY TEAM 

Between dance parties, slumber parties, #stopdropandyoga parties, and all the selfies, we had just the best time as a team last week!

 

 

ALL THE FUN, PERIOD!

It was so great getting to reunite with other Sweat Pink ambassadors and meet new BlogFest attendees and other fitness professionals like Jorge Cruise.

SEE YOU SOON, LOS ANGELES!