A special invitation from Canon

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Hi Darling,

Growing up, my dad loved taking pictures whether we were on vacation or just sitting around the table having dinner. He passed down his love for photography to me. It's something we love geeking out about.

For those in the photography business, you know there's a great divide between Canon + Nikon. Those are the 2 big players in the industry. My dad raised me as a Canon girl and I adore their brand because it's something my dad and I bond over. It reminds me of my childhood and also the lasting memories I’ll make with a Canon, the epic shots I’ll take in the future. 

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You can image my surprise when I received a direct message on Instagram from @canonuk I have to admit, my heart leaped! I was both completely shocked and excited to receive such a kind invitation to their Instameet this past weekend in Birmingham. People often think I'm a photographer, but I'd much rather say that I'm an iPhoneographer or Mobile Photographer. The truth is, I'm just a girl taking pictures with her iPhone.

Even though it's the second largest city in England, Birmingham is a bit of an underdog. The wonderful things about living in this city right now is that it’s really developing. I spoke with a friend about this at the Instameet and explained that Birmingham is a young boy who's discovering himself. Birmingham has a lot of potential but is defining who he really is. I think he has the potential to be a really great city! Amazing brands like Canon, Pinterest, and Instagram are realizing that and taking the time to come to this city.

With that said, I was super excited to attend the meet yesterday and catch up with a few friends that are involved in this Instagram community here in Birmingham. 

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The Canon team let us try out their cameras throughout the day (I mostly shot iPhone and with their EOS M3 model). The day started out with a little intro at the beautiful Curzon Building here in B-ham and then off to Aston Hall and then Boxxed where we viewed a private BMX show hosted by Ryan Taylor. The whole day we were driven around by the cutest open top big red bus. 

I’ve seen this bad boy around town before and had been dying to ride it! Steven and I even considered renting one when we got married but we couldn’t find a place that rented one out near Ohio (where we got married!). We had also considered having our wedding in England at one point and thought Aston Hall would be our perfect venue. I’d never seen the place in person so the day was really special for us being able to ride an old red bus and visit Aston Hall.

It wasn't that long ago that I was just an average girl playing around with her iPhone and taking random pictures. I decided to get out of my comfort zone and really try at this platform. To really take it to another level. I'm so glad I did!

A big thank you to Canon UK for treating us to such a fun day!

To unexpected wonderful surprises!

Beth xo

​P.S. I'm working on something special for you, darling! I'd love to know which name resonates with you most, CREATED WITH PURPOSE or CREATE WITH PURPOSE. Leave a comment below!