i cannot believe...
I cannot believe it has taken me almost a year to finalize this project. Last year in June, I took a huge leap and invested in myself. Every year, I like to take the time to learn new techniques, explore new locations, and to dive into what the world of photography is talking about. Last year, I decided to book a trip to the Poconos Mountains and enroll in a photography workshop. I flew alone, and met a ton of amazing artists! I took home quite a few life-long relationships, and I seriously cannot say enough about how amazing this experience was!
Not only were the people that I met hands down amazing! There was a sense of community! We all came to with similar interests and ultilately came to improve in one area or another of photography. I loved what each instructor brought, and it was amazing being to focus on how I could apply their lessons to my own skillset and learning what other photographers are doing that make them successful in their endeavors. I learned a ton about instagram, ways to evoke emotions, the art of un-posing, how to market yourself for your ideal clients etc. Obviously, not everything works for each photographer, and not every potential client is going to like my brand or my work. That is a-okay in my book. The amazing couples and families who book me deserve to have my 100% attention, and a well planned and meaningful session. I certainly do not want to run myself down, burning and churning. This gives me more time to focus on the client's who want a thoughtful photographer, and it gives me more time to focus on the important things in your session.
There were a few big hitters that really rode home to me, and that I took away from this workshop (just so you know this really scratched the surface, and I will link to the instructors below).
1) This seems like a no brainer, but it is to always be shooting, and share what you want to shoot. This really helps fine tune what it is you want to photograph. I could definitely be better about this, but there is a thing called dead season. At least for us mid-west photographers, it's this beautiful thing we call winter! This time during the dead season gave me extra time for self projects so I could fill in the gap of months on end not booking clients. This gave me the time to fine tune self portraits, and my family self portraits!
2) The other piece, that I wanted do in order to better to serve my families and couples who booked with me was that I wanted to style them. I love this because deep down, I am slightly a control freak. I am not talking hair styling or make-artistry because I can barely do my own hair, but I do know a few gal's if you need recommendations! I am talking about styling the clothing that you wear in each of session. This is where the extra time is spent, planning, figuring out sizing, Pinterest board sharing and other ideas. I LOVE THIS, but I got to be honest, this piece really scares me. Why? Well, because there are photographers who spend their time face timing their clients to plan this out and share their client closet. YIKES!! The thought of face timing y'all, just scares the crap out of me. So be gentle, if I try this! I am trying so hard to get friendly in front of the camera and get better at video'ing myself so I can do this... Who else is so worried at how they'll look or how much of a fool they'll make in front of a client? One of the main reasons I began photography is because I hated being in front of the camera, so I learned the techniques of being behind the camera to avoid being in front of it. Now you say, I need to get back in front of the camera? I love you and want to get to know you! Trust me, but we are talking LIVE footage! I am a huge dork, and what if I accidentally say something stupid or I forgot to floss after eating broccoli?
Well, that happened... Sorry to overtake this entire blog post from what I took away from this workshop to one of my very biggest fears! Let me show you some fabulous images so you'll forget about my worst fears.
Please, if you are interested in self-improvement in your business or your skills, take the leap, and invest in yourself! Anyone of these amazing instructors have a ton of resources to share and are amazing human beings! As promised, linked are the amazing Instructors from the Running Wild Workshop from June 2018:
