The setting was picturesque.  Gorgeous white buildings, beautiful courtyards that I could sit in for hours, palm trees swaying in the breeze and the beach.  Oh, how I love the beach.  The white sand and turquoise water was perfect.  The sounds of the ocean could be heard in the background.  The laid back vibe should have calmed my nerves.  But I was nervous.  Like the first day at a new school, I wondered…would they like me?

The questions kept filling my head.  Why me?  Would I have anything to offer?  There are actual “celebrity” photographers here so why would anyone want to hear what I had to say?

But then I thought about workshops in general.  And how at every single one that I have attended, I have learned something from the attendees as much as I have learned from the speakers.  I learned from just the shear sharing that goes on between everyone there.  So I thought, all I have to do is share.  Be honest.  Don’t try to impress, just be myself.  Ask questions and answer them.  Offer advice and also listen.  Learn as well as teach.  Because no matter where we are in our careers, celebrity or no celebrity, popular or not popular, we all have something to share with each other and something to learn from each other.

The Savvy Sisterhood Workshop on the Waterfront was a place for photographers to get together, share an experience and learn.  And I did!!  I loved meeting all the girls and hearing their stories.  I loved just hanging out.  The in-between moments when we were just talking and laughing.  Spending four days with like-minded women, all trying to make successful businesses out of their passion, was exhilarating.

Marsha Mifsud of The Savvy Photographer did a wonderful job putting together this workshop.  Everything was thought of and taken care of.  The location was perfect.  The houses were beautiful.  The swag bags were overloaded with some of the best gifts a photographer could ask for.  The speakers were great and offered valuable information that each attendee could implement into their own businesses.  Whitney English, Jamie Schultz, Kelli France and Laura Winslow spoke on what works for them and how others could build better businesses.  The workshop was perfect.

I was so honored to not only attend this workshop but to be a part of it.  Marsha trusted me to not only speak about seniors but also plan and execute a senior photo shoot.  I love planning a photo shoot!  It is so much fun to find models, style them and create a shoot that is perfect!  However, I didn’t do it alone.

My wonderful friend Kristin Railton of Kristin Railton Photography, helped find the models.  And the models were perfect.  My other great friend, Courtney DeLaura of Altar’d State, furnished the clothing for the models.  I told Courtney what I was looking for for each model and we picked the clothes that would fit the looks.

I knew the architecture of the location and wanted one model to emulate that feel.  To me this location was a bit moroccan, so we picked a dress that fit that idea in my head.  Another model emulated the laid back beach vibe of this area and she wore jean shorts and a crocheted sweater and had a fun bike.  And the third model was our preppy girl who wore a cute blue dress, belt and sandals.  Each model’s personality fit each of their outfits to a T.

The makeup and hair was all provided by Rachel Nelson, who did a fabulous job of matching the makeup and hair to the style of each girl!  Rachel was also a ton of fun to hang out with and the models felt completely comfortable with her.

I had so much fun hanging out with each group, helping them interact and photograph the models.  There were some amazing images that were taken and I can’t wait for the attendees to share theirs.  In the meantime, the images below are a few that I took from the senior shoot.

I would love to send a big huge hug and thank you to Marsha for allowing me to attend this workshop!  It was so much fun and I truly loved every minute of it!!  For all of you reading this, be sure to check out The Savvy Photographer this week for posts all about the workshop!  You will wish you were there! 🙂