A few weeks ago, I packed up my bags and headed to stunning California for a 2 day photography workshop led by talented wedding and portrait photographer, Ben Sasso.
I try to attend some kind of workshop or creative gathering every year, and was so glad when my pal and fellow Toronto wedding photographer, Tamara Lockwood, let me know about this one that she was attending (she can be seen below, just killing it in front of the camera!) Going to workshops and conferences is a really important part of being a creative small business owner, especially when you tend to spend most work days slaving behind a computer, at home, for hours (days) on end. I put a lot of love into my couples’ photos and spend a lot of time doing so, but it can often feel isolating. Getting together with creatives, learning from each other and sharing in our similarities and differences is a great way to grow, as well as it gives you a chance to connect with other people who are in the same boat as you. I really liked Ben’s approach to education- he is very transparent and is a huge advocate for supporting community over competition. Learning new or different ways of doing things in my business is obviously always beneficial, but sometimes it’s also reassuring to see that I’m doing things the same way as photographers that I look up to.
Ben had some amazing ‘co-hosts’ and helpers at the workshop, and they all produce amazing work (plus they’re like Instagram superstars), so be sure to check them out! Benj Haisch, Katch Silva, and Ryan Longnecker. We were also lucky to have Liana and Brian hop in front of our sea of cameras, to do some modeling for us as we worked on posing. Ben and Benj did some portraits of us too, so you can see those below too (including the Photoshopped masterpiece, created by Ryan!)
I thought it’d be nice to share some photos from the workshop and to give my couples an idea of what I’m up to during the winter when the weddings slow down. I’ll be sharing more from my trip to California soon- I’ve got a session from Calla Lilly Valley in Big Sur and an engagement session from Sonoma coming to the blog soon!
xo Jenn
