Every year, photographers invest in their businesses with continuing education. There are several ways to learn and grow, and workshops are just one of the ways we can do that. I attended two in 2014, one in early 2015, and then I did nothing for FOUR WHOLE YEARS! Because workshops are so prevalent in the industry, it can seem overwhelming when deciding where to go and who to learn from!
After meeting Emily Magers in 2015 at the Heck Yeah workshop, I fell in love with her work and admired the fact that she was so open about her faith and love for Jesus! Not too long after Heck Yeah, she released her own workshop, Cultivate, with Dawn Charles. I knew I wanted in from the moment they launched! Dates, times, and finances never lined up – until this year. In February, I applied for Cultivate and I got a response back – SOLD OUT. I was bummed, but I get it! Who wouldn’t want to learn from these two lovely ladies?!
And then one day, an Instagram story changed everything.
Emily posted in early March that a spot had opened up for their April workshop at Autocamp in Russian River, California. I replied within minutes and said, “Take me!”. Not desperate at all, right? Well, the rest was history. Within 24 hours, I had my plane ticket and rental car and I was ready to rock-n-roll.
I knew I needed to take the time to invest in my business and I was excited to learn from everyone at Cultivate. But this workshop was so much more than just learning about branding, posing, and photographing beautifully styled shoots. Although all of it was amazing and insightful, I was really overwhelmed with the atmosphere of women who were genuine, humble, and loved Jesus. I think sometimes we go to these types of gatherings not knowing what to expect or who we will encounter. So I prayed over this workshop from the moment I found out I was going and the Lord had His hand in the entire thing – start to finish. It was beautiful, vulnerable, and humbling in so many ways.
I learned some things I have implemented since returning home and I’m already excited to see where my business will go! I know that I’m confident I’m on the right path and I’m doing the best to give my clients ALL OF ME.
Photographers, if you’re looking for a workshop with genuine, humble women who are open books, go to Cultivate. Emily and Dawn pour their hearts and souls into teaching and it’s evident in all they do!
Here are a few photos of the Autocamp grounds (some are iPhone photos!) and some of the girls who attended, plus a few of me at the end taken by my friend, Ray! And how about those gorgeous styled shoots?! Look for them in the next blog post – coming soon!!!
