I’m tired and I sound like I’m an 80 year old man. My voice is gone but my heart is full. This past week we did something that we have never attempted before…. we hosted our FIRST EVER, large scale destination workshop. When I mean LARGE SCALE, I mean 18 attendees instead of 12, a full blown styled shoot at a real wedding venue and over 20+ hours of teaching content! whew!! It was amazing! I’m still recovering but I’ll tell you what… this is the BEST type of “tired”. I’m sure some people wouldn’t think that hosting 18 people for over two days and teaching non-stop would be fun but I LOVE IT.
We started the workshop with a welcome dinner inside of the barn. Michael and Jill prepped the food and everyone got to meet one another for the first time! We had friends from CA, OK, OH, MD, NC, GA, NY, VA, DC and PA all come together for this two-day workshop! From the VERY FIRST NIGHT, I could just tell that this was going to be an amazing group. I was 100% spot on with my judgement call. Over the next two days we became our own little “tribe” of friends who all have a passion for photography, business and being creative.
We hosted this whole shindig at the incredible BIG SPRING FARM and I cannot thank Buddy and Jill ENOUGH for being such amazing hosts. (as always!) Their love for people is so evident in the way they open up their home so willingly to serve others. Just being at this gorgeous venue is an experience in and of itself and I was SO excited for our new friends to see the beauty of the spring, the mountain views, the rustic barn and the restored farmhouse!!
Day one included a massive styled shoot with a ceremony setup, a gorgeous tablescape (that we later used for a group dinner under the stars! ah!) a boutonniere bar and one amazing couple!! It kills me not to show you these images but you can keep scrolling for a sneak peek!! :) The incredible Kaitlin Holland of The School of Styling is responsible for putting this styled shoot on and we are SO thankful for not only her talent and time but also her friendship!!!
Overall, I do not think this workshop could have gone better. There were so many sweet moments where I knew that the attendees just GOT IT and that feeling is PRICELESS!! Sometimes it happened after hearing about my workflow system… another time it was during the editing demo and then for quite a few, they had their “ah-ha” moment when I demonstrated the “posing evolution”! As always, I ended my presentation with a picture of my and my dad dancing together at our wedding. I’m bawling my eyes out while hugging him as tight as I possibly can and it’s one of the most cherished pictures of my lifetime. I end with this photo because it represents so much of what we stand for. Our jobs matter. They make a difference and ultimately, if we truly care about our clients and serve them well, our jobs can actually CHANGE people’s live for the better!! THAT is what gets me excited and if I’m being honest, I’m secretly hoping that the good Lord always allows me to host workshops because I absolutely adore them!! :)
Here are some BTS shots of the workshop with some shoutouts to the incredible team that made this happen!!
Cuties!
Love this!
Oh my GOSH! This is straight out of a dream!!
This amazing lady… she styled and planned the shoot and I’m so thankful for her!! Follow her HERE and you can thank me later!
CUTE! :)
Bokeh was WELL LOVED!
Trip to the top! We took a sunset break to head to the spot with the BEST view at Big Spring!
Yea get it Gayle! :) haha Don’t kill me for posting this! I just love it!
Styling | The School of Styling : Kaitlin Holland
Florals | Amanda Veronee
Decorative Rentals | Paisley & Jade
Venue | Big Spring Farm
Models | Josh & Brittany Anderson
Assistants | Jill Powers & Buddy Powers
Dress, Stationary, etc coming soon!
CHEF’s Catering for the amazing meal!!
** FOR FUTURE WORKSHOPS INFORMATION, MAKE SURE CHECK OUT OUR KJ EDUCATION SITE AND ARE A PART OF OUR NEWSLETTER! CLICK HERE!**
Thanks for reading!
— Katelyn
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