As some of you already know, I was able to attend a photography retreat that was out of this world! On a whim, I signed myself up for one of the largest investments my business has ever made- an educational photography retreat and workshop in Sarasota, Florida! Wow, right? Right! Once I knew that I was accepted and it was official, I started taking care of the logistics: who was going to watch my kids, taking work off, and booking flights.
Relationship Building
After that was taken care of, our workshop duties started when we were still months out from the actual retreat. We started with some Zoom calls to meet everyone, and gathering our business goals. Our mentors, Naomi Hopkins and Kate “Freakin” Boggs, also had weekly challenges for social media engagement. I honestly thought that was the worst part! Ha! We had to go LIVE on Instagram! Live! Like, in front of people and no re-recording. What the frick. That was not cool, and even just thinking about it makes me sick again. We were tasked with some video making with small groups, all in effort to strike up some relationships.
The Travelling Dress Challenge
Our main challenge was The Traveling Dress. This is where our mentors sent us all a dress (a stunning dress might I add) and a hat from Free People. Before our dress arrived, though, we had to make a vision board. What did we want our session to look like? Time of day? What would the models hair and makeup look like? I sent in my board and was so pumped but, I was the first one to have access to the dress and my vision was quickly shut down. Covid. Denver went into lockdown again, and I didn’t have access to one of the locations I was dreaming of. Also, a couple of my models had to cancel due to the virus. No worries- I had some friends close by that were able to step in and help out.
Step out of that comfort zone, girl!
Part of this challenge was to do something that was unlike our other sessions. Shoot in a different location, shoot with props, use ugly backdrops, or shoot when you’re not comfortable. I know that I absolutely loathe shooting in harsh sun, so that’s what I chose for my challenge. My friend Chelsea and I headed out to a river with bare ugly trees and nothing but blue skies and bright sun. Ohh that sun. Guess what? I did it. The photos turned out amazing and I had such a great time!
Another model friend of mine, Jenna, helped me accomplish some indoor shots using artificial light in the same dress. She nailed the makeup and hairstyle that I was envisioning perfectly.
I had the dress for roughly three days and had to send it on to the next Inked and Sage photographer. All of the girls’ photos were incredible and all so different. Some used horses, couples, self portraits and even a boat. So much talent behind that one dress!
I can’t wait to share more of my entire photography retreat- the photos I got of all the different sessions are unreal. So please, stay tuned! For now, just peek at these Traveling Dress Photos!
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